A 2008 study in Tokyo of 33 women aged 40-59 who took Hydrolyzed Collagen daily for 2 months showed a 91% increase in skin hydration and resilience (2)

A recent study on 26 women with both natural and sun-induced wrinkles, lines, and dryness, ingested 1 gram of Collagen for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, skin dryness and scaling was reduced by 76 percent and fine lines and wrinkles by 13 percent.

In a study on women with age-related skin changes, a dietary collagen formulation significantly improved periorbital wrinkling (crow’s feet), periorbital ageing, and overall facial ageing with minimal adverse effects (1).

A study in France on 47 women aged between 35-55 years old, showed an increase in skin smoothness and hydration. After 12 weeks of daily ingestion of Hydrolysed Collagen, 41% of subjects showed less furrowing, less wrinkles, more resilient, more hydrated skin (3).

The effect of daily ingestion of collagen on skin extracellular matrix proteins (collagen) was investigated. After 4 weeks the amount of collagen was significantly increased in the skin extracellular matrix. These results suggest that Collagen may reduce ageing-related changes of the extracellular matrix by stimulating anabolic processes in skin tissue (12).

A clinical test was conducted in order to examine the effects of collagen peptide ingestion on the skin of healthy females aged 40-54 years. In this placebo-controlled, double blind study, volunteers ingested a drink that did not contain collagen peptide (placebo drink), or a drink that contained 5g or 10g of collagen peptide daily for 7 weeks, without knowing which drink they were consuming. After 3 weeks and 7 weeks, a dermatologist assessed the volunteers’ facial skin condition. At 3 weeks, only 10% of the placebo group had better skin condition, while this value was 41% in the 5g collagen peptide group and 62% in the 10-g collagen peptide group. After 7 weeks, the value was 20% in the placebo group, but 81% in the 5g group and 74% in the 10g group. These results confirm that 70-80% of women are able to observe the effects of collagen ingestion on the skin (8).

A study on 69 women aged 35–55 years were randomized to receive 2.5 g or 5.0 g of Collagen or placebo once daily for 8 weeks. At the end of the study, skin elasticity in both Collagen dosage groups showed significant improvements in comparison to placebo. After 4 weeks significantly higher skin elasticity level was determined in elderly women, skin moisture and skin evaporation also had a positive influence (11).

A study on women aged 40 and 54 years old ingesting 5 and 10g of collagen per day for 6 weeks, showed significantly higher water content on the skin surface (13).

Orally ingested collagen stimulated cell proliferation and Hyaluronic acid synthesis in the extracellular matrix of the skin (14).

One preclinical study investigated the effects of oral ingestion of hydrolysed collagen on the skin properties of women tending to have dry and rough skin. This study suggested that, with the ingestion of 5g per day during 6 weeks, the moisture content of the skin, its viscoelastic properties and its smoothness improved (5).

Studies relating to skin care revealed an improvement in skin function and hydration after Collagen ingestion on a regular basis (6,7).

It appears that orally ingested hydrolyzed collagen enhances the formation of and increases the density of collagen fibrils and increased fibroblast density (the fibroblasts being the main cells of the dermis, and the ones which produce collagen) (5).

A recent collagen study carried out a double blind test in order to examine the effects of collagen intake on skin hydration. Female volunteers consumed a drink containing collagen or placebo every day for 2 months. Results showed an increase in water absorbing capacity of the collagen-ingesting group was larger than that of the placebo group at 1 month, and the difference became larger between the collagen group and the placebo group when the test period was extended to 2 months (5).

Studies show that Hydrolysed Collagen may improve the mechanical strength of the skin by increasing decorin ratio, proteins which interact with collagen and influences collagen fibrillogenesis, thus regulating excessive bundle-like aggregation of collagen (5).

Fine lines, wrinkles, and loss of elasticity are symptoms commonly associated with ageing skin. Accumulated environmental exposure and a natural decrease in cell renewal contribute to other signs less often associated with ageing: dull, rough, or dry skin. Targeting these skin care concerns can dramatically improve the youthful, healthy appearance of skin. Maintaining the amount of collagen is the key to beautiful skin. Glycine, proline, alanine and hydroxyproline are the main constituents of collagen; replenishing these constituent amino acids appears to be needed to maintain the amount of collagen at healthy levels and thus prevent skin ageing (9).

A study on the effects of a marine formulation on sun damaged skin in women aged 40 – 60 years, showed significant improvements in skin condition in the actively treated group but not in the placebo group. Epidermal thickness

Results from a collagen study on skin damage from the sun, suggest that the daily ingestion of collagen peptide suppresses the skin damage induced by repeated UVB irradiation. These results suggest that collagen peptide is beneficial as a dietary supplement to suppress UV-B-induced skin damage and photoaging (4). UVB radiation causes sunburn, darkening and thickening of the outer layer of the skin, melanoma and other types of skin cancer.

