Last week one of my lovely AgeLock students asks me – do vegan collagen supplements exist? Can I take collagen if I’m vegan? Is there a vegan version of collagen?
I thought – sheesh – what a great question. An awesome anti-ageing question that deserves big facetime – because until 2022 the answer to this question was a Willy Wonka chocolate stream-sized no.
No vegan collagen supplements do not exist.
Sure you’ll find ‘vegan collagen’ supplements to buy – but they’re not actually true collagen – and therefore they’re unlikely and unproven to stimulate your skin’s own collagen production so your skin can reverse fine lines and wrinkles.
Psst – animal collagen supplements have been proven to reverse fine lines and wrinkles – wahoo.
However, today my answer to – do vegan collagen supplements exist? is now a big, awesome yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Yes – but you need to know exactly what to look for – because just like there are a bazillion Ugg boot knock-offs alternatives 🙂 there are also a bazillion vegan collagen supplements which don’t actually contain ‘collagen’. Crazy eh. Come find out how to choose a vegan collagen supplement with skyrocketing potential to keep your skin younger forever.
Vegan Collagen Supplements
Okay, okay so let’s rewind a few steps here. Collagen is this amazing protein which keeps your skin and all the tissues in your body – like your heart, your blood vessels and even your bones – strong, healthy, happy and young.
With every amazing year you and I get to exist – we lose some collagen. It’s not that we give it away 😉 it’s just that it’s natural to lose collagen and as we get more experienced our bodies don’t replace collagen as efficiently. Therefore overall our collagen levels go down. Boo.
This is an extreme example of what can happen when collagen is lost, broken and damaged.
We get fine lines, wrinkles, sagging and laxing (or relaxing 😂🙈) skin. Skin looks old, aged and no longer bounces back.
Psst – the left side of this truck driver’s face is ’10 years older’ than his right side because he gets a disproportionate lifetime exposure to sunlight through just his right side window. Too much sunlight is an arch nemesis of healthy, happy, young collagen.
But – what if you could take a vegan collagen supplement to replace your lost collagen? Wouldn’t that be neat eh.
Is There a Vegan Version of Collagen?
Is vegan collagen the same as collagen? The unarguable scientific fact is there are no naturally available vegan sources of collagen. Collagen is the name for a very specific protein in your body and it’s unique to living animal beings like you and I and our dogs, cats, horses, whales, Llamas, hedgehogs… you get the picture 🙂 even dinosaurs had collagen.
Plants do not. Plants do not contain collagen. So technically prior to 2022, the answer was no – vegan collagen supplements do not exist.
And any ‘vegan collagen’ supplement you were buying was actually just a powder of plant-based proteins usually mixed with some ‘collagen stimulators’ like vitamin C.
Psst – vitamin C helps to support and stimulate our skin’s own production of collagen.
The UK’s #1 vegan collagen supplement does not contain collagen. It contains these plant proteins;
With this breakdown of amino acids – psst – amino acids are like the daisies of a daisy chain. One daisy is an amino acid. A daisy chain is a protein like collagen.
Don’t worry too much about going into the detail of this amino acid breakdown – there are two extremely important facts to notice. I’m explaining these below.
Do Vegan Collagen Supplements Work?
Fact 1: This vegan collagen supplement does not contain a very important amino acid found in animal collagen – hydroxyproline.
Hydroxyproline (or super specifically a form of hydroxyproline called proline-hydroxyproline) is incredibly important for anti-ageing benefits because it’s thought to be the reason why collagen supplements can stimulate collagen production in your skin.
This vegan collagen supplement does not contain hydroxyproline.
Fact 2: collagen in your skin is made from a very specific set of amino acids which plant proteins do not mimic.
Super specifically published science tells us;
Collagen… contains 19 amino acids, including hydroxyproline which does not occur in other proteins. Its atypical amino acid composition is characterized by high content of proline and glycine, as well as the absence of cysteine.Int J Biol Macromol. 2017 Nov;104(Pt A):987-991
Do you see on the UK’s #1 vegan collagen supplement amino acid breakdown list that cystine is listed? Human collagen does not contain cysteine.
