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Collagen supplements

The best collagen supplements – what are the benefits & do they really work?

Celebrities from Victoria Beckham to Jennifer Aniston swear by collagen powders and capsules

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Hollie Brotherton
Lifestyle & Commerce Senior Writer
Updated: September 9, 2024
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Collagen supplements have been big news in the wellness industry for decades, and if you follow Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston or Amanda Holden on Instagram, you'll know celebrities have also been singing their praises.

Claiming to firm your skin, reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve radiance, as well as fortifying your hair and nails, it's no surprise collagen sales are still steadily on the rise. The market had an estimated worth of £3.32B in 2022, which is expected to increase by another 8% by 2032.

If you're looking for the best collagen supplements on the market, I've looked around to find out more about the benefits and the best options available to shop online.

What is collagen?

Collagen is a protein found in the body. It strengthens the skin and promotes elasticity and hydration. It also acts as the glue that holds ligaments, joints and bones together. The building block of healthy skin, it keeps it looking plump and youthful, but as we age our collagen supplies decline sharply. From the age of 20, we produce about 1% less collagen every year, and by the time we turn 50, most of us will have lost about 50% of the collagen in our skin!

What are the benefits of taking collagen supplements?

The efficiency of collagen supplements has been debated, but it's claimed they support our own collagen production, helping to reduce the rate at which it breaks down. Some consumers say their skin is plumper and glowing with improved elasticity, while others boast healthier hair and nails.

Studies have shown that collagen supplements can support collagen production, but you have to be consistent. It usually takes around 12 weeks to see results.

Collagen comes in several different forms, from pills to powders. You'll also need to chose from bovine or marine formulations, and these days there are even vegan options available. Bovine collagen is sourced from cows while marine collagen is sourced from fish, and vegan supplements are usually made using genetically modified yeast and bacteria.

Nutritionist and founder of supplement brand JS Health, Jessica Sepel, recommends marine collagen to see the best results: "Marine collagen is absorbed up to 1.5 times more efficiently into the body, which means that it is more bioavailable than bovine collagen. As it is absorbed more efficiently and enters the bloodstream faster, it is considered a superior form of collagen." She also suggests choosing marine collagen that is wild and deep-sea sourced rather than farmed.

How I chose the best collagen supplements

  • Celebrity favourites: The A-list have all of the resources and inside knowledge to invest in the best supplements in the wellness sphere, so when they use something religiously, we know there's probably a good reason.
  • Nutritionist-approved: Of course, these collagen supplements are also science-backed and have been approved by nutritionists. 
  • Available on Amazon: Many of the collagen supplements included are available to shop on Amazon with free next day delivery to make ordering as easy as possible.

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Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

vital proteins collagen powder as loved by jennifer aniston
  • 20g of bovine collagen per serving
  • Also available as marine collagen and collagen creamer

Jennifer Aniston is a huge fan of collagen – and after using the Vital Proteins collagen powder for years, she even teamed up with the brand as the Chief Creative Officer. Poosh lifestyle guru Kourtney Kardashian is another celebrity who backs the popular collagen supplements. This particular one is bovine collagen, but they also offer marine collagen.

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Gold Collagen Forte Plus

Gold collagen
  • 5,000mg of hydrolysed marine collagen per serving

Specially designed for women over 40, Gold Collagen's Forte Plus comes in liquid form, with one mini bottle designed to be taken each day, making it super easy to add to your morning routine.

As well as marine collagen, the clever formula includes a cocktail of skin, hair and heart health-supporting ingredients like Biotin, Folic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C and Zinc. When the recommended dose is consumed daily, it's claimed to stimulate skin hydration in three weeks, smoothness in six weeks and firmness by week nine.

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California Gold Nutrition Collagen Up

California Gold Nutrition Collagen Peptides with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C
  • 5g Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen Peptides per serving

Amp up your collagen powder with the addition of other skin-loving ingredients including Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid. All of these ingredients are said to help support healthy hair, skin, nails, joints, and bone and as its unflavoured, you can add a scoop into your favourite drink or juice and you won't taste a thing.

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Dose & Co Collagen Protein Powder

dose & co
  • 10g of bovine collagen per serving (plus 20g of protein)
  • Also available as collagen creamer and dairy-free collagen creamer

Already use a protein powder to boost your levels before or after a workout? This one has added collagen to support your skin, hair and nails, too. Each serving contains 20g of protein and 10g of collagen in a tasty vanilla flavour to get you glowing from within. It's another one available as a coffee creamer to pimp your caffeine.

