Skin Deep: Inner Beauty

Hands up, if you have heard of skin supplements! Food for your face, so to say. When people speak of inner beauty, usually they mean the kind of beauty that will make you radiate with kindness, empathy, self-confidence and all the other amazing things. However, there is also a different kind of inner beauty. Rooted deep within your gut. Meaning: Beauty begins in the belly.

The theory is simple. It claims that the things we put in our mouth have a serious effect on the way our skin looks. “You are what you eat.” As someone who has grown up with eczema (and still battles breakouts from time to time), I can definitely relate. If I drink to little water, my skin is the first to scream of thirst in form of flaky dryness. Too much fast-food shows up in impurities. And not enough nutrients makes the skin looks dull. No glow in sight…

First and foremost, it is important (and best) to get as many of the nutrients from a healthy, balanced diet. Which is definitely not impossible. However, realistically speaking, even someone like myself, who takes great pride in eating well, is not able to get it right with every single meal. And as a matter of fact, I don’t really want to. Because in all honesty, I adore my glass of wine on the weekends, I reach for quick-fix protein bars when I am in a hurry or love a side of fries with my lunch. Luckily, there are other ways (read: little helpers) to support the gut-brain-skin axis by nourishing the intestinal microbiome. You guessed it: skin supplements!

Food for the face

I have always been intrigued by all things diet and skin related, so mix the two together and you’ve got my attention faster than you can say “glow”. Which is the reason why I became super interested in researching skin supplements a good two years ago. First it was more about getting a shot of Vitamin C (which also helps the skin produce collagen) when I was feeling down during Winter, but then it turned into a more long-termed approach.

“Most supplement plans take at least two months to really start working in a noticeable way,”  says Corina Crysler, clinical nutritionist and co-founder of Glisodin Skin Nutrients. “The skin also needs to go through a few [28-day] cycles before you see new and healthy [layers].” she says.

Last Summer, I started using products by The Beauty Chef and then, for Christmas I received GOOPGLOW from my best friend. Currently, I am back with The Beauty Chef. Having given both a try for at least 30 consecutive days, I wanted to share my personal review of GOOPGLOW vs. The Beauty Chef Glow Inner Beauty Powder with you.

About The Products:

GLOW Inner Beauty Powder by The Beauty Chef: “Launched in 2009, it was the world’s first living, bio-fermented, probiotic inner beauty product (powder). GLOW Inner Beauty Powder is your essential daily beauty blend, containing 24 Certified Organic, bio-fermented and probiotic superfoods, for good gut health and healthy, glowing skin.”

GOOPGLOW by Goop!: “A power shot of skin-supporting ingredients and antioxidants (including vitamins C and E and CoQ10) this daily supplement (also powder) helps to reduce the free radical effects of the sun, pollution, stress and more, minimising damage to reduce signs of premature ageing, such as dullness, uneven skin tone and loss of firmness.”

Glow Inner Beauty Powder vs GOOPGLOW: my personal review

• the taste: While the GLOW powder by The Beauty Chef tastes much like berries (also had a purple hue once dissolved), the GOOPGLOW is more citrus based with an orange color to it. Both are powders which can be stirred into plain filtered water or enjoyed in our favorite smoothie recipe. I always have mine first thing in the morning with water. Both are neither bad nor good tasting, but I prefer the citrus of the GOOPGLOW a tiny bit more than the sweeter GLOW powder by The Beauty Chef.
• the price: GLOW inner beauty powder runs at 45€ per 150gr (5gr per day = 30 days) while GOOPGLOW comes in at around 60€ for 30 sachets (90gr). Both can also be purchased in smaller quantities of 5 sachets each. Again, GOOPGLOW is more expensive.
• the ingredients: GLOW inner beauty powder by The Beauty Chef contains Probiotics, Prebiotics, Maqui Berry, Dunaliella Salina, Chickpeas, Lentils, Mung Beans, Rice, Anthocyanin (from Grape Skin), Queen Garnet Plum, Linseeds, Buckwheat, Millet, Alfalfa Seeds, Quinoa, Chia, Pepitas, Sunflower Seeds, Green Tea, Stevia, Ginger, Turmeric, Agave, Lemon Juice, Molasses
  GOOPGLOW contains Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Grape (Vitis Vinifera) Seed Extract, Coq10, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Isomalto-Oligosaccharides, Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Rebaudioside A, Silica
• the results: While I only noticed a minimal difference with the GOOPGLOW, I did feel like the GLOW inner beauty powder really created a subtle change in my skin. More hydration, finer pores and less redness. However, I do want to make note of the fact that I took it more during the warmer months of the year (aka the easier time for my skin issues), while I took GOOPGLOW for most of January and February. Judging from the list of ingredients, I do feel like the GLOW inner beauty powder focuses more on the gut health with probiotics and the likes, while GOOPGLOW contains more skin-supporting ingredients and antioxidants (including vitamins C and E and CoQ10) that approach problems from the outside such as pollution, sun and stress rather than the inside (gut health)
• the recommendation: As you have probably guessed by now, I would personally recommend the GLOW Inner Beauty Powder by The Beauty Chef over the GOOPGLOW. Even though I prefer the flavor of GOOPGLOW, I think the price and results make The Beauty Chef much more convincing! I also use various other products by The Beauty Chef with the newest addition to my fridge being the BODY, a chocolate-flavored wellness powder with lots of plant based proteins, fermented hemp and shiitake mushrooms.

Have you tried skin supplements? If so, which ones can you recommend? What has created the best results for you? I’d love to know!