Collagen is everywhere — in your body and on supplement shelves. But can you make your own?

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. It is the primary structural component of skin, cartilage, tendons, bones, blood vessels, and gums. It provides tensile strength, elasticity, and structural integrity to virtually every tissue.

The supplement industry has capitalised on this. Collagen powders, capsules, and drinks are projected to be worth over £6 billion globally. The marketing message is simple: consume collagen, get more collagen.

But there is a more fundamental question that most collagen brands do not address. Your body already produces collagen. It does so continuously, throughout your life. The real question is not whether you should consume collagen — it is whether you are providing your body with what it needs to produce its own.

What is collagen and how does the body produce it?

Collagen is a family of proteins characterised by a distinctive triple-helix structure. There are at least 28 types, but types I, II, and III account for the vast majority of collagen in the human body. Type I is dominant in skin, bone, and tendons. Type II is the primary collagen in cartilage. Type III is found in blood vessels, muscles, and organs.

The body synthesises collagen endogenously. Fibroblasts in connective tissue produce procollagen molecules, which are then assembled into collagen fibrils outside the cell. This process requires specific amino acids (glycine, proline, hydroxyproline), molecular oxygen, and several micronutrient cofactors.

Collagen production declines with age. From around the age of 25, the body produces roughly 1% less collagen per year. By 50, collagen synthesis has decreased significantly. This decline contributes to visible skin ageing, reduced cartilage resilience, and slower tissue repair.

The decline is real. But the solution is not necessarily to eat collagen. It may be to support the machinery that makes it.

Why vitamin C is essential for collagen formation

Vitamin C is not merely helpful for collagen production. It is biochemically essential.

Collagen synthesis depends on the hydroxylation of proline and lysine residues within the procollagen molecule. These reactions are catalysed by two enzymes: prolyl 4-hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase. Both are iron-dependent dioxygenases that require ascorbate (vitamin C) to maintain their catalytic activity. During each hydroxylation cycle, the iron centre of the enzyme is oxidised from Fe(II) to Fe(III), rendering the enzyme inactive. Vitamin C reduces the iron back to Fe(II), restoring enzymatic function (Vasta and Raines, 2016; Szarka and Lőrincz, 2014).

Without adequate vitamin C, this cycle stalls. Proline and lysine residues are not hydroxylated. The resulting collagen molecules cannot form stable triple helices. They are degraded rather than assembled into functional tissue.

This is not a theoretical concern. It is the biochemical basis of scurvy — the disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy manifests as bleeding gums, poor wound healing, joint pain, bruising, and skin deterioration. Every one of these symptoms reflects a failure of collagen formation in the relevant tissue (Alberts et al., 2025).

The connection between vitamin C and collagen is so well established that it is one of the broadest authorised health claims under EU Regulation 432/2012 (retained in UK law). Vitamin C "contributes to normal collagen formation" for the normal function of six different tissues: skin, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, gums, and teeth.

No other nutrient carries this breadth of collagen-related authorised claims.

What happens when you consume a collagen supplement?

Most collagen supplements contain hydrolysed collagen — animal-derived collagen that has been broken down into smaller peptide fragments through enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis. The source is typically bovine hides, fish skin, or porcine connective tissue.

When you consume hydrolysed collagen, it undergoes further digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. Gastric acid and pancreatic proteases break the peptides down. Research has shown that collagen hydrolysate is absorbed predominantly as di- and tri-peptides, along with free amino acids (Osawa et al., 2018).

This is an important distinction. You do not absorb collagen and deposit it directly into your skin or cartilage. The collagen molecule is disassembled during digestion. What enters your bloodstream is a mixture of small peptides and amino acids — primarily glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline. These are the same amino acids available from any dietary protein source.

Some researchers have proposed that specific collagen-derived dipeptides (such as prolyl-hydroxyproline) may act as signalling molecules that stimulate fibroblast activity. A systematic review and meta-analysis by de Miranda, Weimer, and Rossi (2021) analysed 19 randomised controlled trials and found that hydrolysed collagen supplementation for 90 days was associated with improvements in skin hydration, elasticity, and wrinkle scores compared to placebo.

However, these trials have notable limitations. Most were industry-funded, sample sizes were small, and the comparison was against placebo rather than against equivalent protein or amino acid sources. The question remains: is it the specific peptides that matter, or simply the provision of relevant amino acids plus adequate cofactors?

A separate systematic review by Choi et al. (2019) examined the dermatological evidence and reached a cautiously positive conclusion, while noting the need for larger, independent trials.

The evidence for oral collagen is not negligible. But it is not as straightforward as the marketing implies, and it is entirely animal-derived.

The vegan problem with collagen supplements

All commercial collagen supplements are animal-derived. There is no plant-based source of collagen. Collagen is an animal protein — it does not exist in plants, fungi, or algae.

Products marketed as "vegan collagen" are not collagen at all. They are typically formulations of vitamin C, amino acids, and other micronutrients — ingredients that support the body's own collagen synthesis rather than providing exogenous collagen. The name is misleading, but the approach is arguably more sound than it appears.

