Have you ever searched the web with question after question and felt even more confused? We’ve all been there, especially when it comes to health or something that we ingest for the purpose of bodily wellness with beauty benefits. We thought it was time we answered yours and Google's top 10 questions when it comes to collagen. You’ll be a wealth of knowledge in all things collagen in no time at all.

Okay, top FAQ numero uno:

1. What is collagen?

Collagen is a molecule. These molecules hold together the body’s tissues. Collagen plays a major role in the structure of skin, tendons, blood vessels, cartilage, bone and connective tissues.

2. What is collagen good for?

Our skin is made up of over 75% collagen, which begins to degenerate in our mid twenties and is accelerated by other lifestyle and environmental factors. Collagen, more specifically our Collagen Beauty, is good for reducing skin wrinkles, smoothing fine lines, increasing skin hydration, improving moisture levels, promoting skin healing and supporting healthy hair & nails. The gut is also made up of connective tissue, so collagen is great for supporting a healthy gut too.

3. Do collagen powders work?

The short answer, yes, absolutely yes! We source a collagen has been shown to show results after eight short weeks. Hoorah for that!

4. Will collagen help joint pain?

Joint pain can be caused by lots of different things, but one of the common causes of joint pain is damage to tendons, ligaments or cartilage. All of these structures contain a lot of collagen, so consuming collagen peptides will help.

5. Is collagen protein?

Yes! Collagen is the most abundant protein found in the body. However collagen doesn't contain the complete set of amino acids. If you are after a complete protein, we suggest taking either our Clean Protein or Thriving Protein. Take the protein or the collagen that is right for you and your needs.

6. What is the difference between collagen and collagen peptides?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body. Collagen peptides are short chains of amino acids that are produced after the long collagen molecules are broken down (a process called enzymatic hydrolysis). They behave differently to larger collagen molecules because they are smaller and more easily absorbed by the body, and the body can recognise different peptides for specific functions depending on its size and amino acid composition. They are made of the same amino acids as collagen, but they have different properties.

7. What is the difference between marine collagen and bovine?

There are a lot of misconceptions about the size of collagen peptides from bovine source vs marine source. One is not “bigger” or “smaller” than the other (although we can confirm actual cows are usually bigger than fish). The size of collagen peptides relies on the hydrolysis process. This is the process where collagen fibres are broken down into small peptide chains. Both the bovine and marine collagen that we use has been specifically hydrolysed to be the correct size and shape for optimal absorption and utilisation by the body, specific for its function. Both are equal in terms of effect!

8. How is Collagen Beauty™ different from other collagens?

Our naturopathically developed Collagen Beauty™ utilises a scientifically researched bioactive collagen peptide that has been shown in multiple studies to reduce skin wrinkles, improve skin hydration and elasticity, and improve hair strength and thickness.⁣

Together with organic wholefood bioavailable sources of vitamin C, silica and zinc, Collagen Beauty™ provides the necessary nutrients needed to promote collagen production in skin, as well as healthy hair and nails.⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣And with a generous amount of collagen (10g) in every serve - you'll experience far better results, much faster than most other products that only provide 3g or less collagen per serve.

9. Can I take more than one collagen product at the same time?

We do not recommend taking more than one collagen product at a time. More is not always better. If you would like to target multiple body systems, we recommend taking turns with which collagen product you use. The clinical studies that demonstrated the effectiveness of each of the collagens was done by using just one of the specialised bioactive collagen peptides, every day for the trial period (usually between 8-12 weeks). So we recommend doing the same thing (for example, you may want to take Collagen Beauty™ for 12 weeks to help strengthen and hydrate skin over winter, then focus on Collagen Build for 12 weeks to build and strengthen lean muscle over spring). Taking more Collagen won’t cause harm (as it is a food product that is generally considered safe) but there is only so much protein synthesis and metabolism that you can do in a day. Also, consuming too much of anything isn’t a good idea, as it takes the place of other foods in the diet which may reduce the variety of foods that you have in your day. A healthy varied diet is always the best!

10. How is Collagen different from Gelatin?

The main difference between the Collagen and Gelatin Powders are as follows:

• Collagen is naturally present in all connective tissue. Gelatin is extracted from collagen, and hydrolysed collagen is gelatin that has been broken down even further. Therefore, the amino acid profile is the same, but the protein sizes are different.
• Hydrolysed collagen peptides are so small that they will dissolve in hot and cold liquid unlike Gelatin that goes solid (giving it its gelling effect).
• Our Collagen products are fortified with specific Collagen Peptides that are trademarked peptides that make the Collagen Powders functional. ie. Collagen Beauty™ is fortified with Verisol and Naticol (bovine and marine) Collagen peptides that aid in depositing Collagen in hair, skin and nails. Whereas Collagen Body is fortified with Fortibone Collagen peptides that aid in depositing Collagen in bone, ligaments, joints and muscle mass.