Best Collagen Supplements for Women: 5 Products for Skin Health
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You might have heard that collagen is an important part of your skin, but it can actually be found all over your body. And as you get older, the amount of collagen you make decreases, which can lead to issues everywhere from your joints to hair.
Let’s back up a little, though. Collagen is a protein that has a lot of jobs throughout the body and plays a part in supporting skin, hair, nails, digestion, cartilage, muscles, bones and more. Whether you’re concerned about losing collagen as you age or you just want to get a head start on boosting your collagen, we picked out some of the best collagen supplements for women and men.
Keep reading below to find out more about the different types and effects and benefits of collagen, plus learn about our favorite supplements that we selected. You can shop powders for a variety of diets, including vegan, keto, gluten-free and for all kinds of concerns, from skin to joint to gut health—and there’s even a flavored gummy option.
Our Top 5 Collagen Powder Picks
Most Affordable Collagen Powder: Shifted Collagen Complex - Anti-Aging
Best Collagen Supplement with Biotin: Kats Botanicals Collagen + Biotin Gummies
Best Doctor-Recommended Collagen Powder: Organixx Clean Sourced Collagens
Best Collagen Powder for Gut Health: Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein Gut Restore
Best Collagen Powder with Protein: Earth Echo Collagen Peptides
Benefits of Collagen Supplements
Collagen is found in many different parts of the body, so taking supplements can have a wide range of positive effects. Before getting into that, it’s helpful to know where you can find collagen in the body. These are the five main types and where they play a role:
Type I makes up most of the collagen in your body, providing structure to your skin, bones and connective tissues, such as ligaments.
Type II is found in joints and cartilage.
Type III is found in organs, muscles and blood vessels.
Type IV is found in skin.
Type V is found in hair, skin and eyes.
Skin health
According to research, taking collagen supplements can reduce wrinkles and improve the elasticity and texture of skin. Overall, it can help skin look younger.
Hair and nail health
Collagen provides structure for hair and nails. Incorporating collagen into your daily routine can help repair damaged hair and prevent hair thinning. When it comes to nails, research has shown that collagen can make nails grow longer and stronger.
Joint support
Cartilage is a tissue that protects your joints and allows your bones to move against each other in joint sockets, such as your hips and shoulders. It deteriorates as you age, which is part of the reason why lots of people start to get stiff joints. So adding collagen to your diet can provide support for your cartilage and make your joints feel better.
Bone health
Bone loss naturally happens as you get older, which can lead to osteoporosis and a higher chance of bone fractures or breaks. Collagen is a main component of your bones, so it can potentially help prevent loss of bone density.
Gut health
Collagen isn’t usually thought of as a digestive treatment, but some research has shown it can have benefits for gut health, too. One study showed that collagen helped digestive symptoms like bloating.
Best Collagen Supplements in 2023
Here are five of our favorite collagen supplements for women.
Most Affordable Collagen Powder: Shifted Collagen Complex - Anti-Aging
Shifted’s Collagen Complex is a once-a-day powder that’s rich in collagen peptides. These peptides work to support your body's collagen synthesis, helping to improve skin elasticity, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and promote a more youthful and radiant complexion.
Not only that, but Shifted is a powerful muscle and joint supplement, working tirelessly to make sure you’re not only looking younger, but feeling strong enough to hit the trails — and your daily workouts — with ease.
With a thoughtfully crafted combination of ingredients, Shifted’s Collagen Complex provides holistic nourishment, formulated to rejuvenate you from the inside out.
Pros:
Made with multiple collagen sources for a variety of benefits
Promotes muscle recovery
Supports skin, nails and joint health
Specs:
Size: 7oz (200g)
Flavor: None
Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Peptides, Hydrolyzed Chicken Cartilage, Marine Collagen, Horsetail Extract, Bamboo Extract, Acerola Cherry, Hyaluronic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
About the company: Shifted makes science-backed products that do everything from build muscles to boost protein and hydration. The brand even has an advisory board with experts on exercise physiology, biology, nutrition and more.
