Do Collagen Skincare Products Work?

Medically reviewed by Casey Gallagher, MD

Collagen is a protein that helps form flexible and structural fibers in your skin, tendons, bones, ligaments, and muscles. The collagen in your skin helps keep your tissues plump and elastic. But as you age, your body starts to produce less collagen. This loss in collagen leads to an onset of wrinkles and dry skin.

To replenish collagen loss and restore a more youthful appearance, you'll find a plethora of collagen skincare products marketed to reduce fine lines and boost collagen. Unlike other oral collagen supplements, collagen skincare is applied topically as a cream or serum. However, while it may seem like an easy way to restore collagen and plump skin, collagen skincare isn't a miracle anti-aging product. 

So, does collagen skincare work? Collagen skincare likely only helps moisturize the skin and improves skin texture. There's no solid evidence it actually boosts collagen in your skin to provide true anti-aging benefits. Here's what collagen skincare can and can't do for your skin.

Benefits of Collagen for Skin

Most of collagen's proposed skin benefits come from studying collagen supplements. Research shows that taking collagen supplements helps improve texture and skin elasticity by replenishing collagen found in the middle skin layer (dermis). In addition, collagen appears to help your skin create more elastin, a protein responsible for tight and elastic skin. Oral collagen supplementation may also improve skin hydration and wound healing.

The benefits of topical collagen in skincare are not as clear—or well-studied. Still, like oral collagen supplements, topical collagen may improve skin texture and elasticity. In addition, applying topical collagen appears to improve skin hydration and prevent water loss.

Is Collagen Skincare Effective?

Research indicates collagen skincare appears to improve fine lines, hydration, and elasticity. But it is unlikely collagen skincare is actually treating fine lines at the deepest level. Your skin loses elasticity and collagen in the dermis and deeper fatty tissue. Topical collagen products are not proven to reach these layers and stimulate collagen production.

Topical collagen molecules are too large for your skin to properly absorb, so your skin barrier can't soak up all of that collagen goodness. As a result, collagen skincare may be less effective at replenishing collagen levels in your skin. However, this limited absorption doesn't appear to make collagen skincare completely ineffective. This is because collagen skincare is often made with hydrolyzed collagen (aka collagen peptides) or amino acids that help produce collagen.  

Hydrolyzed collagen is broken down into smaller amino acid chains (peptides) that are easier to absorb. Studies show this type of collagen can be absorbed into the outermost layer of your skin (the epidermis) when applied to the skin. This limited absorption helps moisturize the skin and prevent water loss.

Collagen skincare made with collagen-producing amino acids also penetrates the skin better. These collagen products may be marketed as "vegan collagen," but they don't contain any collagen. Instead, amino acids—like glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline— boost collagen production in the skin and improve elasticity.

Types of Collagen Skincare

Collagen skincare includes collagen-infused serums, moisturizers, eye creams, and masks. When choosing collagen skincare, look for products containing hydrolyzed collagen, collagen peptides, or amino acids for better absorption.

Serums have high concentrations of an active ingredient, which in this case is collagen. These products are often water-based and lightweight for better skin penetration. You will usually find serums listed as collagen peptide serums or anti-aging serums that contain collagen as one of the main active ingredients. 

Collagen moisturizers and eye creams help hydrate your skin while providing potential collagen benefits, like improving elasticity and texture. Moisturizers may include collagen creams, everyday moisturizers, and night creams. Collagen masks are available as creams, gels, or sheets that contain collagen as an active ingredient. These are designed to leave on the skin for a certain amount of time to help collagen absorb into the skin. 

Does Your Skincare Actually Contain Collagen?

Finding the actual source of collagen in collagen skincare can be tricky. You may discover collagen listed in the ingredients as marine collagen, collagen peptides, or hydrolyzed collagen.

"Vegan collagen" made with amino acids may be listed as sr-hydrozoan polypeptide-1, cocoyl hydrolyzed collagen, or collagen amino acids. These products don't actually contain collagen. They contain amino acids that help build collagen. These products may also use phrases like "collagen boosting" or "collagen complex."

Do Collagen Masks Work?

