How pretty they are, the women of “48”, with their long fur coats, their ankle boots and their jewelry. They come and go light as if nothing, neither the gray of winter nor the pollution of Paris, had a hold on them. Impossible to give them an age, let alone ask them. It must be recognized that talking about the effects of time to a stranger in a café is not the first thing to do, especially when the café in question is entirely dedicated to beauty.
The store has long been one of a kind. Everything in this falsely decrepit salon in the 9th arrondissement of Paris revolves around one substance: collagen. Protein, present in large quantities in the body, is, according to owner Amandine Fournot, the keystone of any aesthetic routine worthy of the name. Drinking it would, it is said, improve the appearance of the skin, nails or hair, even helping to fight the signs of aging.
Since its creation last year, the store has gained followers. Like her, more and more brands are offering collagen in their products. Unlike laboratory findings and other “advanced technologies”, sometimes put forward by the cosmetic industry, collagen is intended to be a “natural” remedy for the effects of time. In the skin where it is particularly concentrated, it structures the tissues, acting as a sort of putty or glue, allowing them to hold in place.
To drink and eat
With age, the cells supposed to produce it, fibroblasts, become less efficient. The skin becomes less firm, less elastic. Hence the idea, very quickly adopted by stars of cinema or social networks, of adding them everywhere, to be sure not to run out. This would be the secret of the beauty routine of models like Kourtney Kardashian, Bella Hadid, singers like Rita Ora or Katy Perry, actress Jennifer Aniston or French influencer Léna Situations, according to celebrity magazines.
Drinks “augmented” with collagen, moisturizing creams, food supplements… Driven by this trend, the offer is experiencing ever greater success: in pharmacies, the main place where concentrates are distributed along with cosmetic stores, sales have increased by 80%. % compared to 2023, according to exclusive estimates carried out by Iqvia Pharmastat, for L’Express. In pharmacies alone, the annual turnover of collagen in October 2024 amounted to more than 43 million euros. Three times more than in 2022.
It’s simple: at 48 Collagen Café, all the smoothies, lattes and other chai sold on site contain it. Visitors are greeted by dozens of boxes of food supplements and preparations of all kinds, stacked between the marble columns of the storefront. Two young passers-by take a photo of themselves, just in front. They laugh as they read the t-shirts sold at the entrance. It says: “If you think you’re lacking collagen, send me an email.”
In powder, or in the syringe
In the 1990s, collagen was injected into wrinkles. Now you can buy whole buckets of powder to “supplement” yourself. “We are rediscovering something from grandmother,” underlines Catherine Gaucher, of the National Union of Dermatologists and Venereologists. In her office, she has long recommended making meat broths or eating fish, dishes rich in collagen. “It’s useful to support the reconstruction of patients’ skin,” she says.
Ensuring a diet without deficiencies in the context of skin pathologies is one thing, but consuming collagen in large quantities to prevent the signs of aging is another. Manufacturers promise spectacular effects, they “fill wrinkles, firm the skin”, promise “+ 25% firmness” or effects “from seven days”, thanks to these pills. But their studies are never scientifically exploitable, because they are carried out on too few people or use unreliable methodologies.
The very meager scientific literature published on this subject is no more eloquent: “Nothing says that these elements really reach the skin, and that ultimately it is more concentrated in collagen”, details Isabelle Rousseaux, vice-president. President of the National Union of Dermatologists and Venereologists. The question was addressed at a conference organized by the dermatologist in September. Around ten studies were reviewed. None provided evidence of a significant effect.
Peptides and LED lamps
The observation is the same for peptide collagen, small pieces supposed to pass the wall of the stomach. Or for cosmetic creams, many of which are also “augmented”: “There is no more interest than another moisturizing product, because collagen does not penetrate the skin, it remains on the surface”, explains Professor Laurence Coiffard, member of the scientific council of the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products. It is therefore better, according to her, to stick to the basic formulas and cultivate a healthy lifestyle.
Under the neon lights of “48”, treatments using LED lamps are also offered, to stimulate the natural production of collagen. The customers have a strange look, under their white mask, two holes for the eyes, their faces lit in red. In the background, electrowave records from Sexy Sushi and La Femme play one after the other. It feels like we’re in The Substancewinner of best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival. The film, as aesthetic as the store wants to be, features an overexcited Demi Moore addicted to a contraband makeover, all to a soundtrack that is also electronic.
Beyond relaxing thanks to a heating effect, the promise here is also to improve the appearance of the skin. “It turns out that mitochondria, the energy centers of cells, are sensitive to photons sent by light. By targeting some of them, with the right settings, it is possible to increase collagen production,” assures Michèle Pelletier, scientific director of the company that markets it, Lucibel.le, and founder of the European LED Academy, an association that promotes light therapies.
Promising effects
In The SubstanceDemi Moor’s skin necrotizes, swells and eventually explodes on live television. No risk here: except in cases of skin disease, exposure to this light presents the only danger of boredom. “Does it turn off by itself?” says a customer impatiently, sitting on a metal chair. During the twelve minutes of the treatment, it was impossible to do anything else. You must wear opaque glasses throughout the session to protect your eyes.
The new skin effect is not guaranteed. “Further studies are needed,” warned the American Society of Dermatology in September. But the elements are accumulating: the stimulation that manufacturers are talking about has been demonstrated in the laboratory. “Exposure to certain wavelengths promotes the activity of fibroblasts which produce collagen. It is already used to accelerate healing in certain pathologies,” explains Catherine Gaucher.
Results on diseased skin do not necessarily indicate an aesthetic effect. But unlike other techniques, dermatologists are rather enthusiastic: “With regular care, it could slow down aging. But there is no miracle, skin that looks twenty years younger, that has never existed, regardless the method used,” warns dermatologist Catherine Gaucher. Cost of these meager hopes? 25 euros per session. To be renewed very regularly if you want an effect.
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