Collagen consumption: the food redefining the contours of faces – and beauty
InterviewsBeauty is no longer limited to cosmetic products, it now extends into the world of cuisine with new wellness foods. Among them, collagen, a protein that promotes skin elasticity, has become a beauty ally for many people who are incorporating it into their daily routine – in acai bowls, smoothies or other guilt-free pleasures.
As part of the release of our “Beauty Goes 360” report, which redefines beauty and its dimensions, we’re exploring the new players in an industry breaking through traditional boundaries. Meet Amandine Fornot, the founder of 48 Collagen Café.
Could you please introduce yourself?
I’m Amandine, co-founder of the REVOLVR digital communication agency and founder of the first Collagen Café.
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What is 48 Collagen Café in a nutshell?
It’s a café where customers can enjoy “inside” treatments with functional drinks based on collagen, superfoods or hydrogen, and “outside treatments with HigherDOSE armchairs and red led light therapy (photobiomodulation).
It’s a place where we take care of customers, but more importantly, we encourage them to take care of themselves. It’s about pleasure and taking a 45 minute wellness break in a hectic day to help them deal with stressful, tiring city life.
You could have opened a shop to sell collagen supplements or an aesthetic center, but you chose to open a café. Can you explain why?
Above all, I wanted to open a living space. I love taking care of people, advising them and helping them take care of themselves. I draw from what I’ve learned from traveling, meeting people and reading as well as my own experiences (like the treatments I’ve been lucky enough to try), and then I share all of that with my network and clients. I find it very difficult to live healthily – holistically speaking – in Paris. I wanted to bring a mix of all the wellness and fun cultures I discovered in L.A., Seoul and Tokyo.
Our urban lives harm us; it’s not easy to live under pressure in small spaces with little to no contact with nature, so I wanted to offer a social place for conversations, disconnecting from stress, and finding regeneration where my community and clients can learn, laugh, talk, smile and create connections to help them evolve and grow.
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Your collagen drinks are distinctive in taste and esthetics, and they’re intriguing and pleasurable. Why did you make this choice?
The answer aligns somewhat with what I already mentioned – I wanted to transform the functional food universe, which is often bland and doesn’t taste very good. I started taking collagen five years ago with a horrible tasting fish gel. It made me nauseous, was brown and smelled like fish food, and I had a really hard time consuming it. I’m French, I enjoy life, I appreciate good things, and my eyes play a role when I eat. So I satisfied my own need – to have starry eyes and ecstatic taste buds when introducing a new consumption habit into my beauty routine.
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What is your customer profile?
I have many clients who take care of themselves, and they’re already familiar with the virtues of functional nutrition and the benefits of collagen. There are also many foreigners, such as content creators who are eager for creative input and education.
My clients are mostly women who are beautiful, funny, smiling and radiant; men who are biohacking enthusiasts; and older knowledgeable individuals who want to age better.
NellyRodi recently released its “Beauty Goes 360” report exploring the new frontiers of beauty, and it mentions you. What do you think will be the industry’s next playground?
The future of this industry – already happening in my opinion – is that we won’t just have coffee, sit in a chair, take a shower or simply brush our teeth. Soon, we’ll be able to add function and esthetics that prevent and optimize the aging process to all our daily activities.
The COVID period made us realize that life is precious, and illness can come on very quickly with serious consequences. We understood that we’re not untouchable, and we learned to focus on protecting our health and overall wellbeing. Quarantine also taught us to make our daily lives more chic and beautiful. The pretty collagen jar can be displayed on our shelves, the showerhead is as esthetic as it is functional, Signal toothpaste has been replaced by the superb Aurezzi tube we want to show off. We don’t just have a beautiful set of white linen sheets; we have a HigherDOSE mattress for more efficient sleep and maximum regeneration.
For example, I’m answering your questions while sitting in my office chair equipped with infrared technology to relieve the effects of bad posture and wearing a headset with integrated red LEDs that boosts keratin production. We are life athletes, and today there are solutions to limit the impact of our lifestyles and live longer in good health.
Do you want to know more about beauty’s new dimensions?
Buy our study “Beauty Goes 360”!
