If like me, you keep hearing from source after source about Collagen being THE go-to product for anti-ageing and overall wellness, then this may be the interview for you.

It seems the older we get, the more pressure there seems to be around ageing and somehow being able to bottle our youth as well as keeping our bodies and minds healthy. Whether it’s with injectables, a cupboard full of night creams, multivitamins for days, yoga retreats or, if we want to go down the sci-fi route, are we really that far off attempting to cryogenically freeze ourselves? I digress, but the point remains the same. How can we put our health and well-being at the forefront of our priority list and simultaneously combat the signs and feeling of ageing? Collagen may just be part of the answer, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

In this vein, we find out how Maxine Laceby went from local bone broth collagen ‘dealer’ to game-changing founder of Absolute Collagen, one of the biggest collagen brands in the market today.

I’m interested to know what made you decide to start Absolute Collagen?

Long story short, I created Absolute Collagen simply because it worked and no other reason, and was born out of an art project, I embarked on a Fine Art degree at 50. One of my first projects was to strip myself bare of all makeup and let my hair go grey. I wanted to see if as a woman of a certain age, I disappeared in people's vision.

It made me realise how insecure I was about what I looked like. I decide to look at myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

One of the first physical things I did, was to look at what I was putting in my body. I started making my own bone broth, boiling up bones for hours and drinking the 'jus'. I instantly had a sense of well-being, my aches and pains disappeared, and my skin became dewy, looked fresh and radiant. My friends kept asking me what I was doing as I looked so well! The only thing I could put it down to was the bone broth, so I embarked on research to see what it was about the bone broth that was making me look and feel so well.

After an extensive research project to see what was it about the bone broth that was making me look and feel so well, I soon realised it was the collagen extracted from the bone broth. I started cooking up large vats of broth for hours and soon became known as the local collagen dealer. My friends were banging the door down for the stuff!

Whilst researching collagen it soon became clear that type 1 marine collagen was far superior to any other form of collagen, and I knew that was the collagen I wanted in my product. It was then I decided I wanted to put ready-made collagen into sachets, and Absolute Collagen was born.

That story is fascinating! For you, what is the main difference between collagen supplements and liquid collagen? Is one better than the other?

Liquid collagen is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream more quickly and efficiently than solid supplements because the body has to work harder to extract nutrients when they’re delivered in solid form, 85-90% of nutrients contained in supplements in liquid form reach the stomach in just 22 to 30 seconds - pretty impressive! 

Additionally, using liquid supplements means a more highly concentrated dose can be packed into a small serving when compared to pill or tablet form.

Also, pills need to be further broken down by the body before they are absorbed, so liquid collagen is more easily and quickly absorbed - we call it ‘highly bioavailable’. Absolute Collagen has an absorption rate of 90-95% compared to 40-45% for collagen pills.

Basically, you would need around 16 collagen pills to absorb the same collagen as 1 x 10ml absolute collagen sachet.

If you start taking collagen supplements or liquid collagen, does this replace any natural collagen that could be occurring in your body or simply top it up?

Our collagen levels naturally start to deplete in our mid-twenties, so the only way to top it up is to ingest collagen.

By taking Absolute Collagen, you are not only putting collagen back into your body but you are stimulating your fibroblast, which are responsible for making collagen and encouraging them to make more.

This is the news I needed to hear! Going into less collagen specifics, is creating a brand that helps people but also the environment important to you as a business owner?

Absolutely, empowering others through our products, our brand, and our community is paramount to who we are.

Equally important, is our responsibility to sustainability and the environment.

We are in the process of submitting our B Corp application. B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of social and environmental performance.

I also see you've launched Collagen shampoo and conditioner last month, tell me more about how you came to decide to go into hair care and how the launch has been so far?

The launch has been incredibly well received. The collagen complex formula shampoo and conditioner was invented specifically for our Absoluters, with whom we have a great relationship.

We spend much time surveying their needs, and thinning hair issues was right at the top of their list. As they are always top priority, creating a collagen hair range that specifically targeted thinning hair has been our mission since October 2019. Great products take time, much research, and scientific and expert input and we were incredibly proud to have 100% delivered.

I love that on your website you have sections for men and women, is it difficult to break taboos around collagen being traditionally targeted specifically to women as primarily anti-aging product?

Funnily, the men’s product came to be due to the original box having a women’s face on the front. Men were buying it but wanted their own look, so once again we delivered.

What does the future hold for Absolute Collagen for the rest of the year and beyond?

Looking at how we can empower and best support our Absoluters to look and feel their absolute best.

You can go and check out the Absolute Collagen website here, follow them on Instagram or even give Maxine a follow here.

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Founder of The C Word Magazine, Emily is currently living in London. She is passionate about art, travel, culture, cinema, fashion, sports, feminism and a whole lot more. She is currently working on her own podcast with a friend and also dabbles in graphic design, when not doing her day job as an Associate Director of Media Planning. Find her on Instagram @emlrking or chatting on Confession Sessions, The C Word Mag’s own podcast.