What collagen peptides do in the skin
Collagen peptides are used as a bioactive ingredient in nutricosmetics. In preclinical studies they have been shown to improve skin barrier function, induce the synthesis of collagen and hyaluronic acid and promote fibroblast growth and migration. The aim of the published research summarised here was to investigate the influence of oral intake of specific collagen peptides on skin hydration and the dermal collagen network (Asserin et al., 2015). These are not Bettervita studies — we run no studies of our own.
The study design
Two placebo-controlled clinical studies investigated the influence of daily oral intake of collagen peptides: skin hydration using corneometry, collagen density using high-resolution ultrasound and collagen fragmentation using confocal reflectance microscopy. In addition, using human skin explants, the components of the extracellular matrix were analysed ex vivo in the presence of collagen peptides.
The results
The oral administration of collagen peptides significantly increased skin hydration after eight weeks of intake. The collagen density in the dermis increased significantly, and the fragmentation of the dermal collagen network decreased significantly after just four weeks. Both effects persisted after twelve weeks.
The ex vivo experiments showed that collagen peptides induce both collagen and glycosaminoglycan production — a mechanistic explanation for the effects observed in the clinical setting.
Conclusion
In these published studies, skin hydration, collagen density and the stability of the dermal network improved significantly versus placebo (Asserin et al., 2015). Collagen is not a medicine, and how pronounced the effects are is individual.