Collagen-Boosting Formulas That Actually Work

‘Collagen’ is searched for approximately 23 million times every single month. And while its prevalence in skincare, drinks and pills has boomed since 2014, not all collagen formulas are made equal. Composed of amino acids, collagen itself is a structural protein that makes up around 30% of all protein in the body. Like the body’s very own scaffolding, collagen is needed for healthy skin, joints, bones and hair, but the body’s natural production decreases by 1% a year from early adulthood. Collagen’s strength comes from its triple helix structure: three strands of amino acids (also called polypeptide chains) tightly wrap around each other like a high-strength fisherman’s rope. This rope then bundles up to form a tough, mesh-like network. In your joints, this collagen cage traps and holds water molecules to keep everything feeling bouncy; in bones, mineralised collagen hugs calcium crystals to stop your bones from shattering under stress; in skin, collagen peptides bind to receptors and trick cells into creating more elastin (for bounce) and hyaluronic acid (for water retention). Traditionally, collagen supplements came in powder, liquid or gummy form – occasionally fun, but not always absorbed properly by the body. Recent formulas put the old ones to shame with new research, new delivery systems and new results. Today, six brands are leading the charge, keeping our collagen stores firmly topped up via patches, serums and capsules that are truly delightful to use.

Zelens

Dr Marko Lens, the founder of Zelens, is matter-of-fact when we visit him in his Marylebone-based clinic: “There are no clinical trials to show oral collagen supplements do anything for skin.” But this isn’t to say they don’t work – rather, their effects are largely anecdotal. So, the plant-obsessed surgeon with a PhD in skin cancer research made a skincare-first solution. While researching in Pantelleria, Italy, Lens marvelled at the locals. Their skin looked firmer. More youthful. He began investigating the island’s plants and discovered their unusually large capers, which contain more polyphenols than those found elsewhere. Grown in volcanic soil, their strong antioxidant potential proved ideal for healthy skin. “As someone who does skin cancer research,” he says, “I know you need to fight free radicals [unstable, cell-damaging atoms, largely found in environmental pollutants] for healthy skin and healthy collagen. You need to combat oxidative stress, and that’s what antioxidants do.” 

Lens then set about making an antioxidant-rich recipe of capers, grape skin, tomatoes, prickly pear and manna tree resin, which is also known as “white gold” in the Madonie mountains, and has been used as a medicinal aid for centuries. Together with peptides, this cocktail (which Lens extracts and ferments into a complex he calls CM5S) was found to increase collagen production by 600% during 10 days of initial testing. Impressive stats aside, the resulting Collagen Solution Firming Serum is simply a delight to use. Silky and easily absorbed, it can slot into any skincare routine right before moisturiser.

Elle Sera

Open a box of Elle Sera Liposomal Tripeptide Collagen supplements and you’ll see a row of matte golden bullets. Each ampoule contains a blood-red juice, fortified with vitamins A, C and E as well as biotin, zinc and antioxidant-rich lycopene. The formula tastes like stripy red-and-white boiled sweets – strawberries and cream – and tricks your skin into making its own collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Where Elle Sera stands out is its delivery system, which allows ingredients to whizz past the gut and into the bloodstream where they make a real difference. 

“The collagen structure is huge,” explains founder Ellisa Corrigan. “It’s the thing that holds everything up: your skin, your hair, your fascia, your joints, your sinew. But its form is way too big, so other brands hydrolyse it into smaller pieces.” However, Corrigan argues, these smaller pieces are still far too big for our bodies to absorb. “Your body then burns through it with stomach acid, which is why most brands use big doses of collagen – around 10,000 to 12,000 milligrams.” These huge doses allow your stomach to eat away at the collagen and still have some left, she explains, but then it gets processed by other organs like your liver. “You’re left with pieces that are around 3,000 daltons, but your body can only absorb things under 500 daltons, so it’s all still too big.” It’s difficult for your body to break down such a high initial dose, she continues: “It will break it down eventually, but now it’s got to break it down into the perfect ratio of three amino acids, and the only three that work are called glycine, proline and hydroxyproline. The chances of your body doing this are like winning the lottery.” Even if your body does manage to break it down into four or two amino acids, Corrigan notes, the collagen supplement won’t be absorbed properly. Elle Sera works differently: the right amino acids are wrapped in phospholipids – little fatty bubbles that protect them from your stomach and liver – allowing them to go straight to your intestines where they can be absorbed and put to use.

