Shaklee is best-known for innovation. Shaklee was the first nutrition company to combine Vitamin C with an iron-containing supplement for women [1], and selenium with their Vitamin E product. [2]

Recent scientific research had demonstrated that vita-C synergistically enhanced iron absorption and that selenium dramatically increased the antioxidant properties provided by vita-e. Shaklee did their own studies to determine the accuracy of the available studies and then acted on that information. Other companies followed suit.

During the summer of 2022 Shaklee released Collagen-9, a remarkable step forwards in products aimed at enhancing skin health.

With their recent purchase of the Modere company, they inherited the use of the Liquid BioCell line, with its patented Collagen/HA Matrix, which pioneered the liquid collagen space, by mirroring human cartilage at its source.

Then Shaklee took that product into the future, the same way they had many of their earlier products, such as CoQHeart and Mindworks, and by creating the patented SMART Delivery System [3] for the Vitalizer and Life-strip nutrient delivery systems.

Now let’s review HOW and WHY
Liquid BioCell evolved into Life+. [4]

Liquid BioCell

When Shaklee first purchased Modere [5] several people asked me if I was going to review Modere products. Not wanting to step on anyone’s toes (I am a Shaklee Boy after all) I replied that when Shaklee crafted Product Briefs and FAQs to define those products in Shaklee language, I would review the ones that caught my fancy.

The core of their BioCell product was the Collagen/HA Matrix. It stepped way beyond simply providing bulk collagen, because it also combined collagen micropeptides, hyaluronic acid, and chondroitin sulfate into one unique new product.

Let’s review those ingredients now.

1.   Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCPs) are specialized, highly absorbable, low-molecular-weight amino acid chains, derived from animal collagen (often branded as collagen peptides or hydrolyzed collagen) which trigger, rather than simply provide, new collagen synthesis in specific tissues.

BCPs improve skin elasticity and hydration, support joint health, increase bone density, and promote muscle repair, with nearly 100% absorption. BCPs are specifically engineered, via controlled enzymatic hydrolysis, to target specific tissues, such as skin, cartilage, and bone tissue.

A 2019 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial [6] demonstrated that these collagen micropeptides significantly reduced facial lines and wrinkles. They also increased skin elasticity and collagen content, while also restoring a more youthful skin appearance.

Further, it also decreased skin dryness and erythema. (Erythema is a medical term for the superficial redness of skin, caused by irritation, infection, or inflammation.

A previous study by this same group of scientists [7A], in 2015 explored BioCell, a novel cartilage extract, on connective tissue support and functional recovery from exercise by measuring 3 blood biomarkers: creatine kinase (CK) [7B], lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) [8] and C-reactive protein (CRP) [9] in participants, to measure their responses.

They subjected 8 healthy, recreationally active individuals, with a mean age of 29 years to an upper-body muscle-damaging resistance exercise program (UBC) to assess their post-workout functional recovery. Half the group received BioCell, and half received a placebo for 5 weeks, before a grueling challenge.

The Result? The BioCell extract attenuated (reduced) post-UBC increases in all 3 serum markers for muscle tissue damage. [7A]

I am sorry there is no space in a three-page review to explain those three blood tests at any depth, but these citations [7–9] from the esteemed Cleveland Clinic uses plain English to explain them in detail.