You may have tried everything; strengthening polishes, cuticle creams and constant breaks from your beloved manis, but if you’re still noticing cracking, breakages and splitting of your nails, it may be time to take an inside-out approach.
The supplement market is a booming business, worth an estimated £1.4bn in 2022 according to Ibis World, while Mintel reported that 38 per cent of Brits take a vitamin, mineral or supplement daily. A huge portion of this is attributed to those designed specifically to support the health of hair, skin and nails. Its popularity is growing at a rapid pace and it’s not just in the UK either.
Globally, the value of these supplements are predicted to reach $6.35 billion by 2028. That’s a whole lot of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients devoured in the hopes that they will boost our beauty rituals.
These three elements tend to go hand in hand. There are few supplements available just for our nails and many more to cover all three bases as the ingredients tend to have a more general effect on the body. For example biotin, a key ingredient in hair growth supplement, is lauded for its ability to encourage nail growth. Similarly, vitamin C supports collagen production, a building block for nails that is also praised for brightening the complexion and for its anti-ageing benefits.
Look out too for vitamin B12 to counteract discoloration or darkening of the nails, folate or iron to encourage oxygen and nutrients to reach the nail beds and for growth respectively as well as zinc to prevent white spots occuring and magnesium for growth and proteins to mimic naturally-occuring keratin that offers strength and resilience.
We consulted Sam Cinkir, founder of Este Medical Group to deep dive into the world of nail supplements and find out whether they’re worth your hard-earned bucks.
What do supplements for nails do?
“Nail supplements make up for your deficiencies – containing all the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals to help improve overall nail health”, he says. “Lack of sun or poor diet can leave us with dry, brittle nails, and taking supplements with collagen, biotin and vitamin E-rich formulas can help nourish and strengthen nails. They are also vital for supporting tissue growth, healthy cells and structure”.
What ingredients are good for strong nails?
“Of course, this varies depending on your deficiencies”, he stresses. “However, biotin is a great ingredient for healthy nails. The B-complex vitamin aids in metabolising carbohydrates, proteins and fats that are essential for strengthening brittle fingernails. Biotin-rich foods like avocado, almonds and eggs can also be beneficial for your nails too”.
Why are they often combined with hair, skin and nails?
“Supplements are usually combined for hair, skin and nails; because they offer a brilliant combination of high strength proteins, minerals and vitamins to support and strengthen all structures. Their multi-nutrient formulation is a great ‘supplement’ for nutritional deficiencies and can act as a booster to elevate your skincare routine”.
Do supplements for hair skin and nails work?
“Supplements can be very effective; they come in many forms and can target specific concerns to improve your appearance and overall health from the inside out. However, their effectiveness can vary depending on the individual. It’s important to note that supplements can’t replace a varied, balanced diet and good nail care. I would recommend looking for products with research-backed ingredients and consulting with a healthcare professional who can set you up on a personalised treatment plan”.
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HUM Nutrition Hum Nutrition Killer Nails
Nurse your nails back to full glory with HUM Nutrition and its nutritionist-backed high-performance formulation. These dietary add-ons are created with clinically proven quality, put through their paces to be more clean, effective and potent. Leave cracks and chips as a thing of the past thanks to the powerhouse combination of thickening biotin and B vitamins for cuticle health. Take one capsule daily after eating. We like to keep them next to our bed so we remember to consume just before we sleep.
Buy now £22.50, Cult Beauty
Purolabs Biotin Complex
Purolabs has taken a more targetted approach with these supplements, prioritising healthy nail growth by spotlighting biotin. The ingredient also encourages the strengthening of our strands to leave you with a healthy mane and less split ends as well as glowing skin by adding vitamin C, selenium and zinc to the line up.
It’s an advanced formulation that places biotin at a high strength whopping 10,000ug. But don’t expect overnight results. It takes around three months before you’ll properly notice the benefits (about the length of your hair cycle). There’s no nasties included and they’re vegan. Not totally convinced? Make the most of the brand’s 60 day guarantee. If you don’t love it, they’ll give you your money back.