Vida Glow

This might be the easiest-to-use collagen there is and, as with all wellness dictates, consistency – ie regular use – is the most powerful ingredient in any regime. If you’re not going to use it, it’s worth nothing. But in handbag-friendly packets, Vida Glow Natural Marine Collagen Sachets offer a portable hit of three grams of hydrolysed marine collagen peptides (this hydrolysis makes them easier to absorb) and can be added effortlessly and flavourlessly to any hot or cold drink. This is no easy feat since many collagen powders (including the higher-end, and even more effective tripeptides in the Vida Glow range) just don’t dissolve quickly or easily enough, stick to the sides of your cup, or clump at the bottom – an off-putting obstacle to everyday use. Sustainably sourced from open-water fish farms, these are pretty much guilt-free – except, perhaps, for the individual packaging. 

What’s That Patch

If supplement-taking is not your strong suit, try What’s That Patch’s Collagen Pro Patches – stickers that you simply slap onto the skin. Like many collagen supplements, they call on amino acids. Unlike others, they combine them with tremella mushroom, blueberry, vitamin C and black tea extract to hydrate, brighten and energise. Together, these ingredients encourage collagen synthesis and strengthen the skin barrier. Blended into a hypoallergenic adhesive so as not to irritate sensitive skin types, the molecules (all under 500 daltons) travel outwards: first through your skin’s outer layer, then through live layers of skin tissue and into blood vessels. From here, your bloodstream safely distributes the ingredients around your body. Patches feel fun and futuristic, and are easier than remembering to take a supplement.

Ancient + Brave

This is a perfect countertop collagen, in a refillable glass jar – leave it next to your kettle and you’ve already habit-stacked. Two heaped teaspoonfuls of Ancient + Brave’s True Collagen powder equal almost 10 grams of 100% bovine hydrolysed collagen peptides, providing an added nine-gram protein hit for those counting. Melting beautifully into hot or cold drinks, you wouldn’t know it was there were it not for the extra benefits: visibly bouncy, hydrated skin. In contrast to Dr Lens’s assertion, Ancient + Brave is hot on clinical trials and, while 100% of users in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study saw an improvement in skin elasticity and fine lines, a very high percentage also noticed better hydration, sleep and energy. The bovine element, responsible for the hefty grammage of collagen peptides, is sourced from sustainably farmed, grass-fed herds.

Reformed

Reformed’s branded jars of icy matcha and coffee collagen drinks may be flooding the feeds of anyone in their mid-30s – and perhaps seem a little too good to be true. While the Matcha with Collagen boasts 10 grams of marine collagen protein per serving and uses ceremonial-grade matcha tea, it’s brimming with other beneficial ingredients, too: beta-glucan-full lion’s mane mushroom powder (for energy), antioxidant-rich chaga mushroom, a weight-training-friendly MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) powder made from coconut, and a blend of broccoli, cranberry, tomato and spinach for added polyphenols. It’s light on both the caffeine buzz and flavour a matcha aficionado might hope for, but it does provide slow-burn energy, making it a great, beneficial alternative.

The Black Coffee with Collagen, meanwhile, is an instant coffee drink – with a very particular taste. But it offers all the benefits listed above, plus an extra five grams of collagen protein per serving, thanks to its bovine origin (the sourcing of both collagens is unspecified). This one does deliver a caffeine kick. Provided you enjoy the flavours of these drinks (they both need a frother to really break down the powder – the coffee one, especially, as it requires a large volume of powder per cup), this is a very handy way to multi-maximise your morning drink. If that concept doesn’t make you want to die, that is.