Oral collagen: health or hype?

Should you be taking collagen supplements to improve your skin?

Oral collagen supplements are having a moment in the spotlight right now, but are they worth the hype?

There have been several studies investigating the effects of hydrolized collagen supplementation on the skin, and all of them demonstrate an improvement in skin hydration and elasticity. They all also suggest that longer term use (>8 weeks) yields better results.

A Meta- Analyisis from 2023 looks at the data collected from these studies and compares them. It shows that these studies had limitations including small participant size, lifestyle habits of the participants were not included (and these factors play a major role in skin ageing) and the difference in form, source and dose of supplement was also not included.

In short; at this time, larger scale, randomised controlled trials are needed to further explore the benefits of oral collagen supplementation. However, it is important to consider that it is notoriously difficult to control contributing factors in lifestyle studies.

So, should you incorporate oral collagen into your diet?

If you can afford them (as they are not cheap) then go for it as you may see some benefit. If you do decide to take oral collagen then research suggests that marine collagen is more easily absorbed by the body and therefore gains the best results.