Vegan Collagen: Everything You Need to Know

What is collagen? 

Collagen is a protein that makes up the majority of structures in human tissue and is the most abundant in the animal kingdom; it’s in our skin, muscles, bones, cartilage, veins, and tendons. Collagen gives these structures some flexibility (more for our skin and muscles than for our bones). 

Why take collagen? 

Our bodies produce collagen, but as we age our bodies produce less of it, and that change is most obvious in our skin. Our skin tends to get drier, loses its elasticity, and volume. Vegan collagen will help boost your bodies own production of collagen by proving all the building blocks and nutrients.  

What is vegan collagen? 

There are three types of collagen on the market: marine, bovine, and vegan. Marine collagen is made from fish, while bovine collagen is made from cows and pigs.

It’s important to do your research into any vegan collagen supplement you’re considering as it’s, understandably, a relatively expensive product to create. Marine and bovine collagen are produced using the leftover parts from the meat industry, so it’s cheap to create. Many new vegan collagen products on the market are trying to compete with these animal-based collagen supplements on price, but that means they’re cutting corners on the quality of the vegan collagen in the supplement. 

What does vegan collagen do? 

Like collagen, vegan collagen gives our tissue and bones some flexibility and elasticity, this is done by creating products with ingredients that act as building blocks and cofactors for effective skin and building your collagen support.

Is vegan collagen effective? 

Vegan collagen is effective. Did you know it's more effective to stimulate your own collagen than to consume animal-based collagen? We should all be making enough collagen to keep our skin looking great, but stress and toxins can mean we need a little extra nutritional support to keep our collagen levels up. 

Why choose vegan collagen? 

Vegan Collagen reasons: 

• Our bodies break down animal collagen into other proteins for alternative use in the body and despite many studies, bovine and marine collagen products have not been proven to work 
• Vegan collagen is cruelty-free because no animal proteins need to be present in the product, and of course our supplements are never tested on animals
• Our vegan collagen supplement is ethically sourced, so you don’t need to worry about humans or animals being exploited in the name of greater profits
• Animal collagen is made up of ground-up animal hooves, bones, hide, and joints - essentially, the leftover offcuts of the meat industry. This means that animal collagen products are often contaminated with antibiotics and other things fed to animals to help them grow as fast as possible
• Many brands encourage us to skip the important process of making our own collagen and not truly get 'under the skin' of the matter. Luckily the active ingredient used in many studies is “Glycine”. An amino acid abundant in collagen, alongside “Lysine” and “Proline”. And there are clean vegan sources of Glycine and the other key collagen-boosting amino acids.

Why use a collagen-boosting supplement?

Our theory is that toxin exposure, stress and nutrient-lacking diets leave us a little depleted in the building blocks and nutrients our body needs to make collagen. 

Collagen is what makes up the all important connective tissue in your body. It’s what keeps your skin smooth and elastic, your blood vessels from getting stiff, and your joints moving smoothly.

By taking a supplement you’re supporting all those tissues.

What are the benefits of taking our vegan collagen? 

Vegan Collagen supplement beneifts: 

• Vegan, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly: As we touched on above, our vegan collagen supplement is completely vegan, cruelty-free, and eco-friendly, so you can take it with a clear conscience 
• Lower risk of allergies: Because vegan collagen is created in a controlled environment, you’re much less likely to have an adverse reaction to your collagen supplement. Marine and bovine collagen can contain contaminants and there’s some concern about the transmission of illness, too 
• Prevent and reduce the development of wrinkles: Our skin is 70% collagen, so taking vegan collagen will help your skin maintain its elasticity and plumpness as you age, which will help you avoid unnecessary wrinkles 
• Support your joint health: Collagen is essential for bones and cartilage, so taking a vegan collagen supplement is a great way to support your joints and keep them strong and healthy as you age. Cartilage helps cushion the joints 
• Stronger hair and nails: Collagen helps your body create healthy and strong hair and nails 
• Aids digestion: Collagen aids in the digestive process because it’s a hydrophilic molecule, which means it attracts water and stomach acid when it’s digested. This process helps carbohydrates and proteins move through the intestines smoothly. 

From (around) the age of 25, we start to lose 1% of collagen from our bodies, so the earlier you start taking collagen, and boosting your collagen production, the better. That said, any time is a great time to start! 

What other vitamins support the skin when taking vegan collagen? 

If you are looking to boost your body’s natural collagen production. The most important vitamins and minerals you need for collagen production are: 

• Vitamin C - this is a vitamin your body cannot produce so must be consumed. It helps prevent and reduce UV damage and produce collagen (find it in our all-natural Vitamin C from Organic Cherry supplement) 
• Omega 3 - Omega 3s help the body produce collagen and help the body clear free radicals from cells, which can damage collagen and cause early aging (omega 3 supplements are rarely vegan, but our Fish-Free Omega supplement is) 
• Zinc & Copper - Zinc and copper are also essential for collagen production, so taking a good multivitamin (like our popular The Ethical Multivitamin) will ensure you cover all your bases 

Find Vegan Collagen in the UK 

What to look for in a collagen supplement 

Always check the source. Most collagen on the market will come from pigs, cows or marine life unless it’s specifically marked as vegan.

For best results choose a supplement with added vitamin C, especially the natural form from acerola cherry. Vitamin C improves collagen synthesis in your skin and body. Acerola is also packed full of other plant nutrients which boost microcirculation.

Introducing our new vegan collagen factors! Containing L-Lysine, L-Proline, Glycine. Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and hyaluronic acid, this balanced blend of botanics, amino acids, vitamins and minerals will all support, strengthen and boost the natural collagen in your skin.

We only include the highest quality ingredients, all our supplements are vegan, and are environmentally friendly. If you’re ready to add vegan collagen to your supplement routine to keep your skin and body looking and feeling your best, find our Vegan Collagen here.