Skin Health and Appearance
Supplements studied for skin health and appearance.
Overview
Collagen (17 studies) is the primary and most extensively studied supplement for skin health and appearance. Trials suggest collagen peptides taken by mouth for a month or more may improve skin hydration and elasticity in older adults. Fish-derived collagen appears most effective, while chicken collagen has a smaller effect and bovine collagen may not help these measures. Effects on visible wrinkles remain unclear.
See the heatmap and evidence reviews below for product-type comparisons.
Effect graph
Relevant supplements
Relevant supplements sorted by DEX Score.
Studies
Find individual evidence reviews for supplements sorted by DEX Score.
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CollagenView supplement →
Consider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Taking collagen peptides by mouth may help older adults improve skin hydration and elasticity.
- Studies show that various collagen supplements taken for a month or more can make the skin feel and look more hydrated and elastic.
- Collagen from fish seems to work best, while collagen from chickens has a smaller effect, and bovine collagen doesn’t seem to help with these measures.
- It’s still unclear if collagen supplements actually make a noticeable difference in wrinkles.
- Some studies saw slight improvements in wrinkles, but people didn’t always notice these changes themselves.
- Collagen creams and blends with other ingredients have shown mixed results.
- Taking most forms of collagen reliably improves skin elasticity and hydration and may improve the appearance of wrinkles.
- Collagen peptides from marine sources appear to have the greatest benefit for skin health and appearance.
- The effects of collagen are more pronounced in older adults where natural collagen production has decreased with age.
Browse 17 studies·2 meta-analyses
RCTInfluence of collagen peptide supplementation on visible signs of skin and nail health and -aging in an East Asian population: A double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial2024n=85
In 85 East Asian women aged 43–65, 5 g/day collagen peptides for 84 days improved dermis density and skin moisture versus placebo, with earlier gains in elasticity and wrinkle visibility.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 84 days
- Dose
- 5 g/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 85
- Ages
- 43–65
MetaEffects of Oral Collagen for Skin Anti-Aging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis2023n=1,721
A meta-analysis of 26 collagen RCTs in 1721 participants found hydrolyzed collagen significantly improved skin hydration; effects on elasticity were inconsistent across trials.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Population
- Healthy adults
- Participants
- 1,721
- Ages
- 18+
RCTOral intake of collagen peptide NS improves hydration, elasticity, desquamation, and wrinkling in human skin: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study2023n=100
In 100 women aged 30–60, 1650 mg/day collagen peptide NS for 12 weeks improved skin hydration, desquamation, wrinkling, and elasticity versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Dose
- 1650 mg/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 100
- Ages
- 30–60
RCTOral Supplementation of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptides Reduces Skin Wrinkles and Improves Biophysical Properties of Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled Study2022n=100
In 84 adults, 12 weeks of low-molecular-weight collagen peptides improved crow's feet wrinkle score, wrinkle volume, skin roughness, elasticity, hydration, and TEWL versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 100
RCTA randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel study to evaluate the efficacy of a freshwater marine collagen on skin wrinkles and elasticity2021n=50
In 50 women aged 45–60, 12 weeks of hydrolyzed marine collagen reduced wrinkle score by 35% and improved cheek elasticity versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 50
- Ages
- 45–60
RCTCollagen formula with Djulis for improvement of skin hydration, brightness, texture, crow's feet, and collagen content: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial2021n=50
In 50 adults, an 8-week fish collagen plus Djulis drink improved skin hydration, brightness, crow's feet, texture, wrinkles, and collagen content versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Dose
- 50 mL/day collagen drink
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 50
Open-labelCollagen Hydrolysate Prepared from Chicken By-Product as a Functional Polymer in Cosmetic Formulation2021n=10
In adults aged about 50, twice-daily 1% chicken collagen gel on the periorbital area for 8 weeks increased hydration by up to 12%, reduced TEWL by up to 26%, and reduced wrinkles by up to 41%.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 10
- Ages
- 20–60
MetaEffects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis2021n=1,125
A meta-analysis of 19 trials in 1125 participants (mostly women aged 20–70) found 90 days of hydrolyzed collagen improved skin hydration, elasticity, and wrinkles versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 90 days
