“My Husband Always Jokes I’m a Marketing Man’s Dream!”: Jenni Falconer on Beauty
Main image – Kollo Health
Television presenter, author and radio DJ Jenni Falconer is arguably one of the most recognised faces – and voices – in the UK, having been in the entertainment industry for over 25 years.
I remember her well from her years as the presenter of GMTV’s Entertainment Today (her friendly voice soothing me through the odd sick day), as well as her many travel segments on This Morning and, currently, her breakfast show on Smooth Radio.
Now at aged 50, as well as running marathons, presenting her own podcast and being a mum (could she be any more inspirational?), she is co-founder of Kollo Health, a liquid marine collagen supplement.
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Here, she tells us why a consistent skincare regime should be non-negotiable and why, since taking daily collagen supplements, she has never looked back.
A stickler for consistency
When it comes to Falconer’s morning beauty routine, one thing she doesn’t compromise on is regularity. “It’s not fussy, but it is consistent,” she says. “Every single morning, without fail, I cleanse my face. I use Medik8 Foaming Cleanser, then I’ll follow with my BioEffect essence. After that, I’ll use either SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic serum or my BioEffect serum.” Oh how I love a serum girl. “I do love a serum, and I’m definitely a fan of eye creams too.”
What comes next? “I’ll use a good moisturiser with SPF, followed by a tinted moisturiser, maybe a little under-eye concealer if I’ve had a few late nights, which is inevitable when you’re up at 4:30am for work every morning. Then it’s a bit of bronzer or blusher, mascara, and I’m good to go.”
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A woman after my own heart, Falconer clearly likes her products. “My husband always jokes that I’m a marketing man’s dream. If someone says something works on your skin, I want to try it,” she says. I feel seen.
“But over the years I’ve tried enough products to now know what genuinely works for me. I love a foaming cleanser morning and night. At night, it takes off make-up, in the morning, it resets my skin and helps me start the day fresh. I’ll use an essence or toner, and sometimes I’ll splash my face with ice-cold water because it wakes everything up. Then I use serums, moisturiser, SPF and tinted moisturiser. I like my skin to feel hydrated, nourished, dewy and radiant.”
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The last step of her morning routine is of course her daily intake of collagen. “When I get downstairs to the kitchen, just before I leave the house, I always have my Kollo collagen,” she continues. “It’s as non-negotiable as brushing my teeth. I take it straight from the sachet because it’s a liquid, tastes lovely and fruity, and it gives me 10g of premium marine collagen, B vitamins and vitamin C in one quick hit. I’ll also mix 5g of creatine into a tiny bit of water, knock that back, and then I’m ready to start the day.”
And, she says, this is the beauty habit that genuinely makes a difference. “I’ve been taking collagen since 2009, but now I take more than ever,” she explains. “Creatine has also become a huge part of my routine. I feel it helps with focus, energy, mindset and recovery, especially after exercise. I love it so we made sure we created our own Kollo version.”
And again, the benefits come down to consistency. “For me, collagen and creatine are part of my beauty routine, not just my wellness routine,” Falconer says. “But the key is consistency. You can’t do something once and expect to feel amazing two weeks later. You have to do it every day.”
Desert island skincare
The one skincare product she can’t live without? “Without a doubt, moisturiser is the thing I always re-purchase. I’ve done so since I was a teenager,” she says. “That goes for my face and my body. I moisturise my legs, arms, chest, stomach – everything. Dry skin can look older very quickly, and it can feel itchy and uncomfortable, so I think moisturising is key.”
So what are her favourites? “I love products like Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, Nivea, The Body Shop body butters and L’Occitane’s moisturisers,” Falconer says. “You don’t always need something complicated or expensive. A good moisturiser used consistently makes such a difference.”
And, she says, dry skin is the first thing she notices when her routine slips. “Without fail, if I don’t moisturise I notice it straight away.” That goes for hydration on her lips too. “I’m religious about lip balm. I use the Bondi Sands SPF lip balm – I love the coconut one – and I have them everywhere. In handbags, around the house, everywhere. They’re brilliant, affordable and protect from sun, cold and dryness.”
