Best Collagen Supplement for Sagging Skin

Your skin isn't what is used to be and you are not sure what to do about it. Welcome to the club. In this article, I will list the 11 best collagen supplements for sagging skin, as well as the crucial ingredients you should look for in a supplement.

I'm sure you've tried all the topical creams and lotions, but nothing seems to be working.

The appearance of your skin is important to you, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on surgery or other expensive procedures.

Collagen supplements can help! Studies show that regular use can improve the appearance of your skin by providing the necessary nutrients for healthy skin cell production.

First a quick note: Bluebird Provisions is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Before we get to the list, I'll mention that bone broth is generally better for skin health because it has natural collagen but also many things that traditional supplements do not have.

More on that in the article.

11 Best Collagen Supplements for Sagging Skin

1. Best Overall: Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Powder

You can't really go wrong with Vital Proteins. They are the biggest brand in the industry for good reason, they are owned by Nestle.

That being said, they do a good job with clean sourcing (USA), have a product that mixes relatively well into hot and cold liquids.

Also, the taste is great for an unflavored product. It is about as good as you are going to get. I first used Vital Proteins years ago after seeing them at a trade show. They were one of the only collagen powders on the market at the time. Boy have the times changed.

Anyways, I bought some and it has been my go-to ever since. The consistency and quality is what I love most. It is not the absolute best, but you always get a product that mixes well and doesn't ruin the taste of what you mix it with.

Since they are the biggest, they are able to give you one a solid deal at $2.55 per ounce for a 20 oz or 567 gram canister ($51). If you buy the smaller, 9 oz canister the price is $2.68 per ounce of $24.98

 

2. Best Whole Food Source: Bluebird Provisions Chicken Bone Broth Powder

Bone broth is the best source of collagen because it is minimally processed, has collagen along with hydrating electrolytes and other skin building compounds like hyaluronic acid.

The highest quality with low sodium, 12 g collagen and 300 mg potassium is made by Bluebird Provisions.

The delicious, natural chicken flavor tastes just like the chicken soup I drank as a kid. The cost is $26.64 per 7.1 ounce / 200g or $3.99 per ounce.

Plus, there is no fat or carbs, no nasty fillers like artificial sweeteners, yeast or 'natural flavors.' Just a single protein source from traditionally made bone broth.

I've been drinking this brand for 4 years now and I get compliments about my skin all the time, despite using zero traditional skincare products. I don't even wash my face. What I do is eat well and drink bone broth.

This bone broth mixes perfectly into your smoothies, boiling water or anything you cook. Try some today and thank me later. I prefer to drink it on it's own or add some to my porridge.

What I love most:

• 12 g collagen protein per cup
• 300 mg potassium with magnesium
• No added salt with only 130 mg sodium

 

3. Best for a Budget: Great Lakes Collagen Peptides Powder

Great Lakes boasts an incredibly 4.7 stars on Amazon which is among the highest in the whole list. What I love about this brand is the longevity.

They were founded in 1922 and still doing it well. How cool is that? Anyways, this one is the best combination of quality and price.

It uses grass fed beef which gives you mainly type 1 and type 3 collagen protein. Great Lakes is proudly keto and paleo certified. The cost is $1.62 per ounce for for a 1 pound canister.

In my mixing tests, Great Lakes did exceptionally well in hot and cold liquids. I typically add a scoop in my morning oatmeal, while my wife mixes hers into orange juice along with her creatine and electrolytes.

This will always have a place in our pantry because both of us like the taste and the benefits are fantastic. My wife's skin cleared up since she started taking it, which is amazing!

 

4. Best Grass Fed Collagen: Truvani Grass Fed Beef Collagen

Truvani is a popular supplement brand started by the Food Babe, Vani. They have lots of products, but the new grass fed beef collagen caught my eye. I follow someone who works there on Twitter and saw they were getting into collagen.

I thought to myself, collagen is a commodity product, why are they bothering? The truth is that they brought something new to the market with the grass fed beef.

Truvani beef collagen peptides are Non-GMO and certified gluten free. This makes it great if you are sensitive to gluten or celiac.

The serving size is 20 grams, so you may need to half the scoop if you just want 10 g per serving, which is what most of the research recommend.

In terms of price you are looking at $2.48 per ounce when you purchase a 20 ounce pouch. Side note: I like how they are using a pouch instead of a canister. Why?

Pouches use much less energy to make and dispose of. When you look at a lifecycle assessment, they have much less of an environmental impact compared to the plastic canisters that most brands use.

