Are Collagen Supplements Really Worth the Hype?

Collagen supplements have been doing the rounds for years, regularly fading in and out of favour. For me, I have never directly supported taking a collagen supplement to improve skin health because there just isn't enough independent scientific evidence to support its claims.

There is always something being heavily marketed on social media, and it doesn't seem to take many fancy words and clever imagery to get us influenced. Collagen supplements come under that umbrella. It's a well marketed product which promotes its anti-ageing miracle under the influence of industry-funded clinical trials. So why is everyone jumping on the bandwagon...

Understanding where collagen is used in the body helps us evaluate the potential impact of supplements.

Where our body uses collagen

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. Its primary role is to provide strength, structure and support to tissues; think of it as the body's scaffolding or framework.

• Skin

• Bones

• Tendons

• Internal Organs

• Ligament

• Cartilage

• Blood vessels

• Cornea (Eye)

• Fascia

  
  

From our mid-20s, collagen production declines by approximately 1% every year. So it's no surprise that we want to work on stimulating that production, however I don't think you need to take a supplement to do it.

If we are looking after our body as a whole, we should be eating a high protein diet to support our systems, exercising regularly to make our body's strong and functional, taking a full 360 approach to health, not just chucking a spoonful of powder in our drinks daily and expecting that to work miracles and keep us young.

So what does a collagen supplement do inside the body.

How collagen supplements work

Here is what we know from human physiology: you eat hydrolysed collagen peptides, which are collagen proteins that have already been broken down into much smaller fragments.

Your digestive system breaks them down further into individual amino acids and very small collagen peptides. These are then absorbed into the bloodstream.

Once absorbed, the amino acids and small peptides enter the body’s general amino acid pool, where they can be used wherever they are needed.

Imagine you are renovating a house: a collagen supplement doesn't deliver a ready-made brick wall to your skin. Instead it delivers a supply of bricks (amino acids) and someone to tell the builders (fibroblasts) to start building.

Whether the builders actually build depends on several factors

• Age - collagen production naturally declines over time

• Hormones - oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining collagen

• Sun exposure - UV exposure accelerates collagen breakdown

• Smoking - reduces collagen production and damages existing collagen

• Nutrition - adequate protein and Vitamin C are essential for collagen synthesis

• Inflammation - chronic inflammation can impair normal collagen production and repair

• Genetics - influence how much collagen you produce and how quickly it breaks down

  
  

When you consider all of these factors, it's easier to see why no supplement alone is likely to overcome. the effects of ageing, UV exposure and lifestyle.

What evidence is there to support the marketed claims

There are numerous randomised controlled trials showing that hydrolysed collagen peptides can produce small improvements in skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkle appearance after around 8-12 weeks of daily use.

However, the overall quality of this evidence is mixed. Many of these studies are small, short term and funded by collagen manufacturers. One of the largest systematic reviews, published in 2023, included 1,721 participants concluded that oral hydrolysed collagen significantly improved skin hydration, elasticity and some measures of wrinkle depth.

In 2025, another meta-analysis re-examined these studies while accounting for study quality and industry funding. When only high-quality or independently funded trials were analysed, the apparent benefits largely disappeared. The authors concluded there was insufficient high quality evidence to recommend collagen supplements specifically for skin health.

Industry funding doesn't automatically invalidate research, but industry-sponsored studies are more likely to report favourable outcomes.

This doesn't necessarily mean collagen doesn't work - it means the strongest evidence is less convincing than the marketing suggests.

Biologically, hydrolysed collagen could work to improve skin health but until there are sufficient independent clinical trials proving so, I will not be adding that powder to my morning shake.

Should you spend £40 a month on collagen for "younger looking" skin?

Could collagen supplements help?

The strongest scientific evidence remains mixed and suggests it might give a modest improvement in hydration and elasticity after a few months, but the effect is likely to be subtle. This means it’s not yet supported by the same level of evidence as interventions like sunscreen, retinoids, Vitamin C and diet with adequate protein .

If someone chooses to take collagen for skin benefits, it should complement, not replace the key fundamentals that should be followed.

1. Daily Sunscreen

2. Topical Retinoids

3. Vitamin C

4. Healthy diet, more protein and sleep

5. Advanced aesthetic treatments

   
   

Will you be taking a collagen supplement?

• Yes
• No