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BIOLOGYST · Cellular beauty & glow
Collagen, hyaluronic acid, elastin: understanding them and acting from within.
Your skin feels tight, it lacks suppleness, the contour of your face is slackening, wrinkles are deepening. You apply cream after cream, and the effects stay superficial, temporary, never truly lasting. That is normal. Because real hydration, real firmness and real elasticity are not built on the surface. They are built in the dermis, 1 to 2 mm beneath the skin, where no cream penetrates.
This is the path explored by dermo-nutritional research: that of ingredients taken orally, studied for what becomes of them in the extracellular matrix of the dermis. It is on this approach that Power Hydra Flow was formulated. Here is what the published research describes, and what it does not say.
The sponge and lattice analogy. Picture the dermis as a three-dimensional sponge whose walls are made of interwoven threads (collagen and elastin). The sponge is soaked in a thick gel (hyaluronic acid) that holds water. When the threads thin out and become scarce (loss of collagen), and when the gel dries out (loss of hyaluronic acid), the sponge shrivels: the skin sags, wrinkles and loses its bounce. Applying a moisturising cream to a dried-out sponge only dampens the surface; the inside stays dry.
We often think that dry skin is a question of how much water we drink. That is a simplistic view. The skin holds water thanks to a network of specialised molecules: notably hyaluronic acid, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans, which capture water molecules and keep them in the tissues. If these molecules are lacking or break down, water leaves the skin even if you drink enough.
The skin is made up of two main layers:
From the age of 25, collagen production decreases by about 1% per year. By 40, the skin has lost on average 15% of its collagen stock. By 50, the fall in hyaluronic acid production speeds up further, made worse by the drop in oestrogen at menopause.
These losses are accelerated by the sun (UV rays break down collagen via matrix metalloproteinases), smoking, pollution, excess sugar (which creates glycation bridges that stiffen collagen fibres) and chronic stress.
What we observe when connective tissue becomes depleted with age
Collagen makes up 75% of the proteins in the dermis. These are long protein fibres braided into triple helices that give the skin its mechanical strength and volume. Without collagen, the skin sags like a fabric losing its weave.
There are several types of collagen in the skin. Types I and III are the most abundant. From the age of 25, fibroblasts (the cells that make collagen) slow down their production. At the same time, the breakdown enzymes (metalloproteinases) remain active, creating a gradual imbalance between synthesis and destruction.
Clinical study
Hydrolysed collagen peptides, skin elasticity and hydration
A scientific study (n=69 women aged 35 to 55, 8 weeks). Supplementation with hydrolysed collagen peptides significantly improved skin elasticity (+7% compared with the comparison group), hydration (+28%) and dermal density. The effects were more marked in women over 50. The authors observed an increase in fibroblast activity and a stimulation of new collagen synthesis.
Elastin is the protein that allows the skin to return to its shape after being deformed: like an elastic band. It is present in far smaller amounts than collagen (4% of dermal proteins), but its role is irreplaceable: without it, the skin stays creased after being folded, the facial contour sags, the features drop.
Unlike collagen, elastin is practically impossible to replace in adulthood. The elastin stock is essentially built up during childhood and adolescence. What is lost under the effect of the sun, smoking or time does not regenerate spontaneously. This explains research interest in nutritional intakes intended for connective tissue, and in the lifestyle factors that accelerate its breakdown.
Clinical study
Natural eggshell membrane (NEM/OVOMET®): skin suppleness and joint comfort
A scientific study (n=67, 30 days) evaluating natural eggshell membrane (NEM/OVOMET®), a concentrated source of collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans. Compared with the comparison group, the supplemented group showed a significant improvement in skin suppleness and hydration, as well as a reduction in joint pain and stiffness. The authors conclude that the protein matrix of eggshell membrane provides a complete structural intake for connective tissues.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a glycosaminoglycan naturally present in the dermis. Its main property is remarkable: a single molecule can capture and hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water. It is what gives the dermis its plump, bouncy, smooth appearance, the famous “baby skin”.
The HA stock decreases with age: at 50, we have half as much as at 20. By 60, the reduction can reach 75%. This decline is accelerated by UV rays, which fragment HA molecules via free radicals, and by hyaluronidase enzymes, which break it down faster than it is made.
Clinical study
Oral hyaluronic acid 120 mg/day: skin hydration, dryness and roughness
A scientific study (n=96, 12 weeks). Supplementation with oral hyaluronic acid (120 mg/day) significantly improved skin hydration, reduced dryness and roughness, and increased the suppleness of facial skin. Histological analyses confirmed an increase in hyaluronic acid content in the superficial layers of the epidermis, showing that oral HA does reach the skin.
Joint cartilage and skin share the same basic architecture: an extracellular matrix rich in collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans. It is no coincidence that people whose skin ages quickly often also feel early joint pain: the two phenomena are two sides of the same biological reality: the depletion of connective tissue.
The synovial fluid that lubricates the joints is also rich in hyaluronic acid. Its decrease with age results in less well lubricated joints, friction, morning stiffness and pain during exertion. An oral intake of collagen, elastin and HA is being studied for its simultaneous action on the skin and on the joints.
