If you have any interest in the current wellness or beauty trends, you’ll be aware that collagen powder and other types of collagen supplement are causing a stir at the moment.
One form of collagen peptides that has yet to really grab consumers’ imaginations here in Australia, but which is already hugely popular in the US, is collagen gummies.
But why might you take a collagen supplement? What are collagen gummies? And are collagen gummies right for you?
What are Collagen Gummies?
Collagen is the most common protein in our bodies and it’s essential for healthy connective tissues such as tendons and cartilage, our muscles, bones and skin and even for our digestive systems to function well.
Unfortunately, one of the side-effects of ageing is that our bodies ability to make its own collagen drops off – cue aching joints, sagging skin and wrinkles, amongst other things. And this is where the collagen supplement market comes in.
If you’d like to read more about collagen in general, see our post Collagen Explained.
The theory is that if you can keep your collagen levels up, all the physical problems that can come from reduced collagen level, plus much of the unfaltering evidence of ageing, may be kept at bay. Bye bye dull, tired complexion. Hello that much-coveted glow!
All good so far, but there are two major obstacles for many people when it comes to taking collagen peptides:
- What they are made from – virtually all collagen supplements currently on the market are derived from animal products (the only genuinely vegan collagen that we’re aware of so far in Australia is the Algenist GENIUS range of products). This is an ethical issue for vegans, vegetarians and many people who make choice about what they consume based on environmental considerations.
- Click here to learn more about the problem of so-called vegan collagen.
- What they taste like – many collagen tablets and powders, even when they are described as ‘flavourless’ or ‘unflavoured’ have a slight after-taste that can be an unpleasant reminder of their animal/fishy origins.
Personally, I’ve road-tested a few collagen supplements that claim to have no taste and some are definitely better than others.
At present, there are a number of ways in which you can ingest collagen:
- Collagen Powder – stirred into a glass or juice or your morning coffee, as if it were a ‘creamer’.
- Collagen Tablets – swallowed with water or juice in the morning, just like any regular vitamin supplement.
- Collagen Water – yet to make much of an impact in Australia, but gaining ground in the US, so we’re bound to get it as some point. The Obvi Collagen Water is one of the few brands that we’ve noticed so far here.
- Collagen Gummies – huge stateside and starting to move into the wellness and health market in Australia.
And to see how far we’ve come in looking to collagen to help us ‘stop ageing’, see this article from 2015.
So Why Gummies?
Us Aussies tend to think of gummies as a way of making vitamins and other dietary supplements palatable to kids and kids only.
But this is exactly why collagen gummies work as a vehicle for a collagen boost in adults.
Gummies are supplements that look (and to some extent) taste and have the texture of lollies. And when you are trying to get customers to take something like collagen, this can only make them go down easier!
I don’t think I’m particularly squeamish, but I don’t find the thought of taking something that I know has been made from the bones, skin and cartilage of cows or pigs, or the bones and scales of fish, extremely unappetising. And having conducted a few straw poles amongst friends (many of who already take a collagen powder), I know I’m not alone in this.
I am also lucky to possess a pretty good senses of smell and taste. Great on one of the few occasions that I sit down to an exquisite meal in a flash restaurant. Not so good when it comes to getting a vaguely fishy smelling or bovine tasting collagen powder down my throat first thing in the morning.
Collagen gummies have been created in tasty fruit flavours that hopefully mask any left-over ‘animally’ or fishy taste whilst simultaneously reminding us of the childish delights of eating fruit jubes as a kid.
It’s a win/win.
And this is something that a number of well-known brands are banking on here in Australia, with big hitter Nature’s Way offering Beauty Collagen Gummies and Flamingo Supplements Hydrolyzed Collagen Gummies Type I & III starting to gain traction.
Are Collagen Gummies the Future of Anti-Ageing Supplements?
The answer to that is, maybe.
The anti-ageing side of the beauty industry is already worth billions of dollars a year in Australia and that amount is only increasing.
Whether or not popping a couple of collagen gummies during the course of the day will really stop your joints from creaking and crows-foot from forming around your eyes – the jury is still largely out and more research needs to be done.
However, whether or not a collagen supplement actually halts ageing in its tracks, most of the reports that we’ve read suggest that taking collagen tablets or water is unlikely to do you any harm.
What is up for discussion is the amount of collagen that should be consumed each day to have a therapeutic effect (if there actually is a quantity) and the fact that some products – including a number of collagen gummy brands – contain very low doses of collagen.
Collagen gummies might be one weapon in the fight to remain healthy and youthful, but they are not perfect and we will look at some of the negative feedback around them in a later article.
RELATED:
Collagen Gummies – The Pros and Cons
Collagen Powder – Collagen Peptides and Hydrolysed Collagen
Collagen Powder – Animal, Marine & Planted-Based
Protein Powder – Soy, Rice, Pea, Hemp, Collagen, Spirulina & Vegan Protein Powder Blends