We have a rogue daisy on the loose people.
Do you also see how glycine is in a teeny-tiny quantity (I’ve circled it in pink)? Glycine and proline are dominant in human collagen however here there’s only a pinch of glycine and Threonine is the most dominant.
It’s almost like instead of a daisy chain we now have a daffodil chain.
Psst, if you’re serious about anti-ageing and keeping your skin young for life be sure to grab your free copy of my 5 Best Anti-Ageing Actives Cheatsheet. Get your free copy here.
Is It Worth Taking Vegan Collagen?
In my scientific opinion, it is not worth taking a vegan collagen supplement like the UK’s #1 vegan collagen supplement I’ve just talked you through because;
- It does not contain hydroxyproline/proline-hydroxyproline
- It does not mimic the natural amino acid profile of human collagen
But this doesn’t mean all vegan collagen supplements are a dud.
In 2022 a very exciting new vegan collagen was launched. One that can actually truthfully be called a vegan collagen supplement. It goes by the nickname of VeCollal.
Psst – VeCollal is the raw material i.e. it’s a vegan collagen supplement that the company sells to other supplement brands – you won’t find a vegan collagen supplement called VeCollal – but don’t worry I’ve got the next steps for how you do find one.
Is Vegan Collagen the Same as Collagen?
VeCollal is technically a collagen biomimetic meaning it mimics the exact profile of human collagen. So in other words yes this new plant-based vegan collagen is exactly the same as human collagen.
In supplier trials, VeCollal was found to boost collagen production by over 130% in vitro (this means in a test tube).
When real humans take 3.88 g of VeCollal daily (the dose is very important :)) for 4 weeks they see their wrinkles being averagely reduced by 13%. Imagine what could happen after 8 weeks or even 12 weeks.
Is Vegan Collagen Better Than Animal Collagen?
Both animal collagen and specific types of vegan collagen are proven to reduce wrinkles and anti-age your skin.
But it’s important to recognise that right now there is much more data proving that animal collagen can reverse your fine lines and wrinkles and get you younger skin.
However, shock fact – animal collagen is actually slightly different to human collagen – it still contains the same amino acids but just in slightly different amounts.
VeCollal vegan collagen contains exactly the same amino acid profile as human collagen. Potentially this could mean even better anti-ageing benefits – but this isn’t proven (yet).
Plant-based vegan collagen supplements can also brag that they’re sustainable and cruelty-free. Wahoo.
How to Find a Vegan Collagen Supplement That Actually Works
Finding a supplement with great potential to get you younger, happier skin can be a minefield but don’t worry – I’ve got your back.
I’ve dedicated a speedy video lesson to how to find a collagen supplement that actually works inside the VIP version of my online anti-ageing video course called AgeLock. It’s teaching you step by step how to age gracefully and get younger skin forever. Plus I’m also sharing a short list of the only vegan collagen supplements I recommend.
Use this link to enrol in the normal version of AgeLock.
And as a bonus gift for being here right now, you can also get a free upgrade to the VIP version of AgeLock. To claim yours, forward your email receipt to me at hello@honestyforyourskin.co.uk saying ‘Heck Yes I’ve just read ‘Do vegan collagen supplements actually exist?’, upgrade me to the VIP version of AgeLock now’ – and I will get you upgraded for free.
I can’t wait to help you get younger, healthier, happier skin that has you feeling like the awesomesauce you are.
Cheryl Woodman is a scientist, skin health expert & award-winning skincare formulator who’s more friend next door than bow tie wearing professor. Through her 1-2-1 services and video courses she’s here helping you get healthier, happier skin you feel comfortable, confident and like the freakin’ awesomesauce you are in. Select the option which best describes your skin health here to see and hear the amazing transformations you could be getting.