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Our morning coffee is a sacred morning ritual, which means no one should come between us and our morning brew. Since starting our day on the right note is important, shouldn’t what we put in our coffee also be important? 

If you are looking to elevate your coffee creamer game (and when we say elevate, we mean to add in amazing beauty benefits) then you have come to the right place. We have made two vegan collagen-supporting coffee creamers that you can add to your coffee for an even better morning cup of coffee. And don’t worry, for everyone that loves a sweet cup of coffee and doesn’t want to give that up – we still got you. 

What Makes a Good or Bad Coffee Creamer 

If you haven’t read our piece on “if coffee is bad for your skin” it is a good introduction to learning about how to make the best skin-friendly cup of coffee. The truth is, coffee can be a drink that is completely skin friendly like how matcha lattes are, as long as they are made right! 

Things that make a coffee creamer “bad” or not that skin-friendly include creamers that are filled with sugars! Not only does sugar sometimes make acne flare up, but it also can cause spiked cortisol levels which can affect your stress levels (also which can affect your skin and hair health).* Many store-bought creamers also contain a lot of filler ingredients to make them thick, and creamy, and extend their shelf life. At Copina Co. we use mainly organic ingredients to create our short ingredients list. So you know exactly what would be in your coffee creamer.* 

Things that make a good coffee creamer:

• Ingredients that are rich in Vitamin C and Amino Acids 
• Dairy Free for those that are sensitive to dairy 
• No sugar 
• Free from vegetable oils
• Free from artificial preservatives or fillers

Vegan vs. Animal Based Coffee Creamers 

• Animal Based Collagen

If you are wondering what the difference is between animal-based collagen and vegan collagen, don’t worry we can break it down for you. First things first, there is no such thing as vegan collagen! We make vegan collagen supports meaning all the ingredients that go into our blends are hand-picked to support your body’s natural collagen production from the inside out. 

Animal-based collagen supplements use real collagen derived from the hooves, bones, connective tissues, and skin of animals. As you look at the various options on the market, you may also come across marine collagen, which contains collagen derived from the scales of fish. All of these animal-derived collagen products are formulated with the idea that you can give your body an outside source of collagen in order to make up for the loss of collagen in your body.

Naturally, one point of concern with these types of collagen products is the environmental impact of using more animal-based products, as well as the ethical dilemma. It’s important to note that you can support your body’s collagen levels without using animal-derived products. In fact, animal-based collagen products don’t actually address the underlying issue behind why your body isn’t producing enough of its own collagen. By taking a finished collagen peptide, you’re putting a bandaid on the issue, rather than getting to the root problem.

Here’s something else to consider: animal-based collagen doesn’t just start working as collagen in your body as soon as you consume it. When digested, the collagen is broken down into amino acids, and then absorbed and used to produce either collagen or other proteins, depending on what your body needs.

This means that taking actual animal-derived collagen isn’t your only option if you’re looking to increase your collagen levels. You can alternatively focus on consuming foods and supplements that are rich in amino acids (and other vitamins and minerals necessary to support collagen production – more on that below!). This will more directly get to the root issue behind why your body isn’t producing as much collagen on its own, and give it the support it needs for optimal collagen production.*

• Vegan Collagen Supports

On the other end of the spectrum are vegan collagen support supplements, which work a bit differently than their animal-based counterparts. Rather than giving the body an outside source of collagen, these types of products contain targeted ingredients that boost the body’s natural collagen production process*

In order to create collagen, the body needs amino acids, vitamin C, zinc, and copper. Vegan collagen-supporting supplements contain specific plant-based ingredients rich in these elements so that the body has the building blocks it needs in order to naturally produce its own collagen.* Unlike animal-based collagen, these plant-based products get to the root issue behind why your body isn’t producing enough of its own collagen and give it the support it needs to boost its collagen production.*

Let’s look at Copina Co. Plant-Based Collagen Boost Drink Blends as an example. These herbalist-approved formulas are packed with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to boost the body’s ability to naturally make its own collagen. All drink blend flavors contain bamboo leaf extract, organic tremella mushroom extract, organic amla berry, biotin, and gotu kola, as well as additional ingredients that promote collagen production and support the skin, hair, nails, and joints.* Copina Co's Plant-Based Collagen-Supporting Blends help address both collagen degredation and support your body's natural collagen production. They're available in 4 varieties: Matcha and Cacao Calm which can be used in lattes or smoothies and Vanilla and Original which make amazing creamers or blends in smoothies. 

