Collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, has already been shown to serve a great deal of functional benefits for the maintenance of bones, skin, joints, hair, teeth, nails, and more. Its traditional origins, in terms of human consumption, began in various regions of Asia, where this protein was viewed as a “fountain of youth” and commonly consumed by women directly from animal sources to maintain a younger appearance.

Clinical evidence first btegan emerging at a significant rate on the bioavailability and function of collagen consumption surprisingly recently, according to Nathan Gray, the science and technical director of Collagen Stewardship Alliance, a trade association launched by the Trust Transparency Center in 2020.

The Basics

Gray said that a series of approximately 10 industry-supported clinical trials spanning roughly the past eight years were most significant in substantiating that collagen peptides “support plump skin, reduced wrinkles, benefit the appearance of hair, nails, eyes, and benefit the healing of wounds and scars,” all by statistically significant margins.

There are at least 28 known types of collagen, only a small few of which are highly abundant in the human body. While collagen itself cannot be digested and absorbed efficaciously, as research has shown, formulators have discovered that this protein becomes extremely bioavailable when the triple helix structure of the protein is cleaved through hydrolysis into smaller structures called peptides. Peptides themselves come in a wide variety, and are continuously being identified through research for variations in the health benefits they target most effectively.

Supplements, including chews and drinks, which contain collagen peptides have turned out to be much more palatable among consumers in the recent years they’ve been widely available. Prior to this, whole collagen emerged in the U.S. market with beauty products in the form of injectable fillers.

Collagen composition within the body has been shown to decline naturally with time, beginning at roughly 20 years old, from a combination of intrinsic aging and UV damage, making it a nutrient that becomes more vital in healthy aging categories for those with a combination of cosmetic and functional needs.

The Active Beauty Platform

According to Andrew McDougall, associate director of global beauty and personal care at the market research company Mintel, collagen is a driver of the “active beauty” category, a cross between two spaces it inhabits: sports/active nutrition and “beauty from within.” 

“Collagen is widely understood globally across the beauty category,” according to McDougall who noted, “94% of beauty consumers have heard of collagen, and 44% of beauty consumers we surveyed actively look for collagen in their products, meaning that there is an acute awareness among beauty consumers, and people want it. As we see with the health claims, many products are being marketed with functional claims that cross between beauty and joint health.”

What additionally sets collagen apart from competing cosmetic products, aside from the relatively novel concept of “beauty from within” that has penetrated markets outside of Asia, is the degree to which scientific substantiation and transparency can be achieved relative to the competition. The consensus among experts is that beauty consumers are increasingly scrutinizing their products’ ingredients lists and rely on scientific substantiation. Beauty companies’ communication of these benefits in a transparent way is warranted for the growth of collagen in the beauty sphere.

“Nutricosmetics didn’t even exist as a category just a decade ago, and it’s still progressing a lot now that people are beginning to draw the connection,” said Asma Ishaq, CEO of personal care company Modere.

Ishaq said that while the category of active beauty is highly novel in most cultures, it appears to be burgeoning at similar rates across most countries. “There is interest from all over,” Ishaq said. “We’re finding now that some markets are catching up with those of Asia and parts of Europe which have long been on trend. People are spending quite a bit of their earnings on supplements for the purposes of beauty, and this has been widely accepted across the 42 countries we’ve done business in without much variation.”

“Trends toward holistic wellness provide a great opportunity for ingestible beauty products,” McDougall said. “People are turning to experts and listening to the science so transparency and substantiation are important, especially within the beauty industry, to be able to back health claims. Safety and efficacy are huge drivers in beauty as well, which is why we’ve seen the clean beauty movement.”

McDougall also pointed to collagen as a potential driver for bioengineering and biotechnology within the functional foods market, as its benefits serve as a counterpoint to an overall reluctance to purchase products that have been engineered to varying extents.

The group of collagen experts also addressed the viability of plant-based alternatives cutting into the market for those who refrain from animal products. While collagen is inherently an animal product with no vegetarian or vegan alternative, plant-based collagen boosters are riding the draft created by conventional collagen products.

While there are fewer clinical studies on the efficacy of plant-based precursors to collagen and their role in the body’s synthesis of the protein, further scientific substantiation and product development could certainly appeal to a significant portion of consumers across the U.S. and the globe who are avoiding animal products for health or ethical reasons.

“Collagen is just one of these things that exists exclusively in animals and humans,” Ishaq said. “There are a lot of misperceptions about what collagen is and where it is sourced from, and many of these collagen boosters are technical precursors to collagen. Vitamin C, for example, could technically be classified as a booster. I think the most important thing here is presenting evidence that collagen synthesis can occur with these products, and that there are health benefits. For me, the bottom line is research. We don’t want to see new collagen types and products emerging on the market just to piggyback off of the claims of products which were sourced and produced differently.”

Where Is Collagen Headed Next?

While collagen’s benefits to joint health and skin health have been relatively fleshed out by the past decade or so of research, it’s safe to anticipate that this protein will be viewed even more holistically as preliminary investigations into other health benefits continue being followed.

“We’ve seen preliminary results showing that collagen can benefit in healing wounds and ulcers, and reduce the formation of scar tissue,” Gray said. “While this is a bit more on the medicalized side, it’s still firmly in the beauty arena, and there’s a great area for development. There will also be more and more science backing this, leading to more and more importance among consumers. Additionally, these days, by the time you start thinking about how much collagen you’ve lost there’s only so much you can recover. I think that maintaining collagen throughout life will become more important, but, right now, consumers don’t want to think about getting old, unfortunately.”

“I’d love to see more development and research go into muscle repair, recovery, and sports nutrition in general,” Ishaq said. “I think that gut health will probably see some research developing because it’s believed there’s an association between gut health and some of the amino acids that exist within hydrolyzed collagen.”

McDougall said that physical longevity, and active aging are two trends slated to become even more important among today’s consumers, and, in addition, one of the key behavioral trends emerging from the COVID-19 crisis is a priority on self-care and holistic wellness.