By Anna Cave-Bigley

Hi, I’m Anna.

As a lifelong natural skincare addict and ingredient obsessive, I’ve spent more time than I care to admit scanning labels, researching actives, and testing routines. While developing our rituals with Hilary at The SABI, I kept circling back to one common question I’d hear from clients and friends alike:

Collagen cream or serum — which one’s better?

The answer? It depends.
And sometimes, the right answer is both.

If you’ve ever felt confused in the skincare aisle (or scrolling through 50 tabs on “best anti-ageing products”), I get you. But when we understand how these products really work, and how our hormones, nutrient status, and skin microbiome affect their performance, we’re far more empowered to choose what actually serves us.

Xx,
Anna 
The SABI Co-Founder, a hormonal wellness brand built from the inside out. 

Quick Takeaways

• Collagen cream ≠ collagen rebuild. It hydrates, not regenerates.

• Serums go deeper. Think fine lines, glow, or reactivity.

• Hormones change everything. So should your routine.

• Layering is the unlock. Especially when powered by hyaluronic acid.

• Ritual > Routine. Your skin doesn’t need more — it needs better.

The Missing Piece in the Collagen Conversation

If there’s one truth I wish every woman knew, it’s this:

Your collagen story is also your hormone story and here’s the part almost no product page tells you:

Oestrogen is responsible for up to 30% of your skin’s collagen production.

Which means your glow, bounce, plumpness, and repair speed are directly tied to hormonal rhythms. That’s because oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, cortisol, and even thyroid hormones directly influence:

• how much collagen you produce

• how quickly you break it down

• how hydrated your skin feels

• how reactive or calm your skin barrier is

• how well your products actually work

This is why two women using the exact same skincare routine can see completely different results. It’s not just the product it’s your phase.

Let’s break it down.

The Basics: Collagen Cream vs. Serum

Collagen and other active formula ageing support creams and serums can support skin health and address many skin concerns, but they serve different roles in your routine.

Collagen Creams:

• Texture: Thicker and more hydrating.

• Purpose: Provides moisture while delivering peptides to rebuild collagen.

• Best For: Dry, mature, or combination skin that needs hydration alongside structural support.

Serums:

• Texture: Lightweight and fast-absorbing.

• Purpose: Delivers a concentrated dose of active ingredients directly into the skin.

• Best For: Targeting specific concerns like fine lines, uneven tone, or dullness or hormonally reactive skin that needs soothing. 

How They Work

Collagen Cream

Collagen cream is like a multi-tasking skincare staple. It doesn’t just hydrate—it strengthens your skin’s barrier, plumps fine lines, and encourages collagen production over time.

Ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, and prebiotics ensure that your skin feels supported and balanced throughout the day.

Serum

A serum, like The Active Nutrient Serum, is packed with highly concentrated active ingredients. It penetrates quickly to target specific concerns, such as reducing wrinkles or boosting radiance.

For example, if you’re looking to restore hydration and glow, serums with hyaluronic acid or antioxidants are a powerful addition to your routine.

How It Really Works: Creams vs. Serums vs. Collagen Hype

Both collagen creams and serums can support healthy ageing, but in different ways.

Collagen Creams

• Texture: Thick, rich, hydrating
  

• Function: Moisturises and supports the skin barrier
  

• Bonus: Some include peptides to signal collagen production
  

Serums

• Texture: Lightweight and fast-absorbing
  

• Function: Delivers potent actives like antioxidants and hyaluronic acid
  

• Best For: Targeting tone, texture, and sensitivity
  

But here’s the truth about collagen creams:

Topical collagen can’t rebuild your collagen. The molecule is too big to penetrate the skin. 

So what actually supports long-term skin health?

1. Deep Hydration (Hyaluronic Acid + Internal Hydration)

Hyaluronic acid is the molecule that keeps your skin bouncy.
But estrogen regulates how much you naturally produce — meaning low-estrogen phases = lower hydration. Dehydrated skin can’t hold collagen or look plump, and fibroblasts slow down when the environment is “dry.”

What to Do 

• Layer an Active Nutrient Serum (1–3 thin layers) during luteal phase, postpartum, or perimenopause.

