What's Really in a “Collagen” Supplement? - Practical Dermatology

Collagen dietary supplements are becoming increasingly popular, and patients may approach dermatologists for guidance and recommendations. Demand for collagen supplements is increasing at a pace disproportionate to the availability of research on their efficacy and safety. In , approximately 77 percent of the US population reported using at least one type of supplement.1 Collagen supplements, in particular, have seen increased growth, with the market size of the collagen industry expected to reach $7.5 billion by .2

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Despite growing interest from consumers, the FDA does not maintain a list of dietary supplements or their ingredients. To document collagen supplement ingredients and identify any concerns, we surveyed locally available collagen dermatology supplements.

Our analysis of collagen supplements draws from a larger survey of dermatology supplements.3 Dermatology supplements were defined as those containing the words “skin,” “hair,” “nails,” or “glow” within the name or tagline. The Supplement Facts label and ingredient list were reviewed to identify collagen-containing supplements. We obtained a total of 59 collagen supplements from retail stores within a three-mile radius of a Houston dermatology practice.

Lack of Transparency, Wide Variation in Collagen Supplement Composition

Where does the collagen found in these supplements come from? Does it matter in terms of efficacy or safety? We have very little data available to answer these questions. Research on collagen supplements for dermatology outcomes is limited, and many questions remain regarding efficacy, quality, and safety. This is in part due to the fact that the collagen supplements in these studies vary significantly in terms of their source, types, and formulations.4

Our survey indicates that manufacturers also lack consensus on the “best” type of collagen in dermatology supplements, with a wide variation noted. One product used collagen from “cowhide, chicken bone broth, hydrolyzed fish collagen, and eggshell membrane collagen.” Furthermore, we noted a lack of ingredient transparency among many manufacturers. More than half (30) of the supplements reviewed did not provide any information on the collagen source(s).

When listed, collagen source(s) included (in decreasing prevalence) bovine, marine, chicken, eggshell, and porcine sources (Table 1). One supplement indicated that it contained “grass-fed” collagen, while two supplements used four different sources in a single product.

The type of collagen varied as well: hydrolyzed collagen (37 percent), collagen peptides (29 percent), specific branded collagens (seven percent), and unspecified collagen types (27 percent). Formulations similarly lacked consistency. Supplements were available as powders (31 percent), tablets (22 percent), capsules (15 percent), liquids (14 percent), gummies (10 percent), soft gels (five percent), or chewables (three percent).

Allergenicity Concerns

For individuals with food allergies, inadequate ingredient disclosure increases their risk. Ten supplements (17 percent) in our sample indicated sourcing from “fish”; of these, nine lacked allergen warnings. As previously mentioned, the majority of products lacked any information at all on collagen sourcing.

Although the allergenicity of collagen powders derived from marine sources requires further research, previous reports have indicated that fish collagen is an important allergen in some patients, while hydrolyzed fish collagen has been reported to cause anaphylaxis in others.5,6 Additionally, there have been cases of allergic reactions to foods containing bovine-derived and porcine-derived gelatin, a denatured form of collagen.7,8

Quality Concerns

Similarly concerning is the overall lack of information on the processing and quality of collagen supplements. Limited evaluations have been published regarding the quality of collagen supplements. An independent investigative laboratory, ConsumerLab evaluated 15 collagen powders and found one contaminated with cadmium, a toxic heavy metal.9

Under the FDA, supplements are regulated as foods rather than drugs. Dietary supplements are thus exempt from federal pre-market review. Instead, manufacturers are responsible for determining product safety and efficacy.10 Manufacturers may establish their own parameters for industry compliance with regard to the identity of ingredients, intermediary components, and final product composition. These private specifications contribute to a lack of industry uniformity, as products can possess similar labels yet differ drastically in terms of composition.

In response, patients are advised by government agencies to seek products that have undergone quality testing by independent third-party laboratories, such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International, or ConsumerLab. These organizations then provide seals of approval.10 Unfortunately, no products in our cohort displayed these certifications.

Caution and Education

As patients continue to seek dietary supplements for skin, hair, and nail health, it is important that dermatologists caution and educate patients. Our survey identified several key concerns for patients. A major concern is the lack of ingredient transparency among collagen dermatology supplements. Almost half of products lacked information on the source of their collagen, raising concerns for allergenicity. Another concern is that of quality. Consumers should be aware that there is no such thing as FDA approval for supplements, and contamination has been reported in at least one collagen supplement. Although consumers are advised by the FDA to seek out products that have undergone testing by recognized independent investigative laboratories, none of the products we surveyed displayed these seals, further highlighting that although this is a lucrative industry, many questions and consumer concerns remain.

It may come as a scoop of white powder to add to a latte or smoothie, promising to help achy joints and sagging skin.

Or, as an ingredient in face masks and moisturizers, claiming to offer a youthful glow.

It's marine collagen, a buzzword in beauty and supplement circles, often derived from fish skin, scales and bones, or other animals like sponges and sea cucumbers, depending on the product. 

The global market for marine collagen is already estimated at more than $1 billion US and growing, driven by demand to look and feel younger.

It's promoted as an alternative to traditional sources of collagen supplements, derived from land animals like cows and pigs, which some avoid for religious or other reasons.

Many marine collagen products also market themselves as natural or eco-friendly, featuring images of waves and fish and references to "cold, clean" ocean waters.

But with overfishing and climate change already threatening global ocean wildlife, is this a sustainable place to turn for anti-aging hope?

It depends, according to those watching this emerging conservation issue, on where the collagen is coming from — something that might not be clear at all when you pick up the product.

