Can you really restore your collagen levels?

Our bodies produce collagen in abundance, but it’s not long before levels of this hard-working protein start to drop. Can the latest range of wonder products really restore them? With the collagen industry expected to exceed ₹2K crore by 2026 (according to Global Market Insights), chances are you have been at least tempted to test out its promises of thicker hair, stronger nails, sturdier joints and glossy skin. "The word collagen has become synonymous with beauty health," says the pharmacist and entrepreneur Pupinder Ghatora, whose company Ingenious has contributed to the 59 per cent boom in UK sales of collagen supplements over the 
past year*. "But despite the rush, there is still a limited understanding of the role that collagen plays in the body and slowing down the ageing process." So should we be jumping on the bandwagon?

The most abundant protein in the body, collagen is a fibre-like structure found in the connective tissue in skin, tendons, bone and joints, helping to keep them healthy, hydrated and strong. Our bodies make it naturally from amino acids obtained in our diet; however, levels drop by about 1.5 per cent every year after the age of 20, totalling a 30 per cent loss by the time we reach our forties. As such, collagen supplementation makes for a convincing anti-ageing argument, particularly as there is some evidence to suggest the practice may benefit skin and joint health. "I know a number of plastic surgeons who prescribe oral collagen to their patients around the time of cosmetic surgery, with the aim of speeding up wound healing and minimising scarring," notes Dr Dev Patel, a cosmetic doctor and the founder of the skincare brand CellDerma. 

Part of the challenge in making sense of the industry is the sheer number of brands competing for our attention. "The choice for the consumer is dizzying, with differing doses, formats and product messaging," says Ghatora. To make things more difficult, collagen products are labelled as food supplements rather than drugs, putting us at the mercy of a still unregulated market vulnerable to bogus beauty claims—or ‘faux science’, as Ghatora calls it. Then there are brands that prefer to pay for celebrity endorsement rather than invest in lab-based trials; so, never take a supplement at (famous) face value.

"If a product does not have its own data, the consumer should be quite wary," says Ghatora, who advises choosing supplements with clinically proven formulations. This is especially important since collagen is a notoriously tricky molecule for the body to absorb unless capsulated; most of the active product in collagen-based drinks, tablets and shots will be destroyed by stomach acid before it can enter the bloodstream, meaning that, at best, the bulk of your money will be wasted. "At worst, many formulations contain anti-nutrients as they are unstable by nature, so they need preservatives and flavour-masking chemicals, none of which will benefit the body or skin," adds Ghatora. Unless a collagen brand can prove its end results, it is unlikely it ever had any.  

Even relying on skincare to boost collagen levels comes with complications. As a long-chain protein, collagen is too big and not stable enough to penetrate the skin. ‘We use collagen in our products purely as a second protective skin barrier. We don’t, and wouldn’t ever, expect it to absorb like retinol or vitamin C,’ explains QMS Medicosmetics’ Rowan Hall-Farrise. In a topical cream, "look for ingredients that stimulate collagen production, such as peptides and amino acids. The idea that you could add collagen to the skin by adding it to your formula is misleading," says Stephen de Heinrich, the co-owner of Omorovicza. There are effective ways to encourage collagen production in the body, but identifying them requires a degree of knowledge on the part of the consumer. As is the case when navigating any nascent industry, it pays to do your homework.