Last updated:Feb 21, 2026
I Stopped Buying Expensive Skin Care, This is what I do Instead
I Stopped Buying Expensive Skin Care, This is what I do Instead
Words by Tina Stephens
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Published on: Feb 17, 2026
I've tried everything. The serums, the creams, the treatments. I was diligent, consistent and spending more than I'd like to admit. And still - somewhere in my early forties - something stopped working. The firmness I'd had in my thirties had quietly left. The lines weren't dramatic, but they were deeper than they'd been. My skin looked tired in a way that sleep wasn't fixing..
It was a conversation with a nutritionist friend that finally changed how I thought about it.
"You're treating the symptom," she told me. "Not the cause."
After 35, your body produces less collagen every single year, the protein that gives skin its structure, firmness and elasticity. By your forties, that decline has been happening for a decade. And the creams you're applying? They can hydrate the surface, but they physically cannot reach the dermis, the layer where collagen actually lives. The molecules are too large to penetrate that deep.
Nobody in the beauty industry tells you this. They're not incentivised to.
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Premium Liquid Marine Collagen 10,000mg Sachets
What I tried
I started researching marine collagen, specifically hydrolysed marine collagen peptides, which the body can actually absorb and use at a cellular level. The clinical evidence was solid. But most of what was on the market was underdosed, full of fillers, or both.
Eventually I found Kollo, a marine collagen supplement co-founded by TV broadcaster and health advocate Jenni Falconer after she faced exactly the same problem in her forties. The fact that someone with her profile and access to every product going had gone down this route and decided to build something herself said a lot to me.
Kollo Clinical Grade Premium Collagen
10g of clinical-grade marine collagen per sachet. A clean, short ingredient list. Liquid sachets for better absorption. A brand with, as they put it, nothing to hide.
One sachet every morning. Mixed into water or juice. Ten seconds.
What happened - honestly
The first two weeks I wasn't sure. By week four, something had shifted, a plumpness and density I recognised from years earlier. By week eight, three separate people asked me, unprompted, if I'd had something done.
I hadn't. I'd just started fixing the right problem.
The lines around my eyes haven't disappeared, I want to be straight with you about that. But my skin looks visibly firmer, more hydrated, and more like mine again. My jawline looks more defined than it did a year ago. The dryness that had just become normal for me, gone. And the comments haven't stopped. My sister. My hairdresser. A colleague at work. All asking, within weeks of each other, what I'd changed.
What I'd changed was invisible. That's the point. Nobody can see a sachet of collagen. They can only see what it does.
Kollo Clinical Grade Premium Collagen, independently tested
What surprised me most
Kollo isn't a brand you'll find on the shelves of Boots or splashed across magazine covers. It doesn't have the marketing budget of the big skincare names. But here's what it does have, something most of those brands don't.
It's the most awarded liquid collagen supplement in the UK. And it has over 7,000 five-star reviews from real customers.
Not influencers. Not paid testimonials. Women who tried it, stuck with it, and came back to say so.
I think there's something telling about that. The brands that shout the loudest aren't always the ones that work the hardest. Kollo has quietly built a reputation on results rather than advertising, which is probably why you haven't heard of it until now.
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Nood
Premium Liquid Marine Collagen 10,000mg Sachets
- SRShane R.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars4 days agoBeyond Excellence
Fantastic products for skin and hair.Also a fantastic team behind the scenes.Thank You xx
- JWJulie W.Verified BuyerRated 5 out of 5 stars4 days agoHelpful team
I have not had to contact the team much, but when I have they have been friendly and helpful
- JWJulie W.Verified BuyerReviewingPremium Liquid Marine Collagen 10,000mg SachetsI recommend this productI noticed benefits for my... Skin, Hair, NailsI drink my collagen... Mixed with waterRated 5 out of 5 stars4 days agoA regular start to my day
I have been using Kollo collagen for a few years and would not change it.
It is easy to take (I mix mine with a little water) and the little sachets are handy if you are going away.
Pleasant taste. I believe it does me good - my skin, nails and hair are all good (for my age).
I subscribe to a regular delivery and the Kollo team remind me when it’s due, in case I want to change the subscription.
Very happy customer.
- TTraceyReviewingPremium Liquid Marine Collagen 10,000mg SachetsI recommend this productRated 5 out of 5 stars4 days ago5 Stars
Its very good and tastes nice too
- JDJames D.Verified ReviewerReviewingPremium Liquid Marine Collagen 10,000mg SachetsI recommend this productI noticed benefits for my... JointsI drink my collagen... Mixed with waterRated 5 out of 5 stars1 week agoHelping with my old man neck
I'm now at the 4-month stage of taking kollo daily and my neck discomfort is improving. As a 44 year old getting told you have arthritis is pretty annoying but it's been the kick I needed to take action, and Kollo has been a big part of my plans. It will be a forever part of the morning routine.
The hydration sachets are great too, when my wife isn't stealing them.