Best Collagen Supplement with Biotin: Kats Botanicals Collagen + Biotin Gummies
Taking these strawberry-flavored collagen gummies feels just like eating candy. Along with collagen, the supplement contains biotin, a B vitamin that gives you energy and metabolizes all the elements of protein to strengthen hair, skin and nails. The gummies are totally vegan- and vegetarian-friendly and made with non-GMO and pesticide-free ingredients.
Pros:
Non-GMO
Pesticide-free
Vegan
Strawberry flavor
Specs:
Size: 7.41oz (210g)
Serving Size: 2 gummies
Flavor: Strawberry
Ingredients: Purified Water, Glucose, Sucrose, Pectin, Collagen, Biotin, Citric Acid (Vitamin C), Natural & Organic Flavoring, FD&C Approved Coloring
What customers say: One shopper said that the Kats Botanicals gummies have made their thin, damaged nails strong again and helped them grow long. Another commented that their nails and hair grow quickly when taking the gummies.
Best Doctor-Recommended Collagen Powder: Organixx Clean Sourced Collagens
Organixx Clean Sourced Collagens powder is recommended by a naturopathic doctor as a natural and holistic supplement that’s compatible with all kinds of diets, including paleo, keto and gluten-free. It contains collagen types I, II, III, V and X (X deals with bones and cartilage) and zinc and vitamins C and B6.
Pros:
Compatible with a number of diets, including paleo, keto and gluten-free
No carbs, sodium, or sugar
Non-GMO
Gluten-free
Soy-free
No preservatives
No artificial flavors
Specs:
Size: 6oz (170g)
Serving Size: 1 scoop
Flavor: None
Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Grass-Fed Pasture-Raised Bovine Collagen Peptides, Bovine Bone Broth Hydrolyzed Protein, Chicken Bone Broth Collagen Concentrate, Clean Marine Wild Caught Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen Peptides, Eggshell Membrane Collagen, Tryptophan, Acerola Cherry, Camu Camu, Silica from Organic Horsetail, Zinc Gluconate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6)
What customers say: Reviewers love how easy it is to add this powder to their smoothies to help them boost their collagen. One customer even said that they look so much younger from taking the Organixx supplement.
About the company: Organixx has an in-house naturopathic physician to review products and answer customer questions, so you’re getting expert-recommended products when you buy from them. The brand formulates supplements using certified organic ingredients.
Best Collagen Powder for Gut Health: Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein Gut Restore
Not only does this powder contain collagen, but it also has added ingredients specifically to support gut health, like probiotics and glutamate. The keto- and paleo-friendly formula has plenty of vitamin C, too and naturally calming ingredients, including organic apple cider vinegar, organic ginger root and organic peppermint leaf.
Pros:
Contains probiotics
Contains glutamate to support microflora in the gut
Gluten-free
Soy-, nut- and dairy-free
Contains vitamin C
Specs:
Size: 8.4oz (238g)
Serving Size: 1 scoop
Flavor: Lemon Ginger
Ingredients: Hydrolyzed Bovine Collagen Peptides, Fermented Eggshell Membrane Collagen, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Ginger Root, Chicken Bone Broth Protein Concentrate, L-glutamine, Organic Peppermint Leaf, Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root Extract, Bacillus coagulans (2 Billion CFU), Hydrolyzed Fish Collagen Peptides, Citric acid, natural lemon flavor, stevia leaf extract
What customers say: Shoppers love the Lemon Ginger taste of the Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein Gut Restore, with multiple five-star reviewers raving about the flavor.
About the company: Ancient Nutrition was co-founded by a certified doctor of natural medicine and clinical nutritionist. The brand’s goal is to make superfoods accessible to everyone and restore farmlands to better grow these nutrient-dense ingredients.
Best Collagen Powder with Protein: Earth Echo Collagen Peptides
If you want to get your protein and collagen all in one scoop, try this powder that contains 17g of protein per container. It’s made with collagen types I and III to support skin, muscles, joints and more. The powder is soy-, gluten-, corn- and dairy-free, making it safe for a variety of food intolerances.
Pros:
Soy-, gluten-, corn- and dairy-free
No artificial flavor
Contains 17g of protein
Contains collagen types I and III
Specs:
Size: 14.7oz (418g)
Serving Size: 1 scoop
Flavor: None
What customers say: One reviewer called the Earth Echo Collagen Peptides a “powerhouse” supplement. Another customer commented that they appreciate that the powder mixes well into liquids without tasting or feeling chalky.