As far as performance goes, I enjoyed the taste and mouthfeel of the powder. You can barely taste it in water. After a couple of months of using it, I noticed my nails felt a bit stronger. Like I had trouble cutting them with my regular nail clippers.

 

5. Best Flavored Collagen: Obvi Collagen For Women

Obvi is another new brand who has literally burst onto the scene with their fun branding and bold flavor combinations.

I commend them for bringing some fun to the category and innovating with new flavors like fruity cereal and marshmellow.

You also get enough vitamin C (90 mg) to help you absorb the amino acids better and also 100 mcg of biotin which is great for your skin as well.

The products mix well and the flavors are solid. If you are looking for something that you don't have to mix into other liquids, go for Obvi.

The only potential downside if you are sensitive to it is that they use natural and artificial flavors.

There is really no other way to bring these flavors into this type of product. So if you want something flavored, this is the best option.

The price of Obvi collagen boost skin supplement is $2.50 per ounce for a 12.69 ounce canister. I bought a cannister of this one from Wal-Mart when I was travelling last year, and what can I say, I loved the taste.

 

6. Best Collagen Pills: ForestLeaf Collagen Pills with Hyaluronic Acid

Collagen pills area great option if you can swallow pills easily and don't want to mess around with mixing powders.

The big thing to keep in mind with pills is the dosage. To get 10 grams of collagen, you need to take 20 pills. That is not a typo. That is also a lot of pills.

My wife absolutely hates taking pills, so she is better served to powder. I don't mind and like the convenience of just popping some pills back when I am on-the-go or travelling.

Keep this in mind when you are calculating the cost per serving as well. Speaking of price, Forestleaf costs $37.95 for 240 capsules.

At 500 mg per capsule, you get 4.23 ounces per bottle for a per ounce price of $8.97.

What I love about Forestleaf is the added vitamin C (60 mg) and hyaluronic acid (100 mg). They are also produced in a GMP certified facility (Good Manufacturing Process).

The other great thing is that they use a blend of bovine and chicken collagen so that you get types 1, 2 and 3 in one pill.

The other ingredients are: Gelatin, microcrystalline cellulose, vegetable magnesium stearate and silicon dioxide.

 

7. Best Marine Collagen: Sports Research Sourced from Wild-Caught Fish

Hands down the best marine collagen is the Sports Research product sourced from wild caught red snapper and barramundi.

What I love most about Sports Research is the third party testing they do with all of their products. This is incredibly important because it verifies that what they say is in the supplement is actually in it.

The supplement industry is rife with brands cutting corners and using fillers that are not listed on the official ingredients. That is why 3rd party testing is so important.

Sports Research uses Informed Choice to verify their batches, IGEN for non-GMO and NSF to certify Gluten Free.

Now, let's talk about the big elephant in the room with marine collagen. The downside with all marine collagen powders is they taste a bit... bad. This is not an issue with this brand but with all fish collagen.

You can find Sports Research on Amazon for $38.95 (12 oz canister). This works out to $3.24 per ounce. Keep in mind that marine products are usually 20% more expensive than bovine.

 

8. Best Collagen Gummies: Lunakai Collagen Gummies

At 3 grams of sugar per 200 mg collagen, Lunakai is the lowest sugar and carbs for any collagen gummy I found on the market. And I've done some serious digging.

The crazy thing is that many of the competitors had 6 grams of sugar and only 100 mg collagen. That is an awful trade off when it comes to sugar to collagen.

What you get with Lunakai is 200 mg of hydrolyzed bovine collagen per 2 gummies. But you also get vitamin C, biotin (2500 mcg), zinc and vitamin E.

As with all gummies, there are some extra ingredients needed to make it into... a gummy. These are organic tapioca syrup, organic cane sugar, water, pectin, citric acid, sodium citrate, fruit and vegetable juice, natural flavor, coconut oil, carnauba wax.

I recently got a shipment of these gummies and was surprised at the yummy taste. They have a bit of sweetness to them, but not overpowering. I finished the whole bag in about 2 seconds before my wife got a chance to try any.

The price of Lunakai is $31.91 per 60 gummies.

 

9. Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel

Primal Kitchen was started by famed internet blogger Mark Sisson. He created the Primal Diet and way of living, which is similar to paleo.

He's since sold this brand to Kraft-Heinz, but the quality of the product remains high. Reviewers love that it mixes well into cold water and doesn't impact the taste of what they mix it in.

This is really important for unflavored products. Many of them have that nasty collagen aftertaste. This is a straightforward product with 11 grams of collagen protein per scoop and nothing else in it.

