Collagen supplements can help support your skin, bone, and joint health. Your body produces less collagen as you age, so these products provide animal-derived collagen to make up for the difference. However, as plant-based and vegan diets have become more popular, there has been a greater demand for vegan collagen alternatives.
A common misconception about vegan collagen is that it’s the plant version of animal collagen—a protein that provides structure to the tissues in skin, tendons, bones, and more. However, plants don’t make collagen. This protein is only found in humans and animals.
Instead, many vegan collagen supplements are collagen builders, meaning they are made up of plant ingredients that help your body make collagen naturally. These include:
- Vitamins A, C, and E
- Zinc
- Copper
- Plant-based amino acids and enzymes
While many vegan collagen supplements on the market contain collagen-boosting ingredients rather than actual collagen, some products are biomimetic supplements. Biomimetic means a substance has been engineered to mimic a biological process or structure.
Supplements that are biomimetic contain plant-based compounds and fermented amino acids that, together, replicate the structure and role of human collagen. Essentially, this tricks your body into thinking it’s receiving real collagen.
A small 2024 study using a vegan biomimetic collagen product found that participants who took the supplement saw significant improvements in skin collagen density, elasticity, wrinkles, and hydration compared to the placebo group. However, more research is needed to confirm the safety and effectiveness of these products.
Although vegan collagen supplements work differently from animal-derived collagen products, they have similar effects. Both products aim to increase the body’s collagen production and stored levels.
Animal collagen has more research to back up its effectiveness. But recent studies show vegan collagen-builders and biomimetic supplements can significantly improve skin, joint, and muscle health.
Still, animal collagen may show quicker results than vegan collagen-builders. This is because the animal product provides a directly accessible form of collagen, while collagen-builders only supply ingredients for the body to build collagen.
Being a plant-based product does not necessarily make vegan collagen more nutritious or generally healthier than animal collagen. Many studies support the safety and effectiveness of animal collagen supplements.
Vegan collagen supplements are a good choice for people following a vegan or vegetarian diet or who need to avoid animal collagen due to health conditions. Plant-based collagen alternatives can also be a more sustainable choice, as animal farming can have a significant environmental impact.
When choosing a vegan collagen, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Collagen-booster vs. biomimetic formula: A collagen-booster can help enhance your body’s natural collagen production, while biomimetic supplements provide your body with a ready-to-use collagen structure.
- Key ingredients: When choosing a collagen-booster, take a look at the ingredients list. You should see a combination of amino acids, such as glycine and proline, vitamin C, and other minerals like zinc or copper. Also, check for any unwanted additives, like artificial sweeteners, fillers, or preservatives.
- Third-party testing: Look for products with a third-party testing seal from companies like NSF, USP, or ConsumerLab. These labs test for purity and potency, making sure the ingredient list matches what’s inside.
