What's Missing in Your Skin Care Routine?

By: Dr. Josh Axe

In an ideal world, we’d get all of the important vitamins and minerals for glowing, healthy skin from our diets alone. The truth is I know you’re busy like I am, and sometimes that leaves us turning to convenience foods that just don’t pack the same nutritional punch.

And do you know that even when you do reach for fruits and veggies, they don’t contain nearly the same level of nutrition they did years ago? That’s why my wife, Chelsea, and I supplement … but there’s one skin supporter that might not be getting enough attention in the beauty realm: phytonutrients.

What are Phytonutrients?

Phytonutrients are natural compounds found in plants that come in thousands of different types; some of the most common are carotenoids, ellagic acid, resveratrol, flavonoids and glucosinolates. They’re found in everything from pomegranate to asparagus, okra to coffee and camu camu to acai.

In nature, these compounds help support plant health. In our bodies, they’re a powerful skin supporter.

#1 Way Phytonutrients Support Your Skin

Did you know that elastase is an enzyme that generally functions in the body to break down proteins, including elastin? (Elastin, by the way, is a protein that forms the main part of elastic connective tissue, particularly the dermis of the skin.) As its name and function suggest, it can also directly affect the healthy elasticity of the skin.

Today, the beauty industry markets a slew of expensive creams and serums to help support healthy skin elasticity and firmness, but here’s what I believe is the secret ... Beauty starts from within.

Phytonutrients are beneficial to include in your beauty regimen (along with a healthy diet and lifestyle) because they can support healthy skin elasticity from the inside. But like with most things, they’re often better when used with other skin supporters.

Just Add Collagen

Collagen paired with phytonutrients can create a powerhouse, dynamic duo. By now you’ve probably heard me talk about the benefits of collagen for the entire body ... including its ability to support healthy joints, gut, hair, nails and skin.

Collagen makes up about one to two percent of all the muscle tissue in your body and roughly 70 to 80 percent of the protein found in skin. That’s why supplementing with collagen can help support healthy skin.

Multi Collagen Protein Beauty Within

The best news: You can now get both phytonutrients AND collagen in one convenient product.

A newly reformulated Multi Collagen Protein just launched to feature the skin-supporting benefits of phytonutrients from a clinically studied ingredient (and it tastes like delicious guava passionfruit).

And don’t think the addition of the phytonutrients means we skimped on the other parts, because we didn’t. This Multi Collagen Protein still includes five types of collagen from four different whole-food sources for well-rounded wellness.