Bone broth is having a glow-up! What was once a humble kitchen staple is now a beauty secret celebrities and wellness experts are buzzing about.

It makes sense: beauty really does begin on the inside. While high-end serums and creams work on the surface, drinking bone broth nourishes your hair, skin, and nails from within. Today, I’m walking you through the beauty benefits of bone broth, why I drink it, and why this timeless elixir is having such a glow-up moment.

5 Bone Broth Beauty Benefits — Why I Drink It for Hair, Skin, and Nails

Before we dive into the beauty details, let’s pause to understand what bone broth actually is and how it differs from stock or ready- made broths available at the grocery store.

What Is Bone Broth?

Bone broth is often confused with stock, but they’re made a bit differently. Stock is typically simmered with bones (sometimes a little meat) and aromatics for 2-8 hours, yielding a flavorful base for soups. Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones and connective tissue with vegetables, herbs, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for 12–48 hours. The extended cooking time helps release collagen, gelatin, minerals, and amino acids like glycine and proline that your body can easily absorb.

If you’re buying ready-made bone broth, choose brands that are transparent about their sourcing and cooking process, because shortcuts in production mean fewer health benefits for you.

Does Bone Broth Have Health Benefits?

Think simple, steady support. A long, gentle simmer pulls collagen/gelatin, amino acids (glycine, proline), and light minerals from the bones, creating a clean, protein-rich sip. It’s not a cure-all, but an easy addition that may help with skin elasticity, hair and nails, joint comfort, and a calmer, hydrated gut. Sip it warm or use it as a base, and let the benefits below guide how it can fit your routine.

What Are The Benefits Of Bone Broth?

Think of bone broth as beauty nutrition in its most elemental form. Collagen, minerals, and amino acids work together to help you glow, strengthen, and restore from the inside out. Here’s how:

Improved Skin Elasticity

Collagen is the benefit of bone broth everyone raves about — and with good reason. Collagen supports improved skin elasticity, helping skin stay plump and youthful. As we age, natural collagen production declines, which is why skin starts to lose firmness. Drinking bone broth regularly helps replenish those building blocks from the inside out, giving your skin more bounce and resilience.

On top of elasticity, the amino acids glycine and proline in bone broth play a role in repairing connective tissue, strengthening the skin’s foundation so it can better withstand everyday stressors. Think of it as supporting the scaffolding that holds everything in place.

Anti-Aging Support

While elasticity is about structure, anti-aging is about appearance. Bone broth works as a natural anti-aging ally by smoothing fine lines, softening wrinkles, and improving hydration levels. Regularly consuming bone broth has been linked to the radiant glow we often chase with topical products.

A 2019 systematic review found that oral collagen supplementation is associated with improved skin hydration, elasticity, and reduced wrinkles (Journal of Drugs in Dermatology). In other words, beauty starts beneath the surface and broth gives your skin the tools to age gracefully.

💡 Pro tip: Pair this with a clean beauty routine that avoids harsh chemicals. Check out my guide on toxic ingredients in skincare products to avoid, because your beauty deserves to be supported inside and out.

Bone Broth Benefits for Hair

Stronger Strands

Bone broth fuels collagen production, which strengthens hair structure and minimizes breakage. The collagen peptides it contains provide the amino acids necessary for building keratin, the protein that makes up your hair. Over time that means fewer split ends, less brittleness, and longer hair that actually stays intact. Hello, shinier, healthier strands!

Growth Potential

With its dense blend of amino acids, minerals, and proteins, drinking bone broth supplies your follicles with exactly what they need to thrive. Nutrients like glycine and proline don’t just support the hair shaft, they also improve scalp circulation and create a healthier environment for growth. Think of it as fertilizer for your follicles that works from the inside out.

Thickness + Volume

Some people notice that consistent bone broth consumption leaves their hair fuller and denser. Because collagen helps support the dermis structure where follicles are rooted, it nourishes stronger hair from the crown outward. The result? Hair that not only grows, but also looks and feels noticeably thicker.

Bone Broth Benefits for Nails

Strength + Resilience

If your nails peel, split, or crack easily, bone broth can help by delivering collagen and minerals that support keratin production. Keratin is the protein that gives nails their hardness, and without enough building blocks, nails become weak and brittle. Consistently consuming bone broth helps replenish those nutrients, resulting in smoother, stronger nails that can actually hold up to polish and everyday wear.

Faster Growth

The amino acids glycine and proline also play a role in cellular repair and regeneration, which may help nails grow more quickly. Over time, you may notice fewer breaks and the ability to maintain length more easily.

Overall Nail Health

Beyond strength and growth, the gelatin in bone broth contributes to hydration, helping nails stay flexible instead of dry and brittle. Combined with its mineral content, drinking bone broth gives your nails the internal support they need to look healthier and feel less fragile.

Stronger nails call for a clean upgrade — try a nontoxic color by Manicurist to finish the look.

Bone Broth Benefits for Gut and Skin Connection

Your gut and your skin are besties — if one’s inflamed, the other shows it. The gut-skin axis is a well-documented pathway, meaning that digestive health directly influences the appearance and condition of your skin. As explained in Gut Feelings, your gut doesn’t just handle digestion; it communicates constantly with the brain, your immune system, and even the skin. When the gut barrier is weakened, inflammation rises, which often shows up as breakouts, rashes, or a dull, uneven tone.

This is where bone broth steps in. The gelatin and amino acids in bone broth promote gut health by soothing the intestinal lining and reducing inflammation. Supporting the microbiome and calming the body’s stress response doesn’t just ease digestion; it also promotes clearer, calmer, and more resilient skin. In other words, glowing skin often starts with a healthy gut.

How to Start Drinking Bone Broth

You can sip bone broth warm from a mug, use it as a base for soup, or swap it in for grains and sauces.

If you’re up for making your own, this simple recipe comes straight from Dr. Will Cole’s functional medicine approach. And if you want to understand how gut health links to beauty, mood, and long-term wellness, his book Gut Feelings (available in my shop) is the perfect deeper read.

Homemade Bone Broth Recipe

2 pounds chicken, beef, or turkey bones
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (to help release nutrients from the bones)
Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrots
1 onion, diced

Simmer low and slow (24–48 hours), then strain, cool, and store in glass containers.

🔗 Full recipe on Dr. Will Cole’s site

And when homemade isn’t an option, these are three of the most trusted ready-made broths:

FOND Bone Broth — organic, glass-packed, with low-FODMAP options.

Bare Bones Broth — classics plus instant sachets for travel.

Osso Good Broth — nightshade-free, AIP-compliant, perfect for autoimmune-friendly diets.

My Kind of Beauty Secret

Bone broth is more than a wellness trend — it’s a ritual that fuels beauty from the inside out. For me, it’s part of my rhythm, a simple daily act that nourishes my gut, supports my skin, and strengthens my body in ways no serum ever could. I keep drinking it because it leaves me feeling grounded, nourished, and radiant in the most effortless way. It’s proof that sometimes the most powerful beauty rituals are the simplest — the ones that connect us back to what’s been working for centuries.

And if you’ve been looking for a small shift that supports your skin, hair, nails, and gut all at once, this just might be the ritual worth adding to your routine.