Top 5 Collagen Supplements – How To Choose & What To Avoid (May 2024)

The word collagen comes from the Greek word “kolla” which translates to the word glue. Collagen is often referred to as the glue that holds the body together. It is an important structural component of skin, tendons, bones, cartilage, and all other connective tissues. (Sources 1,4

Collagen production is negatively affected by several factors including age. Individuals start to lose collagen as young as 18 years of age, and by age 40, the body can lose approximately 1% per year. (Source 4)

The popularity of collagen has led to hundreds of brands flooding the marketplace; however not all supplements are created equal! We examine a number of different factors:

  • Essential Ingredients
  • Label Accuracy
  • Potential Results
  • Product Safety
  • Consumer Reviews & Feedback
  • Refund & Return Policy

4 Things To Consider

CONTAINS MULTI COLLAGEN TYPES: A multi-collagen supplement should have more than one type of collagen, look for a combination of collagen types such as types I, II, III, V, and X, a popular combination for targeting hair, skin, joint, and nail health.* (source 1, 3)

HYDROLYZED COLLAGEN PEPTIDES: When collagen is hydrolyzed, its amino acids are broken down to enhance digestion and absorption.* (Source 3)

FOOD-BASED COLLAGEN: Keep an eye out for combination collagen supplements sourced from food. Common origins encompass Popular sources include bovine, marine, chicken, and eggshell.* (source 4)

CAPSULES vs. POWDER FORM: collagens in capsule forms are more convenient to take. Powder form collagen are messy and the taste might not be to your liking.

Potential Benefits of Multi-Collagens* 

  • Support joint health and an active lifestyle*
  • Support skin health*
  • Provide essential amino acids and protein*
  • Support skin elasticity*
  • Support muscle health*

4 Things To Avoid

IMPORTANT: Has your brand been third-party tested? You should never buy supplements that don’t have Certificate of Analysis. The studies should be conducted in labs that are not affiliated with the manufacturer. These labs verify the product for safety and potency. It’s best to avoid products that don’t share their results. IMPORTANT
 
Does your supplement contain cheap synthetic fillers? Some brands add artificial fillers to cut cost to offer cheap products. Some of these cheap fillers we found were additives and artificial coloring. You should never purchase cheap products when it comes to supplements.
 
No return policy or customer service – A reputable supplement company will offer 100% money-back guarantee policy and provide customer support through phone number and email. We noticed many formulas out there are just copies of the top-rated brands. They don’t offer an easy refund policy or don’t even have a phone number to prove they are real.
 
Avoid Subscription Auto-Billing Offers –  unfortunately many brands use this trick to charge your card without your authorization, even if a customer returns the product. One trick is they charge your card even 6 months after you made your initial purchases, which most people forgot about it. If you’re happy with the service, then it’s best to make another purchase in the future.

The result: there are many collagen supplements in the market. To hep you choose, we purchased and reviewed 127+ supplements and compiled a list of our 5 picks based on their ingredients, label accuracy, pricing, return policy, and overall customer satisfaction. *

Top 5 Collagen Supplements

#1 USCare Penta Collagen

USCare Penta Collagen contains 1,800mg of collagen, with 5 types of collagen designed to deliver the optimum amount of collagen per serving. This robust formula contains Bovine Collagen Peptides, Hydrolyzed Chicken Collagen, Pure Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen, Eggshell Membrane and Avian Collagen Peptides.

Pros: contains all 5 types of collagen, recommended daily dose of 1800mg. Manufactured in the USA, lab tested for potency and label accuracy.

Cons: sometimes goes out of stock

  • Form: Capsule
  • Active ingredients: 5 types of collagen
  • Number of servings: 30 per container
  • Shipping: free shipping on all orders
  • Refund Policy: 1-year full refund

Results are based on user-generated experiences with these products, and individual results may vary. Please refer to the manufacturer’s product website for detailed information.

#2 Now BioCell Collagen

NOW is another well-known company with a wide variety of formulas, serving consumers for many years.  Now Collagen contains1,000 mg of type II collagen. Now offers label transparency that lists the amount of each ingredient they use in the product.  

Pros: 1,000 mg of collagen, manufactured in the US, lab tested for label accuracy. 

Cons: limited 30 days refund policy, lower dosage of collagen.