"With these marine collagen products, shoppers are buying a black box of marine ingredients," said Kelly Roebuck, sustainable seafood campaigner with the Canadian marine conservation group Living Oceans Society, in an to CBC News.

Where collagen comes from

Our bodies naturally make collagen, which provides elasticity and strength to our skin, tendons, bones and other tissues. We make less as we age.

But it's widely found in the animal kingdom — even in the 68-million-year-old bone of a T. rex — so people have turned to collagen supplements derived from other creatures.

Health Canada licenses more than 2,000 natural health products containing hydrolyzed collagen as a medicinal ingredient, and more than 1,000 with collagen from marine sources. 

Bovine collagen, from cows, has led that industry. But last year, an investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, The Guardian and others linked cattle ranches producing collagen, leather and beef to tropical rainforest loss in the Brazilian Amazon.

The investigation traced the collagen supply chain to major companies, including the Nestle-owned brand Vital Proteins promoted by Jennifer Aniston. (Nestle has said it is taking steps to ensure products are deforestation-free by .)

Enter marine collagen, which was already being hailed by researchers as abundant and sustainable, with lower risk of disease transfer than collagen from mammals, and with chemical differences that could make it easier to absorb.

"It's going boom," said Azizur Rahman, director of the University of Toronto's Centre for Climate Change Research, who recently published a scientific review of marine collagen's effects on skin aging and heads a spin-off company researching and developing marine collagen products.

"Over the past decade or so, there has been a remarkable rise in market demand for marine-based cosmetics especially, driven by growing consumer interest in natural and sustainable ingredients."

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Another demand on fish

But sustainability is far from guaranteed when it comes to a new demand on marine creatures.

More than a third of the world's fish stocks are overfished — harvested at levels that can't be biologically sustained — and that number is rising, according to the latest global report from the UN's Food and Aquaculture Organization. 

Most of the rest are also maxed out — classified as fished to their biologically sustainable maximum.

"If you look at global seafood production from the oceans, particularly from captured fisheries, it peaks in the s," said William Cheung, director of the Institute for Oceans and Fisheries at the University of B.C. in Vancouver.

"What it means is we are not able to produce more fish, even though we know that there are increasing demands for seafood."

While Cheung isn't aware of any research specifically on marine collagen impacts, he says any new draw on the ocean should be considered in that context — with climate change further threatening marine life and a growing global population dependent on seafood, especially in developing and low-income countries.

Canadian scientists have also raised concerns about demands for other nutritional supplements from fish, like shark liver oil and omega-3 fatty acids.

A Nature Ecology & Evolution paper in flagged marine collagen as an emerging issue in ocean biodiversity, noting it could be a threat to species like sharks or sponges. 

But the paper notes it could also be an opportunity for sustainable resource use — if it came from skin, bone and trims from the fish-processing industry that might otherwise go to waste.

Where is your marine collagen from? 

The tricky part is marine collagen products may not say what they're made of.

Some do advertise the source. For example, Nova Scotia company Landish says its marine collagen is from wild cod, haddock and pollock caught in the North Atlantic to make fish fillets. According to the company, they use "byproducts only," namely the skin and scales. 

Toronto company Genuine Health says its marine collagen is "upcycled" from the same species caught in the "deep, cold seas of the North Atlantic." (Neither company replied to a CBC News request for more details.)

Nippi Collagen, a major player in the industry based in Burnaby, B.C., told CBC News in a statement it uses skin and scale byproducts of the seafood industry, and the source varies by grade. Lower grades are from farmed fish sourced globally, including from Thailand and Indonesia; its premium grade is from wild-caught fish scales. (Further questions on fish species weren't answered.)

But many products have no information on what animal was used, if it was wild or farmed, or what part of the world it grew in.

"Like any fishery or aquaculture product, there can be sustainable or unsustainable sources," said Roebuck of Living Oceans.

"It is impossible for consumers to know what species is being utilized and whether they are contributing to overfishing, marine degradation or even illegal activities."

Consumers can turn to eco-labels to help avoid that risk.

For example, the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) blue eco-label means the wild fish or seafood comes from fisheries that have been independently assessed and reach a set of sustainability requirements. (MSC's standard has faced criticism from conservation groups for not being tough enough, and is being revised.) 

Kurtis Hayne, program director for MSC in Canada, says products with the label are also audited for traceability — something that's often a challenge in global fisheries.

"So anything with that blue MSC eco-label is a way of signalling that it's from a sustainable fishery, and … there's assurance, strong assurance that it's coming from a certified fishery and not mixed up along the way." 

In , there were no marine collagen products with the MSC eco-label, but it's been "growing quickly," said Hayne, with 37 globally as of last year, primarily from MSC-certified Atlantic cod. 

The question of byproducts

While using byproducts to make marine collagen does seem to have a lower impact, it could still have consequences.

For example, critics have argued that bovine collagen and leather, which are byproducts of beef, actually help the bottom line of cattle production linked to deforestation, and thus encourage it.

On the flip side, Hayne said that when a fishery has invested money to become more sustainable, making profits from what were byproducts can encourage further improvements. 

"From our perspective, it allows us to reduce waste, but it also allows fisheries to extract more value out of this … precious wild resource," said Hayne.

Cheung calls the industrial processes that discard so much of the fish "quite wasteful," and notes that globally, many cultures depend on the whole fish for food.

"I grew up in the Chinese culture, from Hong Kong. So we eat almost every part of the fish," he said.

"We use the whole fish to make soup because I think with the fish bones that the fish soup is really rich and tasty and that actually provides a lot of nutrients."

He hopes the growing demand for marine resources like collagen will be coupled with bigger discussions about trade-offs, equity and food security. 

"We need to use the available resources wisely and manage them wisely as well."

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