Despite being an original Mark Sisson fanboy, I really love how this product is Whole 30 Approved, keto and paleo with no added ingredients. All this comes at a great price of $1.56 per oz for a 19.4 oz or 1.2 lb plastic canister.

If you have crows feet, jowls or other wrinkles that need tightening, give this one a try.

 

10. Garden of Life Grass Fed Collagen Peptides

Garden of Life is another fantastic unflavored option. They use bovine collagen but they also add in some probiotics which can help your digestion and gut health by seeding it with beneficial bacteria.

The strain is Lactobacillus plantarum which may help you break down food and absorb the amino acids better. That being said, some people get bloating from probiotics.  

The nice thing is that collagen is naturally high in another gut boosting amino acid called glycine. Together, probiotics and glycine can work double duty to fix any gut health issues you may have.

The nice thing is that Garden of Life takes their 3rd party certifications seriously. These cost a fair bit of money to get, but they give you peace of mind as a consumer.

This product is certified paleo, keto and gluten free. They are a great company who belong to many climate action organization like B corp, carbonfund.org and the USA green council.

The price of Garden of Life is $30.76 per 19.75 oz which works out to $1.55 per ounce.

The overall rating is 4.5 stars with 9500 reviews at the time of writing.

Tthe neutral taste makes it a favorite in my house. Sometimes I add a scoop to my cereal.

 

11. NeoCell Marine Collagen Capsules With Vitamin C

Neocell Marine Collagen capsules have 500 mg of fish collagen per capsule. Much like I mentioned above, this means you need to take 20 pills to get a dose of 10 grams.

My wife struggles with taking pills, while I have no problem doing so. It is really up to your personal preference. What jumps out to me is the blend of vitamins and minerals in Neocell.

They add in Vitamin C, B6, B12, magnesium, zinc and copper along with hyaluronic acid. These give you a nice energy boost along with some added collagen boosters.

Other ingredients include vegetable magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide and gelatin. These are needed to make the actual capsule the fish collagen goes into.

Speaking of which, the source of fish collagen Neocell uses is karp. I typically vary my collagen between bovine, chicken and marine -- most recently, I used NeoCell and noticed that my skin and nails felt a bit stronger and tighter with less dry areas.

The price is $17.44 for 120 pills which works out to $8.24 per ounce.

 

What to Look For In a Collagen For Skin Health

The specific things you need to look out for are ingredients, sourcing, reviews, 3rd party testing and nutrition facts. Read on as I will explain each of these in more detail below.

Ingredients (no fillers)

Ingredient stuffing is a huge issue with all supplements. You want to look for pure products with simple ingredients. Collagen must be first on the list. If there are other things, I used my knowledge of nutrition and ingredients to decide whether it belongs on the list or not.

Aside from gummies and flavored versions (where you need some flavoring), you can generally disqualify anything with speculative ingredients like 'natural flavors,' or artificial sweeteners like stevia and aspartame.

Sourcing

Next, you want to look at the sourcing of these products. The tricky thing with collagen is that most products are sourced from South America or Asia. While some of these products maybe fine, for the most part, the laws around animal welfare, hormones and antibiotics are much different than North America.

For this reason, is it difficult for me to trust products sourced from these areas unless they also have 3rd party lab testing to substantiate any claims they are making (ex: grass fed, pasture raised, Organic, non-gmo, etc). For the sake of this list, I mainly focused on products sourced and made in the USA and Canada.

3rd Party Testing (NSF, IGEN, Informed Choice)

When looking for quality, I personally prefer products with independent lab testing which verify the potency and efficacy of the ingredients. Look for certifications like NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport. 

These programs test every batch of product to make sure what the brand lists on the ingredients are actually in the product, without anything else. The problem with supplements is that they are often cross contaminated with whatever else is made on site.

And trust me when I tell you, virtually none of these brands actually make their own products. They all use 3rd party manufacturing facilities who specialize in packaging all types of protein and nutritional products.

Nutrition Facts

This is straightforward and table stakes for any nutritional product. When it comes to collagen products, you want it to be all protein with minimal carbs, fat or sugar. The small caveat is that flavored products and gummies will tend to have a bit of sugar. You can use these if you like, but I don't typically recommend them. For gummies I looked at the lowest sugar varieties.

Look for at least 10 grams of collagen per serving with 0 fat and 0 carbs.

Reviews and Popularity

While Amazon is not the perfect place for unbiased, 3rd party feedback, it gives you a decent snapshot for what users think of a product. That being said, you must know what to look for in terms of reviews to spot fake ones. The products on this list all have at least 4.5 stars on Amazon. You can also just look at organic search rankings on Amazon to see which products tend to be highly rated.

