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Received: 22 October 2018    Revised: 13 April 2019    Accepted: 23 July 2019

DOI: 10.1111/jocd.13096

C O S M E T I C C O M M E N TA RY

Oral collagen supplementation for skin aging: A fad or the

future?

Nikita Jhawar BS1 | Jordan V. Wang MD, MBE, MBA2  | Nazanin Saedi MD2

1
Drexel University College of Medicine,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Abstract
2
Department of Dermatology and In recent years, oral collagen supplements have become a popular and trendy treat‐
Cutaneous Biology, Thomas Jefferson
ment in the world of skin health. It has been widely marketed to consumers for pur‐
University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
ported benefits in wrinkle reduction, skin‐rejuvenation, skin‐aging reversal, and skin
Correspondence
plumping. However, there are currently limited data available in the literature and
Jordan V. Wang, Department of
Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology, much regarding its possible effects on the skin has yet to be fully elucidated and
Thomas Jefferson University, 833 Chestnut
understood. Here, we summarize some of the prominent studies in the literature and
Street, Suite 740, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Email: jordan.wang@jefferson.edu offer an evaluation of oral collagen supplementation for skin health.

KEYWORDS
aesthetics, aging, collagen, collagen supplements, dermatology

1 |  I NTRO D U C TI O N
Aging of the skin is a degenerative process driven by a decline in
physiological function. While it is partially intrinsic, extrinsic factors,
such as pollution, sun exposure, and lifestyle can increase oxidation
levels and contribute to chronic inflammation, which can acceler‐
ate aging processes.1 Lifestyle factors can include nutritional and
smoking statuses. The progression of skin aging is associated with
decreased collagen density and dermal thickness in addition to a re‐
duction in the synthesis and replacement of vital structural proteins.
This causes the dermis to lose its integrity and pliability, which man‐
ifests itself clinically as lax and wrinkled skin.
An effort to combat the visible signs of skin aging has been a
driving force in the rise of the nutraceutical market. Supporters
have claimed that oral collagen supplements can help to reduce the
aging appearance of skin. In many of these supplements, the bio‐
active ingredients are collagen peptides, which are peptides rich in
the amino acids proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline. Upon diges‐
tion, these peptides are cleaved into di‐ and tri‐peptides, which are
claimed to be used by the body as building blocks for proteins, such
as collagen.
It has been theorized that the availability of these protein pep‐
tides can help to maintain and increase the collagen in the skin. It
is also believed that the peptides may increase hyaluronic acid pro‐
duction in skin fibroblasts, induce migration of fibroblasts, promote
stronger collagen fibrils, and increase water content of the stratum
corneum. 2
In recent years, oral collagen supplementation has become ex‐
tremely popular as it has been increasingly marketed to consumers
as an anti‐aging remedy. Purported benefits include wrinkle re‐
duction, skin‐rejuvenation, skin‐aging reversal, and skin plumping.
However, the data behind these claims are not particularly robust,
which continues to perpetuate the controversial nature of this treat‐
ment. Here, we summarize some of the prominent studies in the
literature in order to familiarize clinicians with oral collagen supple‐
mentation for skin health, so that they can more effectively discuss
this therapy with patients.
2 | R E V I E W
Asserin et al administered collagen peptides to patients and observed
skin hydration and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). 2 In the first
part of their study, they recruited 66 Japanese women, who were
40‐59 years old, and treated half with either 10 g of daily collagen
treatment for 56 consecutive days or placebo. Their results showed
a statistically significant increase in skin moisture for the treatment
group. However, this was without an effect on TEWL. In the sec‐
ond part of their study, they recruited 106 French women, who
were 40‐65 years old, and treated half with either 10 g of collagen

