Beauty Focus Collagen is a supplement sold by a brand called Nu Skin. The brand positions this supplement as a beauty enhancing product that can help consumers “visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles” in skin and “boost hydration for all-out gorgeous skin.”
But does Beauty Focus Collagen contain a research-backed collagen dose? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is it proven in research studies to have anti-aging effects? And is Beauty Focus better or worse than popular collagen brands like Youtheory?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Beauty Focus Collagen to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for anti-aging, and whether or not it's healthy.
We'll also share our concerns about the clinical trial on Beauty Focus Collagen, feature a video that investigates some of the controversies surrounding this supplement's manufacturer, and compare Beauty Focus to other popular collagen brands to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Brand's own study disputes its marketing claims
- Contains inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Beauty Focus Collagen
Brand's Own Study Disproves Claims
Nu Skin describes Beauty Focus Collagen as “clinically proven,” as shown below:
image source: https://www.nuskin.com/
The clinical trial funded by the brand disproves some of the brand's own marketing claims.
The manufacturer of Beauty Focus Collagen funded a clinical trial testing the effects of the supplement on various skin parameters.
This study was published in a peer-reviewed journal called Current Developments in Nutrition.
We give credit to the manufacturer for funding clinical research published in a peer-reviewed journal, as this is the gold standard of product research.
While the supplement was shown to improve some skin measures such as skin facial color, "no changes in lines and skin firmness were noted."
Recall from the intro to this article that Nu Skin claims that their supplement can "visibly reduce fine lines and wrinkles."
We urge the brand to remove this marketing claim, which is disproven by their own study.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in the Peach flavor of the Beauty Focus Collagen+ drink are shown below:
image source: https://www.nuskin.com/
Collagen peptides is the first active ingredient.
The 2,500 milligram (mg) collagen dose should be effective for wrinkle reduction.
A 2014 clinical trial used the exact same dose, and found after eight weeks of daily supplementation that skin wrinkles were significantly reduced.
Lutein is an antioxidant compound found in plants like broccoli and peppers.
While there are some clinical trials suggesting lutein may improve skin quality, we can’t identify any using a dose as low as 5 mg.
Wheat lipid extract may be effective for improving skin quality, but again we consider the amount in this supplement to be underdosed.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that this ingredient reduced wrinkles and improved skin hydration, but the dosage used in the trial was 350 mg, which is 5x the amount in Beauty Focus Collagen.
Beauty Focus Collagen also contains two questionable additive ingredients.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor-enhancing ingredient.
As we documented in our review of NeoCell Collagen, citric acid has been shown in at least one medical review to cause inflammatory reactions in some individuals.
Natural flavors is a categorical term that fails to describe the specific flavoring agents used, and there are toxicity concerns documented in medical research regarding some flavoring compounds.
Overall, we consider Beauty Focus Collagen+ likely to have an anti-aging effect given its effective collagen dose, but we don't currently recommend it due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
Manufacturer Controversies
Nu Skin, the multi-level-marketing (MLM) brand behind Beauty Focus Collagen, was investigated in an exposé published by YouTube creator "iilluminaughtii."
The video documents how Nu Skin has been accused of running a pyramid scheme, how the brand has been sued for sex discrimination, and orders from regulatory agencies made to Nu Skin due to alleged false claims:
Beauty Focus Collagen vs. Popular Collagen
Here's how Beauty Focus Collagen compares to other popular collagen supplements, in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Youtheory
Simple formulation: collagen peptides and vitamin C, free of any questionable inactives.
Vitamin C is clinically shown to support endogenous collagen formation.
Youtheory is the winner from both a health and potential efficacy perspective.
Winner: Youtheory
Momentous
This collagen brand uses FORTIGEL, which is a trademarked collagen hydrolysate blend clinically shown to increase elastin biosynthesis by 50%.
It's also free of inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy, as we documented in our top rated collgen powder review article.
Momentous has the advantage from a health and potential efficacy perspective.
Winner: Momentous
Alaya
Contains collagen at a research-backed dose, along with other research-backed bioactives.
No unhealthy inactives.
Alaya Multi Collagen is the better-formulated product.
Winner: Alaya
Our Clean Collagen Pick
Thorne Collagen Fit is our top collagen pick.
It provides 15 grams (g) of collagen per serving, is sourced from grass-fed animals and is NSF Certified for Sport (meaning a third-party laboratory has verified it to be free of harmful contaminants.
This formulation also contains nicotinamide riboside, which "will play an important role in anti-aging therapy" according to a 2022 medical review.
Beauty Focus Collagen Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Effective collagen dose
- Tested in clinical trial published in peer-reviewed journal
- Contains other research-backed active ingredients
- Clinically shown to improve facial skin color
- Clinically shown to improve "radiance" of skin
Cons:
- Clinically shown to have no effect on wrinkles
- Clinically shown to have no effect on skin firmness
- Contains citric acid
- Contains natural flavors
- Lutein may be underdosed
- Wheat lipid extract may be underdosed
- Less healthy than some competitors
