Collagen for the skin – what does the research say about VERISOL®?

Can the skin really be influenced by the collagen we eat? The question sounds almost too simple. After all, collagen is found in the skin, so why not just eat collagen to get more collagen in the skin? But the body doesn’t quite work that way. Proteins are broken down in the digestive system, amino acids are absorbed into the blood, and the body then decides for itself how to use the building blocks. That’s why researchers were long skeptical that oral collagen could have a specific effect on the skin. Then something interesting began to appear in the research. Certain collagen peptides don’t seem to function solely as raw material. They can also form small peptide fragments that are absorbed and may act as biological signals. A widely noted double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study published in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology examined exactly this. The researchers wanted to know whether daily intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides could influence skin elasticity. The result was fascinating: after just four weeks, the researchers measured a statistically significant improvement in skin elasticity compared with placebo.

The study in brief

The researchers included 69 healthy women between 35 and 55 years of age. Participants were randomized into three groups:

• 2.5 grams of specific collagen peptides per day
• 5 grams of specific collagen peptides per day
• Placebo

The treatment lasted for eight weeks.

The collagen used was VERISOL® Bioactive Collagen Peptides®, a specifically developed blend of hydrolyzed collagen peptides. The researchers measured, among other things:

• Skin elasticity
• Skin hydration
• Transepidermal water loss, TEWL
• Skin surface texture and roughness

Skin elasticity was the study’s primary outcome measure.

The results: skin elasticity improved

After four weeks of daily intake, skin elasticity improved statistically significantly in the collagen groups compared with placebo. The effect could still be observed after eight weeks. On average, an improvement in elasticity of around 7 percent compared with placebo was reported, while some participants showed considerably larger individual changes. The study provided an important answer to a bigger question: Orally ingested, specific collagen peptides can affect measurable properties of the skin.

The effect did not seem to disappear immediately

The researchers also did something particularly interesting. They stopped giving participants collagen and then measured skin elasticity again four weeks later. In the older women in the study, a statistically significant higher elasticity compared with placebo could still be seen. This suggests that the effect was not merely a temporary change while the collagen was present in the body. One possible explanation is that collagen peptides influence processes in the skin’s extracellular matrix and fibroblasts, the cells that, among other things, produce collagen, elastin and other structural components. It is, however, important to distinguish between what the study actually showed and what is a biological explanatory model. The study measured skin elasticity but did not prove the exact cellular mechanism that caused the change.

But doesn’t collagen get broken down in the stomach?

Yes. And that’s exactly where the story gets interesting. Collagen is a protein and cannot be transported unchanged from a glass of collagen powder directly to the skin. In the digestive system, collagen is broken down into smaller peptides and amino acids. Hydrolyzed collagen already consists of much smaller protein fragments than intact collagen. After digestion, certain hydroxyproline-rich di- and tripeptides can be found in the circulation. Modern research has therefore led to a model in which collagen peptides can have two parallel functions.

1. They can supply amino acids such as glycine and proline used in the body’s own protein synthesis.
2. But certain peptides can also act as signaling molecules that influence cells in connective tissue.

This is a far more interesting model than the simplified idea that “the collagen you eat becomes skin.”

What are fibroblasts?

To understand why this matters, we need to go down to the cellular level. In the dermis of the skin there are fibroblasts. Put simply, you can describe them as the skin’s little construction workers. Fibroblasts produce, among other things:

• Collagen
• Elastin
• Proteoglycans
• Components of the skin’s extracellular matrix

Collagen gives the skin tensile strength and structure, while elastin contributes to its ability to return to its original shape after being stretched. As we age, the balance between building up and breaking down these structures changes. UV radiation, oxidative stress, smoking and other lifestyle factors can also increase the activity of enzymes that break down the skin’s extracellular matrix. The result is a gradually thinner dermis, altered structure and reduced elasticity. That’s why skin elasticity is an interesting measure when studying skin aging.

Why use specific collagen peptides?

