Around 70 to 80 percent of the dry weight of the skin consists of collagen. [1] It gives your skin its smoothness and firmness. Collagen is key, when it comes to skin health and preserving your beauty. As we age, the production of collagen declines. This leads to fine lines and wrinkles. [2] Modern day science is developing many new strategies to rejuvenate the skin. Many of these have to do with increasing collagen production in your body. In this post we talk about one particular way this could be done: collagen supplements. Do they work? Can eating more collagen lead to an increase of collagen production in the skin? Or is it just a hype? This is what science has to say about it.

Collagen and skin hydration

In one clinical study [3], 33 women were given either a placebo, or a drink containing 10 gram of collagen, before going to bed. At several time points the moisture level and transepidermal water loss of the test subjects were measured. They found that the skin moisture level of the subjects receiving the collagen increased up to 28% after only 8 weeks. Interestingly, the supplements did not affect the level of transepidermal water loss. This raises the question, how could the skin be more hydrated than before, but still lose the same amount of water? The answer has to do with an increase in hyaluronic acid.

Collagen supplements increase hyaluronic acid in the skin

In order to answer that question, the same research group performed ex-vivo experiments, where they studied the effect of collagen on skin explants. Again, these experiments also showed an improvement in skin hydration. According to the study, the collagen significantly increased the levels of hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycans. These molecules are are very important for healthy skin, they not only play a role in hydration, but also in wound healing. [4] Not only that, the collagen network in the skin also improved.

Other studies also support the findings that collagen can increase skin hydration, without affecting the transepidermal water loss. [5]

Supplements can increase collagen density in the skin

A clinical study [3] on 99 women, showed that supplements can indeed improve the collagen density in the skin. The women received either a placebo, or a drink containing 10 g of collagen. The collagen density in the skin of the subjects was measured at week 4 and 12 of the study. After 12 weeks, the collagen density in the skin had increased by up to 9%. In addition to that, the collagen looked less fragmented, which means that the structure of the collagen had also improved.

Many other studies support these claims. For example one animal study from 2006, performed on pigs. It showed that supplementing with collagen can increase the diameter and boost the production of collagen fibrils in the skin. This could mean an improvement of the strength of the skin. [10] One other study found that Pure Gold Collagen® significantly improves collagen density and firmness in humans. [9]

Can collagen increase elastin and reduce eye wrinkles?

According to a study published in 2014, it can. [6] 114 women received either placebo or 2.5 g of a collagen peptide for 8 weeks. At the end of the 8 weeks, the group of subjects that had received treatment, had an 18% increase in elastin and a huge increase of procollagen type I. This study shows significant results even at such a low dose (2.5 g). This probably has to do with the bioavailability of the specific type of collagen used in the study. In addition to that, there was also a significant reduction in eye wrinkles in the test subjects. This reduction of eye-wrinkles seemed to be long-lasting, since it was still observed 4 weeks after the last dose of supplement.

The long-term effects of collagen supplementation

To what extent do collagen supplements improve the skin in the long term? According to a study from 2010 performed on rats, long-term intake of collagen can make a big difference when it comes to ageing. [7] After 24 months of treatment, the expression levels of collagen type I and III, were significantly higher in the treated group. Moreover, there was an inhibition of the increase of degradation of collagen, which normally happens with age. Further, there seemed to be less oxidative stress in the skin of the treated animals. All in all, the results suggest that the supplements can inhibit collagen loss and fragmentation as the skin ages.

What if you combine collagen with vitamin C

Vitamin C plays an important role in the synthesis of collagen. In fact, scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin C deficiency, makes that very clear. The symptoms of scurvy are largely caused by the body’s inability to produce collagen, when deficient in vitamin C for long periods of time. [8] These symptoms can include skin changes, loosening of teeth and poor wound healing, to name a few. Because of this, many people think that if they take collagen supplements together with vitamin C, it could boost the beneficial effects on their skin even more than with collagen alone.

A few years ago, a group of researchers decided to test if vitamin C could indeed boost the effects of collagen. A total of 32 volunteers took part in the study. They where divided among 4 groups. Each group received either, placebo, collagen, collagen + vitamin C, or vitamin C supplements only. After 12 weeks, the researchers examined the skin of the volunteers. As we would expect, the collagen improved skin hydration and elasticity. Surprisingly, the addition of vitamin C did not make a big difference at all. [9]

Most people nowadays, take in enough vitamin C, regardless of supplements. So, even though vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, taking too much of it, does not seem to be very helpful in this case. Another possible reason why the vitamin C supplements did not improve the skin condition of the volunteers has to do with the fact that it was a supplement. There are indications that vitamin C from supplements does not work as well as natural vitamin C from food. [11]

How much collagen and how frequently should I take it?

A study from 2009 investigated three different doses (2.5g, 5g or 10g) of collagen for their effects on skin hydration. The participants took, either a placebo, or collagen for 4 weeks. The subjects who took 5 or 10 g of collagen, had a significant increase in skin moisture. [5] This means that, in order to see results, one should probably take at least 5 gram of collagen per day. Another study, done with a different type of collagen, showed an effect even at a dose of 2.5 g. This points to the fact that not all collagen is the same. The source and type of collagen matters a lot. It is probably best to go with the recommended dose on the package.

So are collagen supplements worth it?

The short answer is: probably yes. Collagen supplements are extremely popular for years, but the research on whether they actually work is just starting to arrive. It looks like they can help with skin hydration, elasticity and collagen density in the skin. Indirectly these supplements can have anti-aging effects and also help against wrinkles. However, keep in mind, not all supplements are made the same. The quality can vary enormously. And, by the way, price is not a guarantee for quality at all. So make sure to do your research if you decide to try this supplement.

In order to really answer whether collagen supplements are worth it, one must ask himself, do the benefits outweigh the costs? The answer to that varies from person to person. Some people might see more improvement of their skin than others. Moreover, what one person thinks is cheap, another might consider expensive. And so, the answer to this question is very individual. By the way, eating it is not the only thing you can do to increase collagen levels in your skin.