If the body breaks down ingested collagen into amino acids and peptides anyway, and if the rate-limiting factor in collagen synthesis is often the availability of cofactors rather than raw amino acids, then providing those cofactors directly is a rational strategy.

This is the approach PARTICULAR takes. Rather than sourcing animal-derived collagen and relying on the body to break it down, PARTICULAR provides the micronutrient cofactors your body needs to produce its own collagen from the amino acids already available in your diet.

What the body needs for collagen synthesis

Collagen synthesis is not a single-nutrient process. Several micronutrients play defined roles:

Vitamin C — the essential cofactor

Vitamin C is required for the enzymatic hydroxylation of proline and lysine in procollagen. Without it, functional collagen cannot be produced. The authorised claim is unambiguous: vitamin C "contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin / cartilage / bones / blood vessels / gums / teeth."

Zinc — cell division and protein synthesis

Zinc contributes to normal protein synthesis and normal cell division — both authorised claims under EU Regulation 432/2012. Collagen production is fundamentally a process of protein synthesis occurring in rapidly dividing fibroblasts. Zinc is also required for the function of matrix metalloproteinases, the enzymes that remodel collagen in tissues.

Copper — collagen cross-linking

Copper contributes to the maintenance of normal connective tissues — an authorised claim. The biochemical basis is copper's role as a cofactor for lysyl oxidase, the enzyme responsible for cross-linking collagen and elastin fibres. Without adequate copper, collagen fibres are synthesised but not properly stabilised, resulting in weakened connective tissue (Rucker et al., 1998).

Vitamin A — cell specialisation

Vitamin A contributes to the normal function of the immune system, the maintenance of normal skin, and has a role in the process of cell specialisation — all authorised claims. Cell specialisation is directly relevant to collagen production, as fibroblasts are specialised cells whose primary function is synthesising extracellular matrix proteins including collagen.

MSM — a sulphur donor for connective tissue

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is an organic sulphur compound that does not hold an authorised health claim under EU Regulation 432/2012. It cannot, therefore, carry any regulatory claim on a supplement label.

However, sulphur is a structural component of connective tissue. It is required for the synthesis of methionine and cysteine — amino acids that contribute to the formation of disulphide bonds in proteins, including those in the extracellular matrix. MSM provides bioavailable sulphur in a vegan-friendly form.

Clinical trials have examined MSM in the context of joint health and skin ageing, as discussed in our guides on supplements for joint pain and vitamins for hair growth. The evidence is early-stage but mechanistically coherent.

The authorised vitamin C collagen claims in full

Under EU Regulation 432/2012, the following claims are authorised for vitamin C and collagen formation:

This is one of the broadest sets of authorised claims for any single nutrient. It reflects the depth of evidence for vitamin C's role in collagen synthesis — and the fact that collagen is a structural protein found across virtually all connective tissues.

These are the only legal claims a supplement can make in the UK regarding collagen formation. No collagen supplement — bovine, marine, or otherwise — can make authorised claims about collagen formation. Only nutrients with EFSA-approved claims can do so, and vitamin C is the primary one.

How PARTICULAR supports your body's collagen production

PARTICULAR's formula includes the key cofactors for endogenous collagen synthesis:

The microgranule delivery format is particularly relevant for vitamin C. Ascorbic acid is sensitive to oxidation — exposure to air, moisture, and light degrades it. In a compressed tablet or capsule opened daily, vitamin C loses potency over time. PARTICULAR's individually coated microgranules protect each nutrient within its own polymer coating, maintaining stability until ingestion.

Your formula is built through the questionnaire, which captures the dietary, lifestyle, and health-goal factors that determine your individual nutrient requirements. The result is a personalised blend of loose microgranules — one daily scoop from a pouch.

The approach is straightforward: rather than consuming animal-derived collagen and hoping your body reassembles it where needed, provide the cofactors your body requires to produce its own collagen from the protein you already eat. It is vegan, it is evidence-based, and the core claims are authorised by the UK food regulator.

Key takeaways

  1. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, providing structural integrity to skin, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, gums, and teeth
  2. Your body produces collagen endogenously — the key question is whether it has the cofactors to do so efficiently
  3. Vitamin C is biochemically essential for collagen synthesis, acting as a cofactor for prolyl and lysyl hydroxylases. Without it, functional collagen cannot be produced
  4. Collagen supplements are hydrolysed animal protein. When consumed, they are broken down into amino acids and small peptides during digestion — the same building blocks available from any dietary protein
  5. There is no vegan collagen. Products marketed as "vegan collagen" are actually cofactor formulations that support endogenous collagen production — which is arguably the more rational approach
  6. Vitamin C holds authorised health claims for collagen formation in six tissues (skin, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, gums, teeth) — the broadest collagen-related claims of any nutrient
  7. Copper, zinc, and vitamin A each play defined roles in collagen production and connective tissue maintenance, with their own authorised claims
  8. MSM provides bioavailable sulphur relevant to connective tissue, though it does not hold an authorised health claim
  9. PARTICULAR provides these cofactors in personalised doses via individually coated microgranules — one daily scoop from a pouch, fully vegan, built through the questionnaire

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