Could this new collagen powder be the SECRET to perkier skin? I tested it to find out (it promises results in just six weeks)
The UK's number one collagen experts, with clinically proven results, have launched a new daily powdered supplement. And I put it to the test.
Absolute Collagen has released its first collagen powder supplement, and it promises 6-in-1 benefits in just six weeks, including the smoothing of wrinkles, improved evenness and boosted elasticity. Pre-measured and in a convenient, mess-free sachet, I made it part of my morning routine to see what the hype was about.
Crystal Clarity Marine Collagen Powder Supplement 14x8g Sachets, 14 day subscription every 14 days
The new Crystal Clarity Collagen Powder is a versatile powder that can be stirred into hot and cold drinks as well as any food to deliver 8000mg of collagen in each 10ml, pre-measured, mess-free sachet.
Expertly-backed, studies have shown it gets to work in six weeks to support glowing skin, youthful-looking skin, thicker hair and stronger nails.
MailOnline readers can use the code AC625SUPP-MAIL to get 31 per cent off supplement subscriptions (first subscription only).
£19.32 (save £8.67) Shop
Collagen has long been synonymous with glowing, youthful skin, stronger nails, and thicker hair, but it can be hard to find a supplement that meets the core standards: efficacy, taste, and solubility.
Enter the UK's number one collagen experts and their new collagen powder: the Crystal Clarity Marine Collagen Powder Supplement.
Clinically proven, with 8000mg of sustainably sourced collagen, which is your optimal daily dose for maximum effects, the new powder comes cleverly pre-measured and in easy-to-transport sachets.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. A structural protein, it's the primary building block to skin, strong joints and muscles, but from our mid-twenties onwards, our natural collagen levels start to decline.
But by adding a collagen supplement to your daily routine, it could be a helpful way to support skin structure, elasticity, and overall wellbeing.
When it comes to choosing a collagen supplement, it's important to take them religiously in order to see results so opting for high-quality hydrolysed powder that's unflavoured and easy to incorporate into your day is a great place to start.
And this is where the Absolute Collagen Crystal Clarity Marine Collagen Powder Supplement comes in. Each 8g, pre-measured, convenient collagen powder sachet delivers 8000mg of high-quality marine collagen peptides. Unflavoured, it can be popped into your morning coffee, smoothie or yogurt or even taken with water.
Testing beauty products is part of my job, and I have to confess I was dubious as to whether I would keep up with the daily dose but the easy-to-tear and portable sachets really did make it so easy.
I kept a bunch at my desk and in my bag to be consumed on the go, and while Absolute Collagen prides itself on the no-taste formula, I did find it added some vanilla-like taste to a drink, which while I didn't love it in my normal cup of tea (I love a strong builders tea), it was perfect for adding to my morning cup of coffee.
The Absolute Collagen Crystal Clarity Marine Collagen Powder Supplement can also be added to your yogurt or smoothies, so if you struggle with liquid collagen, then this powdered version could be a real win.
I was on the fence about whether they'd actually do anything, especially with all the big claims that usually don't live up, but I did find that after three weeks of testing that my skin seems to have a bit more life.
At 34, I don't have profound wrinkles, but I did feel my complexion seemed 'perkier' with slightly more bounce. But to be honest, I really did enjoy the ritual of taking the collagen, knowing that I was starting my day on the right foot.
Incredibly versatile, I do think the powder sachets are an ideal way to add collagen to your day. The undetectable flavour makes it easy to add to your favourite hot or cold drinks without a lingering aftertaste.
That being said, if the powder is not for you the Marine Liquid Collagen Supplement Drink with mango and mandarin flavour is also a winner. While you can take it straight from the sachet, I mixed mine into water for a squash-like taste but with all the benefits of 8000mg of high-grade marine collagen, 60mg of vitamin C and 7.7 grams of protein - all for 36 calories.
And the best news? MailOnline readers can now use the discount code AC625SUPP-MAIL for 31 per cent off supplement subscriptions (first subscription only).
