Collagen Beauty Supplements For Skin

Collagen sits in the dermis, the layer under the surface of your skin. Cells there called fibroblasts make mostly type I and type III collagen,^[3] and type I is the most common type in skin.^[4]

• Age: older skin makes less collagen, partly because fibroblasts slow down.^[3] Skin collagen falls with age and is lower in women than in men at every age.^[5]
• Menopause: in one study, skin collagen and skin thickness fell by about 1% to 2% a year after menopause.^[6]
• Sun: UV light is the main outside cause of skin ageing, and fair skin in sunny places shows the most damage.^[7]
• Smoking and sugar: smoking is linked with elastosis, one of the main signs of ageing skin.^[8] Glucose and fructose can bind collagen fibres together, which makes them stiff and hard to repair.^[9]

Hydrolysed collagen, collagen peptides and collagen hydrolysate are three names for collagen cut into short chains that dissolve in a drink. Some of it reaches your blood as small peptides, not only as single amino acids (the building blocks of protein). In a Japanese study, blood levels of one of these peptides, prolyl-hydroxyproline, peaked one to two hours after volunteers drank 9.4 g to 23 g of collagen. Researchers at Kyoto Prefectural University and the food company Nippon Meat Packers ran it.^[10]

Your body needs vitamin C to build its own collagen.^[11] Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.^[12]

Five in-stock products in this range are AUST L listed medicines for skin, so they may carry indications, the health claims the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) permits:

1. Skin elasticity and firmness: Caruso's Total Beauty Collagen Powder, Swisse Beauty Collagen Glow and Swisse Beauty Collagen + Hyaluronic Acid Booster are listed to support or help improve skin elasticity and firmness.
2. Skin hydration: the Swisse booster is listed to help increase skin hydration.
3. Skin structure: Caruso's Total Beauty is listed to maintain skin integrity and help protect skin elastin (the protein that lets skin spring back) from breaking down.
4. Skin health: all three, plus Healthy Care Beauty Collagen Bioactive and Spring Leaf Premium Inner Beauty Collagen 6-In-1 Advanced, are listed to support skin health.
5. Hair and nails: Caruso's Total Beauty is listed to help reduce nail brittleness, splitting and chipping. Caruso's and Spring Leaf are listed to maintain hair health and nail strength.
6. Collagen formation: all five are listed to support collagen formation.

Always read the label and follow the directions for use.

The Large Reviews

A 2023 review pooled 26 studies with 1,721 people that compared collagen with a placebo, a dummy product with no collagen in it. Most involved women aged 35 to 65. Hydrolysed collagen improved skin hydration, with bigger gains after more than 8 weeks, and elasticity (how well skin springs back). It found no difference between sources, though most of its studies used fish collagen. A Taipei hospital funded the review.^[2] A 2021 review of 19 studies (1,125 people, 95% women) found less wrinkling as well.^[13]

Independent and Higher-Quality Studies

A 2025 review of 23 studies found benefits overall, but none for hydration, elasticity or wrinkles in studies not funded by companies, or in the higher-quality studies. Its authors, from Monash University and Korea's National Cancer Center, concluded there is currently no clinical evidence to support collagen supplements to prevent or treat skin ageing.^[14] Industry groups, including the Gelatin Manufacturers of the World, have questioned how it grouped the studies.^[15]

Trials Supplied by Collagen Makers

• Hydration: in a Korean study of 64 women aged 40 to 60, a daily catfish-skin peptide drink improved hydration from week 6 compared with placebo. Staff of Newtree, which supplied the peptide, co-wrote it, with no outside funding.^[16]
• Elasticity: in a German study of 69 women aged 35 to 55, a pig-collagen peptide improved elasticity compared with placebo after 8 weeks.^[17]
• Collagen production: in another German study of women aged 45 to 65, skin samples from a subgroup held 65% more procollagen type I than with placebo after 8 weeks. Procollagen is the form your body makes first and then turns into collagen.^[18] Gelita, a collagen maker, provided the peptide for both German studies, and two authors work at the Collagen Research Institute in Kiel.

A Nail Study

In 25 people with brittle nails, a specific collagen peptide taken for 24 weeks raised nail growth by 12%. There was no placebo group, and two authors work at the Collagen Research Institute.^[19] Harvard Health doctors say hardly any evidence supports collagen for hair and nails.^[20]

The changes measured were modest and took 8 to 12 weeks. None of the five AUST L products in our range is listed to treat or prevent a skin condition.