Buy now £29.99, Purolabs
Vitabiotics Perfectil Plus Nails 60 Tablets
Gone overkill on the back-to-back gel manicures? Turn the tide of flimsy, easily broken nails by incorporating these tablets from Vitabiotics into your daily practices. There are 25 micronutrients that have been carefully curated to work in harmony with selenium spotlighted for its benefit to counteracting brittleness. There’s also copper for healthy nail beds as it supports connective tissue. Word of warning, the tablets are sizeable and the taste is not the most pleasant.
This is a designated hair formulation, but the brand also offers one for skin and one for hair (although they all provide benefits for the trio).
Buy now £8.08, Amazon
New Nordic Hair Volume Plus Nail Strong Tablets 60
This supplement is all about making your hair and nails longer and stronger. The award-winning dietary add-ons encourage a voluminous mane, while giving your nails a welcomed dose of micronutrients and herbal extracts in a bioavailable form so that they are absorbed. You should notice your nails are not so easily broken, hair feels shinier and while they don’t have the most pleasant aroma, the taste doesn’t hang around.
Buy now £29.95, Sephora
Advanced Nutrition Programme Nail Science
You may have plumped skin and luscious locks and it’s only really your nails that are of concern. That’s where the Advanced Nutrition Programme Nail Science comes in. The brand has spotlighted ingredients that will specifically benefit nails that are weak, brittle and breaking.
The conditioning, strengthening concocotion includes biotin, calcium, and zinc, all of which are nutrients lauded for improving the health of nails and the connective tissue as well as encouraging growth. It only takes a few weeks to start seeing the results.
Buy now £34.00, Face the Future
Viviscal Hair Growth Programme 60 Tablets
Taking Viviscal for a three to six month period will have a noticeable effect on the length and thickness of your locks. It is not a quick fix so don’t expect to see an overnight hair transformation but you will begin to see the difference in your hair. It becomes shinier, thicker and appears more dense. This is possible through a clinically researched mix of nutrients, minerals and proteins.
Zinc maintains the health of your hair, while vitamin B derivative biotin encourages growth of both locks and nails too. AminoMar C is marine-derived to support your natural protein development and fortify each strand. Last but not least, the supplement is also packed with iron to support your red blood cell creation and immune system.
Buy now £29.99, Holland & Barrett
Vida Glow Natural Marine Collagen Sachets
Best for: anti-ageing while encouraging baby hair growth
Vida Glow’s game-changing supplement is derived from sustainably-sourced fish skin that is activated for potency and stimulates the body’s natural production of collagen. It has been clinically proven to answer anti-ageing concerns like fine lines and wrinkles as well as has firming, plumping and elasticity-boosting properties.
The powdered texture (and hydrolysation process) encourages a better absorption and the blueberry, peach, pineapple or mango flavouring enhances the taste of your morning porridge or hot beverage - and counteracts the often unpleasant taste that these supplements can have. On top of the skin benefits, it also strengthens nails and thickens hair with impressive regrowth abilities. Take one to three sachets a day depending on your age (just one for 25-35, two for 36-45 and three for 45+).
Buy now £39.00, Vida Glow
Vital Proteins collagen
Best for: Jennifer Aniston’s collagen of choice
Given the seal of approval by the eternally youthful Jennifer Aniston (who is the brand’s Chief Creative Officer), Vital Protein is one of the biggest collagen names in the US. The brand uses grass-fed bovine collagen to craft its supplements that are flavoured with vanilla, coconut and matcha and yet are gluten, soy and dairy free. There are also no artificial ingredients, bulking agents, sweeteners or sugars.
The powdered texture dissolves easily into hot or cold drinks (Jen adds it to her morning cuppa) or can be blended into smoothies or sprinkled on porridge. While fortifying our skin, hair and nails, it also works to supports your bones, muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments at the same time.
