Inner Study: The Research Is Never Finished
We called it Nectar 01. because it will never be finished. This is our first formula, a work in progress, as more clinical studies are published we take note, we read, we research. Our focus is always on what is the best quality, the most natural, the most studied ingredients and how can we ensure that they work perfectly together but also work perfectly for you as a simple daily ritual.
A 2024 review brought together 238 papers on nutrition and skin health. Half of the ingredients it examined are already in Nectar 01. For us, that says something interesting about where daily nutrition is heading next.
There is a slightly unglamorous side to developing supplements. Reading. Researching. Data. Data. Data. A lot of it.
Scientific papers, clinical trials, ingredient dossiers, emerging research, studies that look exciting at first and considerably less exciting by page twelve. Dr Nigel Mercer saves his aesthetic journals for us to pore over (excuse the pun).
It is one of the most important parts of how we formulate at NÆRE. Everything we do is rooted in the research and the science as well as advice from nutritionists like Lucy Miller and clinical rigour from Dr Mercer.
Because there is always another fashionable ingredient to add. Another superfood everyone suddenly needs. Another supplement promising to change everything. We are far more interested in a different question:
Does it deserve to be there?
That was the thinking behind Nectar 01 from the beginning. And although the product is now finished, the research around it never really stops.
238 papers later
One paper currently sitting in our reading pile is a 2024 review published in the medical journal Medicina. Researchers examined 238 scientific papers exploring the relationship between nutritional supplementation and skin health, eventually focusing their review on 14 different compounds.
What interested us immediately was the ingredient list. Of those 14 compounds, seven are already inside Nectar 01.
Astaxanthin
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Biotin
Spirulina
Chlorella
To be clear, this wasn't research we used retrospectively to justify our formula. And it wasn't a study of Nectar 01. We had already selected these ingredients based on the other clinical studies and there are ingredients we purposefully didn't include too. We think that Omegas are a non-negotiable for skin, brain and whole body health. However, it would mean including a separate pill/oil alongside Nectar 01 as it can't be incorporated into a powder with the same bioavailability. This matters to us, we personally eat a lot of oily fish and chia seeds daily that we see no need personally add a supplement for it but if you don't there are some really strong brands out there that we didn't feel like we needed to create another omega supplement.
The same reasoning can be applied to other ingredients that we chose to leave out:
Creatine - While it is safe for most healthy adults in daily doses of 3 to 5 grams, individuals with pre-existing kidney(like Philippa)or liver issues shouldn't take it daily. It felt personal, so adding a scoop to Nectar 01 is a simple addition for when you personally need it.
Magnesium - Magnesium glycinate is a man-made synthetic compound created in a lab by joining elemental magnesium with glycine (an amino acid). However, your body gets the same raw mineral and amino acid separately when you eat a healthy diet with everyday foods: Pumpkin Seeds (168 mg per 28g), Chia Seeds 111 mg per 28g, Black Beans: 120 mg per cooked cup, Quinoa: 118 mg per cooked cup, Almonds: 80 mg per 28g, Cashews: 74 mg per 28g and even Dark Chocolate (70%+ cocoa).
But it is a fascinating piece of independent research because it mirrors something we have believed throughout the development of NÆRE.
The future of longevity and beauty supplementation is unlikely to belong to one miracle ingredient.
Collagen is also important. The story around it is more interesting. Collagen has understandably become synonymous with ingestible beauty. But treating collagen as the entire story misses so much of what is happening biologically.
Take Vitamin C.The review highlights its role in normal collagen biosynthesis as well as its antioxidant activity. That relationship was one of the reasons we chose not to formulate Nectar 01 as simply collagen plus flavour.
Each daily serving pairs 8,000mg Peptan® Type I Marine Collagen with 80mg of natural vitamin C from acerola cherry.
Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin. It is a simple example of a much broader principle behind the formula: we're more interested in how ingredients work alongside one another than how impressive they look individually on the front of a packet. We prioritised natural over synthetic where possible to enable your body to use what it knows. A more expensive but integral part of our ethos.
Astaxanthin may be one of beauty's next big ingredients
If there is one ingredient we're watching particularly fond of, it is astaxanthin. It has yet to reach the level of mainstream recognition enjoyed by collagen or hyaluronic acid, but the research surrounding it is increasingly interesting and it's been around since the 1980s!
Astaxanthin is a naturally occurring carotenoid with powerful antioxidant properties. Within the review, the authors discuss studies investigating it in relation to skin elasticity, wrinkles, oxidative stress and processes associated with photoageing.
Nectar 01 contains the orginal AstaReal® natural astaxanthin, derived from the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis. It is exactly the type of ingredient we find fascinating: relatively little consumer hype, but a growing scientific conversation behind it.
Your greens deserve a little more credit
Philippa wrote about how supergreens get a bad rep here. Spirulina and chlorella have suffered slightly from the era of the generic “greens powder”. They are often lumped together with dozens of other plants beneath one vague promise of wellness. The research is more nuanced.
The review discusses spirulina in the context of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, while also looking at emerging research involving fibroblasts, extracellular matrix and collagen formation.
Chlorella is discussed for its antioxidant properties and research investigating its relationship with collagen production. Does that mean either is a miracle skin ingredient? No.
Science rarely works in absolutes. But it does make them considerably more interesting than simply something added to make a powder green and 'healthy'. Both are present in Nectar 01 as part of the wider supergreens formulation which we disclose individually rather than as a proprietary blend. An insurance that you're getting all of the green goodness in daily when you might not have time for multiple cups of spinach...
And then there are the less fashionable ingredients
Vitamin E, Vitamin D, Biotin.
None has quite the novelty of the latest adaptogen or obscure botanical. We don't particularly mind. Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress. Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin and hair (but is often used in high amounts in supplements which is a red flag, those that take thyroid medication or tests should be wary of high supplement biotin levels). Vitamin D has an established role in normal immune function and is also discussed extensively within the review in relation to skin biology.
Sometimes the ingredient everyone already knows is still there for a very good reason. We have never believed novelty and efficacy are the same thing.
Why we keep researching
Perhaps the most interesting part of the review is not any individual ingredient. It is the fact that so many different nutritional compounds are being studied through the lens of skin health. For a long time, ingestible beauty was relatively one-dimensional.
Take collagen for skin.
Biotin for hair.
Vitamin C when you have a cold.
We increasingly understand that physiology is far less neatly divided. Collagen synthesis, oxidative stress, micronutrient status, cellular function, the extracellular matrix and the ageing process interact.
And that has enormous implications for what the next generation of supplements could look like. It is why Nectar 01 contains collagen, but isn't simply a collagen supplement. And it is why Nectar 01 will not be the only formula we create.
What comes next?
We are constantly looking at new ingredients. Some have research behind them that genuinely excites us. Some are incredibly fashionable and, once we dig into the evidence, considerably less compelling. Some look promising but need more research. And every so often, we find something that makes us rethink what could be possible within one daily formula.
That's the part of NÆRE most people don't see.
Our ambition isn't to launch product after product for the sake of filling a bathroom cabinet. Quite the opposite.
We want to keep asking what women actually need - then see whether science can help us make the answer simpler, so that you can be consistent and enjoy the process, not be overwhelmed by it.
Fewer products. Better ingredients. Better evidence - formulations that earn their place in your day. Nectar 01 was the beginning of that thinking. Not the end.
If you want to look at the ingredients in your supplements with clinical rigour use our Integrity Index here.