There is an important detail that often gets lost when collagen is discussed. Collagen is not a single standardized ingredient. Two products labeled “hydrolyzed collagen” do not have to consist of the same combination of peptides. The hydrolysis process determines, among other things:

• Which peptide fragments are formed
• Their molecular size
• Their amino acid sequences
• How easily they are further broken down
• Which biological effects they may potentially have

In this particular study, it was not just any collagen powder that was used. It was the specific raw material VERISOL® Bioactive Collagen Peptides® that was studied. This also means that, strictly scientifically, the results primarily apply to the studied collagen peptide profile. One should be cautious about automatically transferring exactly the same results to every collagen product on the market.

How quickly can collagen affect the skin?

In the study, a statistically significant difference in skin elasticity could be observed after about four weeks. The study then continued to eight weeks. It is biologically reasonable that changes in the skin take time. The skin’s extracellular matrix is not remodeled overnight. Therefore, collagen is also not something that should be judged after a few days of use. For anyone who wants to evaluate a skin product, it is generally more reasonable to think in weeks and months than in days.

Did the skin also become more hydrated?

It is important not to overstate the results here. The researchers saw tendencies toward improvements in skin moisture balance in some groups, but the results for skin hydration and transepidermal water loss did not reach statistical significance in this study. The strongest finding from this study was improved skin elasticity.

What made the original VERISOL® study important?

The study was relatively small, but the design was stronger than many simpler dietary supplement studies.

• Randomized
• Double-blind
• Placebo-controlled
• Objective instrumental skin measurements
• Two different collagen doses
• Follow-up even after intake was discontinued

However, only 69 women participated in total, and the results therefore cannot automatically be generalized to all ages, men or all types of collagen. 

Collagen is more than just a beauty protein

Collagen is often regarded as a cosmetic substance. In reality, it is one of the body’s most important structural proteins. It is found in, among other things:

• Skin
• Bone
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Cartilage
• Blood vessels
• Connective tissue

Type I collagen is the most common collagen type in the human body and is particularly important in the skin. When we talk about skin aging, we are therefore largely talking about changes in a living support structure consisting of collagen, elastin and other molecules in the extracellular matrix. This makes the question of collagen peptides far more biologically interesting than the term “beauty supplement” suggests.

Conclusion: can collagen really affect the skin?

Yes, specific oral collagen peptides can affect measurable properties of the skin. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 69 women, 2.5 or 5 grams of VERISOL® per day produced a statistically significant improvement in skin elasticity after four and eight weeks compared with placebo. Perhaps the most exciting part is not the percentage itself, but what the study says about the biology. Collagen peptides do not necessarily seem to be just protein that the body breaks down and uses as raw material. Specific peptides may potentially act as biological signals and influence the cells that build the skin’s extracellular matrix. It is still an area where research is evolving and where new studies are needed, especially larger and fully independent clinical trials. But an old objection to collagen supplements has become much harder to defend: “It just gets broken down in the stomach, so it can’t possibly affect the skin.” The biology appears to be far more interesting than that.

Frequently asked questions about collagen, VERISOL® and skin

What did the study PMID 23949208 show?

The study showed that women who took 2.5 or 5 grams of specific collagen peptides daily for eight weeks achieved statistically improved skin elasticity compared with placebo. The study included 69 women between 35 and 55 years of age.

Which collagen was used in the study?

The researchers used VERISOL® Bioactive Collagen Peptides®, a specific hydrolyzed collagen peptide raw material.

How much VERISOL® was used?

Participants received either 2.5 grams or 5 grams per day.

How long did it take before an effect could be measured?

A statistically significant improvement in skin elasticity compared with placebo could be seen after about four weeks of daily intake.

Can collagen peptides be absorbed from the gut?

Collagen is broken down during digestion, but smaller collagen-related peptides, including hydroxyproline-containing peptides, can reach the circulation. This is one of the mechanisms being studied to understand how oral collagen can potentially influence connective tissue and fibroblasts.

Are all collagen products equivalent to VERISOL®?

No. Different collagen raw materials can differ in origin, degree of hydrolysis, molecular size and peptide profile. Clinical results from a specific trademarked collagen peptide should therefore primarily be linked to the raw material that was actually studied. VERISOL® collagen peptides are considered the best in the world. 

Is there scientific support for collagen and the skin?

Several randomized studies and meta-analyses have reported improvements in, among other things, skin elasticity and skin hydration. At the same time, there are methodological limitations, variation between studies and a high proportion of industry-funded research. The state of the research is therefore promising but not entirely unequivocal.

Author and Reviewer