About the company: Earth Echo plants a tree for every purchase and is on track to plant 430,000 trees this year. The company has all kinds of supplements, including products for joints, bones, digestion, sleep, immunity, energy and more.
How We Picked the Best Collagen Supplements
Customer Reviews
Getting real shoppers’ opinions and reading about how the supplements have helped them is the best way to find out if they actually work. We made sure that previous customers have been satisfied with these supplements and have seen results from taking them.
Quality ingredients
No one wants to be putting chemicals, pesticides and artificial preservatives into their body, so we made sure that our collagen picks are made with only high-quality natural ingredients.
Testing
We picked out supplements that have been tested by third party labs for safety and quality.
What to Look For When Buying Collagen Supplements
Source of collagen
Some supplements are made with animal collagen sources, so all the vegans and vegetarians out there should read the ingredients closely when shopping for collagen. If you don’t want animal products, look for plant-based supplements.
Type of collagen
Check that the supplement contains the type of collagen to support your concern. For example, for skin, you’ll want types I or IV, while for joints you should take type II. Take a look at the name of the product, too, to see if it’s intended for anti-aging, muscle support, joint health, or something else. Some brands will actually tell you which types of collagen are in their product, so be sure to read the label and ingredients to see if you can find them.
Form
You can take collagen in a bunch of forms, from powders to capsules to gummies. There are even serums made with collagen specifically for your skin. Forms like gummies and capsules are great for traveling, since they’re small and lightweight and they can be easily portioned out. Powder isn’t ideal for trips since it can be bulkier and heavier, but since it absorbs into liquid, it’s pretty easy to take—just add a scoop to your coffee or a smoothie.
Price
Like with most supplements, collagen can be expensive at times, so you should definitely check the price before buying if you’re on a budget. When it comes to powders, you should also take a look at the amount you get for the price to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Flavor
Powders are usually unflavored so you can mix them into your drink without tasting them, but gummies come in different flavors, like the Kats Botanicals Collagen & Biotin Gummies on our list that have a yummy strawberry taste.
FAQs:
Can I take multiple collagen supplements together?
It’s safe to take multiple collagen supplements, but just make sure you’re not taking more than the recommended serving. So you might want to cut the serving size in half if you’re taking two supplements. For example, instead of one scoop of two separate powders, you could try half a scoop of each.
Are there side effects of collagen supplements?
Luckily, there aren’t many side effects to collagen supplements. But collagen isn’t the only ingredient in these powders and gummies, so you should double check that there’s nothing you’re allergic or intolerant to in the supplement you’re taking. Some ingredients might not be safe if you take too much, and others can interact with medications, so in general it’s a good rule of thumb to be aware of everything that’s in a supplement before taking it. Plus, supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA right now, so just do your research before making any purchases.
How long does it take to see results?
Obviously you want to see results right away, but most supplements take a little longer than that to produce noticeable effects. According to one study, you could see the benefits of collagen on your muscles as soon as 48 hours (two days) after exercising. But for other parts of the body, like your skin, it will probably take a little longer—up to a couple of months.
Can I take collagen supplements if I’m pregnant or breastfeeding?
You should hold off on taking collagen if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. While collagen supplements are relatively safe, there hasn’t been much research on the effects they could have on babies, so it’s best to just wait to take them.
If you’re ready to start taking collagen, give one of our picks a try. You’ll find the supplement you’re looking for, whether you want to improve your skin, bones, or digestion, or any other part of your body that collagen has an effect on.
Best Collagen Supplements: 5 Products to Transform Your Skin (and More!) in 2023
Disclaimer: While we work to ensure that product information is correct, on occasion manufacturers may alter their ingredient lists. Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and/or different information than that shown on our website. We recommend that you do not solely rely on the information presented and that you always read labels, warnings and directions before using or consuming a product. For additional information about a product, please contact the manufacturer. Content on this site is for reference purposes and is not intended to substitute for advice given by a physician, pharmacist or other licensed health-care professional. You should not use this information as self-diagnosis or for treating a health problem or disease. Contact your health-care provider immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or health condition. Us Weekly assumes no liability for inaccuracies or misstatements about products.
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