  • Form: Capsule
  • Active ingredients: collagen type II
  • Number of servings: 60 per container
  • Return Policy: Limited 30 days

Results are based on user-generated experiences with these products, and individual results may vary. Please refer to the manufacturer’s product website for detailed information.

#3 Pure Encapsulations Collagen JS

Pure Encapsulations is a top rated company with many years of track record. This formula contains 1,000mg of collagen, however only contains one type of collagen; manufactured in the USA.  

Pros: 1,000 mg of collagen, manufactured in the US, lab tested for label accuracy. 

Cons: lower dosage of collagen, only one type of collagen.

  • Form: Capsule
  • Active ingredients: BioCell Collagen
  • Number of servings: 60 per container
  • Return Policy: 30 days

Results are based on user-generated experiences with these products, and individual results may vary. Please refer to the manufacturer’s product website for detailed information.

#4 Nature Made Collagen

Nature Made is a reputable company with a wide variety of supplements. Their collagen formula is popular among people who prefer gummy supplements. It contains 1,00mg of collagen.  

Pros: manufactured in the USA, lab tested for potency and label accuracy. 

Cons: only 100mg of collagen.

  • Form: Gummy
  • Active ingredients: Collagen, Zinc, Biotin and more.
  • Number of servings: 60 per container
  • Return Policy: 30 days limited

Results are based on user-generated experiences with these products, and individual results may vary. Please refer to the manufacturer’s product website for detailed information.

#5 New Chapter Beauty Collagen

New Chapter is another top-rated company with many years of track record. They offer a wide variety of dietary supplements. Although this formula is not in preferred capsule form, however it contains 12g of collagen powder, suitable for people that prefer to mix their collagen as a drink; manufactured in the USA.  

Pros: 12g of collagen type I, II, III. Manufactured in the US, lab tested for label accuracy. 

Cons: in powder form

  • Form: Powder
  • Active ingredients: three types of collagen
  • Number of servings: 20 per container
  • Return Policy: limited, contact for details

Results are based on user-generated experiences with these products, and individual results may vary. Please refer to the manufacturer’s product website for detailed information.

Contact Us:

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love to review different brands and feature more top formulas. We are open to any recommendations on how to make our site experience better. The more brands and formulas we review, the better we can serve you.

Unfortunately, some brands don’t like to be reviewed or featured; they use scare tactics and legal notices to be removed from our database.

societyhealthorg@gmail.com

If you’re a brand owner and wish to be removed from our database, contact us using the email address above.

Our Quality Brand [1]

#1 USCare Penta Collagen

USCare Penta Collagen contains 1,800mg of collagen, with 5 types of collagen designed to deliver the optimum amount of collagen per serving. This robust formula contains Bovine Collagen Peptides, Hydrolyzed Chicken Collagen, Pure Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen, Eggshell Membrane and Avian Collagen Peptides.

Pros: contains all 5 types of collagen, recommended daily dose of 1800mg. Manufactured in the USA, lab tested for potency and label accuracy.

Cons: sometimes goes out of stock

  • Form: Capsule
  • Active ingredients: 5 types of collagen
  • Number of servings: 30 per container
  • Shipping: free shipping on all orders
  • Refund Policy: 1-year full refund

*Individual results may vary – ratings are based on our ranking system and do not necessarily reflect typical results from the use of these products. We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may receive a small commission.

Sources & Citations

1. Deshmukh, S. N., Dive, A. M., Moharil, R., & Munde, P. (n.d.).  Enigmaticinsight into collagen . PubMed Central (PMC). https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-029X.185932

2. León-López, A., Morales-Peñaloza, A., Martínez-Juárez, V. M.,Vargas-Torres, A., Zeugolis, D. I., & Aguirre-Álvarez, G. (2019, November7).  Hydrolyzed Collagen—Sources and Applications . PubMed Central (PMC). https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24224031

3. Silva, T. H., Moreira-Silva, J., P. Marques, A. L., Domingues, A., Bayon,Y., & Reis, R. L. (2014, December 5).  Marine Origin Collagens and ItsPotential Applications . PubMed Central (PMC). https://doi.org/10.3390/md12125881

4. Nezwek, T. A., & Varacallo, M. (2022, September 19).  Physiology, Connective Tissue – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf . Physiology, Connective Tissue – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK542226/

5. Hydrolyzed collagen improves … C3H/HeN mice – PubMed . (2012, July1). PubMed.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-011-1788-6