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 1,125
- Ages
- 20–70
RCTEffects of a Combination of Water-Soluble CoenzymeQ10 and Collagen on Skin Parameters and Condition:Results of a Randomised, Placebo-Controlled,Double-Blind Study2020n=17
In 34 women aged 40–65, 12 weeks of a water-soluble CoQ10 plus collagen supplement improved dermis density, periorbital wrinkle area, and skin smoothness versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 17
- Ages
- 40–65
RCTFour-weeks daily intake of oral collagen hydrolysate results in improved skin elasticity, especially in sun-exposed areas: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial2020n=36
In 36 postmenopausal women, 5 g/day marine collagen hydrolysate for 4 weeks improved cheek skin elasticity versus placebo, with benefits persisting 4 weeks after stopping.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 4 weeks
- Dose
- 5 g/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 36
RCTTopical application and oral supplementation of peptides in the improvement of skin viscoelasticity and density2019n=60
In 60 women aged 40–50, 90 days of oral hydrolyzed collagen increased skin elasticity and dermis echogenicity, while topical peptides mainly improved hydration and early elasticity.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 90 days
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 60
- Ages
- 40–50
RCTDaily oral supplementation with collagen peptides combined with vitamins and other bioactive compounds improves skin elasticity and has a beneficial effect on joint and general wellbeing2018n=120
In 120 adults, 90 days of a hydrolyzed fish collagen drink with chondroitin, glucosamine, and carnitine increased skin elasticity by 40% and reduced joint pain by 43% versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 90 days
- Population
- Adults
- Participants
- 120
RCTIngestion of bioactive collagen hydrolysates enhance facial skin moisture and elasticity and reduce facial ageing signs in a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled clinical study2016n=85
In 85 women aged 35–55, 8 weeks of a higher-bioactive-peptide collagen hydrolysate improved facial moisture, elasticity, wrinkles, and roughness more than lower-peptide collagen or placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Dose
- 5 g/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 85
- Ages
- 35–55
Open-labelSkin Antiageing and Systemic Redox Effects of Supplementation with Marine Collagen Peptides and Plant-Derived Antioxidants: A Single-Blind Case-Control Clinical Study2016n=41
In 41 adults aged 37–72, 2 months of marine collagen peptides plus antioxidants improved skin elasticity, sebum, and dermal thickness without raising oxidative stress markers.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 2 months
- Population
- Pregnant women
- Participants
- 41
- Ages
- 37–72
RCTThe effect of oral collagen peptide supplementation on skin moisture and the dermal collagen network: evidence from an ex vivo model and randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials2015n=139
In collagen peptide trials totaling 139 women aged 40–65, 8–10 g/day for 8 weeks increased skin hydration and dermal collagen density and reduced collagen fragmentation versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Dose
- 10 g/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 139
- Ages
- 40–65
RCTOral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis2014n=57
In 114 women aged 45–65, 2.5 g/day Verisol bioactive collagen peptides for 8 weeks reduced eye wrinkle volume by 20% and increased procollagen I by 65% versus placebo.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 8 weeks
- Dose
- 2.5 g/day
- Population
- Women
- Participants
- 57
- Ages
- 45–65
Open-labelIngestion of BioCell Collagen(®), a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract; enhanced blood microcirculation and reduced facial aging signs2012n=29
An open-label study in 26 women aged 35–59 found 1 g/day BioCell Collagen for 12 weeks reduced skin dryness/scaling by 76% and lines/wrinkles by 13%, with increased dermal hemoglobin and collagen.
- Effect
- Benefit
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Dose
- 1 g/day
- Population
- Heart failure patients
- Participants
- 29
- Ages
- 35–59
Vitamin CView supplement →
Reconsider purchase·★★★★★
How we scored this▸
- Vitamin C is possibly effective for Skin health & appearance.
Browse 2 studies
Topical L-ascorbic acid: percutaneous absorption studies2001
Formulation studies found topical L-ascorbic acid penetrates skin best at pH <3.5 and 20% concentration; common derivatives did not raise skin vitamin C.
- Effect
- No Benefit
- Duration
- 3 days
RCTTopical melatonin in combination with vitamins E and C protects skin from ultraviolet-induced erythema: a human study in vivo1998
A human photo-protection study found topical melatonin plus vitamins C and E reduced UV-induced erythema more than either antioxidant alone.
- Effect
- Benefit
Evidence visualised
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