Tier 2 — strong

A collagen supplement improves skin hydration, elasticity, roughness, and density: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled, blind study

Liane Bolke, Gerrit Schlippe, Joachim Gerß, Werner Voss
Nutrients 2019 11(10):2494

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 31627309
PubMed Central
PMC6835901
DOI
10.3390/nu11102494
Trial registry
View on ClinicalTrials.gov Registered trial — results not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Funding
The study was funded by QUIRIS Healthcare GmbH & Co. KG. The authors state that the sponsor/funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or the decision to publish.
Competing interests
The authors declared no conflict of interest. The study was funded by QUIRIS Healthcare GmbH & Co. KG; the paper states that the funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or the decision to publish. Three authors were affiliated with Dermatest GmbH and Joachim Gerß with the University of Münster.

Study snapshot

DesignProspective, single-blind, placebo-controlled, two-arm parallel clinical trial using alternating allocation between groups rather than a concealed random sequence; therefore methodologically quasi-randomized/systematically allocated.
ModelHealthy women aged 35 years or older
Sample72 women enrolled and completed the 12-week intervention: 36 ELASTEN® and 36 placebo. Only the 36 ELASTEN® participants continued to week 16.
Intervention2.5 g/day collagen peptides in a drinkable ampoule (ELASTEN®, QUIRIS Healthcare) blended with acerola fruit extract, vitamin C, zinc, biotin, native vitamin E complex — versus placebo drinking ampoule — once daily for 12 weeks, followed by 4-week no-treatment observation
Duration12-week placebo-controlled intervention; only the ELASTEN® arm underwent an additional 4-week no-treatment follow-up to week 16.
EndpointsSkin hydration by corneometry (Corneometer CM 825); Skin elasticity by cutometry (Cutometer MPA 580 — R2 gross elasticity and R5 net elasticity); Skin roughness by PRIMOS 3D optical measurement of silicone replicas; Skin density by ultrasound sonography

What the study showed, in plain terms

This 2019 trial tested ELASTEN®, a multi-ingredient oral formulation containing collagen peptides plus vitamin C, zinc, biotin, vitamin E and acerola extract, against placebo in women aged 35 years or older.

Seventy-two women were allocated in alternation to ELASTEN® or placebo for 12 weeks. Participants were blinded to assignment. Both groups underwent objective measurements of skin hydration, elasticity, roughness and dermal density during the placebo-controlled 12-week phase. Only the ELASTEN® group continued into a further four-week period without supplementation, so the week-16 observations did not have a contemporaneous placebo comparator.

During the 12-week controlled phase, the active formulation produced favorable changes in the measured skin parameters relative to placebo. Several measurements in the ELASTEN® group remained improved relative to that group's own baseline at week 16, but this cannot be described as placebo-controlled persistence because the placebo arm was not followed through week 16. The multi-ingredient design also prevents attribution of the result specifically to collagen peptides.

Key findings

  • During the 12-week placebo-controlled phase, objective skin hydration measurements favored the ELASTEN® group over placebo.
  • Skin elasticity measurements also favored ELASTEN® over placebo through the controlled 12-week intervention.
  • Three-dimensional skin-surface measurements showed reduced roughness with ELASTEN® relative to placebo during the controlled intervention.
  • Ultrasound-derived dermal density measurements favored ELASTEN® relative to placebo during the 12-week controlled phase.
  • Instrumental changes were accompanied by favorable participant self-assessment, but subjective ratings are more vulnerable to expectancy effects than the objective measurements.
  • At week 16, several measurements in the ELASTEN® group remained improved relative to its own baseline, but the placebo group was no longer followed; persistence at week 16 is therefore a within-group observation, not a placebo-controlled comparison.
  • The tested intervention was a multi-ingredient formulation, so the study supports the finished formulation rather than proving that collagen alone caused the observed changes.

What this study can and cannot tell us

  • The paper uses randomized terminology, but the Methods state that subjects were allocated by alternation. Alternating allocation is predictable and lacks concealed random-sequence generation, so this design is methodologically weaker than a conventional randomized controlled trial.
  • The active product was a combination formulation containing collagen peptides plus vitamin C-containing acerola extract, zinc, biotin and vitamin E. The trial cannot isolate how much of any observed effect was caused specifically by collagen peptides.
  • Only women aged 35 years or older were studied, limiting generalizability to men and younger populations.
  • The study was single-blind rather than double-blind, leaving more opportunity for investigator-related bias than a fully blinded trial.
  • The additional four-week post-treatment follow-up was conducted in the verum group rather than as a continued balanced comparison of both randomized groups, limiting conclusions about persistence relative to placebo.
  • The study was funded by Quiris Healthcare, the commercial company associated with the tested product. The paper reports that the sponsor had no influence on execution, analysis or interpretation, but the funding relationship remains relevant context.

Related papers in the corpus

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24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain
Kristine L. Clark et al. · Current Medical Research and Opinion · 2008
Tier 2
Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis
Ehrhardt Proksch et al. · Skin Pharmacology and Physiology · 2014

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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