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The Sun
26 minutes ago
- The Sun
My world shattered when ‘kissing virus' left our son quadriplegic – every mum needs to know 4 rules to stop it spreading
YOU wouldn't think twice about kissing your kids, sharing food with them or perhaps putting their dummy in your mouth to clean it. But a mum is urging parents to be aware that this is in fact, NHS advice. Helen Harrison, 40, was excited to have her fourth child and first son, Alfie. But he was born disabled after she unknowingly caught a common virus that harms unborn babies, and yet, most parents or midwives have even heard of it. 7 7 7 Now six years old, severely disabled Alfie has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, limited vision and a learning disability. He cannot walk, stand or feed himself, and is still in nappies. Helen, of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, says: 'He can't do anything for himself, and probably never will.' Helen feels she was 'let down' by the NHS, having never been told about cytomegalovirus (CMV) while pregnant, passing it on to Alfie in the womb. Helen, married to Dan, 42, a construction firm boss, tells Sun Health: "I've never walked into a doctor's surgery and seen a poster about CMV saying, don't share your children 's food or cutlery, or kiss them on the mouth. "It's the summer months, you wouldn't hesitate to let your child have a lick of your ice cream. "It makes me really cross that you're not warned about CMV. I just feel a bit let down.' It's thought health chiefs don't want to unnecessarily scare parents about a virus that is so common, so easily spread but for most, has little consequences. "Most babies with congenital CMV do not have any symptoms," the NHS website says. But it adds it can 'sometimes' cause problems - ranging from a rash to seizures and problems with the liver. For some, like Alfie, the impact is life-limiting. Up to 4,000 babies are born with CMV every year, according to Dr Helen Payne, a leading CMV researcher at London 's Imperial College and St Mary's Hospital. Of those, an estimated 800 have long-term consequences, such as deafness or learning disabilities, while 200 suffer as severely as Alfie. The signs of common virus that could be deadly to babies - and how to spot them in your tot Dr Payne says: "It's upsetting that a condition that is so widespread and profoundly affects some infants is barely known by the public, especially when there are actions that can be done to prevent infection." CMV is a common bug that usually has no symptoms, but for some, may cause the sniffles, a rash or temperature. Professor Hermione Lyall, Britain's leading clinical expert in CMV, based at St Mary's Hospital, says: 'Generally speaking, most of us have it as we grow up and grow older, but it never really does us any harm. 'It only really causes a problem if you are a baby in the womb and you haven't yet developed an immune system, or if you're somebody who's immunosuppressed.' The bug can be passed between people in close contact through bodily fluids, including saliva, urine and faeces. It can therefore spread when sharing cutlery, straws or dummies and from mouth-to-mouth contact, such as kissing. Pregnant women who work closely with children or already have a young family are more at risk of getting CMV, the NHS says. Official advice to pregnant women or those around expectant mums is to follow four important rules (scroll down for more information). 1. Wash hands with soap after changing nappies or wiping kids' noses 2. Avoid sharing food & drink with children, including glasses, straws & cutlery 3. Never put children's dummies in your own mouth 4. Kiss your children on the forehead, not the mouth 'Burst into tears' Prof Lyall says midwives don't receive extensive training on CMV. "We got hold of the main textbook for midwives, and there was about six lines on CMV, and it's not really correct or relevant to the modern world at all,' she says. 'Most people know about avoiding cat litter in pregnancy because you don't want to get toxoplasmosis, or about avoiding soft cheese because you don't want to get listeria. 'But the chances of getting either of these infections are absolutely minuscule, less than 20 cases a year, whereas there are up to 4,000 children a year born in the UK with CMV.' A former primary school teacher, Helen had a 'textbook pregnancy' before Alfie came along. 'He was born in my trousers at the front door of the hospital,' Helen recalls. A crash team rushed to the site and noticed Alfie had a pinprick rash all over his body. Worried about the shock of the freezing December weather, they whisked him away to the Special Care Baby Unit. At first, the doctors and nurses didn't seem too concerned. 7 7 But the following morning, when Alfie's father Dan arrived, the couple was ushered into a side room. It's just that total shock. I think I had that naïve belief that it would never happen to me They were told that a brain scan had revealed multiple abnormalities and Alfie's liver and spleen were enlarged. The news was devastating for the young couple. 'We burst into tears,' says Helen, who says they were not treated with compassion. A paediatrician allegedly told Dan: 'You need to sort yourself out and man up. Your wife needs you.' Helen says: 'They started asking lots of questions - what was the pregnancy like? Did I have any food poisoning? 'Did I follow the guidelines of what you should and shouldn't eat? I felt they were blaming me.' With no clear answers, the hospital contacted the specialist infectious diseases team at St Mary's Hospital, London, who recommended Alfie was tested for CMV. His viral load was then discovered to be 'sky high'. He was immediately given medication, which reduced the infection, but could not undo the damage to his brain. Helen says: 'It's just that total shock. I think I had that naïve belief that it would never happen to me.' Dr Payne says that the most dangerous time for a foetus is the first three months of pregnancy. But treating the mum can prevent the virus being transmitted to the baby. 'He laughs, he smiles' She is among experts calling for screening of all pregnant women, as is the case in parts of France, Spain and Greece, as well as in Ontario, Minnesota and New York State. The UK's National Screening Committee has to consider whether a screening programme for any condition is worthwhile - in this case, including whether it will cause alarm to parents. A screening programme for CVM was rejected in 2017 and 2022. The NSC is due to consider testing both mothers and babies for CMV this summer, with an announcement expected in the autumn. Dr Lyall says: 'There's competition from all kinds of things, such as screening for cancer, genetic diseases or metabolic diseases. 'The thing that is very tough for us is the fact that there's an intervention that can prevent the virus from going across and causing damage to a baby, and we're not able to offer that to women because we don't diagnose that the infection is there. "It's only the more severe babies that get picked up, because we're not screening for it, and so it's just not out there that this is something that people need to worry about in pregnancy." The experts are also calling for CMV to be included in the heel prick test given to every newborn baby in the UK at five days, so that those affected can be identified quickly. The charity Action on CMV estimates that the cost of caring for UK children born with the virus is over £750 million every year. That includes direct costs to the NHS and social services, workdays lost by parents plus the expense of therapies and equipment. Helen cares for Alfie full time, but would like to return to work in the special needs sector. I visit the family in their comfortable, detached home, and Alfie seems like a happy little boy. Dressed in a dinosaur T-shirt and leggings, he lies on a play mat surrounded by sensory toys, contentedly gurgling. Though he cannot speak, Helen says he is very communicative. 'He laughs, he smiles,' she says. 'He'll scream and shout if he's not happy. He hasn't got words, but he's definitely got his own voice. "If he's upset, then it takes a while to sort of soothe him. And you wish, God, I just wish he could just tell me what is wrong." Alfie can't eat solid foods, so doctors suggested a feeding peg that would deliver liquid food straight into his stomach via a tube. Helen was against the idea, unless Alfie were to stop thriving. 'We've worked so hard to keep him orally fed,' she says. 'He really enjoys flavoursome foods. Just last night, we were around at my parents' and he was given a spoonful of lemon meringue pie filling, and then he's immediately opening his mouth for the next spoonful. It's just such a joy. 'And it is a social thing as well to eat, so we just don't want him to lose that.' Alfie attends a special needs school where he loves interacting with other children. He is also adored by his older sisters Evie, 12, Millie, 10, and Chloe, eight. "Sometimes Dan and I wonder what Alfie would be like if he hadn't been affected by CMV, would he be running around, terrorizing his sisters?' says Helen. He will always carry the virus, but it is now inactive. In 2019, Helen and Dan did the Tough Mudder 15km obstacle course challenge to raise £5,000 for the charity CMV Action, and since then have raised more. But their main aim is to raise awareness, so that other children and families do not have to face the same heartache. Helen says: "I still do feel quite guilty, because at the end of the day I caught the virus. So what if I hadn't? If I hadn't caught that virus, Alfie would be your average child and wouldn't have to live such a challenging life. 'I don't think that guilt will ever go, I just try and bury it.' 7 7 WHAT MUMS SHOULD BE WARNED ADVICE from the NHS to pregnant women, or those trying for a baby: Wash hands using soap and water, especially after changing nappies or wiping your children's snotty noses. Avoid sharing food, e.g. do not finish your children's food. Do not share cutlery, straws or drinking glasses with your children Never put your children's dummies in your own mouth. Kiss your children on the forehead - avoid kissing them on the mouth Regularly wash toys or other items that may have young children's saliva or pee on them If you are unwell with an unexplained fever or rash during early pregnancy, ask your midwife or doctor for a test for CMV infection
Daily Mail
33 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Students will spend 25 years glued to their phones if current screen habits don't change, study shows
Students will spend 25 years glued to their phones if they don't change their screen habits, a study has found. The average school, college, or university student spends five and a half hours on their phone per day, which could amount to 25 years of their lives. And the four per cent who spend nine hours or more on their phone could see themselves wasting 41 years of their lives locked into a screen. The research, which was conducted by Fluid Focus over the first five months of the year, highlights rates of smartphone usage, the negative impact it has on learning and attention span, and student's desire to reduce it. Their figures are based on a waking day of 16 hours and 72 years of smartphone use from the age of 11 to 83. To get their figures, they tracked the screen times of 1,346 middle school/junior high pupils, 198 university students, and 1,296 people at further education colleges. App genres which dominated the screens were social media, messaging, and streaming. Screen time averages increased with age - from five hours and 12 minutes for middle school/junior high students to six hours and 12 minutes for university students. For many students, their phone was the first thing they check when they wake up and the last thing they look at before bed. Worryingly, 68 per cent of students believe their academic performance is impacted by their phone use. Despite this self-awareness, around 40 per cent admitted to constantly checking their phone while studying. Checking your phone seems like a harmless habit, but another study found it can take 20 minutes to regain focus afterwards. Dr Paul Redmond, who studies generational change, called the findings 'quite stark'. He was director of student experience and enhancement at Liverpool University in England, one of 18 institutions involved in the research. He said: 'I think what's powerful is how students feel that it's damaging their academic performance. That awareness that "I could do so much better if I manage this".' Nearly half of students (47 per cent) said their sleep is disturbed because of late-night phone usage, a figure that rose to 66 per cent for those at university. Dr Redmond said it was helpful to talk with young people about strategies to manage screen time. He explained how one new technique they tried out was to put elastic bands around their phones so when they took them out to go on them 'they were made to stop and think about why'. Lisa Humphries is associate principal at Chichester College Group in England, where some of the 11,000 students across its seven constituent colleges participated. She said: 'By the time we see them in college, they've had five, six, seven years of living inside their phone. The levels of social anxiety are crippling in the young people we're seeing, and it comes from that whole thing. 'Everyone's living in their bedroom on their phone, and they're not outside, and they're not socializing, communicating. They're not developing those skills to build relationships.' The report's authors urge schools, colleges, and universities to make digital well-being part of their curriculum and strategic plans. They even encouraged them to reward students who display healthy digital behaviors. Another suggestion was to cut university lectures from 60 or 90 minutes to blocks of 30 minutes in order to cater to the new generations short attention spans. They added the single biggest change a student can make is leaving their phone outside the bedroom up to 45 minutes before they want to go to sleep. The authors also called for ministers to treat technology overuse as a public health problem and want their to be a public health campaign targeted at Gen Z. Glenn Stephenson, co-founder of Fluid Focus, said: 'This research is a mirror. It forces us, as a society, to confront an uncomfortable truth: we unknowingly handed powerful, addictive technologies to children during their most formative years - without fully understanding the risks in doing so. 'However, what was great to see, and what should give us all hope, is that students aren't oblivious to the impact - far from it. They're aware, reflective, and increasingly motivated to change. 'Many are already trying. They just need to be met with the right education, the right tools and the belief that change is possible.' Another study found three quarters of Gen Zs admitted struggling to maintain concentration while interacting with someone and 39 per cent feel a strong urge to look at their device. Social events (28 per cent), speaking with friends (18 per cent) and parents (17 per cent) are some of the scenarios where the younger generation stop paying attention. And 28 per cent said they are even switching off at work, affecting their productivity. The study of 2,000 18 to 28-year-olds found that Gen Z will reach for their phone after just two minutes and 15 seconds of talking to someone. The biggest temptations when chatting face-to-face with someone include checking messages (48 per cent), scrolling social media (44 per cent) and even opening YouTube (18 per cent). Calls (32 per cent), text messages (23 per cent), and social media mentions (14 per cent) are deemed hardest to ignore. The research, commissioned by AXA UK as part of the annual Mind Health Report, found 63 per cent admit they struggle with real-life interaction - and 77 per cent use their phone as a form of escape.