Clinical study
The dual action of oral hyaluronic acid: skin and knee
A clinical study in 60 adult subjects (12 weeks): taking oral hyaluronic acid led to a significant improvement in skin hydration and elasticity, as well as a reduction in knee pain in subjects with joint discomfort. This study illustrates the dual action of oral HA: on the skin AND on the joints: via its systemic redistribution.
Clinical study
Eggshell membrane (NEM/OVOMET®): joint mobility and stiffness at 4 weeks
A clinical study on supplementation with eggshell membrane (NEM/OVOMET®) in subjects with joint discomfort. After 4 weeks, a significant reduction in joint pain and stiffness was observed, with an improvement in functional mobility. The authors attribute these results to the combined intake of type I, V and X collagen, elastin, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid contained in eggshell membrane.
“What you do for your skin, you also do for your joints. Both speak the same language: that of connective tissue.”
Power Hydra Flow is the dermo-nutritional stick by BIOLOGYST. It combines four ingredients, including OVODERM® eggshell membrane at 300 mg, the dose studied for this ingredient. The patented forms used are detailed in our feature on active ingredients.
A complete intake of extracellular matrix proteins. OVODERM® and OVOMET® are standardised extracts of eggshell membrane: a thin film naturally rich in type I, V and X collagen, elastin, chondroitin sulphate and hyaluronic acid. It is the only food source that concentrates these four components of the extracellular matrix in a single ingredient. These components are described in published research, with no authorised health claim to date for eggshell membrane.
Deep hydration and water retention in the dermis. ExceptionHYAL® Star is a form of hyaluronic acid with a molecular weight optimised for oral bioavailability. Unlike high molecular weight forms, which are poorly absorbed, this formula is fractionated to cross the intestinal barrier and reach the dermis via the bloodstream. Hyaluronic acid is not the subject of an authorised health claim: the studies below concern oral hyaluronic acid in general, at other doses.
Clinical study
Oral HA 120 mg/day over 12 weeks: hydration and elasticity
Supplementation with oral HA (120 mg/day, 12 weeks, n=96): significant improvement in hydration (+22%), elasticity and skin suppleness. Histological analyses confirm an increase in HA content in the epidermis.
An essential cofactor in collagen synthesis. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin. It is the irreplaceable enzymatic cofactor of prolyl and lysyl hydroxylases: the two enzymes that make collagen. Without vitamin C, these enzymes are inactive: the collagen produced is poorly structured, unstable and breaks down prematurely. At 200 mg per serving, the vitamin C in Power Hydra Flow supports the action of OVODERM® by ensuring that each collagen peptide absorbed can be turned into a strong collagen fibre. Vitamin C also contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress and to the regeneration of the reduced form of vitamin E.
Clinical study
The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health: a review
This review of vitamin C and the skin confirms that vitamin C is essential to the synthesis and stabilisation of dermal collagen. The skin concentrates vitamin C up to 10 times more than blood plasma, reflecting its critical role in this organ. Even a moderate vitamin C deficiency significantly reduces collagen production and accelerates the breakdown of the extracellular matrix.
A complement to the formula. Aloe vera contains mucopolysaccharides (including acemannan). Published studies on aloe taken orally concern doses far higher than the 10 mg in the formula: we claim no effect from it.
1 stick per day, preferably in the morning, dissolved in a large glass of water. Recommended course: 2 to 3 months: collagen renews itself slowly. Results vary from one person to another.
Power Hydra Flow is particularly suited to skin lacking firmness and elasticity, to people who wish to support the quality of their skin over time, and to dry skin that resists topical care. Not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
“Deep hydration is not applied. It is drunk.”
Firm, hydrated, bouncy skin is not built on the surface. It is built in the dermis: where creams cannot reach. To act in depth, you need to nourish the fibroblasts, replenish the hyaluronic acid stock and support collagen and elastin synthesis orally.
Power Hydra Flow combines in a single stick: OVODERM®/OVOMET® for the matrix proteins, ExceptionHYAL® Star (hyaluronic acid), vitamin C, which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, and Aloe vera. All of it documented by scientific studies.
A two to three month course: that is the time connective tissue needs to renew itself.
No: a cream works on the epidermis, the superficial layer, by slowing the evaporation of water. Structural hydration happens in the dermis, 1 to 2 mm beneath the surface, where the extracellular matrix of collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid is found, which topical care does not reach.
Collagen production decreases by about 1% per year from the age of 25: by 40, the skin has lost on average 15% of its stock. As for hyaluronic acid, we have half as much at 50 as at 20, and the reduction can reach 75% by 60.
Yes. In the study by Kawada et al. (2014, n=96, 12 weeks, 120 mg/day), histological analyses confirmed an increase in hyaluronic acid content in the epidermis. Forms with an optimised molecular weight, such as ExceptionHYAL® Star, are fractionated to cross the intestinal barrier.
The recommended course is 2 to 3 months, at one stick per day, because collagen renewal is a slow process. Results vary from one person to another.
Skin and cartilage share the same extracellular matrix, and synovial fluid is rich in hyaluronic acid. Power Hydra Flow claims no effect on the joints. Further analyses are available in the BIOLOGYST Journal, notably on Antioxidant Defense, which also contains ExceptionHYAL® Star hyaluronic acid, and on Skin Longevity, which focuses on ceramides.
BIOLOGYST: This article is provided for information purposes and does not replace the advice of a healthcare professional. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied and balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. biologyst.com
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