• Consume electrolytes, not just water (your skin cells need sodium + potassium to retain fluid), so swap plain water for options that naturally restore minerals: coconut water, watermelon juice, or water with a pinch of mineral-rich sea salt.

• Eat water-rich foods: cucumber, grapefruit, watermelon, bone broth.

• Add omega-3s daily (chia, salmon, flax) to strengthen the lipid barrier.

Science Snapshot

Hydrated cells have higher metabolic activity → better collagen synthesis and faster repair.

2. Reduced Inflammation (Your Collagen Protection System)

Hormonal inflammation — especially cortisol spikes — triggers MMPs, enzymes that literally break down collagen. This is why your skin changes after stressful seasons, sleep deprivation, or postpartum.

What to Do:

• Use calming actives: adaptogenic botanicals such as our Calming Herbata blend, centella, rice lactobacillus, aloe.

• Avoid over-exfoliation during PMS or high stress—you increase inflammation, not glow.

• Eat anti-inflammatory nutrients: berries, leafy greens, turmeric, ginger, omega-3s.

• Reduce sugar + refined carbs, which worsen inflammatory cascades.

• Sleep before midnight (cortisol drops + growth hormone rises → collagen repair).

Science Snapshot

Cortisol increases inflammation by up to 40%, accelerating collagen loss — especially around the eyes and mouth.

3. Microbiome Support (Prebiotics + Barrier Repair)

Your microbiome is your skin’s immune system. Hormones disrupt it (especially in the luteal phase or postpartum). A compromised microbiome = more reactivity, more redness, more dryness, more breakouts, quicker collagen breakdown.

What to Do 

• Use prebiotic skincare to feed beneficial bacteria.

• Minimise foaming cleansers — they strip the barrier.

• Add fermented ingredients (kimchi, kefir, sauerkraut) to support the gut–skin axis.

• Stop using three different actives at once; simplicity strengthens the microbiome.

• Use a barrier-focused cream nightly to reduce TEWL (water loss).

Healthy microbiome = stronger barrier = less inflammation = slower collagen degradation.

4. Fibroblast Nourishment (Antioxidants + Nutrients)

Fibroblasts are the workers that make collagen — but they can only function when nourished. Hormonal lows (estrogen dips, thyroid dips, stress highs) slow fibroblast activity dramatically.

What to Do 

• Eat protein at every meal — collagen requires amino acids.

• Add vitamin C-rich foods: citrus, acerola, kiwi.

• Include zinc sources (pumpkin seeds, beans, oysters).

• Protect from UV daily, even indoors (UV destroys fibroblasts directly).

Science Snapshot

Fibroblasts need antioxidants to fight free radical damage; without them, collagen cannot form properly.

The Real Secret Behind Skin That Heals and Glows Over Time

It’s not collagen in a cream — it’s the ecosystem you create around your skin:

• Hydrated cells

• Low inflammation

• A resilient microbiome

• Well-fed fibroblasts

This is what makes your serum and cream actually work.
And it’s why the same product behaves differently depending on your hormonal phase, nutrient status, stress, and recovery.

When to Use a Serum

Think of a serum as your precision treatment. It’s your ally when you need to:

Target fine lines, dullness, or uneven tone

Calm hormonal breakouts without clogging

Layer under a moisturiser for extra active support

Rebalance reactive skin without heavy occlusion (suffocating the skin)

Our Active Nutrient Serum is powered by high-quality hyaluronic acid, pine bark extract, and fermented seaweed, chosen for their ability to hydrate, soothe, and restore skin resilience at the root.

When to Use a Cream

Creams offer structure, moisture, and protection: key for hormone-affected skin that feels fragile or dry.

Use a cream when your skin feels:

• Tight, flaky, or chronically dry
  

• Inflamed or easily irritated (especially in postpartum)
  

• Stressed from sun, wind, or screen exposure
  

• Disrupted from over-cleansing or exfoliating
  

The Prebiotic Cream is formulated with fermented botanicals, natural hyaluronic acid antioxidants, and prebiotics to rebuild and soothe the skin barrier: essential for hormonal and cycle-affected skin.

