Want A High-Quality Collagen Supplement? Make Sure It's One Of These

Looking for some powders to try? Here’s our list.

Mar 17, 2022 - 21:02

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Want A High-Quality Collagen Supplement? Make Sure It's One Of These

Is There An Optimal Time To Take Collagen?

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March 17, 2022 — 10:02 AM

It seems like every time I turn around there’s a new collagen “trend” to check out. The supplement has become so popular in the market that it has its own set of spin offs—collagen comes in format options from collagen pills to being featured in bottled waters to snacks and the like. But sometimes it’s best to just revisit one of the originals: Collagen powders can offer versatile usage, a more flexible dosage, and in some cases, added ingredients to make a more robust formula. (This is why our recommendation will always be to opt for the powder format.) We actually outline our favorite collagen supplements in all formats in this guide, but if you’re looking for powders only—you’ve come to the right place.

What are collagen powders?

First off: collagen is a family of proteins that are the most abundant proteins in the animal kingdom. There are at least 28 kinds of collagen (that we know of) that exist, but types I, II, and III are the most common in the human body. We actually make our own collagen via the cell’s fibroblasts—but that production declines with age and other factors. Collagen is perhaps most famous for its role in keeping skin firm and lifted, but it’s present in other areas of the body such as the bones, cartilage, and muscle.*

Because collagen is so notable for overall health, many have come to ingest the protein via collagen supplementation. Collagen supplements are broken down, digestible forms of collagen (derived from things like cows, fish and chickens) that are capable of being absorbed by the body, traveling to where they can be best used.* If you want a full breakdown of their benefits, please visit our guide to collagen supplements, but as an overview they can help with skin hydration and elasticity, hair health, nail strength, gut support, bone and joint health, and muscle mass.*

Collagen supplements can come in many forms (liquid, gel, and gummies), but powders tend to be the most ubiquitous on the market. Collagen powders are exactly as they sound: A powdered format of these peptides that can be added to foods, smoothies, coffee, or even water.

Looking for some powders to try? Here’s our list.

Best all-around collagen powder: mindbodygreen beauty and gut collagen+

The one-step beauty routine for a healthy gut, youthful skin, full hair & strong nails.* The innovative blend is rooted in its high-potency collagen foundation, delivering 17.7 grams of pasture-raised, grass-fed bovine collagen peptides (delivering types I and III collagen). And this powdered format also has several target, powerful ingredients for additional holistic inside-out support.* There are vitamins C and E for enhanced collagen production and antioxidant properties, hyaluronic acid for skin hydration, the protein building block L-glutamine, biotin for your beauty needs, and curcumin from turmeric extract and sulforaphane from broccoli seed extract for supporting detoxification and combating oxidative stress.* The unflavored option seamlessly blends into whatever dish or drink you choose—and the chocolate variety adds a rich, decadent flavor thanks to the organic cocoa and monk fruit extract.

beauty & gut collagen+, mindbodygreen ($59/month)

mbg

Best marine collagen powder: Natural Force Marine Collagen Peptides

If you follow a pescitarian diet, marine collagen powders are a great way to fold in additional collagen into your routine. Always look for peptides sourced from wild-caught sources, like this one, which comes from sustainably sourced cod and nothing else. And if you’re worried it might add an unpleasant—or even fishy—taste to your morning smoothie, one review deemed it “tasteless.” We also like how transparent this brand is: They break down the amino acid profile, are third-party tested, and a Certified B Corp.

Marine collagen peptides, Natural Force ($64.99)

Natural Force

Best for on-the-go: Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Powder Supplement Travel Packs

While collagen powders are overall the best format for this supplement, one downside that people experience is that bringing a jar or bag of collagen powder isn't always the easiest when traveling. But if you're looking to use your collagen powder while out and about, you can opt for travel packets, like these. (However, we must note individually packed items of any kind aren't the most environmentally responsible options—we recommend limiting their use to only when needed, such as traveling.) The individually portioned containers house Vital's classic blend of 10 grams of bovine collagen that contains 18 amino acids.

Collagen Peptides Powder Supplement Travel Packs, Vital Proteins ($33)

Best high potency: Bulletproof collagen protein

While many of the other powders on this list contain other ingredients, you'll see nothing but collagen here. This is made with bovine hydrolyzed collagen sourced from pasture-raised cows with no added hormones—and there are 20 grams of it per serving, which makes this a solid source of collagen. If you are someone who is looking for the max amount of collagen—and truly nothing else—this is your best bet.

Collagen Protein, Bulletproof ($39.95)

Best for skin: Mukti Organics Bioactive Collagen Booster

Skin care supplements come in many forms with many ingredients to choose from—collagen peptide powders being some of the best. And if you happen to be looking for a collagen-supporting skin care powder, this blend uses three grams of marine collagen (which is on the light end) but is bolstered with additional actives to support your skin. There's hyaluronic acid and aloe vera for hydration, astaxanthin for photodamage protection and to protect the collagen layer, and a proprietary super wild berry antioxidant complex to help with oxidative stress.*

Bioactive Collagen Booster, Mukti Organics ($72)

mukti organics bioactive collagen booster

Best for hair: Garden of Life Grass-fed Collagen Beauty Powder

If getting healthier hair is as easy and swirling in a scoop of powder into your morning drink of choice, sign us up. While the base contains a decent dose of types I and III collagen (12 grams of protein), the stars for the hair are biotin, silica, and vitamin C. Biotin is a main component of keratin production, or the primary protein of hair—research shows that supplementing with the B vitamin can help with hair shedding. It's then layered with vitamin C to help neutralize free radicals (which can lead to aging hair) and silica (which may help strengthen hair and minimize thinning).*

