Walk into any pharmacy or health food shop in the UK and you’ll find an entire shelf dedicated to collagen. Powders, capsules, liquids, gummies – the range has genuinely exploded over the last few years, and so has the number of people quietly adding some form of it to their morning routine. The science, though, is more complicated than the packaging usually lets on.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. It’s what keeps skin plump, joints cushioned, hair strong and nails from snapping off every five minutes. The problem is that from your mid-twenties onwards, your body starts producing less of it. Not dramatically – it’s a gradual thing – but by the time most people start noticing changes in their skin or the way their knees feel after a long walk, the decline has been going on for a while.
The supplement industry spotted this gap a long time ago, obviously. What’s changed more recently is the quality of the research behind some of these products, and the growing understanding that not all collagen supplements are made the same way.
Why the Type of Collagen Matters
There’s a persistent myth that swallowing collagen directly translates to more collagen in your skin. It doesn’t quite work like that. When you ingest collagen, your digestive system breaks it down into amino acids and peptides first. Those peptides then signal your body to produce its own collagen – so it’s less of a top-up and more of a prompt. Which means the form of collagen and what it’s paired with can make a real difference to how well any of that actually works.
Hydrolysed collagen is generally considered the better option for absorption because it’s been broken down into smaller peptides already, which makes it easier for the body to process. Marine collagen, derived from fish, tends to be Type I, which is the kind most associated with skin elasticity. Bovine collagen (from cattle) contains Types I and III, which cover skin but also connective tissue and gut lining. Neither is universally better; it depends what you’re actually looking for.
The real kicker is what else is in the formula. Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis – your body can’t make it without the stuff – so any supplement that doesn’t include it (or expect you to get plenty from your diet) is arguably leaving something on the table. Some newer products are also starting to pair collagen with NADH, a coenzyme involved in cellular energy production and one that’s been getting more attention in the research around skin ageing and cellular repair.
What to Look For If You’re Considering One
The Nutraxin Collagen Supplement from B’IOTA Laboratories combines hydrolysed marine collagen with NADH, which is a slightly different approach to most of the collagen products you’ll find on a standard pharmacy shelf. Most of those are collagen-only, sometimes with vitamin C thrown in. Pairing it with NADH is based on the idea that supporting cellular energy metabolism alongside collagen production might give better results than collagen alone – though it’s fair to say that more long-term human studies are always welcome in this space.
If you’re shopping around generally, a few things are worth checking. Look for hydrolysed collagen rather than whole collagen. Check the daily dose – anything under 2.5g is probably not going to do much. See whether vitamin C is included or whether you’d need to take it separately. And be a bit sceptical of any brand that promises visible results in under three weeks; the honest answer is that most studies showing meaningful skin changes run for at least eight weeks.
The Bigger Picture
Supplements can’t outwork a genuinely poor diet, chronic sleep deprivation, or years of smoking – collagen included. Sun exposure is also one of the biggest drivers of collagen breakdown, and no capsule is going to fix that if you’re not wearing SPF. All of this is just context, not a reason to dismiss supplementation entirely.
For a lot of people, collagen supplements seem to be a reasonable addition to an existing routine rather than a standalone fix. Whether that’s worth £20-£40 a month depends on your priorities and your budget, but the science behind the basics is solid enough that it’s not in the same category as some of the wilder wellness trends doing the rounds.
As with most health decisions, the boring answer is usually the right one: do your research, manage your expectations, and don’t expect any single product to do all the heavy lifting on its own.
Comments are closed.