The trials say yes. Placebo-controlled studies that enrolled women aged 40 to 65 measured better skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkle readings after 8 to 12 weeks of daily collagen.
- Ages 40 to 60: hydration, crow's-feet wrinkling and elasticity all significantly better than placebo at 12 weeks, in a trial of 64 women testing fish collagen peptide.
- Ages 45 to 60: wrinkle score down 35% from baseline on the right side of the face after 12 weeks of hydrolysed fish collagen.
- Ages 45 to 65: eye-wrinkle volume about 20% lower than placebo after 8 weeks, in a trial of 114 women testing collagen peptides.
of 106 women noticed a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles after 8 weeks on our liquid marine collagen.
- 95%felt their skin's appearance improved
- 89%more moisture and glow
- 81%firmer skin
What happens to your collagen by 40?
By 40, your skin has had two decades of small yearly changes: from early adulthood it makes about 1.0% to 1.5% less collagen each year. Most of the collagen in your skin is type I, which accounts for 80% to 90% of the total.1
The pace can change again later: as much as 30% of skin collagen is lost in the first five years after menopause,2 a stage with its own evidence in our article on collagen and menopause. Starting at 40 puts you at the lower edge of the ages the research covers, so the findings below come from trials in people of your age and older, most of them women.
Does collagen work after 40? The trials, by the ages they enrolled
Placebo-controlled trials that enrolled women aged 40 to 65 measured better skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkle readings after 8 to 12 weeks of daily collagen. The trials below enrolled adults from around forty upwards, so the evidence is sorted by who took part instead of by what was measured. Each card is one study with its own dose, its own length and its own reading, and none of them should be added to another.
Hydration, crow's feet and elasticity ahead of placebo
The dose was small: 1,000 mg a day of low-molecular-weight fish collagen peptide. Skin hydration was significantly higher than placebo at 6 weeks and again at 12 weeks. Crow's-feet wrinkling and skin elasticity were significantly better than placebo at 12 weeks.3
64 women aged 40 to 60 · randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
A marine collagen drink with vitamin C
This trial tested a daily marine collagen drink with 8 g of hydrolysed collagen plus vitamin C. In the collagen group at 12 weeks, the authors reported hydration +13.8%, elasticity +22.7% and a skin-profile (wrinkle) index of −19.6%. The figures are from the daily-dose groups, 48 on collagen and 52 on placebo.4
Adults aged 40 to 60, about 90% of them women · randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Wrinkle score down 35% from baseline on the right side of the face
The collagen group took 10 g a day of hydrolysed fish collagen. Its wrinkle score fell 35% from baseline on the right side of the face, a 24% greater reduction than placebo.5
Women aged 45 to 60 · randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled
Elasticity up 12.23% from baseline
The longest trial here tested 5 g a day of collagen from freshwater fish skin in menopausal women. In the collagen group of 20 women, skin elasticity improved by 12.23% from baseline, significantly more than placebo.6
Menopausal women aged 45 to 60 · randomised, placebo-controlled
Eye-wrinkle volume about 20% lower than placebo
On 2.5 g of collagen peptides a day, eye-wrinkle volume was significantly lower than placebo after 4 weeks and after 8 weeks (about 20%). Skin samples taken after 8 weeks showed 65% more procollagen type I and 18% more elastin in the collagen group than in the placebo group.7
114 women aged 45 to 65 · randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled
Hair thickness up 1.93 micrometres
With 2.5 g of collagen peptides a day, hair thickness rose by 1.93 micrometres on average, against a slight dip of 0.99 micrometres with placebo. The difference between the groups was significant.8
44 healthy women aged 39 to 75 · randomised, placebo-controlled
That last card is the only hair trial on this page. The rest of the hair evidence lives in our article on collagen for hair.
What the pooled analyses add
Pooled analyses combine small trials into larger ones, and a 2021 meta-analysis of 19 randomised double-blind trials, with 1,125 participants aged 20 to 70 and about 95% of them women, concluded that 90 days of hydrolysed collagen reduced wrinkles and improved skin elasticity and hydration.9
A 2023 meta-analysis went wider, with 26 randomised controlled trials with 1,721 participants. It found that oral collagen significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity compared with placebo, and that the hydration effect was larger when collagen was taken for more than 8 weeks. Its authors described fish as the optimal source of collagen for improving skin hydration.10
assets/img/blog/af-morning.webpWhat did women notice on our liquid marine collagen?
In a user trial of our liquid marine collagen taken daily for 8 weeks, 87% of 106 women noticed a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles, 81% reported firmer skin and 86% reported healthier hair. The published trials tested other formulas, and this is our own data.11
noticed a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
reported firmer skin.
reported healthier hair.
