Best Collagen Supplements

When it comes to beauty supplements there's one popular ingredient that undoubtedly reigns supreme in creating a buzz: collagen. Ever since it splashed onto the beauty scene, the hype surrounding this mighty protein simply hasn't stopped and it's now firmly established itself as the most popular beauty ingredient sold in Singapore.  

Even if you haven't tried a supplement, drink or gummy for yourself, it's hard not to notice the swathes of collagen products adorning the aisles of supermarkets, chemists and beauty retailers in recent years. But what exactly is it, and does it live up to the hype? Let's find out...

Collagen is found naturally in your body and plays a crucial role in protecting, smoothing and hydrating your skin to ensure that it remains elastic and firm. Around your mid-20s your natural collagen production levels slow significantly, which can lead to early signs of aging such as dehydrated skin, fine lines, sagging, and wrinkles. This lack of collagen also causes us to lose the skin elasticity, radiance and plumpness that we’re all so keen to hang onto as we get older.

That’s where collagen supplements come in. These products come in the form of powders, tablets and liquids, and are formulated to help restore your natural levels by boosting your collagen production levels. This helps to slow down natural wear and tear on your body, promote a youthful appearance and help get your radiant glow back.

The popularity of collagen supplements has surged recently with sales increasing by a whopping 401% over the past year alone. But with so many collagen supplements on the market it can be difficult to know which products are worth your money and which are just a waste of time. 

That's why The Foods Channel has compiled months of extensive research on collagen into this handy guide to help you choose wisely and find the best collagen supplement for you.

What to look for, and what to avoid when shopping for a Collagen Supplement

THE BEST COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS

Based on extensive research, the metrics provided by our TFC System, interviewing customers and our own comprehensive personal testing, we've compiled a list of what we've found to be the top five collagen supplements available today.

We narrowed down hundreds of different collagen products into our Top 4 and eventually crowned a winner.

How We Picked Our Top Choice

Best Product Overall

After in-depth research, testing all the brands and studying their reviews...

...I’ve decided that the collagen drink from The Purest Co is a best choice out there today. 

That being said, a few other options are good as well in terms of quality, but for my personal need for a value-for-money, super effective and healthier option, The Purest Co is by far the best choice right now.

Hydrolyzed Collagen—Sources and Applications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6891674/

Collagen Hydrolysates for Skin Protection: Oral Administration and Topical Formulation.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7070905/

Hydrolyzed Collagen—Sources and Applications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6891674/

A Collagen Supplement Improves Skin Hydration, Elasticity, Roughness, and Density: Results of a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Blind Study. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835901/

Will Collagen Supplements Really Make You Any Healthier? https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/a19995031/collagen-supplements/

Best Collagen Supplements 2021: Are They Worth Taking and What Are The Benefits?https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/beauty/skin/a706856/benefits-taking-collagen-supplements/

What are complementary and alternative treatments? https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/complementary-and-alternative-treatments/

Marine Origin Collagens and Its Potential Applications. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4278207/

Recombinant microbial systems for the production of human collagen and gelatin. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-005-0180-x

Top 6 Benefits of Taking Collagen Supplements. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/collagen-benefits

Sources

Collagen is the largest part of the extracellular matrix which determines the physical properties of your soft tissues. In other words - the appearance of your skin. It's also the most abundant protein in your body which effectively works like scaffolding or glue and plays an important structural role in the building blocks of your cells.

Collagen works in two ways in your skin. Firstly, it supplies the building blocks for collagen and elastin production, and secondly, it holds together the cells in the connective tissue to produce collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid. This is important for regulating skin physiology and structure which are predominantly made by the amino acids glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline that are responsible for keeping your skin, muscles, and soft tissues hydrated and taut.

As well as its renowned beauty benefits, collagen also plays an important role in building keratin, the primary protein in hair and nails which is also responsible for maintaining the health of your muscles, cartilage, bones, joints, gums, teeth, blood vessels and internal organs.

When you're young, your body synthesizes all the collagen it needs from amino acids in foods like fish, meat, and protein-rich plant sources such as seeds. But studies show that as you get older your natural collagen levels start to drop drastically from around 25 onwards.

While the decline starts out at a rate of 1.5 percent per year, by the age of 60 you've usually lost as much as 80 percent of your natural collagen production levels. Other factors that can also affect our collagen levels are too much sunlight, smoking, environmental pollution, alcohol, and nutritional deficiencies.

While eating a diet rich in protein can help to support collagen production to some degree, taking a supplement is a far quicker and more convenient way to give yourself that much-needed collagen boost and help restore your depleted collagen levels.

What Is Collagen?

When it comes to collagen supplements, you are definitely spoiled for choice. There are a plethora of powders, tablets, capsules, shots, and even coffee creamers available to purchase on the Singapormarket - it all depends on which one you prefer and will stick to on a regular basis.

Many brands have also taken the opportunity to pair collagen with a host of other helpful skin-boosting nutrients like vitamin C, zinc, and selenium, so it's rare that you'll find a product with collagen alone these days.

