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

Agree, Elavate has helped my joints too, and my skin though I would say it's just more glowy, I still have lines!

Absolutely agree. I look at it like ear wax. We need some to keep us oiled, it if you started eating ear wax each day, it would be broken down by your body like any other “food stuff”, it wouldn’t go straight to your ears.

Did you take it for six months? Do you see any differences?

I didn’t in the end. I just couldn’t get over the feeling that I’d be a mug to spend so much on something so faddy and unproven. With it being so difficult to assess the quality and sources of the different products, I ultimately took the advice of a lot of people on this thread and decided to skip it.

But I’ve started (and stuck with) a daily creatine supplement, which I honestly feel has made a difference to my joint health.

With all these things it’s so hard to gauge the effects of a single element of your diet and lifestyle, but I do feel I’ve seen a lot of small but significant improvements since I started taking it.

Snake oil...

Genes and sun exposure.
Retinol does something.
Beyond that hydrate with an inexpensive moisturiser.

Of course it is.

I think this is the way to do it I took Collagen for 6 mths and didn’t notice a difference. I now go to the gym and do . I eat well and am definitely stronger . I don’t know why we’ve been conditioned to think all we need to do is spoon this into our coffee and we’ll
get these amazing results . Always a low effort preference the same as taking weight loss pills / injections.

I did a lot of research on this and decided to supplement creatine instead. Much more evidence based.

Collagen does anecdotally seem to help some people but it categorically does not and can not definitely do what Davinia Taylor et al claim it definitely does, and she gets rather agressive when she’s challenged by actual scientists and doctors on her sales pitch. As others have said, it’s very quickly broken down by your body into regular amino acids.
There’s a good ‘sliced bread’ episode on bbc sounds about the efficacy of collagen supplements.

Came here to say this. It’s a protein and your body allocates it as it sees fit. It’s a huge and expensive con when they say it goes directly to skin, hair, nails.
Most people don’t eat enough protein so taking any supplement will help. One of the best, cleanest and cheaper ways to up your daily protein intake and get the same results is Bone Broth (or a vegan alternative).
IMO, Collagen supplements are just another beauty lie.

My oncologist was fine with me taking collagen 🤷🏻 I stopped after taking it for about 9 months as I couldn't tell if it was doing anything, and I've not really noticed a difference. I know I don't eat enough protein though, as my appetite has been affected by cancer treatment. Perhaps I should restart it ....

there is absolutely no evidence to show that collagen makes any difference whatsoever. It goes to show the power that social media advertising and celebrity has over us all though. It also shows how strong the placebo effect is on some people (in itself not a bad thing!)

I deleted all my social media as a reset.

I am very easily influenced and every other post was for Collagen. Since this I don't feel the need to take it anymore.

It’s made of the same stuff as gelatin. Gelatin is just a heat treated version of collagen. Remember when your gran used to give you a cube of jelly for your hair and nails? It’s all the same thing. You may as well have a (small) handful of Haribo.

Me too. I have osteoarthritis and elevate has been a game changer. Plus my skin looks so much plumper and 4 months in, my fine lines are less noticeable.

Maybe you would benefit more from a (clean) protein powder? I use one that is just whey protein with no additives or sweeteners.

I’ve taken various varieties of collagen and have never noticed any difference to my skin, hair or nails. However I don’t take it when I go on holiday, and I notice that my joints start to ache first thing in the morning. The aches go away within a few days when I start taking it again. I’m a natural sceptic and I’m not convinced it works, but I’ll keep taking it as it does seem to make a difference for me.

Oh OK then. Tell us why then!

I second all this. If taking collagen results in noticeable improvements it just means you weren’t eating enough quality protein before. I have a connective tissue disorder, if collagen supplements replaced our worn out/depleted collagen the NHS would give them to people like me. Save your money and increase your protein intake.

Have to agree with everyone else, it probably has some benefits but nothing you can't already get from the right diet and at 10x the price.

I know people who took it for lipedema (spelling might be wrong) and some say it helps, some said the opposite. Don't know anyone on it for cosmetic reasons, not saying that in a snide way, but meaning they have only mentioned opinions regarding the health condition, but can't say I noticed any difference.

I’ve been taking arsenal collagen for about. 9 weeks I’ve notice alot of difference in my skin I’m not having breakouts anymore, my hairdresser comments on my hair everytime I see her, she reckons it looks in great condition and is growing loads, my joints feel a lot better and I don’t ache as much.

Yeah years ago makeup like pan stick and heavy powders would have blocked pores and likely caused a lot of irritation.

Formulations now are a world away from that and many include a lot of skincare benefits, are non comedogenic, much more natural, etc.

Not everybody gets 'the right diet' though. Same goes for any supplement.

I'm not sure the NHS would necessarily give everyone what's beneficial to them. For years they denied that anyone should take vitamin D, then it was maybe old people and now they say everybody should, but they still won't provide it or give a prescription - you have to buy it yourself.
Also, not everyone can easily increase their protein intake.

@Gwenhwyfar did you miss the part where I said ‘people like me’? I cost the NHS a reasonable amount due to my faulty collagen. If they could fix my collagen with supplements they would prescribe them instead of the meds I currently get every month for pain, gastric protection & gut motility, etc. Or they would at least suggest I buy the supplements. But they don’t. Because collagen supplements are just an expensive protein boost.