Can a €229 pill really smooth skin, boost hair — and cure insomnia?

LIKE many, I take a multivitamin (when I remember) from the plastic pot on my kitchen counter. It costs about five cents per pill. Job done, or so I thought.

But now there’s a whole world of ‘super supplements’, including the expensive and newest offering, Lyma, which costs 100 times more than my humble multivitamin.

The cute little copper-coloured capsules with their stencilled crown are beloved of A-listers and models.

Lyma is the brainchild of celebrity personal trainer Russell Bateman, who was always being asked to recommend the ultimate nutritional supplement by well-heeled clients, who include actress Liv Tyler, singer Ellie Goulding and several Victoria’s Secret models.

After two years’ research with his business partner Lucy Goff and a team of nutritional scientists, Lyma was finally launched in February and promptly sold out in two weeks. There’s a waiting list of 2,600 for the next batch, which should be available later this month.

Lyma costs €229 for a oneoff order of 120 tablets (you take four a day so that’s one month’s supply) or €171 a month for a minimum of three months. With both, you get a hand-crafted copper pot to store your precious pills in.

‘We wanted to create a real “super supplement,”’ says Simon White, Lyma’s chief nutritional scientist.

So what does it promise? And, more importantly, does it deliver? Its creators make bold claims: that it will smooth skin by 80%, strengthen hair by 47% and nails by 88%, improve sleep and brain energy, maximise immunity and reduce stress and anxiety.

It takes up to three months to get all the health benefits, says Lucy.

The first change you’ll notice, she says, is smoother skin, followed by improved mood, particularly at that time of the month. The next change she noticed was fewer hairs left on her brush and that her nails were breaking less frequently.

I’ve been taking them for a month now and as a sceptical skinflint, I would love to say they had zero effect.

But after ten days I noticed the skin on my face was smoother; I touched it so often I ended up getting a spot. My husband noted the lack of pre-menstrual rage, and my hair looks healthier — not supermodel glossy, but I’m leaving fewer strands in the shower.

I can’t say I’ve seen any change in mental clarity, sadly, and my insomnia is as bad as ever.

Lyma has just eight ingredients, unlike other high-end supplements such as Elle Macpherson’s WelleCo Super Elixir (€110, then €72 per month) which has 45 and Lumity Life (€88 a month) which has 17. The eight are: Ashwagandha. This patented form of the adaptogen ashwagandha (KSM-66) can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 28%, according to trials.

Keratin in the form of Cynatine HNS, a patented ingredient that research says can

cut hair loss by 47% and nail breakage by 88%, and result in skin 80% smoother.

Curcumin, the active ingredient in the spice turmeric. This form, HydroCurc, is a proven antioxidant and also an anti-inflammatory.

Beta glucans, found in oats. This patented form, Wellmune, can improve mental clarity by 11% and result in a 32% increase in antibodies, according to studies.

Lycopene, the antioxidant in tomatoes. Lycored, the patented version used in Lyma, can apparently reduce cholesterol by 10%.

Citicoline (Cognizin), a natural nutrient that supports the mitochondria within cells that produce the brain’s energy. It’s claimed to increase brain energy by 14%.

Vitamin K2 (K2 Vital), which helps reduce cardiovascular disease risk by up to 50%.

Vitamin D3, the only nonpatented ingredient. After a long winter, 60% of us are low on sunshine vitamin D, which is important for our immune system, for cancer prevention, bone strength and cardiovascular health.

Simon says the idea behind Lyma wasn’t to plug gaps in people’s diets like normal multivitamins, but to create ‘ultimate wellness’.

‘We assume you’re getting a good diet already, so we didn’t want to go for ingredients available from food. What we focus on is anti-ageing benefits, stress reduction and the prevention of inflammation, reducing your risk of heart disease, cancer and dementia.’

Glamour is also an important aspect, says Lucy: ‘We wanted to do the same for supplements that Jo Malone did for candles. We want to bring vitamins out of the kitchen cupboard and make them into a lifestyle piece.’

SHE admits they took cost out of the equation when creating the formula so they could use only the best ingredients. ‘Yes, it’s €5.70 a day, but you could spend that on a coffee and sandwich and not bat an eyelid.’

So, what’s the verdict of the experts? All the ingredients in Lyma are sound, confirms top medical nutritionist and author Dr Sarah Brewer, although she points out that the 197 clinical trials cited by the company refer to the individual ingredients, not the blend.

‘I love the copper pot and the look of the capsules, although the cost is exorbitant,’ she adds. You can buy all but one of the ingredients online — substituting an equally bio-available curcumin supplement for HydroCurc — for €133 a month, saving €38.

I’m impressed Lyma has had such a positive effect on my skin in a month. When I forgot to take the full four capsules a day over the Easter weekend, my skin seemed not quite so smooth. It makes me wonder if the other promised benefits will come my way in time.

It’s nice to have smooth skin and better-looking hair, but is it €171a-month nice? For most without supermodel budgets, maybe not.

However, if Lyma could sort out my insomnia, and give me that promised extra mental energy . . . well, I can always cut back elsewhere!

OORDER at lyma.life (or join the waiting list).