Buy now £24.99, Holland & Barrett
Dose & Co Pure Collagen Peptides
Best for: a US import that counts Khloe Kardashian among its fan base
Khloe Kardashian is an ambassador of this collagen brand. Dose & Co has come across the pond to take UK shores by storm. There is now one of the brand’s Pure Collagen Peptides sold every two minutes. Using bovine collagen, it has an unflavoured taste so can be easily incorporated into your food and drink routine. Each serve offers up 10 grams of type one and three collagen that you can add to bakes as well as beverages - hot or cold alike. It improves the appearance of skin, making it look brighter, clearer and strengthens your nails at the same time. It is also available with a chocolate, vanilla or caramel flavour.
Buy now £29.99, Holland & Barrett
JSHealth Hair + Energy Formula – 60 Capsules
Founded by clinical nutritionist Jessica Sepel, there’s a reason why everyone is waxing lyrical about JSHealth. The hair growth, anti-hair loss supplement has been scientifically proven to restore the life and lustre of your hair. With zinc and iodine encapsulated within the daily supplement, pair with your breakfast to fortify your locks and give it more volume. The iodine gets to work to manufacturing thyroid hormones for hair growth, while the zinc is a powerhouse for healthy hair as well as skin and nails. It is entirely vegan as well as sugar, dairy, gluten, and nut free. You’ll also be surprised by the energy boost that it gives you.
Buy now £29.99, JSHealth
Hair, Skin and Nails Gummies
You may have already nailed down your topical hair, skincare and makeup routine but as is reinforced to us since childhood, true beauty comes from within so everything you put into your body can affect you. By incorporating this multivitamin into your routine, you can maintain the healthy condition of your hair, skin and nails.
Made up of vitamin C, zinc, biotin, and selenium, it will kickstart the creation of collagen, prevent oxidative stress and give your digits and tresses the nutrients they needs for strength and growth. In just a month or so, you will notice your nails feel less brittle and hair appears shinier.
Buy now £19.99, My Vitamins
Bioglan Collagen Tablets
Best for: hair, skin and nails
This is one of the most highly rated collagen tablets on Amazon with nearly 300 five star reviews waxing lyrical about the condition of their hair, skin and nails after taking the supplements. Some of the benefits include strengthening the strands, fortifying the nails and softening and hydrating the skin. Marine collagen is included in high strength with 2500mg per capsule and is set alongside hyaluronic acid, resveratrol, biotin, selenium and vitamin C.
Buy now £18.00, Amazon
Revive Collagen Premium 8,500mg Hydrolysed Marine Collagen Drink
These supplements from Revive Collagen are some of the most highly rated on the market, not in the least due to their high strength contents where each sachet contain an impressive 8,500mg of the protein-building Type 1 hydrolysed marine collagen. This is sourced from ethically farmed fish skin, which may not be the most pleasant sounding but fear not as they are flavoured with lemon and lime, so you can slip the shot into your daily routine, whether you prefer adding to other drinks - be it a smoothie or cuppa - or down in one.
Alongside collagen, these dietary add-ons are brimming with vitamins, namely B6, B12, C and D that are known for their immunity boosting and antioxidant properties respectively. The ingredients are all naturally derived without any nasties or gluten, dairy, soy and the likes, while the taste comes from a plant-based sweetener. This supplement was created to benefit skin, hair and nails, offering a plumping effect to fine lines.
Buy now £36.99, Amazon
The Beauty Chef GLOW Inner Beauty Essential
Best for: a nutrient-packed formula
For all your beauty supplement needs, The Beauty Chef has bundled all the good stuff into its Glow formula that boosts collagen production, while also supporting the look and feel of your skin, nails, luminosity and gut health. It’s an all-encompassing beauty powerhouse that includes 18 certified organic wholefoods within. There’s the likes of vitamin C for that all important fight against collagen depletion, zinc for healthy hair and nails, vitamins A, B, probiotics, postbiotics and more that have antioxidant benefits, more nutrients than you can shake a stick at and through the brand’s trademarked bio-fermentation process, it takes it to the next level for balancing the bacteria of the gut. Best of all, the taste is much more bareable than some of the others on the market.
Buy now £45.00, John Lewis
