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There’s a reason it’s considered the gold standard of skin aging treatments: Retinol has been shown to increase collagen production in the skin2, helping decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles3. “Retinol binds to retinoid receptors within skin cells,” board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., tells mbg about the ingredient. This “activates genes that upregulate collagen production.” 

Retinol also helps accelerate your skin’s natural turnover cycle, meaning it helps shed dead and damaged cells to make way for healthy, fully functioning new ones—and these young, spry cells are better able to produce collagen. 

Not everyone can tolerate the vitamin A derivative, but you can find fairly gentle over-the-counter options to suit your skin type (we’ve listed a few of our favorites here). Just know that you should only use it at night and always wear SPF during the day, as retinol can cause photosensitivity. 

If you already toss a scoop of collagen powder into your coffee, then good on you! However, we do realize that life happens, schedules get hectic, and sometimes you forget to swirl in your daily supplement. 

Not to fret: You can take collagen any time of the day. “Collagen supplements seem to work equally well when taken at bedtime or in the morning,” James Galligan, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, previously shared with mbg. 

The most important thing is to take it daily to enhance your body’s own collagen production4, support skin elasticity5, and make fine lines appear smaller—as for the time of day, well, that’s totally up to you. If you’d like to whip up a skin-plumping nightcap, simply warm up your milk of choice, mix in your collagen powder (find our favorite blends here), and add any spices, sweeteners, or toppings you choose (cinnamon, nutmeg, cacao powder, etc.).

And there you have it: a sweet evening beverage that just might make your skin smoother, too. 

You heard it here first: The best thing you can do for your nighttime routine is to hit the hay. It may sound painfully obvious, but still, so many of us are not prioritizing our beauty sleep. 

Losing sleep increases cortisol (the infamous stress hormone), which can break down collagen over time—research has demonstrated a link between shut-eye and collagen production6, and if you lose sleep night after night, that deprivation can induce oxidative stress and lower your antioxidant defenses, making the body (and skin) vulnerable to oxidative damage. All the more reason to prioritize quality shut-eye, don’t you think? 

We know, we know, the quest for good sleep is much easier said than done. Just try your best to facilitate a restorative night’s rest: Minimize your screen time, avoid late-afternoon caffeine, and curate a calming wind-down routine (including a collagen beverage?) to set yourself up for a quality snooze. If you need an extra nudge into dreamland, feel free to browse our list of natural sleep aids.