Shop by type: Marine Collagen, Collagen Hydrolysate, Hair, Skin and Nails Supplements, Beauty Supplements and Collagen Powder & Supplements.

Which type is right for you?

• The most collagen for your money: a plain bovine powder.
• A listed skin product: an AUST L tablet or capsule, or Caruso's Total Beauty powder.
• No beef: marine powders and sachets (capsule shells and gummies can contain gelatin, so check the label).
• No mixing: tablets, capsules, gummies or liquid collagen.
• Vegan: plant-based collagen builders, which contain no collagen.

Not sure where to start? Our practitioners can help you choose.

Prices are for in-stock products that state their collagen per serve, at 25 October 2026 (some on special). Prices change often, so check each product page. Sports foods, practitioner-only products and skincare are not included.

Most of our collagen range are foods or sports foods. What they offer:

1. Value and ease: plain bovine powders start at about 9 cents a gram of collagen and dissolve in coffee or a smoothie.
2. A choice for your diet: marine, bovine, halal and vegan options.
3. Extras in one serve: blends add vitamin C, zinc, biotin, silica or hyaluronic acid.

• How much: skin studies used under 1 g to 12 g a day, most often 2.5 g.^[2] Products in our range give anything from under 1 g to more than 20 g a serve. Follow your pack and do not take more than it directs.
• How long: most studies ran for 8 to 12 weeks, and hydration gains were bigger after more than 8 weeks.^[2] Follow your pack for how long to take it.
• When: follow your pack. Some say to take it with or straight after a meal, and others before a meal. The studies gave one dose a day.

• Marine collagen: made from fish skin, scales or bones.^[4] Choose it if you avoid beef, and expect to pay more per gram.
• Bovine collagen: made from cattle hide, bone or tendon.^[4] It gives you the most collagen for your money.
• Does the source matter? The 2023 review found no difference in elasticity, but 14 of its 26 studies used fish and only one used bovine.^[2] Choose by diet, format and cost per gram.
• Vegan collagen: plants do not make collagen, so vegan products contain none. They supply amino acids, vitamin C or silica instead.

• Vitamin C: fruit and vegetables are good sources, and many beauty blends add it.^[11]
• Zinc and biotin: zinc contributes to normal skin structure, and biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.^[12]
• Hyaluronic acid: the Swisse booster combines it with collagen. The booster is listed to help increase skin hydration.
• Combining products: check the combined amounts on each label, and ask our practitioners or your pharmacist before you stack supplements.

Check with a health professional first if any of these apply to you.

• Allergies and sensitivities: marine collagen comes from fish, and bovine collagen from cattle. Some products also carry sulphite or phenylalanine warnings, so read the "contains" and "may contain" lines.
• Gout or a low-protein diet: Harvard Health doctors advise people prone to gout, or who need to limit protein, not to use collagen.^[20]
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: ask your doctor or midwife first. The Swisse hyaluronic acid booster is not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
• Caffeine: collagen coffees contain it, about 115 mg a serve in Before You Speak Unsweetened.
• Medicines: Swisse Beauty Collagen Glow carries a warfarin warning, so ask your pharmacist if you take regular medicines.
• Children and teenagers: most collagen products are made for adults, and sports foods are not suitable for children under 15. Follow the label.
• Blood tests: biotin can interfere with some lab tests.^[21] Caruso's Total Beauty has 2.5 mg of biotin a serve, so tell your doctor you take it before a blood test.

If you notice a rash, itching, swelling or trouble breathing after taking collagen, stop and seek medical help.

Collagen is sold in Australia as a food, a sports food or a listed medicine, and the label tells you which.

• Food: most powders, coffees and hot chocolates. Collagen has no pre-approved health claim in the Food Standards Code, but vitamin C, zinc and biotin do.^[12]
• Sports food: some marine sachets and powders, and protein waters. They must state that they are not suitable for children under 15 or pregnant women and should only be used under medical or dietetic supervision.^[22] A sports-food label is not a TGA listing.
• Listed medicine: an AUST L number means the product is on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and may carry only permitted indications.^[23] The TGA does not evaluate these medicines one by one before listing. So an AUST L number is not proof that a product works.^[24]

1. Pick the kind of product: an AUST L listed product if you want one with skin indications, or a food powder if you want the most collagen for your money.
2. Check the grams of collagen per serve, not the scoop or tub weight. Skin studies most often used 2.5 g a day.^[2] Take only what your pack directs.
3. Pick a source and format that suit your diet and that you will take every day. The skin studies ran for 8 to 12 weeks.^[2]
4. Compare the cost per gram of collagen, not the tub price.
5. Check the allergens and warnings.
6. Keep up your sun protection, because collagen does not replace sunscreen.
7. Ask us: book a free 10-minute consultation with one of our practitioners.