What Makes Our Collagen-Support Blend So Special

If you want to take a quick look at what makes up our vegan collagen-support creamers (and all our other blends) here is a good and short overview of our collagen-supporting ingredients: 

• Bamboo Leaf Extract: This extract is an amazing source of the mineral silica. Silica plays a key role in collagen synthesis, helping the body build and then absorb collagen. It also supports the skin’s ability to retain water (so it helps your complexion look plump and glowy!), and has been found to reduce hair breakage.* 
• Organic Tremella Mushroom Extract: This superfood mushroom (also known by its nickname “the beauty mushroom”) contains amino acids and zinc, which are both essential for collagen production. It is also packed with carbohydrate chains called polysaccharides, which help promote collagen synthesis in the skin. This leads to improved skin elasticity and the reduction of fine lines and wrinkles!*
• Organic Amla Berry: Amla berry is popular in ayurvedic medicine, as it is one of the most potent sources of antioxidant-rich vitamin C – one of the key vitamins needed for collagen production. It is also a great source of copper, which experts say the body also needs in order to produce collagen.*
• Gotu Kola: Also known as centella asiatica, this powerful anti-inflammatory herb has been shown to support collagen production while also protecting existing collagen.*
• Biotin: This B vitamin plays an important role in the production of keratin (a hair protein), and helps support healthy and strong hair, skin, and nails.*
• Hyaluronic Acid: Hyaluronic acid, also referred to as a hyaluronan, is a molecule made up of sugars that our bodies naturally produce. Our cells produce hyaluronic acid to balance moisture levels in our bodies, but make less of it as we age.* Our food grade hyaluronic acid helps to boost collagen production in our bodies and help our skin attract and retain moisture, helping with aging*. It’s also been shown to help smooth wrinkles, boost elasticity, help with skin firmness and boost skin radiance.* 

We also have a matcha vegan collagen support blend as well as our cacao calm. The only difference is that they contain extra ingredients like matcha and cacao. Our cacao calm makes for a great addition to coffee if you want to make a relaxing mocha! 

Benefits of Going Sugar-Free

Something that is really nice about our vegan collagen support creamers is we have two options. One, our Original vegan collagen support creamer, contains no sweeteners or sugars. It is like adding a dash of unsweetened almond milk to your coffee. It adds some creaminess and thickens the coffee but doesn’t add any sweetness. If you froth it prior with some dairy-free milk, you can find it to create a very thick and frothy latte foam! Our vanilla vegan collagen support creamer is our sweeter creamer. It is sweetened with monk fruit and a vanilla flavor to add a sweeter mix-in. Like the original blend, it is made with coconut milk powder and rice milk powder to add a thick and creamy texture to your coffee or milk froth. 

Some of the possible benefits of a sugar-free cup of coffee include:

• Reduced inflammation
• Helps Aid Skin Health 
• Lower cortisol levels 

Everything is good in moderation of course, but it has been shown that sugar increases the rate of advanced glycation end products also known as AGEs. This can damage proteins which will weak collagen and make it dry and brittle. If you ever are consuming a lot of sugar and find your skin feeling dry later in the week, you might be consuming too much sugar. 

Benefits of Using a Vegan Collagen-Support Creamer 

Many of the benefits of vegan collagen-support creamers are ingredients you don’t find all-in-one normally. Our vegan collagen support blend helps your collagen production from the inside out which in return helps support your hair, skin, and nails to remain strong and healthy.* This might also manifest in softer, more subtle, and moisturized skin.* Why wouldn’t you want every cup of coffee you drink to help support your body through amla berry that is rich in vitamin c or through our blend that is rich in amino acids?* 

Collagen is one of our body's essential building blocks and helps to promote shiny hair, supple skin, and healthy joints. We lose the ability to produce collagen as we age. That's where Copina Co. comes in. Our vegan collagen boost drink powders are edible skincare that help your body naturally produce more collagen without the use of animal products. What sets our blends apart is the fact that they address collagen loss from all angles.* Our plant botanicals both fight collagen degradation and support your body’s own natural collagen production for healthy and vibrant skin, hair, and nails.* Adding a scoop of our vegan collagen supports creamer into your coffee (or tea) could overtime help with keeping your hair, skin, and nails healthy and strong.*

Don’t believe in the power of our plant botanicals just yet? Take a look at our consumer survey to see how people are responding to our vegan collagen support blends. 

Recipes to Use A Vegan Collagen-Support Creamer In

• How to: Vegan Coffee Creamer 
• Cookie Butter Beauty Latte 
• Collegen-Boosting Brown Sugar Espresso 
• Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
• How to Make a Vegan Collagen-Boosting Iced Coffee

Did you like this blog post? You’ll love some of our other skin-loving blogs: 

• Is Coffee Bad for your Skin?
• 5 Functional Beauty Mushrooms for Youthful Skin 
• What Can Damage Your Collagen Production and How to Support it  
• Factors That Might Make You Experience Premature Aging 
• How to Tell if Your Skin is Dehydrated