A Guide to Choosing a Collagen Supplement
How to Choose a Collagen Supplement
Collagen is everywhere. If you are a woman over about the age of 35, I can pretty much guarantee that you are being targeted with ads for collagen products. There are hundreds of products out there, all claiming to be the best – so how do you choose?
As a Nutritional Therapist, I’ve spent years researching collagen, both the science behind whether it works and how supplementation may support your body’s own collagen production (read about this here).
The best available current evidence suggests benefits of collagen supplementation for skin elasticity and hydration, and joint pain and flexibility, on a dosage of 8–10g per day of hydrolysed (low molecular weight) collagen peptides.
So what does that actually mean? Let’s break it down and help you understand whether the product you are taking really does tick all the boxes.
The 10 Key Factors to Consider
1. The Type of Collagen (Source Matters)
Collagen isn’t just one thing, it’s a family of proteins (at least 28 types), but the most relevant are:
Type I – Skin, bones, tendons (strength and structure)
Type II – Cartilage (joint cushioning)
Type III – Skin and blood vessels (elasticity)
Online and on the shelves, you will see collagen products from different sources (bovine, marine or a blend) and the one you choose will be guided by the benefits you want to achieve.
Bovine (cow): Rich in Types I & III (skin, hair, bones, tendons)
Marine (fish): Primarily Type I (skin and hair)
Chicken: Rich in Type II (joint cartilage)
If, like most people, you are looking for skin, hair, bones and joint support then I would advise that you can choose a multi collagen blend (with bovine, marine and chicken) or a bovine collagen. For focused skin support only, marine collagen would be a good choice. Marine collagen usually has a lower molecular weight than other sources which may offer benefits for absorbability.
Personal preferences will also come into the decision. If you do not eat meat then a marine collagen can still be beneficial, you will still receive the collagen peptides and amino acids that you need for structure and support, they may just not be quite as targeted.
I haven’t covered vegan collagen products in this guide as they work slightly differently. Contact me if you would like to know more about these.
2. The Form: Powder, Capsules or Liquid
This is partly personal preference, but there are practical differences that you need to be aware of. Remember here that you are looking for an intake of 8g to 10g per day.
Powder. This is my preferred option. Powders are usually the most versatile (a plain powder without additions is tasteless and dissolves in hot or cold food or drink). It is easy to reach that 10g a day with a heaped tablespoon of a plain powder
Capsules. Capsules are convenient, but you need to take a lot to get to your 8 to 10g. Capsules normally hold around 500mg, so that’s 16 capsules for 8g!!
Liquids. Liquids are popular for an all in one single serving that you can take as a shot, no mixing required. They also often contain additional vitamins. With these, however, you can get flavours and sweeteners, and often a lower collagen dosage with a higher price per serving.
3. The Dosage (This Is Critical)
As I’ve mentioned, the evidence-based dose is 8 to 10g of actual collagen per day. This is not always the same as 8 to 10g of the product as it depends on what else it has in it. A few tips:
· Don’t trust the serving size on the front of the pack (this is what the supplier has decided they want it to be, not necessarily the 8g to 10g evidence based dosage).
· You need to look at the detail, how much actual collagen is in that serving and how much of the product do you need to take to get 8g to 10g of actual collagen.
An example:
· A 10g scoop of pure collagen such as Ancient and Brave gives 10g of collagen
· A 10g scoop of a flavoured blend with vitamins including the brand Elevate will only give you 6.7g of collagen (but you do get extra vitamins).
You need to check the label carefully and calculate your serving size and from there you can also work out price per serving (good news is that I have done this for you in my comparison chart which you can download here). Always check the nutrition information carefully, serving size is one of the biggest tricks to making you think you are getting more than you are for your money.
4. Absorbability: Hydrolysed Peptides & Molecular Weight
Now we are getting into detail and you need to do some digging into the products you are looking at. This is one of the most important areas.
Firstly, all collagen supplements must contain hydrolysed collagen (and the majority on the market do). This means that the collagen protein has been broken down into peptides for absorption.
Next you can consider the molecular weight (Daltons). This is a good way to compare across brands. Daltons are the size of the peptides, the lower the Dalton size the better the absorption. Aim for under 5,000 Daltons, the best brands will be much lower than this.
Check out my comparison chart for the Dalton ratings of leading brands.
5. Third Party Testing
Third party testing simply means that the product has been rigorously tested by an external company. For quality and safety, I advise that you only choose products that have evidence of third party testing and are happy to share the testing reports. Look for independent testing for heavy metals and contaminants.