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Falconer says keeping her body hydrated on the inside is key too. “When I’m on Smooth Radio from 6am until 10am, I drink about a litre and a half of water every morning. On days when I don’t drink enough, I notice it immediately because I start to feel thirsty and can get a headache. So for me, skin hydration, drinking water and using electrolytes when needed all make a big difference.”
And what about a particular desert island ingredient? “I’m really interested in introducing retinol properly into my skincare,” she says. “Retinol, which is a derivative of vitamin A, is often considered a gold-standard ingredient for anti-ageing because it helps support a more radiant-looking complexion. Now that I’m 50, I’m doing what I can to look after my skin.”
She has sound advice for retinol beginners though. “You do have to start slowly because retinol can be drying, so I prefer gentler options. Medik8 has retinal products that are brilliant and not as harsh as some pure retinol formulas.”
Relaxation through un-relaxation
When asked what beauty treatment they could never give up, most people would say a 60-minute hot stone massage or a soothing facial. But not Falconer. “I do have a CurrentBody red light mask, which I think is brilliant, and nothing beats a really good facial when you can fit one in, but the treatment I’d never give up is probably a sports massage,” she says. Right.
“By the way, it is not relaxing. There is no gentle music, no wafting aromatherapy oils. It can be brutal, but you leave feeling refreshed, renewed and re-energised. When I’m marathon training, a sports massage is essential. For me, it is the ultimate treatment.”
The story behind Kollo Health
There is absolutely no denying it – Falconer is always glowing and is an inspiration to women, particularly those feeling nervous about turning 50. That’s what a consistent beauty regime and regular marathon training does for you! But the other string to her bow – Kollo Health – is clearly doing wonders for her appearance too.
So how did the idea for it come about? “I’d been taking collagen for years after someone recommended it to me when I was training for a marathon,” she explains. “I started taking it to support my joints and recovery, but I noticed the difference in my skin and hair too. One day, I came home after a run and was talking about collagen with my husband James and our business partner Tash and they simply said, “Why don’t you make your own?” It was a total lightbulb moment.”
Image – Kollo Health
After some extensive research, they created their dream collagen product and six years later, Kollo is the most awarded liquid collagen in the UK. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built,” Falconer adds. “There were products that were overpriced, underdosed or tasted awful. I wanted something premium, accessible, effective, clinically tested, trustworthy and enjoyable to take.”
Falconer also wanted the brand to be as transparent as possible. “There’s a big trend now for white-label supplements, where products are imported, branded and sold cheaply online,” she explains. “The problem is, you don’t always know what’s in them. You don’t know how much collagen they contain or whether they’re full of fillers. With Kollo, transparency is really important. We’re Informed Sport certified, and what we say is in the sachet is exactly what’s in the sachet.”
So why collagen? “At the beginning, we focused on collagen because I’d personally seen the impact it had, supporting me through exercise, helping my recovery and improving the look of my skin and hair,” she says. “I’ve also seen the impact on others. My friend Victoria started taking collagen and her nails instantly were incredible. They honestly looked like extensions, but they were completely real!”
But the brand has now evolved. “Kollo has grown beyond collagen because I wanted products I genuinely believed in and would take myself. We now have creatine, electrolytes, Flex+ for joints, Balance + with magnesium, ashwagandha KSM66 and Lion’s Mane, and there are even more products coming. Everything we create is something I take or want to take myself.”
And she says it’s the brand’s honesty and premium quality that makes it different from other wellness brands. “No false promises. No fluff. Just high-quality marine collagen that tastes great and delivers results when taken consistently. Kollo is designed to fit seamlessly into real life. It’s easy to take, easy to travel with and easy to stick to.”
The takeaway
Falconer is the epitome of that sometimes rather grating expression, ’50 and fabulous’. Age is of course just a number (and everyone is fabulous in their own way), but Falconer is proof that just because you turn a certain age, doesn’t mean you have to decelerate your skin or wellness journey.
Her commitment to her own wellness journey and the way she inspires others, either through her love for fitness, dedication to a consistent skincare regime or her highly successful collagen supplement brand, is palpable.
“Invest in your skin,” she says. “Your skin is on show every single day, so why wouldn’t you look after it? People spend a fortune on shoes, but how many people are looking at your feet compared to your face? Look after your skin while you can. Prevention is so much easier than trying to reverse damage later. Your future self will thank you.”
Get Glowing!
