Help! Collagen - snake oil or worthwhile investment?

[EnjoythemoneyJane]

Being an auld gimmer, my insta is constantly flooded with glowy post-menopausal women banging on about collagen.

I know I’m very late to the party, but I finally clicked through on an Elavate ad this morning (because I quite trust Janet Street Porter) and it took me to a site that batters you with ‘facts’ and before & after photos which you have to scroll for pages before it reveals the price of the stuff. The whole thing looks and feels like some telemarketing scam, and that’s before you get to the ingredients blurb which vaguely mentions sources as being ‘European facilities’ (presumably abattoirs without uk regulations?!).

Been down a google rabbit hole and every other 40+ celeb seems to be endorsing a different brand of capsules or liquids or powders, the price range spans hundreds of pounds, and the science seems, at best, tentatively positive.

So please educate me, wise women of Style & Beauty! Is it worth it? Does it make any difference? Is there a brand that everyone swears by, or it all basically the same stuff? Is marine or bovine best, or a combination of both? TIA

I have tried many brands and I like the ancient+brave true collagen. I do think it makes a massive difference personally, and its a nice balancer in my coffee everyday.

**Sorry I had to edit because I got confused with a different product.

As far as I know, once your skin looses collagen, you cannot force it back into the skin by rubbing it on or eating it. Only retinol has ‘science’ behind it. Everything else is snake oil.

There was a news article on BBC recently about a study into Collagen that ultimately showed 'some legitimate skin gains' if taken over time. Plus benefits for joints. I concluded it was worth taking , but don't expect the miracle results the slebs are selling you.

Thanks @ponyinmypocket. That’s one of the brands I was considering as it looks like a good combination at a good price point.

That’s definitely the level of scepticism I usually have towards stuff like this @FalulahTalulah, but in this case I’m curious about the internal benefits (joint strength & elasticity) rather than the potential ‘beautifying’ effects (although I wouldn’t complain if there were some 😉). If it does beneficial things for joints @NuffSaidSam, that would make it worthwhile for me.

There seems to be some science behind it. We all started taking it in work after a colleague had a bit of a glow up (did other stuff too) but looked fantastic. And you can see a difference in everyone’s skin. Just a bit brighter - nothing dramatic.

The problem with collagen is that it is just a protein. I've posted links about this on the other many threads asking the same thing. When you eat a protein it is broken down into amino acids by your digestive system. Your body has no way of knowing to make these back into collagen & deposit them in your skin/joints/wherever, it just uses them like any other protein you have eaten.
Take a look at this:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVTu2zcCF5U/?igsh=ZW12ZWZ0bTAxNWFi

So @Wonderknicks your advice would be to just up your intake of animal protein?

Yeah I agree it's not going to give you bouncy, glowing skin overnight but it helps me hit my protein grams, it's great for joints etc, and I definitely look less sallow when I take it regularly. Overall it's an excellent addition to a healthy routine but it's not going to do anything in isolation.

That's what the doctor suggests in that link I added. Did you watch it? It's very interesting.

I’m afraid it’s snake oil with an MLM sales pitch.
https://consumer-test.co.uk/the-truth-about-collagen-supplements-what-independent-tests-revealed-about-what-really-improves-skin-collagen/?tw_source=google&tw_adid=781341604032&tw_campaign=23201393009&tw_kwdid=kwd-98273177&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23201393009&gbraid=0AAAAAqBCB4endzGL0HNRcf6ljNv5o2WF3&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItsrvopuzkwMVc5pQBh0bXy_bEAAYASAAEgLsVPD_BwE

So you will hear lots of people say they feel the benefits. But the research is minimal often done by companies. I listened to a podcast with doctor Amir about it. Apparently maybe something in type 2 collagen for joints but it’s not defo. We break protein down into amino acids and apparently our body then sends them where needed. It doesn’t recognise collagen as anything magic to go straight to collagen stores. I fell for it, tried its Did nothing. Eat more protein.

www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250214-do-collagen-supplements-work

Oh i love her she’s great!

HRT is very good for joint pain
Tretinoin ( not otc retinol) has worked wonders for my skin.
But have a lot of sagging. I don't think anything will fix that except a facelift, but I am not keen on that.

Ah, sorry, just seen the link @Wonderknicks. Ok, so this is what my worry was. You can spin anything to look like a miracle product, or even just a beneficial one, with industry-funded ‘research’.

One of DH’s professors at uni back in the day had his research sponsored by a crisp manufacturer, so he was officially endorsing stuff about potatoes (and therefore crisps) having more vitamin C than oranges, so the company could use his scientific credibility to make product claims and counter bad press around health concerns for kids.

I took the A&B True Collagen over several months and don’t feel I saw or felt any real benefits 🤷‍♀️.. it’s not cheap either so am concentrating more now on eating well and trying to strengthen up with Pilates, weights and running alongside a protein rich diet.

I am veggie mostly, so I am a bit deficient in protein. But maybe I should just take a protein supplement?

I feel a lot of people who claim to have had insane results with collagen have actually had fillers and other more invasive glow up procedures. Personally I feel its snake oil

I would increase your protein intake and consume plenty of oily fish. My hair, nails and skin are in great condition and I don't need a collagen supplement.

it’s always struck me as having the vibe of a very sophisticated MLM scheme. It angers me that very wealthy celebs who don’t need more money, endorse it.

Thanks @Soontobe60, @PrioritisePleasure24 & @DaisyMayBojangles - my initial scepticism seems justified.

I don’t think I’ll be investing any time soon, I probably just need to reassess my regular dietary intake - as @Wonderknicks said, I think it’s probably quite common for people’s diet to be lower than it should be in good quality protein.

@EnjoythemoneyJaneas with pp, it's just protein, your body can't transport it to you face or your joints. I think it's just playing on the obsession with protein intake.
If you eat a well-balanced diet very few of us need additional protein. Most adults need 0.8-1g per kg of body weight, unless you are lifting big weights, are ill or malnourished.

It’s all about genetics really, plus how much sun damage you have had, sleep and stress. In a period of extreme stress my skin looked awful and had an unhealthy pallor.

When I had my medical for nursing as a teenager. The Dr asked about allergies, I’m allergic to make up and perfume. I always remember him saying, your skin will thank you when your older make up is bad for your skin.

A lifetime of very few products because it’s not worth the risk and culturally tanned skin being seen to be bad, I am of Chinese heritage so keeping out of the sun has been good for me.

There is a theory that because traditional Asian culture has us eating all manner of animal products it assists good skin, more bones, more collagen. No idea if that is true but I was eating chickens feet and tripe last weekend and my sisters and I would scrap over who got the bone marrow as kids. This week I have eaten oily fish twice as well, have had to lay off red meat due to cholesterol but was quite the lover of crispy pork especially rind. May be absolute bollocks theory, also collagen rich food, have dodged those though.

"make up is bad for your skin"

I don't think this is true and I don't think a doctor saying it twenty or thirty years ago makes it true.

I agree @ViciousCurrentBun - I’ve always believed the state of your skin as you age is basically down to genetics and sun exposure.

Interesting about the potential health benefits of nose-to-tail eating though. There’s a lot of hype now about eating organ meat, which I guess far fewer of us do in the West these days, and I always remember my grandma treating the chicken jelly left in the pan after a roast like liquid gold - she swore it was the best and most nutritious part of the bird, and she always had lovely glowy skin.

As a consumer of collagen, I'm becoming more sceptical about it. However, I don't see the link with MLM at all. It's sold in shops and bought like any other supplement.