Objective? Critical? Or just marketing: How Avea sells fear with sun and sugar

Many nutritional supplement brands today promise to provide "objective" and "critical" information on health topics. At first glance, this sounds trustworthy—especially in a market full of exaggerations and myths.

But upon closer inspection, what appears to be science is often, above all, a sales tactic . A recent example: a promotional email from Avea explaining how sun and sugar supposedly cause our skin to age rapidly – ​​and then offering a collagen supplement as a "solution."

Time to clear the marketing fog.

1. Sun: Demonized instead of differentiated

The email portrays the sun almost exclusively as a threat. Quote: "Most people don't realize that sugar ages skin just as much as the sun."

This creates a picture: sun = skin aging, sugar = skin aging, solution = supplement.

The reality is more complex:

• Sunlight is essential . Our bodies need UVB rays to produce vitamin D. This vitamin affects bones, the immune system, hormones, and even the psyche.
• Circadian rhythm : Daylight controls our internal clock. Without sunlight, sleep, metabolism, and mood are disrupted.
• Moderate exposure is healthy . The sun only becomes problematic when we roast ourselves unprotected for hours in the blazing midday heat. Skin aging and cancer risk are primarily caused by sunburn, not by moderate, daily exposure to light.

Anyone who reduces the sun to “enemy number one” is missing half the truth.

2. Sunscreen: The blind spot

Avea does talk about sun damage, but not about how the current "solutions" work. A critical look at sunscreen products is completely lacking.

This is remarkable because:

• Vitamin D blockade : High sun protection factors block exactly the radiation we need for vitamin D production.
• Chemical filters : Ingredients such as oxybenzone or octocrylene are suspected of having hormonal effects and of generating free radicals under the influence of UV radiation.
• Behavioral trap : Those who wear a lot of sunscreen stay in the sun longer – and therefore absorb more radiation overall.

The best protection is still the simplest: shade, clothing, and length of stay . This sounds less sexy than "high-tech filters," but it's free of side effects.

If a brand wants to be "critical," it would have to address this aspect as well . But it doesn't—because it doesn't fit the sales narrative.

3. Sugar & Glycation: Partial truth with sales intent

Here's an interesting point: Glycation is real. When excess sugar in the blood binds to proteins like collagen, so-called AGEs (advanced glycation end products) are formed. These stiffen tissue, promote inflammation, and accelerate skin aging.

That's true. But:

• Glycation is not a matter of fate . It depends primarily on dietary habits, metabolism, exercise, and stress.
• The solution lies in lifestyle – less sugar, more antioxidants, good sleep, moderate sunlight.
• A single supplement is at most a small building block, not the “salvation”.

So Avea takes a real biological process, explains it half-correctly – and then twists the argument so that in the end, its collagen product appears to be a necessary weapon.

4. Objective and critical – or just marketing?

True objectivity means:

• Both sides show : risks and benefits of the sun.
• Provide context : Skin aging is caused by many factors – diet, sleep, stress, smoking, environmental toxins.
• Consider solutions : natural strategies (diet, exercise, lifestyle) over encapsulated powders.

But Aveas Mail does the opposite:

• Exaggerate the risks of the sun and conceal the benefits.
• Dramatize glycation, but only mention the “product lever.”
• Creating the appearance of science without real sources or nuance.

This is not “critical”, but fear marketing : stir up fear → sell a solution.

5. What would be really critical

If we talk honestly and critically about skin aging, things look different:

• Sun : Healthy in moderation, risky in excess. Protection through behavior, not just with sunscreens.
• Sugar : Yes, glycation is a problem – but it can be solved through diet, not just capsules.
• Collagen : Supplements can be helpful, but the foundation remains a holistic lifestyle.

Real enlightenment means giving people tools for self-responsibility – not selling fear and then presenting a box of powder as the only solution.

Conclusion

Avea advertises itself as "objective and critical." But its messages are neither neutral nor balanced; they're cleverly packaged marketing.

Sun isn't the enemy. Sugar isn't the sole culprit. And collagen supplements aren't a cure-all.

Anyone who truly wants to be critical needs the courage to face the whole truth: health does not depend on a pill, but on balance, awareness and lifestyle.

👉 This makes the article a perfect fit for the Food Sherlock blog : uncovering myths, seeing through marketing, and countering fear-mongering with facts.