Why Not Both? Layering Is the Unlock

Here’s what changed everything for me:

High-quality, natural hyaluronic acid (like we use) helps actives actually absorb, turning your serum into a delivery system, and your cream into a long-lasting protective seal.

A simple ritual:

• AM: Serum → Prebiotic Cream → lightest formula, mineral-based, SPF
  

• PM: Serum (1–3 light layers) → Cream (press in, or mask-like) → Optional face oil
  
  

My Skin Story: When I Stopped Chasing “More”

During pregnancy, I had that glow. But postpartum? The glow was gone.

My skin felt inflamed, dry in patches, greasy in others, and nothing seemed to land. It was more than skin deep; it was hormonal.

So I stripped things back. Most days, I used only the Active Nutrient Serum, followed by a few drops of face oil — often just cold-pressed almond oil. My skin needed simplicity and breathability, not layers.

But on tough nights,  nursing endlessly, cortisol high, I had visibly duller skin, and so much dryness.

I began layering the serum three times in light, breathable layers, letting each one absorb. Then I’d press in the Prebiotic Cream thick, almost like a sleep mask.

That’s when the skin recovery began. The redness faded. The dry patches softened. My skin felt like mine again.

And it reminded me: Your skin is not a trend. It’s a reflection of your body’s needs.

How to Layer for Real Results

• Cleanse gently — opt for cold-pressed oil-based cleansers or a two-step method
  
  

• Apply serum first — on slightly damp skin, using fingertips to press it in
  
  

• Wait 30–60 seconds between layers (especially if layering more than once)
  
  

• Apply cream — smooth or press in to seal the serum
  
  

• At night, add a drop or two of nourishing oil (jojoba, almond, macadamia) for repair
  
  

Support It From Within

Your skin doesn’t run on products alone — it runs on nutrients.
Collagen, elastin, hydration, repair, glow… they’re all built from amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. And the demand for those nutrients shifts dramatically depending on your life stage.

Postpartum recovery, luteal-phase inflammation, stress, and perimenopause all change how your body uses — and needs — nutrition. These key stats show why your skin behaves differently at each chapter, and how to support collagen production from the inside out while pairing it with the right serum or cream on the outside.

The Bottom Line

You don’t have to choose between collagen cream and serum.
You just need to understand when and why to use them.

Whether you're postpartum, perimenopausal, or simply syncing your routine to your cycle, skincare that adapts with your body is the skincare that actually works.

We believe in formulas that respect your skin’s intelligence — and your experience. Our Active Nutrient Serum and Prebiotic Cream are designed to work with your hormones, not against them. No collagen gimmicks, just smart, responsive skincare that evolves as you do.

References

• Proksch, E., Schunck, M. (2014). Topical collagen peptides in hydration and elasticity. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology. PubMed
  
  

• Watson, R. E., Griffiths, C. E. (2014). Collagen loss and its effects on skin aging. Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine. PubMed
  
  

• Lee, J., Kim, H. (2021). The role of serums in targeted skincare. Journal of Dermatological Science. PubMed
  
  

• Al-Ghazzewi, F., Tester, R. F. (2014). The microbiome and prebiotics in skin care. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. PubMed
  
  

HORMONAL & PROUD

Created as a brand to help women navigate the toughest moments in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum — and practically every stage of life –– The SABI aims to change the narrative around our hormones from one of taboo, embarrassment, and loneliness to awareness and pride. As more than a wellness brand, The SABI offers a carefully-crafted line of products to carry you through your hormonal journey, including rituals, supportive tools, and ancient herbal remedies that have been tested time and time again by women and now come backed by medicine. The SABI is a blend of science and nature conceived by women who have experienced the joys and deep struggles of bringing a child into the world, the pains of a heavy, difficult period, miscarriage, and difficulty conceiving.

We offer you an invitation to get to know your body and its cycles better –– an invitation to really understand what is going on inside. Learn to use your hormonal cycle to your advantage no matter your stage of life, and know that you can support and balance your hormone levels. Look for the right sources of information. Know that there is help, and know that you’re supported.

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DISCLAIMER

The SABI blog and articles are not meant to instruct or advise on medical or health conditions, but to inform. The information and opinions presented here do not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals for your unique situation.