If a company doesn’t talk about third party testing, for me that’s a red flag.
6. Certifications & Sourcing
Collagen is a product from an animal source, so you want to be very aware of where it has come from. Check the product or the website for:
· Grass fed in the case of bovine collagen
· Details of how fish collagen is sustainably sourced. MSC certification for marine collagen gives an assurance that the product conforms to clean and sustainable regulations.
7. Clinical Research & Transparency
Most brands will contain stats on their website of the benefits that they are associating with their products. This can be very misleading and takes a lot of digging to work out the truth from the marketing. Some questions to ask:
· Are these stats based on that particular product or have they pulled out some generic collagen studies that actually could be relevant to any collagen product?
· What is the sample size, study type and overall study quality?
In general, I would ignore most of the numbers and claims that you see on social media and websites for collagen brands. Marketeers can always find a study somewhere to match what they want to say. The exception to this is that a small number of collagen brands run their own clinical trials on their actual products. Ancient and Brave are an example of this. The studies are not huge but the reports are available for you to take a look at, and you know that they relate to the actual product you are taking. This gives you confidence in the product and to me, this gives a good indication of a premium, high quality brand.
8. Added Nutrients (Pros & Cons)
The body uses other nutrients, as well as the individual peptides from collagen, to then synthesise its own collagen tissue. The main one is Vitamin C but zinc, iron and copper also have a role. Some collagen products are just collagen peptides, others have these nutrients and more added. There are pros and cons of each:
Pros of adding vitamins and nutrients
· The product is an all in one with collagen peptides and the co-factors required for your body to make collagen.
· Additional vitamins can be added to support joints, skin or hair (biotin, turmeric, hyaluronic acid for example)
Cons:
· These extras dilute the collagen dose, so you either need to take a bigger scoop or you are getting less collagen (for example Elevate is a 12g scoop for 8g of collagen)
· The product often needs flavouring to mask the taste, so this brings added ingredients and sweeteners
· Certain vitamins do not work well in hot drinks which limits how you can take the product
My preferred approach is to take pure collagen powder and then add targeted nutrients separately based on your individual needs. Remember if you are adding your collagen to foods, soups or smoothies, the chances are that you are getting enough nutrients in your daily diet to provide the Vitamin C needed.
9. Taste & Versatility
Your choice of collagen has to fit into your daily life and so you have to like the taste and have a way of taking it that fits into a routine.
I find unflavoured collagen products work best for me as they:
· Can be added to coffee, tea, smoothies, soups
· Work in both hot and cold liquids
Flavoured products are also an option though, they can be made into hot or cold drinks depending on the ingredients and instructions. Do check the label though for synthetic sweeteners, colours or flavourings.
10. Price (Compare Properly)
This is where the fun really starts. If you are looking to compare the prices across brands then you really need to do some digging and make sure that you are comparing like with like. My advice is to ignore all price comparison tables on supplier websites, they have usually been very selective with the products they are comparing against and have not used the price of their product as a single purchase.
To compare products fairly, you need to know:
· Price per pack
· Total grams in the pack
· The grams of product needed to reach 10g of collagen per serving
· Number of servings per pack (based on 3)
You can then calculate the cost per 10g serving which is a fair comparison.
If this sounds too complicated, don’t worry, I have done it for you in a comparison table. Download the comparison table.
My Go To Recommendations
I’ve looked into all of the factors mentioned in this guide and here are my top choices.
Bovine collagen:
Planet Paleo Pure Collagen. For excellent quality and value
Ancient + Brave True Collagen. A premium collagen with investment in their own research.
Marine collagen:
Bare Biology Skinful. A standout for sustainability, certifications, purity, and testing
Multi blend:
Nature’s Plus Collagen Peptides. Highly recommended for a broad spectrum option. Contains marine, bovine, chicken and egg shell membrane with extensive third party testing and low Dalton ratings for absorbability.
All these choices are:
· Unflavoured powder
· Easy to dose to 10g
· Free from unnecessary additives
· Versatile for daily use. The powders can be dissolved in hot or cold foods.
Final Thoughts
This may all sound complex but choosing a collagen supplement doesn’t need to be overwhelming. If you focus on just a few key principles, you’ll avoid 90% of the marketing noise:
✔️ 8–10g daily dose
✔️ Hydrolysed, low molecular weight
✔️ Minimal ingredients
✔️ Evidence of third party testing and sustainability
✔️ Powder form for dosage and flexibility
To make your decision much easier, download my comparison chart considering these factors for leading brands.