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2       JHAWAR et al.
treatment for 84 consecutive days or placebo. After 12 weeks of
treatment, measurements of echogenicity using high frequency ul‐
trasound demonstrated significantly greater collagen density in the
treatment group.
Kim et al conducted a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐con‐
trolled trial to study the effects of low‐molecular‐weight collagen
peptide (LMWCP) on skin hydration, wrinkling, and elasticity.3 They
enrolled 64 Korean women, who were 40‐60 years old, and treated
them with either 1000 mg of LMWCP or placebo daily for 12 weeks.
After 6 and 12 weeks, there were significant increases in skin hydra‐
tion in the LMWCP group compared to placebo. Three parameters
of skin wrinkling (average roughness, skin roughness, smoothness
depth) were significantly higher in the treatment group. However,
only one out of three parameters for skin elasticity (overall elasticity,
net elasticity, ratio of elastic recovery to total deformation) was sig‐
nificantly higher in the treatment group.
In a study by Proksch et al, 69 women, who were 35‐55 years
old, were randomly placed into one of four groups: 2.5 g of collagen
hydrolysate (CH), 5.0 g of CH, 2.5 g of placebo, and 5.0 g of placebo.4
Supplements were taken daily for 8 weeks. At the end of the study,
both CH groups had a statistically significant increase in skin elas‐
ticity compared to the placebo groups. After 4 weeks of follow‐up
treatment, a statistically significant increase in skin elasticity was
seen in elderly women. This study also observed positive correla‐
tions between CH treatment and both skin moisture and skin evapo‐
ration. However, these were not statistically significant.
Genovese et al performed a double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐
controlled trial investigating the efficacy of an oral liquid supple‐
ment containing collagen peptides and antioxidants as an anti‐aging
5
product. In this study, 120 subjects were randomly assigned to con‐
sume either 50 mL of the supplement or placebo daily for 90 days.
They found no significant difference in skin elasticity between the
treatment and placebo groups. However, subjects that had under‐
gone cosmetic procedures during the study period had significantly
increased skin elasticity if they were part of the treatment group.
Post‐treatment self‐assessment questionnaires completed by sub‐
jects showed higher ratings of various perceived skin parameters in
the treatment group.
Inoue et al conducted a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐con‐
trolled trial to compare the clinical effects of CH composed of the
bioactive dipeptides, prolyl‐hydroxyproline and hydroxyprolyl‐gly‐
cine.6 They enrolled 85 Chinese women, who were 35‐55 years old,
and placed them into one of three groups: higher content of the
collagen peptides, lower content of the collagen peptides, and pla‐
cebo. They underwent daily administration for 8 weeks. The results
showed significantly greater skin moisture of the cheek and can‐
thus in both treatment groups compared to placebo. Additionally,
the higher content group showed significant and more improvement
than both the lower content group and placebo in measurements of
skin moisture, elasticity, and wrinkles and roughness.
In addition to human studies, there are also those utilizing animal
models. Observations based upon clinical and histological appear‐
ance as well as gene expression are key elements of these studies.
Wang et al found that administering collagen hydrolysates to 9‐
month‐old mice for 6 months led to significantly increased collagen
content in addition to improvements in the density and distribution
of collagen fibers and the ratio of type I to type III collagen in a dose‐
dependent manner.7 Additionally, Le Vu et al administered collagen
peptides to mice for 6 weeks. Treatment was associated with an in‐
creased expression and upregulation of genes in the skin associated
with the development of the epidermis and the hair cycle.8 Another
study fed mice a collagen hydrolysate‐containing diet for 12 weeks,
which was associated with improvements in stratum corneum water
content and skin elasticity compared to control mice.9 DNA micro­
array analysis suggested that gene changes preceded effects in
skin barrier function and mechanical properties. Similarly, Shimizu
et al10 fed mice a diet rich in prolyl‐hydroxyproline and hydroxypro‐
lyl‐glycine for 5 weeks. The collagen hydrolysates were associated
with decreased TEWL and increased water content of the stratum
corneum. Animal studies can be helpful for further elucidating the
mechanisms behind collagen supplementation.
3 | D I S CU S S I O N
These few limited studies suggest that there may be some benefits
for the skin associated with oral collagen supplementation. However,
there are many factors that should first be considered. For one, the
collagen supplements used in these studies are not comparable,
which can lead to inconsistencies when aggregating the data. Many
of the studies are also limited by only involving patients of particular
geographic regions, sex, and age groups. This does not control for
the roles that they may play in skin appearance. While there were
many different types of objective measurements, it is unclear how
each translates into clinical appearance or why each was affected
by collagen supplements. There is also no reliable evidence to sug‐
gest that orally digested collagen becomes preferentially localized
to the dermis as opposed to other parts of the body.11 It has been
argued that the amino acids required for collagen synthesis can be
consumed from a normal protein diet, which negates the need for
additional collagen supplementation.11 There are additionally many
other vital proteins, other than collagen, that contribute to the ap‐
pearance and properties of skin. While some proponents may rely
on the body of evidence from animal studies,12-14 these findings can‐
not necessarily be extrapolated to humans due to differences in di‐
gestion, enzyme activity, and metabolism.11
4 | CO N C LU S I O N
On balance, additional clinical studies are needed in order to more
completely understand the cutaneous effects of oral collagen sup‐
plementation. As this trend continues to gain in popularity, especially
with its widespread availability for consumers, there is a need for
more rigorous research to validate its effects. Until then, clinicians
should be aware of the current evidence in the literature in order to
JHAWAR et al.
inform patients accordingly. Although proponents for oral collagen
supplements have been able to market many purported benefits,
physicians are not afforded the same opportunity to endorse such
claims without strong and convincing evidence.
C O N FL I C T O F I N T E R E S T
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
ORCID
Jordan V. Wang  https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7437-2745
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How to cite this article: Jhawar N, Wang JV, Saedi N. Oral
collagen supplementation for skin aging: A fad or the future?
J Cosmet Dermatol. 2019;00:1–3. https​://doi.org/10.1111/
jocd.13096​