Lets be honest, we all love a multi-tasker. Something easy and practical that doubles up on function to save us time, effort and energy. And it seems that that’s where the future of beauty is headed… or, should we say fashion?
The fusion of both could make for a pretty harmonious coupling, and efforts in this arena have been quietly taking off for the past few years.
Take Vitawear’s now defunct skincare-infused shapewear. The brand made a splash in 2015 with vitamin E, shea butter and retinol-laced shaping garments that claimed to “effortlessly soothe, tone and revitalise skin” with “smart fabrics, pre-treated with anti-ageing ingredients”. The garments gave 10 washes worth of action before you could re-infuse them with a top-up spray. It was early days for the technology, hence a pretty dedicated commitment on the part of consumers before they could expect notable results. “In a four-week study conducted by the CORE Institute, of Vitawear’s patented technology, there was an average improvement in skin firmness after wearing garments eight hours a day or night, six days a week, along with application of the fabric spray to the garment,” the packaging read. But, it opened up our minds to how our fashion choices could benefit our beauty regimes.
Then came collagen-infused loungewear. Luxury technical sportswear brand, Buki, introduced its (still-existing) Collagen Collection back in 2018, with hoodies, lounge pants, camisoles and turtlenecks made with collagen-embedded fibres. “The sustainably-sourced marine collagen relays moisture to your skin, making it feel softer and hydrated. Plus, it provides sun protection of UPF50+ for an extraordinary experience of wearable wellness,” the brand explains on its website.
Experts were divided as to its efficacy. Collagen (the body’s main structural protein) is a large molecule that’s difficult for skin to absorb, but New York-based dermatologist Amy Wechsler, told Into The Gloss that collagen-infused skincare can have some bonus side-benefits: “there might be some collagen products that are good moisturisers. And if your skin is well-moisturised, it’s going to look great ― it’s going to be healthier, look younger ― but it’s not because you absorb the collagen.”
The brand also explained the fabric keeps skin ventilated, cool and comfortable, allowing skin to breathe, which we’re not mad at, as well as improving skin softness. One expert reasoned this made logical sense. Dr. Angela Lamb, director of the Westside Mount Sinai Dermatology Faculty Practice, told HuffPost “if [collagen] is in clothing, it likely keeps moisture from evaporating off of the surface of the skin, hence making your skin feel softer and more supple,” she said, adding, “There are no research studies to back this up, but it does seem plausible.”