6 skin and hair supplements to try if you're new to edible beauty

If a daily six- or 12-stepped skincare or four-stepped haircare routine does not fancy you that much at all, this one’s for you – skin and hair supplements.

In the past year or two, you would have noticed numerous collagen and keratin skin and hair supplements out there sprouting all over your neighbourhood supermarket and drugstore shelves.

If you frequent the aesthetics doctors’ clinics in Singapore, you would have noticed, too, that they stock clinical-grade skin and hair supplements that are HSA-approved.

Whether you prefer to shop in Unity, Watsons, or visit aesthetic doctors such as Dr. Calvin Chan, here are a mix of 6 drugstore and clinical skin and haircare supplements you need to know if you are new to edible beauty:

1. ZHEN: Bird’s Nest

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Founded by Kara Arissa Tan, ZHEN debuted in January 2021 with its first offering – bird’s nest. Tan’s family has ben in the bird’s nest trade for the past three decades, and owns swiftlet caves across Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

ZHEN’s bird’s nest ($88 for a box of two) formulas come with botanicals sustainably and grown and sourced from Australia and New Zealand, and are bottled for convenience.

2. Miriqa: Skin Supplement

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Launched in January, the Miriqa skin supplement ($138) contains natural ingredients and clinically proven to brighten skin, reduce pimple flare-ups, and protect the skin from UV damage.

It contains the popular active ingredient, non-GMO tomatoes which helps to reduce UV damage and sunburns, resulting in brighter, clearer skin.

3. Miriqa: Hair Supplement

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Miriqa also has a hair supplement ($125) with ingredients such as tocotrienol (a type of vitamin E), keratin, and biotin to promote healthier hair growth, improve hair strength, and reduce hair loss. Oh, and it’s suitable for both men and women.

4. Crystal Tomato

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Perhaps one of the most classic of all skincare oral supplements, the Crystal Tomato ($162) has been around since 2012 and has been lauded to be able to brighten and clarify the skin effectively.

While there are limited online websites that sell the Crystal Tomato supplement, you’ll find it in most aesthetic clinics. Over a year ago, Crystal Tomato launched its very own sunscreen ($78.80) as well.

5. Heliocare

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Here’s another classic and well-trusted oral sunscreen that you will be able to find in Watsons, Guardian, Unity, and aesthetic clinics – Heliocare. The classic version of the Heliocare oral sunscreen ($57.75) comes in a clear plastic bottle with a full orange sticker.

However, if you were to pop into an aesthetics clinic, the doctor on duty will be able to prescribe you a more potent version of the Heliocare oral sunscreen (comes in an orange-green bottle).

The Heliocare oral sunscreen also comes in junior sticks ($38.50) for children above 4 years old – and it’s been deemed a pretty safe and trustworthy supplement to traditional sunscreen.

6. Science on Skin (SOS)

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Here’s a relatively newer skin brightening supplement that you will find in aesthetics practices.

Formulated by doctors and manufactured in the US, the Science On Skin UV Porcelain+ ($199) offers protection from UVA and UVB rays, preventing sun damage, stimulates collagen and elastin protection – all in all giving you healthier, brighter skin.

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.