Elderly people, as well as younger individuals, have substantial interest in maintaining healthy and beautiful skin, and such skin is supported by the dermis, the collagen-rich, deeper compartment of the skin. Recent scientific data demonstrate that the oral intake of hydrolysed collagen may help to rejuvenate the skin and reduce signs of ageing.

A study by the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Milan, Italy, showed that the activity of hair follicles was – directly or indirectly – increased by the consumption of collagen. Results taken from patients after a three-month treatment showed an increase in hair diameter of up to 49% in some cases, with an average increase of 35% (14).

A study on the effects of collagen ingestion on growth and thickness of hair, found that the thickness of hair increased significantly after collagen ingestion for 62 days, and more pulling force was required to break the thickened hair. Hair thickness returned to initial size when collagen ingestion stopped (13).

Results of a study on men and women aged 18-50, showed significant increases in the hardness of fingernails and improved nail defects in normal subjects (12).

A study on nail defects among women showed that ingestion of collagen improved nail defects. Researchers administered collagen daily to subjects and found that nail defects were improved in 43 of 50 patients (86%). It was also reported that the cessation of collagen ingestion resulted in the reappearance of nail defects (10). Schwimmer et al. reported improvements in nail defects in 80% of patients after ingestion of collagen (11).

A study on Collagen supplementation in combination with resistance training showed that Collagen improved body composition by increasing muscle strength and tone and the loss in fat. (17)

A study on a Hydrolysed Collagen protein supplement maintained nitrogen balance and preserved lean body mass (muscle tone) during 15 days of consumption of a relatively low-protein diet. (18)

A 24-week study on joint pain in athletes who were treated with the dietary collagen supplement showed improvement of joint pain, supports joint health and possibly reduce the risk of joint deterioration in a high-risk group (15).

In a randomized double-blind study 250 subjects with primary osteoarthritis of the knee were given 10g Collagen daily for 6 months. There was a significant improvement in knee joint comfort. Subjects with the greatest joint deterioration benefited most (16).

1. Kantor, I et al. 2002. Results of a Study Evaluating the Use of a Dietary Supplement Formula in the Management of Age-Related Skin Changes in Women with Moderate to Severe Wrinkling of the Periorbital Area. Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association. Vol 5, No.2.
2. SOUKEN study 2008, Tokyo Japan: two month study hydrolysed collagen.
3. DERMSCAN study, 2008, Lyon France. Cutaneous properties of hydrolysed collagen.
4. Tanaka et al. Effects of collagen peptide ingestion on UV-B-induced skin damage. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 73:930-932 (2009).
5. Matsuda, N.; Koyama, Y., Hosaka, Y., Ueda, H., Watanabe, T., Araya, T., Irie, S. and Takehana K. (2006). “Effects of ingestion of collagen peptide on collagen fibrils and glycosaminoglycans in the dermis”. Journal of nutrition vitaminology 52: 211-215.
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9. Rousselot Publication, 2009. Hydrolysed Collagen and Skin Health 2009 clinical studies results.
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12. Zague et al. (2011) Collagen hydrolysate intake increases skin collagen expression and suppresses matrix metalloproteinase 2 activity. Journal of Medicinal Food 14 (6) 2011, 618–624
13. Matsumoto, H. et al. (2006) Clinical effect of fish type I collagen hydrolysate on skin properties. ITE Lett. 7. 386 – 390
14. Ohara H et al. (2010) Collagen-derived dipeptide, proline-hydroxyproline, stimulates cell proliferation and hyaluronic acid synthesis in cultured human dermal fibroblasts. The Journal of Dermatology Volume 37, Issue 4, pages 330–338.
15. Clark KL et al. (2008) 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Current Medical Research and Opinion Vol. 24, No. 5, 2008, 1485–1496
16. Benito-Ruiz P et al. (2009) Randomized controlled trial on the efficacy and safety of a food ingredient, collagen hydrolysate, for improving joint comfort. Int J Food Sci Nutr; 60 Suppl 2:99-113.
17. Zdzieblik, D., Oesser, S., Baumstark, M. W., Gollhofer, A., & König, D. (2015). Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition, 114(08), 1237-1245.
18. Hays, N. P., Kim, H., Wells, A. M., Kajkenova, O., & Evans, W. J. (2009). [Effects of whey and fortified collagen hydrolysate protein supplements on nitrogen balance and body composition in older women (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19465192). Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 109(6), 1082-1087.