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CREATED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COSMOPOLITAN

Do anti-aging supplements genuinely work?

Can beauty really be bought from a bottle? Cosmopolitan's Features Director - and massive supplement sceptic - Amy Grier takes a three month challenge to find out.

Author: Amy Grier

Just gonna put it out there: I've never been much of a believer in the supplement industry. Mainly, because that's what it is, an industry. One worth around £670 million at that. However, whilst I'd love to pretend that it was my innate distrust for 'the man' and big pharma that put me off popping every pill that offered to make me thinner, healthier or less likely to catch a cold – really, it's laziness, plain and simple. I've tried, but after the first three days of committing to whatever wonder-supplement currently doing the rounds, I give up, forget, then shove them in the back of my cupboard.

But no more. On the grapevine (ok, I was earwigging at the gym) I heard about a product called Lumity, an anti-aging supplement supposed to work wonders on skin – even if you're not – you know, old. This was back in March, when as well as getting to grips with a new job and training hard in the gym for a trip to Ibiza in May, I was also out almost every night with work and friends – and boy – did it show on my face. Spots had started to cluster where once there were none, there were patchy bits of red (a sign of stress, I was later told) on my cheeks and neck. I looked… tired. Older than my 30 years. So, with renewed willpower, I signed up for a three-month trial. Here's what happened.

Month 1

In the interests of fairness, and to make sure I actually took the things, my conversion to supplement scoffer started with a skin scan, which I then had every month for the three month trial. Everything from elasticity, to collagen levels, how hydrated my skin was and my TEWL level (it stands for Trans Epidermal Water Loss – basically the rate at which your skin loses moisture) were measured. My first results showed that my skin was dehydrated and the collagen levels on my right side weren't great, probably the product of a latent tanning obsession.

This was a picture taken that day – the black dark areas are fat, and the red and yellow dots are collagen fibers. Basically, the more black areas there are, the more depleted your collagen.

Skin Scan Showing Collagen Structure Month One

A scan of my skin's collagen structures before I started

There was work to be done. I embarked on my challenge immediately.

Lumity is made up of two sets of tablets: the morning supplements (which contain a mix of Vitamins A, B, E and C, selenium (a known anti-ager), turmeric root extract and flaxseed oil for healthy cell membranes), and the evening ones, which with their mix of potent amino acids, are supposed to help you sleep better and for longer, as well as provide your skin with all the nutrients it needs to heal over and renew overnight. You take four of each, twice a day.

I'm so bad at remembering to take things, I had to set alarms for the first two weeks to remind myself, and leave the tablets next to my toothbrush so I was visually prompted each morning and evening. It worked, and eventually it became habit.

Month 2

I'd been warned that the effects are cumulative so I wouldn't notice much of a difference for the first month, but in my second month of taking them, the magic started to happen. Firstly, my spots disappeared. Even the hormonal ones that come up in the same place each month – gone. Second, and this is where I sound like a total wanker, but my skin had more of a… glow about it. It was like I was walking around with a permanent layer of Touche Éclat on my face.

At this point in time as I said, gym-fever had properly set in, as I squatted, lifted and spun myself ready for a three-day hen-do in Ibiza. (The threat of daytime pool parties will do that to a girl). But by the end of this second month, my early morning HIIT sessions weren't nearly as painful. One of the other welcome effects of these supplements, which even those not interested in anti-aging should heed - is that it can improve energy levels. It's also supposed to nix food cravings, but I can't say I noticed that one bit – as the sheer volume of Quavers I ate in this period will attest to.

Month 3

The final month of my experiment is where everything clicked into place. I never forgot a dose, could comfortably go to work without foundation and had skin that felt tighter, more toned and more even that I'd ever had before. In my final skin scan, my results showed the following:

Elasticity had improved by 4.8%

Hydration had increased by 22%

Collagen had improved by 10.3%

And TEWL changed by 5.17%

A picture is worth a thousand words, and by the end my scan had gone from this:


Skin Scan Showing Collagen Structure Month One

To this:


Skin scan showing improved collagen structure month three

Not bad for popping a few pills.

At 30 years old, I thought I was still too young to benefit from an anti-aging product, but it turns out I'm not. If you're fed up of not knowing which cream or serum will really help your skin, I'd definitely advise trying to change it from the inside out. I've gone from supplement sceptic to a (relative) convert. Not all pills are created equal, but when it comes to this one, I'm sold.

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Lumity Customers You Might Recognise...

Image of Helena Christensen
Helena Christensen

Supermodel

@helenachristensen

I've been taking Lumity supplements for almost a year and I actually approached them [to work with them] because I love the supplements. Before, I was taking all these different vitamins in tiny little boxes, but I realised that Lumity contained a lot of the ingredients in one place and then a few more that I wanted to try. I was interested in turmeric and that's in there, flaxseed - which I know is really healthy - and the basic vitamins too. We can all be low in vitamin D, for example, because we don't get it as naturally anymore. We cover ourselves with sun lotions - or we should - and you really only get vitamin D from dairy products if you drink it literally out of the cow! So while people have all kinds of approaches to vitamins, and it's totally up to them if they take them, I definitely feel better by having them.

Morning & Night Female Supplement
Hannah Waddingham

Actress

@hannahwaddingham

Genuinely don't know how I would be travelling as much as I do without the constant system support of Lumity's Morning & Night supplement. Thank you for keeping me well!

Morning & Night Female Supplement
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Ruby Hammer, MBE

Makeup Artist

@rubyhammer

I have been taking Lumity's Morning & Night supplements for years now... they're an amazing holistic system for your inner and outer beauty and health. Taking care of your hair, skin and nails as well as supporting my immune system, muscles, bones and joints. I take 3 pills in the morning and 3 at night and feel great, even at the tail end of menopause!

Morning & Night Female Supplement
Laura Jackson

Entrepreneur & Founder

@laurajackson

Post breast-feeding, my friend suggested getting the Lumity Morning & Night supplement when I was feeling like I was in a hormone washing machine…they are definitely helping.

Morning & Night Female Supplement

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Backed by clinical research, this powerful blend of 28 Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids, Adaptogens, and Omega 3s nourishes your skin at a cellular level, delivering a lit-from-within glow.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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