Vegan collagen vs marine collagen: what each one is

Is vegan collagen real collagen?

It depends on the product: in recombinant collagen the collagen is made by a microorganism, while vegan "collagen-boosting" products refer to the collagen the body makes for itself. Collagen is a protein of animal connective tissue. Harvard's Nutrition Source states that it is naturally found only in animal flesh, such as meat and fish, that contains connective tissue.¹

The name vegan collagen covers two things, and a medically reviewed consumer health article describes both.²

• Recombinant collagen. In the article's words, recombinant human collagen made by genetically engineered microorganisms such as yeast.
• Nutrient products. Vegan "collagen-boosting" products. The article says the body makes its own collagen by combining amino acids, vitamin C, zinc, copper and other nutrients.

With the first kind, the collagen is made by a microorganism, and with the second, the collagen referred to is the body's own. Marine collagen is something else again, collagen from fish that is hydrolysed and taken as a supplement.

Where does collagen come from?

Collagen comes from animals, and your own body makes it too. On your plate, the foods that naturally contain collagen are animal foods with connective tissue, such as tougher cuts of meat, and the bones and skin of fresh and saltwater fish.¹ The ingredient trade draws on the same origin, since commercial collagen and its derivatives such as gelatin are sourced from animal tissue.⁴

Then there is the collagen you carry around. StatPearls, a medical reference, describes it as the most abundant structural protein in the human body, with an amino acid composition rich in glycine and proline plus modified residues such as hydroxyproline.⁵ Your body builds that collagen itself from amino acids including glycine and proline, which protein foods such as fish, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy, legumes and soy supply.¹

The end of that list is where plants come in. Plant foods do not supply collagen itself, but both animal and plant foods supply materials the body uses to make its own collagen.¹ Legumes and soy stand in Harvard's list next to eggs and dairy. Our guide to collagen and the food you eat takes the kitchen side of this further.

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What is called vegan collagen?

Two kinds of product are sold as vegan collagen, recombinant human collagen made by genetically engineered microorganisms such as yeast and vegan "collagen-boosting" products, as the consumer health article sorts them.² They share a name, so each gets its own heading here.

Recombinant collagen

Recombinant collagen, as the article describes it, is human collagen made by genetically engineered microorganisms such as yeast.² Making the protein without an animal has a scientific literature behind it. In one paper, researchers produced collagen-like proteins without animals by recombinant production in the yeast Pichia pastoris.⁴

A review of the preparation technology goes wider and describes recombinant collagen being made in several expression systems, including the bacterium E. coli, yeast, plant cells (tobacco, corn), insect cells and mammalian cells.⁶ Both papers are about biomaterials, the setting in which they describe the method.

Nutrient products

The second kind is the vegan "collagen-boosting" product. The article says the body makes collagen on its own by combining amino acids, vitamin C, zinc, copper and other nutrients.²

What is marine collagen?

Marine collagen is collagen from fish. A peer-reviewed review of fish collagen states that fish skin typically contains type I collagen with a high degree of purity.³ In skin, type I makes up 80% to 90% of the collagen.⁷ The numerals have a page to themselves in our guide to the types of collagen.

A supplement delivers it hydrolysed, which means cut into shorter pieces. One review describes hydrolysed collagen as small peptides of low molecular weight, 3 to 6 kDa, and as highly soluble in water.⁸ That range is the review's general description of the ingredient.

Core^™ is a marine collagen. Each portion has 11,000 mg of hydrolysed marine collagen, types I and III, and the collagen is hydrolysed to a low molecular weight of about 1,500 daltons.⁹ If you are choosing between fish and cattle as a source, we compare them in marine or bovine collagen.

Which nutrients does the body use to make collagen?

The body builds collagen from amino acids including glycine and proline, and the process also needs vitamin C and zinc, according to Harvard's Nutrition Source.¹

Vitamin C is the one to know by name. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements states that vitamin C is required for the biosynthesis of collagen. It adds that humans, unlike most animals, cannot make vitamin C in the body, so it has to come from the diet.¹⁰

An EFSA scientific opinion gives the chemistry. In collagen synthesis, vitamin C acts as a coenzyme for the enzymes that add hydroxyl groups to the amino acids proline and lysine in the collagen molecule, and this hydroxylation stabilises collagen's triple-helix structure.¹¹

EU law turns this into an authorised claim, and the wording is fixed: Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.¹² The same form of words is authorised for bones, cartilage, gums, teeth and blood vessels.¹² Core^™ has 120 mg of vitamin C in every portion, which is 150% of the nutrient reference value.⁹

Is Core^™ vegan?

No, Core^™ is made with marine collagen, and marine collagen is not plant-based, so Core^™ is not suitable for a vegan diet. The list below shows what a portion holds, so you can set it against the way you eat.⁹

• The collagen. 11,000 mg of hydrolysed marine collagen, types I and III, in one portion.
• The protein. 9.9 g per portion. Core^™ is sugar free and fat free.
• The flavour. Natural berry, ready to drink from the cap.
• The routine. Shake, pour into the cap, and drink it straight or stir it into water or a smoothie. Keep the pack in the fridge once opened.

The full ingredient list is on the Core^™ product page.

What did women report on our liquid marine collagen?

In our user trial of our liquid marine collagen, 95% of 106 women felt the appearance of their skin improved, 89% reported more moisture and glow and 86% reported healthier hair after 8 weeks of daily use. Definitions tell you what a product is, and a trial tells you what the people who took it noticed about their skin, hair and nails.⁹ They reported visible results in as little as 4 weeks, with further improvement by week 8.⁹

Nails were on the questionnaire as well, and 76% of the women reported stronger nails, while 99% found the drink easy to include in their daily routine.⁹ The photographs below are of women who took part in that trial.

Questions about vegan and marine collagen