Collagen is always a buzzword in skincare, and there’s a good reason for that. It is an essential protein that keeps your skin looking young by helping to maintain your skin’s firmness and elasticity. However, as we age, our bodies naturally stop producing collagen as quickly. To combat this problem, many skin care products are marketed to include collagen as an anti-aging solution. There are so many benefits of topical collagen on the market, but do any of these products really work?
Today, we break down the different forms of topical collagen used in skin care. From full size collagen to collagen microparticles. In this article, we’ll explore how these different types of topical collagen work in skin care. And if they really deliver on their market promise of increasing your natural collagen production.
What is topical collagen?
Topical collagen is applied directly to the skin in your skin care products. It can be in your creams, serums or lotions. There are other types of collagen, such as collagen supplements and injectable fillers with collagen in them, that work internally. However, topical collagen works from the outside. Topical collagen products claim to improve the appearance of skin by increasing natural collagen production, moisturizing, improving elasticity and reducing the appearance of fine lines.
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However, due to its size, full-sized collagen molecules cannot reach the important part of your skin. This means that traditional collagen is not effective in skin care products. However, chemists and scientists are working to overcome this challenge by identifying new types of collagen. Specifically, to identify a topical collagen that can penetrate your skin barrier.
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Collagen (full size molecule)
Collagen, in its natural full-size form, is a large molecule that struggles to penetrate the skin barrier. While it can hydrate and form a protective layer on the surface of the skin, it does not directly stimulate collagen production below the surface.
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Collagen needs to come into contact with the cells in your dermis to activate additional collagen products. So products with collagen in the ingredient list will not boost your natural collagen production. Instead, full-size collagen works primarily as a moisturizer and makes the skin smoother. When your skin is hydrated, the appearance of fine lines can be temporarily reduced.
Hydrolyzed collagen
Hydrolyzed collagen, also known as hydrolyzed collagen, is collagen that has been broken down into smaller pieces through a process called hydrolysis. This was one of the first ways scientists tried to reduce the size of collagen. And while it’s true that the collagen molecule needs to be smaller to penetrate your skin barrier, how well collagen is hydrolyzed affects its ability to penetrate your skin barrier.
Hydrolyzed collagen can have a wide range of sizes. The process is not precise, producing various sizes of collagen. While smaller pieces of topical collagen may be able to penetrate the skin barrier, there are large pieces that sit on the surface as full-sized collagen molecules. Typically, the majority of collagen hydrolysis fragments are too large to penetrate the skin barrier. This means that hydrolyzed collagen is similar to full size collagen.
Hydrolyzed collagen provides hydration and forms a barrier on the skin to lock in moisture, just like full-size collagen. While it may not significantly increase collagen production in the skin because there aren’t enough small molecules, it does help improve texture and hydration levels, giving skin a smoother, plumper appearance.
Collagen peptides
Collagen peptides are smaller chains of amino acids derived from the breakdown of larger collagen molecules. Peptides occur naturally in your skin. They are created as your body breaks down old proteins and replaces them with new ones. In the body, when your cells come into contact with these fragments, they know it’s time to produce more fresh collagen and other important proteins like hyaluronic acid or elastin.
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Peptides are becoming increasingly popular in skin care products for two reasons. The first is their natural ability to activate important functions in your skin. The second is that they are the smallest molecules your body produces and behave very similarly to their full-sized parent molecules.
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Collagen peptides are more effective than larger collagen molecules at penetrating the skin’s surface, making them a better choice for those looking to boost collagen levels locally. However, most studies show that peptides are most beneficial when combined with other active ingredients such as retinoids and antioxidants.
Ultra low molecular weight collagen
Ultra-low molecular weight collagen is a newer skin care ingredient. It is similar to hydrolyzed collagen, but is highly processed, making it more expensive. This form of collagen breaks down into very small molecules, designed to better penetrate the skin barrier. The currently viral collagen mask on TikTok uses this form of collagen along with collagen peptides. Because these molecules are smaller, they may have a better chance of reaching deeper layers of the skin.
This form of collagen is more likely to stimulate collagen production at a deeper level, making it a promising choice in topical formulations. The lower molecular weight also improves the skin’s ability to retain moisture and can enhance overall firmness and elasticity.
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Collagen microparticles
Collagen microparticles are an emerging technology in skin care. There are not many products today that contain collagen microparticles, because they are still very early and expensive to manufacture. The structure of the microparticles was chosen to improve the delivery of the active ingredients. These microparticles are engineered to be small enough to penetrate deeper into the skin’s layers, where they can help support the skin’s natural structure and collagen production. According to research, Collagen microparticles have shown potential to improve skin texture, hydration and elasticity, allowing for more efficient delivery of collagen to the dermis. Their size and structure make them a promising innovation in topical antiaging treatments.
Do topical collagen products really work?
The effectiveness of topical collagen depends largely on the type used in the formulation. Larger collagen molecules, while great for hydration, don’t penetrate the skin deep enough to significantly boost collagen production. So any product that claims anti-aging benefits with collagen or collagen hydrolyzate is probably just hype. On the other hand, smaller molecules such as collagen peptides and ultra-low molecular weight collagen have a better chance of penetrating the skin and promoting collagen production from within. For best results, topical collagen should be combined with other skin-supporting ingredients, such as retinoids and antioxidants, which work synergistically to enhance skin health and appearance.
