Creaming away wrinkles was yesterday, today beauty drinks with collagen or hyaluronic acid promise smooth skin. Anyone who drinks the small ampoules should become beautiful from the inside. Prevent or even reduce wrinkles with a few sips. Stiftung Warentest has tested 15 such beauty drinks – but not a single one of the products can be proven to tighten the skin, smooth wrinkles or protect us from getting a wrinkled forehead.
Offering hyaluronic acid and collagen to aging skin to keep it fresh and smooth sounds logical at first. After all, they occur naturally in the skin and ensure that it remains firm and smooth. However, as the body ages, it produces less of it. The result: the wrinkles around the eyes, mouth and forehead become deeper and more visible. This is where the dietary supplements with hyaluronic acid and collagen in liquid form want to start. An offer, so to speak, to supply the body with the two skin smoothers through the small beauty drinks. But in the end, consumers do not benefit from drinking an ampoule with the alleged beauty elixir every day. Because: The beauty drinks are expensive – and what the advertising suggests has not been scientifically proven. This is the conclusion of the Stiftung Warentest.
Stiftung Warentest examined a total of 15 liquid dietary supplements from drugstores, pharmacies and online retailers. The product testers asked all 15 manufacturers of the drinks about studies on their effectiveness. There were only ten replies. None of the studies could prove that the liquid dietary supplements with hyaluronic acid and collagen keep what the manufacturers promise. The studies either had methodological flaws or too few subjects. So no guarantee for fewer wrinkles or a more beautiful glow.
Instead, the beauty drinks cause a hole in the wallet. For the most expensive product from Alp Beauty in the test, consumers pay 3.95 euros for the recommended daily ration. The whole month is 120 euros. And according to the manufacturer, the drinks should be taken for at least six weeks. In this test, all 15 products fail – because not a single manufacturer was able to scientifically prove the effectiveness of its beauty drink. Fewer wrinkles, a more beautiful glow or beauty from within remain an empty promise.
Because the beauty drinks are dietary supplements, they do not have to be approved or proven to be effective before they can be placed on the market. They only have to be reported to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety.
But why can manufacturers advertise that the drinks make you beautiful from the inside or can prevent wrinkles? The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has always rejected health-related advertising claims about hyaluronic acid and collagen. Because: There is no scientific evidence for their effectiveness. But the manufacturers use a trick: in addition to hyaluronic acid or collagen, the drinks also contain vitamins or trace elements – health claims about the vitamins can appear on the packaging. In addition, the Efsa makes clear specifications: For example, that biotin “contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.”
If you want to protect your skin from the inside, you don’t need beauty drinks or dig deep into your wallet. The dermatologist Yale Adler revealed in an interview with the star that a tablespoon of tomato paste a day with a little oil supports the skin due to the lycopene it contains and thus protects against skin aging. If you really want to protect yourself from wrinkles, you should pay particular attention to one point: sun protection. UV radiation is very aggressive and not only ages the skin but can also cause skin cancer. Yael Adler’s advice for protecting your skin from the sun: “Avoid, dress, use lotion.”
You can find the complete fee-based test online at Stiftung Warentest!