• Free advice from qualified naturopaths and nutritionists, online and in store, with no obligation to buy.
• Trusted since 1992, with eight stores across Sydney, the Hunter region and the Sunshine Coast.
• Powders, tablets, capsules, gummies, liquids and collagen coffee in one place.
• Free Click & Collect, and free standard shipping over $120 in NSW and the ACT or over $150 in QLD, VIC, SA, TAS and WA (NT calculated at checkout).
• We aim to dispatch in-stock orders the same day.
• Rated 4.7 stars from more than 3,200 customer reviews.

Explore more: our Collagen Powder & Supplements guide covers joints, bone and muscle, and we also stock Collagen Joint Supplements, Vitamin C Supplements, Zinc Supplements and Silica Supplements. Read our blog Vegan, Marine and Bovine Collagen: What's the Difference?

1. Ricard-Blum, S. (2011) 'The collagen family', Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology, 3(1), a004978. doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a004978. Funding: not stated.
2. Pu, S.Y., Huang, Y.L., Pu, C.M., Kang, Y.N., Hoang, K.D., Chen, K.H. and Chen, C. (2023) 'Effects of oral collagen for skin anti-aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis', Nutrients, 15(9), 2080. doi:10.3390/nu15092080. Funding: Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, grant 111TMU-WFH-06; the authors declare no conflict of interest.
3. Varani, J., Dame, M.K., Rittie, L., Fligiel, S.E.G., Kang, S., Fisher, G.J. and Voorhees, J.J. (2006) 'Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin: roles of age-dependent alteration in fibroblast function and defective mechanical stimulation', American Journal of Pathology, 168(6), pp. 1861-1868. doi:10.2353/ajpath.2006.051302. Funding: US National Institutes of Health grants R01 DK059169 and AG013964.
4. León-López, A., Morales-Peñaloza, A., Martínez-Juárez, V.M., Vargas-Torres, A., Zeugolis, D.I. and Aguirre-Álvarez, G. (2019) 'Hydrolyzed collagen: sources and applications', Molecules, 24(22), 4031. doi:10.3390/molecules24224031. Funding: Mexico's National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT), grant 621400; the authors declare no conflict of interest.
5. Shuster, S., Black, M.M. and McVitie, E. (1975) 'The influence of age and sex on skin thickness, skin collagen and density', British Journal of Dermatology, 93(6), pp. 639-643. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2133.1975.tb05113.x. Funding: not stated.
6. Brincat, M., Kabalan, S., Studd, J.W., Moniz, C.F., de Trafford, J. and Montgomery, J. (1987) 'A study of the decrease of skin collagen content, skin thickness, and bone mass in the postmenopausal woman', Obstetrics and Gynecology, 70(6), pp. 840-845. PMID: 3120067. Funding: non-US government support, funder not named in the abstract.
7. Fisher, G.J., Kang, S., Varani, J., Bata-Csorgo, Z., Wan, Y., Datta, S. and Voorhees, J.J. (2002) 'Mechanisms of photoaging and chronological skin aging', Archives of Dermatology, 138(11), pp. 1462-1470. doi:10.1001/archderm.138.11.1462. Funding: US National Institute on Aging grant AG139364-01-GJF.
8. Kennedy, C., Bastiaens, M.T., Bajdik, C.D., Willemze, R., Westendorp, R.G. and Bouwes Bavinck, J.N. (2003) 'Effect of smoking and sun on the aging skin', Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 120(4), pp. 548-554. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1747.2003.12092.x. Funding: not stated in the abstract; Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden Skin Cancer Study.
9. Danby, F.W. (2010) 'Nutrition and aging skin: sugar and glycation', Clinics in Dermatology, 28(4), pp. 409-411. doi:10.1016/j.clindermatol.2010.03.018. Funding: not stated.
10. Iwai, K., Hasegawa, T., Taguchi, Y., Morimatsu, F., Sato, K., Nakamura, Y., Higashi, A., Kido, Y., Nakabo, Y. and Ohtsuki, K. (2005) 'Identification of food-derived collagen peptides in human blood after oral ingestion of gelatin hydrolysates', Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53(16), pp. 6531-6536. doi:10.1021/jf050206p. Funding: not stated; authors from Kyoto Prefectural University and Nippon Meat Packers; Nitta Gelatin supplied the gelatin hydrolysates.
11. Pullar, J.M., Carr, A.C. and Vissers, M.C.M. (2017) 'The roles of vitamin C in skin health', Nutrients, 9(8), 866. doi:10.3390/nu9080866. Funding: University of Otago and Zespri International; the authors declare no conflict of interest.
12. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (2026) Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Schedule 4, Nutrition, health and related claims (F2015L00474), compilation No. 7, in force 30 April 2026, entries for vitamin C, zinc and biotin. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2015L00474/latest (Accessed: 25 October 2026).
13. de Miranda, R.B., Weimer, P. and Rossi, R.C. (2021) 'Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis', International Journal of Dermatology, 60(12), pp. 1449-1461. doi:10.1111/ijd.15518. Funding: not stated in the abstract.
14. Myung, S.K. and Park, Y. (2025) 'Effects of collagen supplements on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials', The American Journal of Medicine, 138(9), pp. 1264-1277. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2025.04.034. Funding: not stated in the abstract; authors at Monash University, Australia, and the National Cancer Center, Korea.
15. Stern, C. (2025) 'Industry pushes back on meta-analysis concluding collagen supplements show no benefit for skin aging', NutraIngredients, 26 August. Available at: https://nutraingredients.com/Article/2025/08/26/industry-reacts-to-meta-analysis-concluding-collagen-supplements-show-no-proven-benefit-for-skin-aging (Accessed: 25 October 2026).
16. Kim, D.U., Chung, H.C., Choi, J., Sakai, Y. and Lee, B.Y. (2018) 'Oral intake of low-molecular-weight collagen peptide improves hydration, elasticity, and wrinkling in human skin: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study', Nutrients, 10(7), 826. doi:10.3390/nu10070826. Funding: no external funding; two authors work for Newtree, which supplied the collagen peptide, and one at the Jellice Central Research Institute.
17. Proksch, E., Segger, D., Degwert, J., Schunck, M., Zague, V. and Oesser, S. (2014) 'Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study', Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 27(1), pp. 47-55. doi:10.1159/000351376. Funding: not stated; GELITA AG provided the product, and two authors work at the Collagen Research Institute, Kiel.
18. Proksch, E., Schunck, M., Zague, V., Segger, D., Degwert, J. and Oesser, S. (2014) 'Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis', Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 27(3), pp. 113-119. doi:10.1159/000355523. Funding: not stated; GELITA AG provided the product, and two authors work at the Collagen Research Institute, Kiel.
19. Hexsel, D., Zague, V., Schunck, M., Siega, C., Camozzato, F.O. and Oesser, S. (2017) 'Oral supplementation with specific bioactive collagen peptides improves nail growth and reduces symptoms of brittle nails', Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 16(4), pp. 520-526. doi:10.1111/jocd.12393. Funding: not stated in the abstract; two authors work at the Collagen Research Institute, Kiel.
20. Patel, P. and Makredes Senna, M. (2023) Considering collagen drinks and supplements? Harvard Health Publishing, 12 April. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/considering-collagen-drinks-and-supplements-202304122911 (Accessed: 25 October 2026).
21. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2022) Biotin interference with troponin lab tests: assays subject to biotin interference. Content current as of 21 June 2022. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics/biotin-interference-troponin-lab-tests-assays-subject-biotin-interference (Accessed: 25 October 2026).
22. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (2026) Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, Standard 2.9.4, Formulated supplementary sports foods (F2015L00421), compilation No. 3, in force 9 June 2026. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2015L00421/latest (Accessed: 25 October 2026).
23. Australian Government (2025) Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Indications) Determination (No. 1) 2025 (F2025L00450), Schedule 1, Part 12, indications relating to skin. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2025L00450/asmade (Accessed: 25 October 2026).
24. Australian Government (2026) Explanatory Statement, Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Amendment (Removal of Andrographis Paniculata) Determination 2026 (F2026L01211), 'Listed medicines legislative framework under sections 26A and 26AE'. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L01211/asmade (Accessed: 25 October 2026).