Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the human body, making up one-fourth of the body’s dry mass.
So, what are collagen supplements? They are products primarily used for maintaining younger-looking skin, hair, and nails along with supporting healthy joints—and they are extremely popular for this purpose. The size of the global collagen market was estimated at $10.08 billion in 2022, and it is forecasted to reach approximately $23.02 billion by 2032 with a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.9% during the forecast period 2023 to 2032.1Collagen Market (By Source: Bovine, Marine, Porcine, Poultry; By Product: Gelatin, Hydrolyzed collagen, Native collagen, Synthetic collagen; By Application: Food and Beverage, Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Nutraceuticals, Cosmetics, Others; By Type; By Form; By Product Category; By Function) – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, Regional Outlook, and Forecast 2023 – 2032. Precedence Research. Retrieved January 27, 2024 from https://www.precedenceresearch.com/collagen-market#:~:text=The%20global%20collagen%20market%20size,forecast%20period%202023%20to%202032.
As a brand owner, if you don’t already offer products in this category, you should consider doing so. But first, you may have a few questions, such as “How are collagen supplements made?” More specifically, you may want to know:
- What are collagen supplements made from?
- What are the steps in manufacturing collagen supplements?
- What are the possible benefits of collagen supplements?
- What are the key considerations when selecting a collagen supplements manufacturer?
In this article, I’ll address these key questions and explain why Vitaquest stands out as one of the premier choices for manufacturing collagen supplements tailored to your customers’ needs.
What Are Collagen Supplements Made From?
As a protein, collagen is exclusively derived from animal sources. If you want to know where do collagen supplements come from, the answer is bovine (cattle hide), porcine (pig hide), marine (fish scales), and chicken (sternal cartilage) sources.
There has been significant interest in so-called “vegan collagen” products, although plants do not contain collagen. Nevertheless, some innovative nutraceutical suppliers have developed vegan amino acid blends that mimic human collagen and have conducted studies demonstrating the effectiveness of the blends for skin health.
When thinking about what collagen powder is made of, it usually contains more than just collagen. Many collagen supplements also include other ingredients that work well with collagen. This may include various nutrients such as vitamin C, which is needed for the body’s synthesis of collagen2Bechara N, Flood VM, Gunton JE. A Systematic Review on the Role of Vitamin C in Tissue Healing. Antioxidants (Basel). 2022 Aug 19;11(8):1605. and acts as an antioxidant protecting against free radicals3Carr AC, Frei B. Toward a new recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C based on antioxidant and health effects in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69(6):1086-1107.4Bruno RS, Leonard SW, Atkinson J, et al. Faster plasma vitamin E disappearance in smokers is normalized by vitamin C supplementation. Free Radic Biol Med. 2006;40(4):689-697..
Collagen supplements may also contain other antioxidants such as astaxanthin which produces a strong antioxidant effect supporting facial skin rejuvenation5Chalyk NE, Klochkov VA, Bandaletova TY, Kyle NH, Petyaev IM. Continuous astaxanthin intake reduces oxidative stress and reverses age-related morphological changes of residual skin surface components in middle-aged volunteers. Nutr Res. 2017 Dec;48:40-48.. In addition to these active ingredients, collagen supplements may also include inactive ingredients—particularly in powdered products—such as flavorings and sweeteners.
Steps of Manufacturing Collagen Supplements
There are several steps in the collagen manufacturing process. This includes sourcing the raw materials, extracting the collagen, purifying the collagen, mixing the collagen with other ingredients, packaging and labeling the collagen supplements, and quality control and safety procedures.
Possible Benefits of Collagen Supplements
There are several possible benefits associated with the use of collagen supplements, depending on the source of those supplements. For example, specific branded collagen peptide materials offer these benefits:
- A bovine source collagen peptide has been shown to reduce wrinkles by 20%, improve skin elasticity, and increase procollagen production with 2.5 g/day.6Proksch E, Schunck M, Zague V, Segger D, Degwert J, Oesser S. Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2014;27(3):113-9.7Proksch E, Segger D, Degwert J, Schunck M, Zague V, Oesser S. Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2014;27(1):47-55.
- A fish-source collagen peptide has been shown to reduce wrinkles, improve skin elasticity, maintain skin firmness, and improve skin tone and radiance with 2.5 g/day.8Dutein L, Roussel CQ, Bruno-Bonnet C, Lacour JP. Effect of Low Dose Type I Fish Collagen Peptides Combined or not with Silicon on Skin Aging Signs in Mature Women. JOJ Case Stud. 2018;6(4) ID.555692.
- A chicken source type 2 collagen has been shown to reduce skin dryness, lines/wrinkles, and increase collagen with 1000 mg/day, and support healthy joints with 2000 mg/day. 9Schwartz SR1, Park J. Ingestion of BioCell Collagen(®), a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract; enhanced blood microcirculation and reduced facial aging signs. Clin Interv Aging. 2012;7:267-73.
- A porcine source collagen peptide has been shown to significantly reduce UV-induced age spots on skin10Sugihara F, Inoue N. Clinical effects of collagen hydrolysates ingestion on UV-induced pigmented spots of human skin: A preliminary study. Health Sciences. 2012; 28(2): 153-156.and promote support healthy joints11Kumar S, Sugihara F, Suzuki K, Inoue N, Venkateswarathirukumara S. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical study on the effectiveness of collagen peptide on osteoarthritis. J Sci Food Agric. 2015;95(4):702-707. doi:10.1002/jsfa.6752 with 5 g/day.
Key Considerations When Selecting a Collagen Supplements Manufacturer
Collagen supplements are quite popular among consumers and global sales are projected to grow over the next decade. After reading this article, you can now answer the question “How are collagen supplements made”, and you have a better understanding of their benefits and the steps in their manufacturing. Now it’s time to consider selecting a collagen supplement manufacturer. A good contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) can help you choose the best collagen materials for your products.
Vitaquest is a CDMO that has provided nutraceutical businesses with top-notch supplement formulation design, contract manufacturing, packaging, and fulfillment services for over 45 years. Whether you’re a newcomer to the industry or aiming to diversify your product range, Vitaquest possesses the expertise, cutting-edge facilities, and solutions needed to swiftly and effectively turn your collagen supplement concept into reality, with a focus on the right collagen supplement ingredients for your products. Vitaquest offers a variety of dosage forms, including capsules, tablets, and powders.
Vitaquest also has expertise in domestic and international regulatory standards. We are GMP certified by NSF, assuring brand owners and consumers about our compliance with industry regulations and standards. In addition, Vitaquest can offer Kosher, Halal, and certified organic products, and FSSC 22000 certification for food safety.
Are you ready to move forward with creating high-quality collagen supplements for your brand? If so, call 800-526-9095 to speak with one of our knowledgeable sales executives or request a competitive nutraceutical manufacturing price quote if you’ve already finalized your project requirements!
Frequently Asked Questions About Collagen Supplements
Q: What is the main ingredient in collagen?
The main ingredient in collagen products is collagen itself, the most abundant protein found in the human body, making up one-fourth of the body’s dry mass.
Q: Are collagen supplements made from animals?
The collagen in collagen supplements comes from bovine (cattle hide), porcine (pig hide), marine (fish scales), and chicken (sternal cartilage) sources.
Q: How are collagen supplements made?
There are several steps in the collagen manufacturing process. This includes sourcing the raw materials, extracting the collagen, purifying the collagen, mixing the collagen with other ingredients, packaging and labeling the collagen supplements, and quality control and safety procedures.
Q: How are collagen peptides extracted?
Collagen peptides are a preferred form of collagen. They are made by extracting collagen from animal sources and going through a process of hydrolysis which heats and breaks down the collagen so the body can more easily absorb it.
Q: Which form of collagen is most effective?
Collagen peptides are most effective since they are better absorbed and utilized in the body, whether from bovine (cattle hide), porcine (pig hide), marine (fish scales) or chicken (sternal cartilage) sources.
Q: What are the benefits of collagen supplements?
Collagen peptide supplements have been shown to reduce wrinkles, improve skin elasticity, increase procollagen and collagen production, maintain skin firmness and improve skin tone and radiance, reduce UV-induced age spots on the skin, and support healthy joints in doses ranging from 2-5 g/day.