Like other forms of topical collagen, there isn't much research to prove that collagen face masks are effective. Based on what we do know about different forms of topical collagen products, it is likely that collagen face masks don't stimulate collagen on a deeper level to offer true anti-aging benefits. However, collagen masks may work by moisturizing the skin and improving texture. 

If you want to try a collagen face mask, choose masks made with hydrolyzed collagen, collagen peptides, or collagen amino acids for better absorption.

How to Use Collagen Skincare

Ready to add collagen to your skincare routine? Here's how to use different collagen products:

• Collagen serums: Your skin absorbs serums quickly, so you gently massage a pea-sized amount of collagen serum right after cleansing or toning. Top it off with a moisturizer—and sunscreen if it's daytime.

• Collagen moisturizers and night creams: Apply collagen moisturizers to your face and neck after cleansing, toning, serums, or treatments. Collagen creams and moisturizers designed for daily use can be applied day and night. Night creams should be used before bed.

• Collagen eye creams: Use your ring finger to gently dab eye cream on your undereye area. Because of its thick texture, apply it before your moisturizer and after cleansing, toning, and other treatments.

• Collagen masks: Following product instructions, apply the cream, gel, or sheet mask to your face after cleansing. Let the mask sit for the recommended time, then remove the sheet or wash off the cream or gel with warm water. Follow up with a hydrating moisturizer.

Try Other Collagen-Boosting Skincare

Skincare products containing different actives can also help stimulate collagen production—plus, they may be even more effective than collagen skincare itself!

• Retinol or retinoid serums and creams can help boost collagen production and cell turnover to smooth fine lines and wrinkles.

• Vitamin C serums and Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) skincare use potent antioxidants to help increase collagen production in the skin. They also protect your skin against environmental damage that can further damage the collagen you do have.

• Hyaluronic acid serums and moisturizers can help strengthen collagen in your skin and increase water content for more hydration.

Side Effects of Collagen

Research has not found any adverse effects of applying topical collagen. However, like any new skincare product, it is possible to have a reaction and develop a rash called allergic contact dermatitis. 

Before applying any new collagen skincare, always do a patch test to see how your skin reacts. You may be allergic to a collagen skincare product if you develop red, itchy, or swollen skin. If you have a skincare reaction, discontinue use.

People who follow a plant-based diet or avoid animal-based products should also check the collagen type in their skincare. Hydrolyzed collagen or peptides added to skincare often come from marine sources, like sea sponges, alga, and fish. However, "vegan collagen" can be genetically engineered or produced from yeasts and bacteria. Just note that vegan collagen doesn't actually contain collagen. Instead, it contains amino acids that help make collagen.

How to Boost Natural Collagen

If you want to skip collagen skincare—or add more collagen-boosting methods to your lifestyle—here are some other ways to increase collagen production:

• Eat foods high in collagen: Collagen is typically found in animal products that contain connective tissues, like chicken, beef, one broth, fish, pork, and gelatin-containing foods.

• Eat foods high in amino acids: Non-animal foods and dairy products like beans, cottage cheese, legumes, mushrooms, and quinoa can help synthesize collagen production.

• Eat vitamin C foods: Vitamin C helps your body create collagen. Try eating raw red and green peppers, broccoli, and citrus fruits for more vitamin C.

• Wear sunscreen daily: Sun damage can also reduce collagen levels in your skin. Applying sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or more can help.

• Avoid smoking: Besides other health implications, tobacco products may also decrease collagen found in your skin.

• Red light therapy: Research shows exposing skin cells to red light may help stimulate collagen and elastin production in skin cells, potentially preventing the onset of wrinkles caused by collagen loss.

• Microneedling treatments:  Also called derma rolling, microneedling is about running fine needles over the skin that can help tighten the skin and reduce fine lines by kicking off collagen and elastin production. 
  

A Quick Review

Collagen skincare makes a lot of claims about boosting collagen and anti-aging effects. However, collagen skincare doesn't absorb deep into the skin where wrinkles form. Still, research shows collagen skincare made with hydrolyzed collagen (aka collagen peptides) helps moisturize the skin and improve texture, which might reduce the appearance of fine lines. Collagen supplements made with amino acids that produce collagen—and don't actually contain collagen—also appear to penetrate the skin more effectively to improve moisture and texture.

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