Walk into any chemist or scroll any supplement site and you'll find dozens of collagen products. Marine, bovine, powders, gummies, shots. Most of them say roughly the same thing on the front of the pack, so it's hard to tell what you're actually paying for.
The good news is that a handful of questions will sort out most of the confusion. Collagen ingredient makers like Pure Product Australia have put out a artical series on exactly this, aimed at the brands that make these products. We've taken the same ideas and turned them around so they work for you, the person standing in the aisle with a tub in each hand.
Not all collagen is the same
Most collagen powders are hydrolysed collagen, also called collagen peptides. The long collagen protein has been broken down into short chains so it dissolves easily and your body can absorb it. That part is pretty standard.
Where products differ is in how that breakdown is done. Different processes produce different mixes of peptides, and research suggests those mixes don't all behave the same way in the body. Some ingredient makers have developed specific peptide profiles and then tested each one for a particular use, such as skin, joints or bones.
So two tubs that both say "collagen peptides" can contain quite different things. One might be a general protein ingredient. The other might be a branded peptide that has its own clinical studies. The label on the front won't always tell you which is which, so it's worth turning the tub around.
Start with why you're taking it
What do you want the collagen to help with? Once you know that, you can look for an ingredient that has actually been studied for it.
|
What you're after |
Example studied peptide |
Daily dose in studies |
|---|---|---|
|
Skin (elasticity, wrinkles) |
VERISOL |
2.5 g |
|
Joints |
FORTIGEL |
5 g |
|
Bones |
FORTIBONE |
5 g |
|
Body composition with training |
COLLAGEN PROTEIN |
25 g |
|
Tendons and ligaments |
TENDOFORTE |
5 g |
If you just want extra protein in your smoothie, a general collagen powder is fine. If you're buying for a specific reason, it makes sense to pick the peptide that was tested for that reason, at the dose that was tested.
Check the science behind the exact ingredient
Plenty of brands say their collagen is "clinically proven". The useful question is: proven where, and with what? A study on one peptide doesn't automatically carry over to a different collagen made by someone else.
A few things to check:
- Is the ingredient named? A branded peptide on the label makes it easy to look up the research.
- Were the studies done on people? Lab and animal work is a start, but human trials matter more.
- Does your daily serve match the studied dose? A product with 1 g of a peptide studied at 2.5 g isn't giving you the same thing.
- Is the study placebo-controlled? That's the kind of trial that tells you the result wasn't just people expecting to feel better.
Look at cost per dose, not price per tub
Pure Product Australia tells customers to stop comparing price per kilo and look at cost per dose.
Say Tub A is $40 for 300 g and asks for 10 g a day. That's 30 serves, or about $1.33 a day. Tub B is $50 for 200 g of a peptide studied at 2.5 g a day. That's 80 serves, or about 63 cents a day. The tub that looked dearer works out at half the daily cost.
To work it out yourself, divide the price by the number of serves, then check that one serve gives you the amount used in the studies. Cheap per tub but light on the active ingredient isn't a bargain.
Where it comes from and who makes it
Collagen is made from bovine (cattle) or marine (fish) sources. All collagen can work well. Your choice usually comes down to diet, religion or allergies. If you avoid fish, check the source before you buy.
We alwayes argues that who makes the ingredient matters as much as the ingredient itself. For a shopper, that means looking at the brand behind the tub:
- Does it say where the collagen comes from and who supplies it?
- Does it publish independent lab testing?
- Can you contact them and get a straight answer?
A brand that's open about its sourcing and testing has less to hide. One that won't tell you is worth skipping.
A quick checklist before you buy
- Know why you're taking it: skin, joints, bones, training or general protein.
- Look for a named collagen peptide that has been studied for that goal.
- Check that one serve gives you the dose used in the studies.
- Work out the cost per serve, not the price per tub.
- Check the source (bovine, porcine or marine) suits you.
- Choose a brand that's open about where its collagen comes from and how it's tested.
It takes a couple of minutes, and you'll end up with a product that suits what you actually want, rather than whichever tub had the nicest label.
Sources
- GELITA, How to Choose the Right Collagen Peptide, four-part video series, May 2025