Last month, model Hailey Bieber announced she was teaming up with the luxury Erewhon Market chain for the creation of a "skin-supporting smoothie." Dubbed the "Hailey Bieber's Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie," the drink will set consumers back $17 for the promise of healthy, glowing skin.
But does it work? To find out, Newsweek consulted some experts on skin care.
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The smoothie collaboration with Erewhon Market was done in promotion with Rhode, the skin care line launched in June by Bieber, who is also known as a social media influencer (and for being the wife of music superstar Justin Bieber).
Erewhon Market listed the ingredients for the drink in its Instagram announcement about the creation. In it is almond milk, strawberries, vanilla collagen, hyaluronic acid, coconut cream, sea moss gel, avocado, maple syrup, dates and strawberry glaze. All of these sound perfectly healthy, but will drinking the combination really have a noticeable affect on your complexion?
"This recipe contains a blend of ingredients that are good for the body in general and for the skin," Dr. Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital's Department of Dermatology, told Newsweek.
Zeichner added, "Fresh berries contain antioxidants while collagen powder delivers protein. Collectively this provides the building blocks for healthy bodily functioning."
Zeichner said drinking the smoothie would no doubt promote better skin, but the same results could also likely be produced with a smaller price tag.
"While this recipe can support skin health, you certainly can get the same types of benefits from less expensive ingredients, through a well balanced diet, and even through vitamin supplements," Zeichner said.
Dr. Joel Cohen of Denver's AboutSkin Dermatology offered a similar opinion.
"Honestly, the ingredient that has the most data is retinol. And there are plenty of inexpensive retinol creams. So for the many issues people have with their skin, including lines/wrinkles, pores, acne, skin-luminosity and quality, pigmentation as well as overall sun-damage—a simple retinol formulation would be my recommendation over anything else," Cohen wrote in an email to Newsweek.
"And that perspective is firmly based on science and data over many years starting with the work at University of Michigan in the late '80s carried through to even articles published a few weeks ago about the vast benefits of topical retinoids for the skin," Cohen said.
Alisa Vitti—a functional nutrition women's hormone expert, founder of FLOliving.com and bestselling author of WomanCode—warned the smoothie could even have some deleterious affects on the imbiber's health.
The ingredients that concerned her were the large amounts of fruit with maple syrup, which she told Newsweek could cause a spike in blood sugar, and thus "won't enhance your glow, it will deplete it."
"Wear your continuous glucose monitor to see how you respond to it," she advised.
Vitti did allow that the smoothie's collagen may benefit women over the age of 35, but the sugar levels could harm the skin of young women who often "struggle with acne and hormonal skin issues."
Since Erewhon Market's Bieber smoothie is only available at the chain's California locations, many websites and social media accounts have offered takes on how to make the drink at home. Vitti provided Newsweek with a modified recipe that she said would fight acne and balance hormones while not drastically increasing blood sugar.
4-6 frozen strawberries 1/2 tsp monkfruit or 1/8 tsp stevia 1/4 of an avocado 1/2 cup coconut milk 1 Tb flaxseed meal 2 Tb cilantro 2 scoops collagen 1 serving hyaluronic acid 1 serving sea buckthorn powder or juice 1 Tb borage seed oil
Readers are cautioned to always consult with their doctors before taking any new supplements.
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