Human hair and nails are primarily made up of keratin. Proteins like collagen provide the amino acids needed to build keratin, resulting in strong hair follicles and less brittle nails.

Research on collagen as it pertains to hair and nail health is emerging. A pilot study was conducted to investigate the hypothesis that eggshell membrane can support the health of human hair and nails. Study participants consumed 300 mg eggshell membrane for 50 days. Using a self-assessment questionnaire, 67% of volunteers reported that they were satisfied with overall hair health and condition. 56% self reported improved hair brightness and hydration and approximately 45% self reported improvements in hair thickness and loss. Additionally, 28% saw improvement in hair volume after 50 days. With respect to nail health, volunteers reported improved nail hardness, growth and nail irregularity of 61%, 50% and 28%, respectively. Furthermore, 50% of volunteers reported they were satisfied with overall nail condition. These results indicate that eggshell membrane may support the health of hair and nails, with additional objective research being warranted (1).

It has been well established that collagen supplementation can improve skin health. Eggshell membrane is a rich source of collagen and has demonstrated similar benefits.

Healthy study participants with altered skin barrier function were given 300mg of eggshell membrane for 60 days and found significant improvement in the skin’s barrier function and trans epidermal water loss (TEWL). TEWL is a clinical tool that is used to measure the skin barrier function, which is the normal permeation of water through the skin into the atmosphere. In the eggshell membrane group, TEWL was significantly reduced by 43.2% after 60 days of treatment, while there was no significant change in the placebo group. Additionally, significant improvement in skin’s elasticity, firmness and fatigue were also found after 60 days. Skin elasticity was improved by 13.3%, firmness was significantly improved by 65.8%, and skin fatigue was decreased by 35.6%. Skin fatigue was represented by tiring effects of the skin after repeated suction and release of the skin and measuring capability of returning to its original position following deformation (1).

A second study found that participants who consumed 300mg eggshell membrane for 60 days found a decline in water loss of the skin of about 19%, where the placebo group only had a decrease of about 1%. Skin firmness and skin fatigue were positively affected with significant improvements of 51% and 33%, respectively, after 60 days. Elasticity parameters were also measured and subjects taking eggshell membrane showed a significant benefit of 25%, while no significant changes were assessed in the placebo group. Finally, eye contour appearance was assessed in 3 volunteers and showed visual difference of the skin from the eye contour after 60 days of oral ingestion of eggshell membrane. Overall, oral ingestion of an eggshell membrane supplement demonstrated significant improvement of skin physiology (2).

In addition to the clinical studies outlined above, two pilot studies looked at the impact of eggshell membrane on various skin health parameters. The first study found that 100% of study participants observed improvement on their general facial skin condition and softness. 94% of participants reported general improvement in their body skin condition. With respect to hydration, 94% and 89% self reported improvement in facial and body skin hydration, respectively. Finally, significant improvements in skin brightness (83%) and smoothness (72%) were also reported (3).

The second pilot study assessed three skin parameters: skin hydration, pigmentation and elasticity. After 5 weeks of ingestion of 300 mg eggshell membrane, volunteers revealed statistically significant improvement in skin elasticity compared to baseline. While the other two parameters did not show significant changes, a tendency on reduced skin pigmentation was observed (3).