Are collagen drinks effective for increasing skin plumpness and elasticity?

There are a lot of new videos on TikTok and such social media platforms that form content for New Year, New you concept. This includes collagen drinks that boasts of giving your skin the glow and making it flawless and wrinkles free. But does it really work?

New Year New You and collagen drinks

Social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have a lot of new trending videos. These are mainly in the section about New Year, New You. It talks about various diets, foods, superfoods, drinks, cosmetic techniques, workout regimes etc that can supposedly provide you with a new look. And in this, collagen drinks also form a prominent part. The hashtag #collagen has more than 1.9 billion views on TikTok. These drinks promise the readers a smooth, glowing, plump and wrinkles less skin.

But are these just empty claims or do these drinks really do the work they promise? If yes, how much of the liquid collagen would one require to see the difference in skin? Is there any scientific support to these claims?

Collagen is a particular protein type that is the building block of the body. It binds tissues and bones together. Nutritionist Amanda Griggs adds:

‘It helps give your skin strength and elasticity, as well as stimulating production of hyaluronic acid.’

The collagen stores of skin start to decline after the age of 25. Amanda explains:

‘Many factors can further slow our collagen production, including ageing, smoking, excess sugar, UV rays, excess alcohol consumption and eating denatured processed food,’

Skin sags and fine lines appear.

Claims of the drink manufacturers

Amanda states:

‘These brands claim their drinks may have several anti-ageing benefits, from improving hair and skin, strengthening nails, repairing joints, and even healing the gut,’

They manufacture it from bovine tissues or fish skin. Hence it is not vegan. Scientists are trying to create collagen in the lab. But it is to replace gelatin in food industry and not for beauty products. Revive Collagen has launched it’s plant based collagen substitute.

Dermatologist Dr Justine Kluk states:

‘The collagen peptides in these drinks are reportedly digested into smaller molecules and then absorbed in our gut. They’ve been shown to appear one hour after ingestion in the bloodstream,’

‘Investigations have demonstrated that these absorbed peptides can reach the skin and may be retained in the tissue for up to two weeks,’ 

Is it beneficial?

The answer is not yet clear. Dr. Justine opines that there are some studies to prove that these collagen drinks do work. She said:

‘A growing number of laboratory-based studies demonstrate the potential for collagen peptides in drinks or supplements to improve skin hydration and to reduce wrinkles by strengthening our own collagen networks,’ 

‘The amount used in clinical studies varies from 2.5 to 10g per day, with some reporting their outcomes at four weeks and others after eight or more weeks,’ 

Read here: Foods to eat to get a glowing skin!

But human data is absent. The research is still preliminary and in lab studies only. And these are all sponsored research with high chances of bias. Moreover, one needs high-grade, hydrolysed version in order to be effective.