How I Tested

For each product in this review, I tested a few different attributes which are very important:

1. Taste: Many unflavored collagen powders taste a bit 'off.' The taste is hard to put my finger on, but you know it when you take it. It is just enough to ruin whatever you are drinking it with. For this reason, my wife exclusively drinks hers with orange juice, because it is the only thing the seems to mask all of the flavor. She has a more sensitive palate than I do.
2. Mixability in hot water: This is pretty simple, will it easily mix into a hot liquid in 5 seconds with just a spoon?
3. Mixability in cold water: Most products will mix well into hot liquids like coffee or tea, but many will struggle with cold water. This is because brands do not agglomerate the powder fine enough when they make it. It is an extra step in the manufacturing process that makes a huge difference.
4. Digestion test: did it give me gut rot? These were obviously not included in this list. But it does happen with some.

Collagen Benefits for Sagging Skin

Collagen benefits for sagging skin include increased firmness, reduced wrinkles, hydration and elasticity, muscle mass, and connective tissue strength.

Read along as I will explain each of these below.

1. Increased Skin Firmness and Tension

Collagen improves the firmness of your skin by forming a network of fibers by fibroblasts in the dermis layer of your skin.

This layer gives you skin its natural structure and integrity. Type I and type III make up 80% of the dermis, which is the deepest layer of your skin.

Although there is limited research on whether collagen can tighten skin, these supplements can potentially improve the appearance of saggy skin by improving skin texture and hydration (3).

2. Reduced Appearance of Wrinkles and Fine Lines

Collagen is beneficial in reducing wrinkles and fine lines, as seen in several research studies.

According to a review of 19 studies, hydrolyzed collagen supplements could reduce skin aging, decrease wrinkles, and improve skin elasticity after 90 days (4).

Another 2019 study published in Nutrients found that women aged 40-60 who consumed collagen supplements had improved skin elasticity and fewer wrinkles after 12 weeks of use (5).

They do this by tightening sagging skin, boosting hydration, and lessening the appearance of wrinkles at the cellular level.

3. Improved Skin Tightening and Elasticity

Much like the points above, collagen can boost hydration by nourishing your skin cells with the right amino acids to improve the appearance.

Hydrated skin gives you that natural glow.

4. Increased Muscle Mass

There is limited research on how collagen specifically increases muscle mass, but it is known to play a role in the production and health of muscles.

One study published in the British Journal of Nutrition in 2015 found that collagen combined with lifting weights lead to a significant increase in muscle mass and strength in elderly men with sarcopenia (6).

The key thing to remember is that you have to lift weights, you can't just take it and expect to grow muscles out of thin air.

5. Improved Connective Tissue Strength

According to research, collagen helps make connective tissue in the body, which strengthens skin, bone, and other tissues.

There are at least 16 different types of collagen, and 80% to 90% of collagen in the body is types I, II or III.

As per Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, collagen supplements have been shown in some research to improve joint mobility and decrease joint pain, as well as improve skin elasticity.

However, more high-quality studies need to be done to verify these initial results. It is important to note that many of these studies are sponsored by collagen supplement companies (or other conflicts of interest) themselves, which is why independent research is needed to verify these claims.

How to use collagen supplements for sagging skin?

Start by taking 10 grams of collagen per day along with 50 mg vitamin C. The vitamin C is needed to help shuttle the amino acids into your skin, joints, tendons and muscles -- where you need it most.

I would strongly recommend you do some form of resistance exercise like weight training or pilates. This is the number one way to increase collagen levels in your body to help with skin tightening and overall anti aging.

Types of Collagen

The common types of collagen you find in supplements are type I, type II and type III. You will find types I and III in most bovine or beef derived products.

Type I is found in your arteries, bones, joints and tendons.

On the other hand, chicken sourced products will have more type II collagen because one of the best sources is chicken sternum. Type II is thought to be better for joint health, and there is some research to support this.

A 2013 study showed that type II collagen reduced joint pain in patients suffering from osteoarthritis after 8 weeks of use (1).

Lastly, marine collagen is mostly made up of type I, which is found in the human body in ligaments, tendons, skin, bones, teeth and hair.

What ingredients should I look for in a collagen supplement?

Collagen or bone broth are the main ingredients you are looking for. Once we get beyond that, some brands prefer to add some extra things like biotin and hyaluronic acid that can help.