Telegraph
43 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Mothers-to-be called ‘pregnant participants' in Government report
Expectant mothers have been described as 'pregnant participants' in a Government report. The study into how passengers would react to emergencies in a self-driving taxi used the phrase nine times. Similar wording, including 'pregnant passengers', 'pregnant users' and 'pregnant individuals' was used throughout the Department for Transport (DfT) report. Neither the phrase 'pregnant woman' nor the word 'mother' were mentioned. However, the word 'transgender' was written 14 times while 'woman' featured just twice – and one of those times was in the phrase 'transgender woman'. It's prompted critics to claim the report was an example of the public sector attempting to erase women's rights. The Conservatives urged the Government to 'get a grip', while DfT insisted the study did not affect anyone's legal rights. Written by Dr Clare Mutzenich of Lacuna Agency, a consultancy, the study looked at how expectant mothers, among other groups, reacted to various simulated emergencies while in a robot taxi. It found that pregnant women felt more vulnerable than other groups when travelling in a driverless taxi during an emergency, such as a stranger trying to get in or a fire starting inside the car. Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy at the human rights charity Sex Matters, described the study's deliberate avoidance of the phrase 'pregnant women' as forming 'part of a broader erasure of women's needs'. 'It's very telling that the DfT refers to 'pregnant passengers' rather than pregnant 'women' in a study looking at how people with different protected characteristics may respond in an emergency situation,' Ms Joyce said. 'Only women can have the protected characteristic of 'pregnancy and maternity', and this study both obscures that fact and fails to consider the protected characteristic of 'sex' in its own right. The word 'woman' appears just twice, one of which refers to a 'transgender woman' – that is, a man who identifies as trans. 'This official, publicly funded research is part of a broader erasure of women's needs. It places pandering to gender ideologues ahead of objectively considering the specific safety needs of one of the largest groups of passengers – that is, women.' Gareth Bacon, the shadow transport secretary, said: 'It says everything about this government that a Department for Transport report can't bring itself to call pregnant women what they are – women. 'This is what happens when ideology overrides common sense, and it's women who get erased. The Supreme Court has now made clear what we already knew, but rather than lead with clarity, Labour are still twisting themselves in knots. They need to get a grip.' A think tank previously warned that public sector workers were refusing to accept the Supreme Court ruling, made earlier this year, on the legal definition of a woman. Policy Exchange, a think tank, said in its Biology Matters Compendium, published earlier in June, showed that 'there is still a great deal of ideological capture in the policy and practice of many public institutions'. 'The defence of sex-based rights does not end with a court ruling. It requires persistent scrutiny, open debate, and the courage to challenge ideological orthodoxy wherever it may reside,' it said. The Supreme Court's April judgment overturned a previous interpretation of the law, which had been promoted within the public sector by lobby groups such as Stonewall. Under what these groups insisted was correct, trans-identifying men had to be treated as if they were born female, including giving them access to women's toilets and changing rooms. Some public sector workers felt bound to support this because of Labour's Equality Act 2010, which contains the legally binding 'public sector equality duty' that forces them to promote and fund pro-diversity initiatives. A DfT spokesman defended the Lacuna Agency driverless taxi report by saying it included 'more than 30 references to 'female'.' 'The language used in the report, which was prepared by an external agency, does not impact any relevant legal obligations applying to women,' he said. Lacuna Agency failed to respond to a request for comment. It comes after a recent DfT U-turn on driverless car technology, with Uber announcing this month that it would be trialling such vehicles from spring next year. Previously, the Government had said that fully-driverless car technology would not be introduced until 2027 at the earliest.
