Japanese Beer Promises to Make You Pretty

Many people use collagen creams and supplements to battle the effects of aging on their skin. Some of these people also drink beer to relax after a long day at work. But what if you could drink beer and achieve the same effects as taking your collagen supplement? It’s possible, according to a brewery in Japan.

The brewery Suntory has announced the release of a new beer. Called “Precious,” it is a light beer marketed almost exclusively toward women. There are two grams of collagen per can, and the beverage is five percent alcohol. The beer will initially be available only in Hokkaido, as a test to see how the market responds.

Collagen is a popular dietary supplement in Japan, where there is an emphasis on youthfulness in the beauty industry. Many restaurants and grocery stores sell collagen-rich foods. Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in the body, and is responsible for skin’s strength and elasticity, as well as functioning to heal wounds.

“Boozing never enhances beauty, health or good lifestyle choices,”  said Jacqui Dunal, spokesperson for Naturel Collagen Canada. “Studies show that excessive consumption of alcohol does accelerate the aging process, since it actually depletes the body’s nutrients, including collagen.”

The official commercial for Precious features comedian Ken Watanabe and model Anne Nakamura. “Guys can tell if a girl’s taking collagen or not!” Watanabe tells Nakamura in the advertisement. The commercial also coined the beverage’s slogan “The booze that makes you beautiful.”

The collagen craze goes beyond Japan. In Malaysia, collagen soup, made from cubes of collagen jelly, is a popular restaurant dish. In Europe and the United States, bone broth is the food of choice for people who want to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

“Nutrient depletion leads, among other health woes, to premature aging, which shows up as wrinkling, puffiness and dehydration of the skin. So, it’s nutritionally counterproductive to add collagen to an alcohol-based product,” explained Dunal. “A healthy nutritional choice would be to moderate one’s drinking and take better care of one’s health, joints and skin by using biologically active fish-derived collagen supplements and skin-care products.”

While you may be eager to try the new beer, it is important to consider that alcohol often has a negative effect on skin. Between dehydration, redness, and bloating, it may be better to skip the drink altogether and take collagen as a supplement or use a collagen anti wrinkle cream.