AN ERDINGTON company is bringing a taste of Japan to the health and beauty market.

Sugary confectionery may seem an unlikely elixir of youth, but 'Eat Yourself Beautiful', in Hillaries Road, claims to be the only licensed company in the country selling collagen marshmallows which help people look and feel younger.

The firm was set up by qualified podiatrist Isobel Pinsent and her business partner, Graham Allcock, to increase the consumption of 'super foods' and nutraceuticals in Britain.

Isobel said: "This is a first for Britain and we are hoping the collagen marshmallows become as popular here as they are in Japan where they sell millions of packets.

"The concept is simple; to eat yourself beautiful you need to maintain your natural level of collagen which is part of the human body's proteins that ensure the tendons, ligaments, joints, muscles, hair and skin all are healthy. You can do this in a number of ways such as having injections or taking large pills. But a much more pleasant way is for customers to simply eat our marshmallows.

"As we age, the body's ability to produce the collagen protein reduces and slows down – our marshmallows are the easiest way to top up your body with collagen safely."

Isobel has decades of experience in the beauty industry and previously ran a successful business in Iceland.

She said: "I saw an article about cosmetic food supplements three years ago and it has taken this long to get to the stage where we have launched the product and the website.

"We are selling the latest super foods from Japan and across the world, the UK is not as savvy when it comes to these types of products but hopefully we will change this and give women in the UK the advantages that women have in Japan by making these products readily available to all over the internet."