Do beautiful twentysomethings really need collagen?

[Editor's note: This article is the Viewpoint in the new SupplySide Supplement Journal digital magazine on nutricosmetics — your toolbox for better business. Download the free issue here and discover formulation advice, science analysis, and the best ways to market your products to your target audience.]

Collagen — grande dame of the nutricosmetic set — is a curious ingredient. It’s unlike most other nutrients. Normally, you consume a nutrient, it goes where it’s needed, and your blood or tissue levels of said ingredient increase. But not so with collagen. 

You already know collagen is the most abundant type of protein in the body. But the collagen taken in supplements is typically collagen peptides. These are fragments of protein’s amino acids. Typically, when protein degrades into peptides fragments, the body takes notice and produces more.

So when a person supplements with collagen peptides, it’s not that they are putting more collagen to the body’s tissues and plasma; it’s that the circulating protein fragments are alerting the body that a lot of collagen seems to be breaking down in the body, so it’s time to ramp up endogenous collagen production. 

Sneaky! 

Also possibly sneaky is the marketing of collagen, which invariably pictures glowing 20-somethings with impeccable facial complexions. The idea of collagen is to improve skin firmness, suppleness and moisture content. Studies show some collagen peptides also can help with wrinkles, dry skin and aging skin. Do these picture-perfect youngsters actually need to be taking collagen?  

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When does a body really need collagen? 

Researchers in Spain back in 1994 measured skin collagen content in 76 women between age 20 and 60. They found that collagen decreased significantly with age — after the 40s and after menopause, which is typically between 45 and 55 years old. 

After menopause in particular is when women’s collagen stores really begin a precipitous decline. 

So do the collagen marketers have it all wrong, to sell collagen to 20-somethings who, let’s face it, have pretty lustrous skin at that age already? 

Well, not so fast. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, and University Hospital, detailed all of the age-related changes that occur. They noted that “beginning in the fourth decade [when you are in your 30s], there is a linear decline in bone mass at a rate of about 10% per decade for women and 5% per decade for men. Thus, by the eighth and ninth decades [your 70s and 80s] 30% to 50% of the skeletal mass may be lost.” 

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Researchers at the University of Michigan confirmed collagen drops between two very different age groups — women ages 18-29 and those older than age 80. They found collagen synthesis decreased by 68% between the two groups. But when exactly does collagen begin to decrease? 

Sign of the times — I turned to AI. ChatGPT told me that natural collagen production decreases starting around the age of 25, by about 1% a year. “The decline becomes more noticeable in the late 30s and 40s,” ChatGPT advised, with an “even more significant reduction in collagen production” after menopause. 

Google’s Bard AI bot largely agreed, saying collagen production begins to decline around the age of 25 — and by age 40, women may have lost 10-20% of their collagen. 

What to make of all this? 

I guess it’s fair to start taking collagen in morning smoothies around age 25 — and yes, sure, go ahead and market your collagen supplements with lustrous young 20-somethings.