The figures are shares of the 106 women, taken from their own answers. Women in the trial reported visible results in as little as 4 weeks, with further improvement by week 8.11 If timing is your main question, our guide to how long collagen takes to work goes through it.
Eight weeks, seen by a camera
Alongside the questionnaire answers there is imaging. In a separate clinical study, 10 women took our liquid marine collagen daily for 8 weeks, with skin-imaging analysis at the start and at the end. The analysis showed a visible reduction in eye wrinkles, forehead wrinkles, spots, pigmentation and redness, and improved skin texture.11
Clinical study of 10 women after daily intake of our liquid marine collagen for 8 weeks. Detected wrinkle lines are marked in green.
Lines are only one part of the picture at 40. For the wrinkle trials on their own, read collagen for wrinkles.
What is the best collagen for women over 40?
Hydrolysed collagen, taken every day at between 1 g and 10 g of collagen peptides a day, is what the trials on this page used, which makes a useful checklist. Core™ gives you 11,000 mg of hydrolysed marine collagen per portion, then adds vitamins and a mineral whose roles in skin, hair, nails, bones and muscle are authorised health claims in the EU.12 One portion holds all of this:
- Hydrolysed marine collagen, 11,000 mg. The marine collagen in Core™ is types I and III,11 and type I is the kind that dominates skin.1
- Vitamin C, 120 mg. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
- Biotin, 5,000 µg. Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin, and biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.
- Selenium, 27.5 µg. Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair, and selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal nails.
- Vitamin D, 60 µg. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones, and vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function.
- Hyaluronic acid, 50 mg, and silica, 50 mg. Both come in the same portion, so there is nothing extra to buy or remember.
It tastes of natural berry, is sugar free and fat free, and gives you 9.9 g of protein per portion.11
What do women say about starting collagen?
Women describe more hydrated, plumper and more radiant skin with fewer fine lines, among them a writer who began marine collagen after turning 40 and a buyer of ours who is 45. Where the numbers describe groups, these accounts each come from one woman, in her own words.
“My nails were the best I had ever had in my whole life.”
Marine collagen became part of her day once she had turned 40. She found her skin more hydrated within the first month and her fine lines almost faded by month three. By month six her hair felt thicker and fuller.
Charlotte DormonWriting in Hip & Healthy13
“My skin looks great, with no fine lines. I'm 45 and will definitely keep using it.”
★★★★★
FrédériqueVerified purchase · Amazon, France · 18 May 2024
“And truthfully? My skin looks better than ever.”
A sceptic by her own description, she took marine collagen every day for two months. Her verdict on her skin: plumper, healthier and noticeably more radiant.
Shannon LawlorBeauty editor, writing in Marie Claire UK14
Independent first-person accounts of marine collagen published by the outlets named, and a verified buyer review of our liquid marine collagen as sold under our manufacturer's own label.
How should you take collagen after 40?
- Daily, like the trials. Every trial on this page gave its collagen daily. With Core™ that means one portion.
- The easy way. Shake the pack, pour into the cap, then drink it straight or stir it into water or a smoothie. In our user trial, 99% of women found it easy to include in their daily routine.
- From the fridge. Keep the pack in the fridge once it is opened.
- As a course. The skin trials above ran from 8 weeks to 6 months of daily collagen.
Questions about collagen after 40
Should I take collagen at 40?
Trials in women aged 40 and over support it: in a placebo-controlled trial of 64 women aged 40 to 60, a daily fish collagen peptide gave significantly better hydration, crow's-feet wrinkling and elasticity than placebo at 12 weeks. In our own 8-week trial, 87% of 106 women noticed a reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
Is 45 too late to start collagen?
No: the trials on this page enrolled women aged 45 to 60 and 45 to 65, and the hair trial took women up to 75. Each of them measured a difference from placebo.
What is the best collagen for women over 40?
Hydrolysed collagen, taken every day at 1 g to 10 g of collagen peptides, is what the trials in this article used. The authors of a 2023 meta-analysis described fish as the optimal source of collagen for improving skin hydration. Core™ gives you 11,000 mg of hydrolysed marine collagen per portion.
How much collagen should a woman over 40 take?
The trials on this page used between 1 g and 10 g of collagen peptides a day. One portion of Core™ contains 11,000 mg, so a single portion a day is the whole routine.
Which vitamins matter alongside collagen after 40?
Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones, and biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair. Core™ has all of them in each portion, with selenium too.
Do I need to take collagen every day?
Every trial on this page used a daily dose, so daily is what the evidence is built on. A pooled analysis found the hydration effect was larger when collagen was taken for more than 8 weeks.