But keep in mind you do not want these in place of the precious collagen protein. They can be added in small amounts. Where things get messy is when brand add more of these things in place of the protein because they are cheaper.

For example, research shows that 50 mg of vitamin C is also helpful, more is not needed. But you can easily just get vitamin C by drinking a bit of juice or eating a meal with it.

What is the recommended dosage of collagen for skin benefits?

The recommended dosage of collagen for skin is 5 grams daily for 6-8 weeks to see some changes. The research uses between 2.5 to 5 grams so I chose the upper limit to give you the best chance at success.

One study showed that 5 grams increased skin elasticity and hydration in older women while reducing the depth of existing skin wrinkles in younger women (1).

If you do not notice any changes after 8 weeks, then you are likely not going to get any benefits and you can stop using it and save some money.

How do collagen supplements help to improve the skin?

Collagen supplements improve your skin by replacing the collagen content in damaged skin cells with new collagen.

You see, your skin is made of collagen fibers. As we age, these fibers get run down and die off (alcohol, sun exposure, stress and smoking expedite this process). 

Increasing the collagen content of these fibers by drinking bone broth or taking collagen can restore proper levels your damaged skin (2).

Replacing these damaged layers with new fibers increases your skin's hydration, giving you the glow.

You’ll notice that your skin gets smooth and supple. You get similar benefits in your teeth, hair and nails.

What is the best collagen supplement for sagging skin?

The best collagen supplement for sagging skin is actually a bone broth. Bone broth is superior to collagen because of the natural hyaluronic acid, potassium and magnesium. It is also much less processed, making it a whole food source of protein.

It makes for the perfect combination of nutrients to hydrate your skin, reduce wrinkles and tighten things up as you age.

My favorite product for this is the delicious chicken bone broth made by Bluebird Provisions. You can find it on Amazon or from their site.

How long does it take for a collagen supplement to work?

A 2021 review in the International Journal of Dermatology showed that 90 days of collagen supplementation can produce positive results for skin aging, removing wrinkles and promoting hydration (3).

The tricky thing is that other studies in 2020 and 2022 respectively show that it may not work at all for some people or may take longer.

This means that we need to fund more independent research to figure out what is going on.

Can collagen supplements be taken with other vitamins and supplements?

Yes collagen supplements can be taken with many other supplements, minerals and vitamins. There are no contraindications unless you have a medical history or possible allergies to it.

Many people like to combine it with hyaluronic acid or biotin. While these two nutrients are not the topic of this article, I would stick to bone broth or collagen.

Read more about the risks and downside of collagen in my article.

Which type of collagen is best for sagging skin?

Type 1 collagen is considered the best for skin health. This includes getting rid of wrinkles, hydrating skin, reducing blemishes and dry skin. Type I mainly comes from bovine collagen sources. So make sure you look for beef collagen if you want the skin healing benefits.

Can taking collagen reverse sagging skin?

A collagen supplement can potentially reduce sagging skin to a point, but if you have extremely sagging skin, it is not going to magically fix it. Nothing will except surgery. The best thing to do would be to take collagen for 2 months and see if you notice any differences, if you do not then save your money and skip it.

How long does it take for collagen to tighten skin?

According to the current research available, it takes between 6-12 weeks for collagen to begin it's skin building benefits.

Is it worth taking collagen in your 60s?

You should be taking collagen is your 60s because as you age, your bodies natural collagen production falls off a cliff. You need to supplement with the right dose (about 10 gams per day) in order to keep your natural stores up and reduce the likelihood of deficiencies or wrinkles.

Closing Thoughts

If you’re looking for a great collagen supplement to help improve the appearance of your skin, I recommend trying Bluebird Provisions bone broth.

It’s packed with the essential ingredients your body needs to produce collagen, and it’s a delicious way to get your daily dose!

If you are not interested in that, there are lots of great options I listed in this article. From capsules to powders, marine and bovine sources, there is one for you to try.

Which brands have you tried? Did you like them? Leave a comment and let me know.

Bluebird Provisions is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Price (list price, not sale), nutrition facts, ingredients, reviews and all information is based on the information on Amazon.com at the time of publishing. We are happy to update information as formulas or prices change. Just get in touch and let us know. Price per ounce is based on per ounce of collagen, not per ounce of the whole supplement. Prices are the list price, not sale price.

Note: Prices and details are accurate as of publication date and may vary over time. Price and reviews based on research findings and may vary depending on individual experiences and preferences.

Reference:

(1) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24153020/

(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32436266/

(3) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29099747/

(4) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33742704/

(5) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6835901/

(6) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594048/