While there are 28 types of collagen in the body overall,  the two most commonly found in collagen supplements are:

Collagen Supplements: What You Need To Know

Type 1

Widely considered to be the most potent form of collagen and the one most found in beauty & skin supplements, type 1 collagen is sourced from either fish (marine) or bovine (cattle) and is the type naturally found in your skin. This means it's usually the one to pick your goal is to reduce wrinkles and fine lines, improve skin elasticity and hydrate your skin.

Additionally, some studies have also suggested it may help to rebuild your muscles, eyes, bones, plus it's also good for strengthening nails and helping you grow stronger, thicker and more luscious hair.

Type 2

Type 2 collagen is the one found in the majority of the protein molecules found in your cartilage, which is the connective tissue that protects your bones, spine and eyes.

Type 2 collagen is usually sourced from either chicken or cattle (bovine) and is the one to go for when it comes to supporting healthy joints.

With so many options out there it can be extremely hard to distinguish which brands are effective and which are just trying to take your money.

Fortunately, The Foods Channel has done the homework for you, so that you don't risk wasting your hard-earned money on low-value, misleading, or potentially dangerous products.

When it comes to finding a high-quality Collagen supplement that delivers results you should look for the following things:

Collagen Supplements: What To Look For

1. Collagen Glow Berries
by The Purest Co

THE BOTTOM LINE

With an extremely comprehensive formula and the best customer feedback scores on our list, Collagen Glow Berries by The Purest Co is easily our Number 1 pick.

It delivers a potent dose (5500mg) of Nitta-gelatin Wellnex® hydrolyzed collagen peptides which are a superior form of Type 1 marine collagen, as well as a whole host of supporting ingredients like vitamin C (250mg), bilberry extract, and mixed berries concentrate juice.

This collagen drink was extremely popular with our readers and contains no unnecessary ingredients, and was packed with a great taste. The company was highly rated for customer service and offers a 30-day, risk-free, money-back guarantee which shows they are willing to stand behind the quality of their product.

When compared to other top competitors, Collagen Glow Berries was unrivaled in effectiveness, quality, safety, and value which makes it our top choice as the best collagen supplement on the market today.

*Results are based on The Foods Channel System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information.

2. Inner Radiance Collagen Drink
by New Moon

THE BOTTOM LINE

Everyone is familiar with New Moon as a brand, and besides their well-known abalone products, they carry a line of collagen drinks as well. Their collagen drinks contain one of the highest amounts of marine collagen peptides in the market, and they have priced it as such.

Inner Radiance collagen drink also contains ceramide and hyaluronic acid, as well as maqui berry and vitamin C, which complements their marine collagen peptides.

However, each daily intake bottle is almost 25% more expensive than our top choice, which may or may not justify the amount of collagen in each bottle. Studies have also shown that daily consumption of more than 5000mg may not be effective and cost-efficient, as we do get a certain amount of collagen from our daily diet.

Inner Radiance unfortunately does not seem to have discounts for multiple order purchases - meaning if you plan on taking this long-term, it could get very expensive. 

This product would be a good option for those who are not price-sensitive, and who require more collagen than the average consumer.

3. RubyCollagen Essence
by BRANDS

THE BOTTOM LINE

RubyCollagen Essence by Brands is an offering from a company that has been in Singapore for many years and is well-known for its affordable chicken essence product line.

This product is the only one in our list which contains astaxanthin, which can protect against collagen degradation by reducing oxidative stress induced by UV rays. However, the product does not contain vitamin C, which many other options in the market contain.

On the downside, RubyCollagen Essence also has the lowest amount of collagen peptides on our list, at only 3000mg. This is in addition to being one of the more pricey alternatives, making the cost per mg of collagen very expensive as compared to other options on the list.

Consumers may potentially be paying a premium for a product made by one of the more well-respected brands in Singapore.

4. Crystal Collagen
by Itoh Hanako

THE BOTTOM LINE

Crystal Collagen by Itoh Hanako contains an interesting formula that includes ingredients such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, pomegranate flower, and kiwi seed.

The product is quite affordable for the amount of collagen (5300mg) and has one of the lowest-calorie counts for each serving on this list.

While they are peach-flavored, some people were not fond of the taste and smell based on some of the mixed feedback we received.

Unfortunately, their website failed to mention much on their return policy, which is an important point to note when trying a new product.

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* The information contained within this site is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have, expect to have, or suspect you may have any medical condition, you are urged to consult with your GP or healthcare provider. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or the European Food Safety Authority. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases or medical conditions. Results are based on the TheFoodsChannel Ranking System and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. Please visit product websites for more information. Trademarks used on our website belong to their respective owners and no implied or expressed endorsement of our website or services is intended. Rankings can be affected by the relationship TheFoodsChannel has with our top picks. [1] we have a financial relationship with some of our top picks and product partners.

Alexis Tanner  |  about a week ago