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JS Health Collagen Nourish + Glow Powder

JS collagen
  • 3g of concentrated marine collagen per serving
  • Also available as collagen creamer and greens + collagen

What JS Health founder nutritionist Jessica Sepel is an oracle when it comes to health and wellbeing, and it shows in the positive reviews of her stellar supplement range. 

Sweeping the board with nothing but five stars, JS Health's collagen powder is made from marine collagen and 10-science-backed ingredients blended together to help with fine lines, hydration and that coveted glow we all crave.

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Bare Biology Skinful Collagen Powder

bare biology collagen
  • 5g of marine collagen per serving
  • Also available as marine collagen powder with Vitamin C

Bare Biology's collagen powder is made from ethically-sourced hydrolysed wild codfish skin. It's ideal for adding to your cooking, because unlike other collagens, the peptides can withstand high heat. Bare Biology also do this powder in a tasty strawberry flavour to jazz up water.

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Absolute Collagen Liquid Sachets

absolute collagen supps
  • 8g of concentrated marine collagen per serving

Made from marine collagen and brightening Vitamin C, it's no wonder Absolute Collagen sachets are reported to significantly improve skin quality - a combination of the two creates optimum rejuvenation and tissue renewal. Plus, they comes in tasty lemon, raspberry or mango and mandarin flavours, making them a morning ritual that's easy to stick to.

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Wellgard Pure Hydrolysate Collagen Powder

wellguard collagen
  • 10g of bovine collagen per serving

Amazon's Choice collagen, Wellgard has over 11,000 five-star ratings. It contains high levels of the eight essential amino acids featuring small bioavailable collagen peptides which are easily absorbed by the body. It dissolves very easily in cold water, with no lumps and bumps and is virtually tasteless and odourless.

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The Beauty Chef Collagen Inner Beauty Boost

Beauty Chef
  • Includes no collagen. Instead it's formulated with a Flora Culture™ bio-fermented blend, maqui berry, acai, papaya, blueberry, goji berry and pomegranate powders with grape seed extract, zinc and Vitamin C.

Created by Bondi-based Beauty Chef founder Carla Oates, this vegan bio-fermented probiotic drink is packed full of ingredients to boost your natural collagen. Like 'skincare in a bottle' it works to support your skin’s moisture levels and elasticity from the inside out. It's also sugar and gluten-free.

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Advanced Nutrition Skin Collagen Support

Advanced nutrition collagen
  • Includes no collagen. Instead it's formulated with Vitamin C, Zinc, MSM, Grapeseed Extract and Melon Concentrate.

Advanced Nutrition's capsules include a clever cocktail of Vitamin C, zinc, grapeseed extract, MSM and melon concentrate to improve your body's collagen production. The vegan supplement is a bestseller at Selfridges, promising to reactive the elasticity in your skin, plump your complexion and protect cells from oxidative stress.

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Ingenious Vegan Collagen Capsules

Ingenious Vegan Collagen Capsules
  • 4g of Astrion™ (vegan collagen) per serving
  • Also available as marine collagen in Beauty and Active formulas

Ingenious collagen works to strengthen hair, nails and joints using a patented formula sustainably-made with entirely natural ingredients. As well as the vegan collagen Astrion™, it contains Hyaluronic Acid, natural Astaxanthin, Vitamin C & E and zinc. You can also choose from their marine-derived Beauty or Active formulas.

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Known Collagen Advanced Hydrolysed Marine Liquid Collagen

Known collagen
  • 5g of marine collagen per serving

Known Collagen blends marine collagen with their own patented Advanced Liposomal Technology, to ensure your body will absorb as much as possible for maximum benefits. It's packaged in individual sachets (ideal for taking with you on the go) and comes in a summer fruit flavour.

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Revive Collagen Enhanced Plus

Revive collagen
  • 10g of marine collagen per serving
  • Also available as vegan collagen

Amanda Holden says she's taken collagen supplements for years. Of her partnership with the brand, she said: "When I discovered Revive Collagen I was blown away by the quality of their product and their sustainability credentials."

The Enhanced Plus range contains 10,000mg of marine collagen per serving, as well as keratin, retinol and a number of health-boosting vitamins for a total wellness boost.

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Reverse Life Collagen MSM

collagen msm
  • 7g of bovine collagen and 1g of marine collagen per serving (plus 1g of MSM)

Reverse Life's new MSM collagen contains 1,000mg of MSM (Methyl-Sulphonyl-Methane) which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties, along with Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin D3. The sugar-free daily collagen works to advance the health of skin, hair, nails, and bones to help you feel good from the inside out.

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