Our Radiant Collagyn Has Had a Glow Up

We’ve come a long way since our early days at Ancient + Brave and we are always looking for ways to improve and evolve as the world of wellness changes. That includes elevating our formulations to help you get even more out of your daily rituals. 

You love our Vegan Radiant formula (as do we), and although you’ll be pleased to hear the flavour is still berry-rich and as delicious as ever, we have added in some extra vitamins and minerals to help you reach your outer glow goals. We’ve also listened closely to your feedback and pulled back on some ingredients that weren’t serving you. 

 

 

Let’s recap 

 Our Radiant formula has three main aims; 

• To supply those on a vegan diet with amino acids that we find naturally in collagen to give your body the building blocks to create its own.
• To top you up with some key vitamins and minerals it can be tricky to find on a plant based diet.
• To support your skin, hair and nails with potent antioxidant rich botanicals and targeted nutrients.

New additions to our Beauty Blend: 

Introducing Biotin: If you have explored skin and hair nutrients, there’s no doubt you’ll have come across Biotin or Vitamin B7. 

This water-soluble vitamin is part of the B Complex of nutrients that are essential for vital cellular reactions in the body. A great example of this is biotin’s key role in our energy production, supporting our blood sugar levels and fatty acid metabolism. And how Biotin supports our skin, hair and nail health is predominantly commonly known. 

The reason for this beauty badge of honour, is that the symptoms related to becoming deficient in biotin are hair loss, skin issues and brittle nails. It works in beautiful synergy with other nutrients in our blend such as Vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that's required for healthy hair follicle and protection of your skin, to support your inner and therefore outer health too. 

We find biotin in natural food sources such as beef liver, salmon, eggs, cheese, spirulina and seeds. As you can see, this list is pretty animal-product heavy and therefore those on a vegan diet need to pay closer attention to this vitamin than most. 

As Biotin is absorbed in the gut, those suffering from gut issues such as dysbiosis or problems with absorption may find it challenging to get enough biotin through diet alone. Alcohol also leaves us low in biotin as it hinders the absorption. We have included biotin in generous levels in our new formula.  

 

Make friends with Zinc : No doubt you have come across zinc to support your immune system when you feel a cold creeping on, however zinc plays many roles in our body. This trace mineral is essential, meaning our bodies can’t make it, so we must get it from our diet. Its many functions include cellular metabolism, the creation of DNA, immune function, vision and supporting a healthy pregnancy.

Zinc also plays an important role in our skin health. It is a potent antioxidant and needed for protein synthesis and wound healing, helps to transport vitamin A (another skin health nutrient) and helps in the metabolism of omega 3s. 

Key for our Radiant blend is that Zinc is a cofactor in the production of collagen and plays a vital role in collagen synthesis. Even mild deficiencies in zinc can impair collagen production. Zinc is also essential to cell repair and helps protect your body’s own collagen from damage. Furthermore, Zinc plays a role in creating the cross-linking that gives collagen its durability and stability.

Those following a vegetarian or vegan diet are at risk of zinc deficiency. Although you can get zinc-rich plant foods such as nuts and seeds, the main sources are animal proteins eg. beef, liver, lamb, dairy, eggs and shellfish. In addition to this, diets high in phytates (plant anti-nutrient foods often high on a plant-based diet) limit the bioavailability of zinc therefore more consideration over this mineral should be taken. 

 

The aminos: Our collagen specific amino acids are what makes this blend unique. Using a vegan version of Glycine, Proline and Hydroxyproline (better known as The Big 3) we are providing the body with the amino acid building blocks it needs to create its own collagen. Radiant also contains Arginine and Alanine, key players in a collagen amino acid profile. To this list of aminos we have now introduced a small amount of Lysine, due to its role in helping the body absorb calcium and the formation of collagen and elastin.

Although this formula has been created to target skin and collagen production, it is always worth noting that the body needs a mix of amino acids from a range of protein sources across the days and weeks to ensure the full spectrum is included in our diet. We have also included chickpea protein to give the body a more rounded profile. 

Bye-bye seaweed

Those with a keen eye may have noticed a missing ingredient from our reformulated Radiant. Whilst we love the idea of using nature's nutrients from the sea, we made the decision to take seaweed out of the equation. This was a case of ‘you spoke, we listened’. Seaweed has high levels of iodine, which some people certainly benefit from, whereas others, such as those experiencing hypothyroidism, find much more tricky to manage.

Thankfully we have kept in those skin-loving, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant rich botanicals such as Haskap, raspberry and rosehip as a nod to traditional and herbal practices who have been using them for generations.

We really hope you enjoy our new formula and want to thank you for your continued support and feedback as we evolve!