Grass-Fed Collagen Beauty Powder, Garden of Life ($24.49)

garden of life grass-fed collagen beauty

Best flavor variety: Thrive Market Matcha Mint Grass-fed Collagen Peptides

As far as taste varieties go, chocolate and unflavored are well-rounded bets. That's why we were pleasantly surprised by this refreshing matcha mint option. The base is 10 grams of pasture-raised, ethically sourced bovine collagen (they, too, list the amino acid profile), and the sweetener used is extracted from monk fruit. And thanks to the matcha, it even contains six milligrams of caffeine per serving for a little morning boost.* Looking for other delicious taste profiles? Thrive Market has you covered with a classic Chocolate and playfully sweet Mocha Caramel powders, too

Grass-Fed Collagen Peptides in Matcha Mint, Thrive Market ($69.99)

thrive market collagen peptide powder in matcha mint

What to look for in a collagen powder

While we've vetted the above products and can recommend them wholeheartedly, we also want to give you the tools to look for your own collagen supplements—or at least help you understand our evaluation.

There is no official daily recommendation for collagen supplementation. For healthy adults, the recommendation for overall protein needs is about one gram of protein per kilogram of body weight per day. If you're physically active, your needs may be higher. Collagen is a protein made of peptides, but it's not a complete protein—it doesn't have all nine of the essential amino acids (it's missing tryptophan and is on the lower side on a few others)—but can absolutely contribute to your overall daily protein goals and needs.*

For a collagen supplement, we recommend looking in the 10- to 20-gram range (per serving). However, if your supplement of choice is lower than this range, but has additional active ingredients that improve the supplements efficacy that’s OK, too.

Look for brands that describe in detail where their collagen is sourced from (i.e., the animal, region, etc.), be it on the packaging or website. Look for keywords like "grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine collagen from Brazilian cows," or "sustainably-sourced, wild-caught cod." Ideally, they'll note what collagen types are provided (e.g., types I, II, or III) as well. Bonus points if they list the amino acid profile.

Many collagen powders have additional, beneficial ingredients—such as vitamins and minerals or botanical bioactives—they can help create a more holistic product to achieve your desired effects.* Be sure to vet these in the same way you’re vetting the collagen. Look for research backing up why the ingredients were added and thoughtful explanations of the overall formulas.

On the other end, make sure the formula is clean. Less is more here: Skip artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, gluten, GMOs, soy, gluten, and known allergens. If your collagen product has flavors, look for natural varieties (such as organic cocoa, organic vanilla and others listed as natural flavors). If there's a sweetener, we recommend natural plant-derived sources like organic monk fruit extract.

This is less about decoding an ingredient label and more about finding brands that are open and honest about their product. It shouldn't be hard to find their Supplement Facts panel and other ingredient list. The type and source of collagen should be apparent. If they make any benefit claims, there should be science to support them. They should be open about where the ingredients come from, and they should explain the packaging it comes in (i.e., is it environmentally friendly?).

What other forms are there?

As we’ve noted throughout the article, powders are the best format to deliver potent dosages. However, there are other forms of collagen supplements should you be interested in them.

Collagen water and liquids. Collagen water is simply water containing collagen. While you can make it at home, pre-prepared bottles are very trendy right now. Depending on the brand, bottled collagen water might also contain other beneficial ingredients (think hyaluronic acid or electrolytes), as well as fruit juice or sweetener for extra flavor. However, these options almost always have a lower dose than the powder varieties. Collagen pills and capsules. Collagen pills are considered to be quite convenient, however to get the same amount of collagen as you’d get in the powdered format—you’d need to take many of them. Collagen gummies. Many people opt for gummy supplements for the taste and ease of taking them. However they don’t offer as high a dose of collagen.

What should you know about collagen dosage?

Given so much of this article is about getting the correct dosage of collagen—and that powders are the best way to get a meaningful amount—it’d make sense we’d go over amounts in a bit more detail, no?

We go talk about it in depth in our guide to collagen dosage, but as an overview: At this time, there are no definitive recommendations on intake levels (like a Recommended Daily Allowance, or RDA). However, a growing number of clinical studies point to specific, effective dosages based on outcomes—and can help us understand how much collagen we should be taking every day. Here, let's look into the collagen peptide dosage based on the benefit, as science has found positive results in these dose ranges per health-support area.*

Skin: Studies show that a range of 2.5 to 10 grams per day can be beneficial for skin support.* Muscle: Studies show that 15 to 20 grams per day can help muscle mass, muscle strength, and soreness after exercise.* Joint: 2.5 to 5 grams per day has been shown to help joint support—however, if you are taking UC-II specifically, you only need 40 milligrams per day.* Bone: The available research suggests that 5 grams per day provides bone support.*

Collagen powders are your best bet for high-dose, high quality collagen. Want options that are top of the top? We did the work for you with the edited list above. If you’re looking for your own collagen supplement just remember that format matters, as does dosage and added ingredients. For more beauty supplements, check our all-time favorites.*

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medications, consult with your doctor before starting a supplement routine. It is always optimal to consult with a health care provider when considering what supplements are right for you.

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/collagen-powders