Abstract
Women generally want their skin to look beautiful and healthy. Like the saying that “the skin is a mirror of the inside,” beauty is not only an aspect of appearance but also a reflection of inner balance. Many people consider it important to have both physical and mental health with a comfortable and fulfilling lifestyle for both inner and outer beauty. Compared with ten years ago, awareness of skin care has increased among people of all ages and even women in their 20s now want to look younger than their actual age.
The domestic market for health and beauty food products in Japan exceeds 1.7 trillion yen, 10 percent of which is for agents that are said to have beautifying effects on skin. Beverages formulated with collagen peptide are leading the expansion in this area because people can actually sense the moisture of their skin the morning after drinking. It has been revealed that the moisture content of the stratum corneum (a reflection of the skin's ability to retain water) increases when collagen peptides are taken orally. Collagen peptides and hydroxyproline have the effect of increasing the expression of β glucocerebrosidase, an enzyme involved in ceramide synthesis in the stratum corneum. Collagen peptide taken orally is absorbed as hydroxyproline and dipeptide, and improves the skin's ability to retain moisture by increasing the amount of ceramide in the stratum corneum.
In order to maintain a beautiful and healthy skin, it is essential to consume foods that have a beautifying effect on skin. Ingredients that can make skin more beautiful spread to every inch of the skin after ingestion, producing such effects as skin whitening and aging care in an efficient way. Therefore, it is to be expected that they will attract increasing attention from both consumers and researchers who are interested in skin care.
