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The 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 Trials

Jérome Asserin, Elian Lati, Toshiaki Shioya, Janne Prawitt
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2015 14(4):291-301

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 26362110
DOI
10.1111/jocd.12174
Funding
No formal funding statement is disclosed in the article. Biohack Blueprint assessment: the corresponding author (J. Prawitt) is affiliated with Rousselot BVBA, manufacturer of the specific collagen peptides tested (Peptan®F, Peptan®P), which the article states "were provided by Rousselot." Co-author T. Shioya is affiliated with Unitec Foods, Tokyo. Two of the four authors are therefore employed by commercial entities with a direct interest in the tested ingredient.
Competing interests
Not formally disclosed as a separate statement in the article; see funding field for affiliation-based conflicts.

Study snapshot

DesignTwo randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trials, plus ex vivo human skin explant experiments
ModelClinical study 1: Japanese women aged 40–59 years with low skin water content. Clinical study 2: Caucasian women aged 40–65 years, BMI 18–25 kg/m², Fitzpatrick phototype I–IV.
SampleClinical study 1: n=33 (11 per arm: placebo, Peptan F, Peptan P). Clinical study 2: n=106 randomised; n=48 placebo and n=51 Peptan analysed.
InterventionSpecific collagen peptides of fish (Peptan®F) or porcine (Peptan®P) origin, 10 g/day, vs placebo, for 8 weeks (study 1) or 12 weeks (study 2)
Duration8 weeks (clinical study 1); 12 weeks (clinical study 2)
EndpointsSkin moisture level (Corneometer); Transepidermal water loss, TEWL (Tewameter); Dermal collagen density (high-frequency ultrasound echogenicity); Collagen network fragmentation in the reticular dermis (reflectance confocal microscopy); Ex vivo collagen and glycosaminoglycan content in human skin explants

What the study showed, in plain terms

This paper reports two separate placebo-controlled trials plus laboratory work on human skin samples, looking at whether oral collagen peptides measurably change the skin's own collagen structure, not just how skin feels.

Daily intake of 10 g of fish- or porcine-derived collagen peptides significantly increased skin moisture within 4–8 weeks in both trials. In the larger 12-week trial, dermal collagen density rose significantly compared with placebo, and — reported here for the first time in a clinical study — the degree of fragmentation of the dermal collagen network (a hallmark of ageing skin) significantly decreased, an effect the authors could measure directly using confocal microscopy.

Laboratory experiments on skin samples showed collagen peptides directly stimulated fibroblasts to produce more collagen and hyaluronic acid, offering a plausible mechanism for the clinical findings. Two of the four authors work for the companies that make and sell the tested ingredient, which is worth keeping in mind when weighing the results.

Key findings

  • Skin moisture increased significantly with Peptan F (up 12%) and Peptan P (up 16% at 4 weeks, 28% at 8 weeks vs placebo, p=0.003) in the pilot trial; TEWL was unaffected.
  • In the larger 12-week trial, dermal collagen density (ultrasound echogenicity) increased significantly from 4 weeks, with the 12-week treatment effect significantly higher than placebo (8.83% vs no change, p=0.007).
  • Collagen fragmentation in the reticular dermis, measured by reflectance confocal microscopy, was significantly reduced with collagen peptides — 17.8% at 4 weeks and 31.2% at 12 weeks (p=0.001) — while placebo showed no significant change.
  • In human skin explants, collagen peptides dose-dependently increased epidermal glycosaminoglycan content (up to 18-fold at 0.1 mg/mL) and total dermal collagen content (up to 9% at 0.1 mg/mL, considered a clear biological difference given the high baseline collagen content of the papillary dermis).
  • The authors describe this as the first clinical evidence that oral collagen peptide supplementation reduces fragmentation of the dermal collagen network, a structural hallmark of skin ageing.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • Two of four authors are employed by companies with a direct commercial interest in the tested ingredient (Rousselot, the manufacturer; Unitec Foods), and no formal funding/competing-interest statement is provided in the article.
  • The pilot trial (clinical study 1) was small (n=33, ~11 per arm); the larger confirmatory trial (n=99 analysed) still excluded roughly 18% of enrolled participants for protocol deviations.
  • Ex vivo explant experiments used tissue from a single 49-year-old donor, limiting generalisability of the mechanistic dose-response data.
  • TEWL, a marker of skin barrier integrity, was not significantly affected by collagen peptide supplementation in either trial, indicating the benefit is specific to hydration and dermal structure rather than barrier function.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology