The benefits of Collagen Protein Powder

Plump youthful skin, strong hair, nails and joints AND a toned physique with a higher resting metabolic rate in an 100% organic, naturally chocolate flavoured powder - sounds a little too good to be true right?

The beauty industry’s favourite ingredient: collagen, has been doing the rounds in moisturizers, serums and supplements as have traditional protein supplements promising to help you build muscle and lose weight.

But what about the new kid of the block: a collagen protein powder that can help you get flawless skin and tone up?

Collagen protein powder promises to deliver visible results for your complexion as well as amplify your fitness goals. Read on to discover why you should be taking a collagen protein powder and how it differs from traditional protein supplements.

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and an important structural protein found in skin and connective tissue as well as being found in your joints, tendons and ligaments.

Like all proteins, collagen, its precursor procollagen and the final structural protein, known as tropocollagen, are made up of amino acids – namely glycine, arginine, proline and hydroxyproline. However, collagen has a varied amino acid profile and is actually made up of 19 amino acids, 8 of which are essential amino acids (i.e. those you need from the diet).

There are 28 different types of collagen protein, but the majority of collagen in the human body is made up of collagen type 1, 2 and 3. 

Type I collagen is found mainly in your skin, hair, nails, teeth, and in the lining of our gut and is the form of collagen most beauty products and supplements endeavour to build as it contributes to improving skin elasticity and maintaining youthful, plump, baby soft skin. Porcine type 1 collagen and marine collagen type 1 as well as vegan collagen are all great sources of type 1 collagen.   

Found mostly in the cartilage, joints, tendons and ligaments, type 2 collagen prevents abrasion between bones at joints such as your knees, elbows and wrists, enabling the bones to move smoothly and stopping you sound like a clacketing keyboard every time you move (believe me I’m grateful for it too). Type 2 collagen can be found in marine and vegan collagen builders. 

Type 3 collagen can also be found in your skin. It also makes up a large part of your blood vessels and is the protein used to build your muscles. Type 1 and type 3 collagen function relatively similarly but type 3 collagen is also responsible for producing the amino acid glycine – a very important amino acid involved in producing collagen but also runs a side hustle of helping to burn body fat (and who doesn’t want that?). 

Usually when you think of protein powder, you think of whey (and picture Chris Hemsworth’s shirtless body – or is that just me?). Whey protein has been traditionally used as a protein source as it is a complete protein (i.e., it contains all 9 essential amino acids) as it is an animal protein derived from cow’s milk.

While whey protein for muscle gain may have been the preferred choice in the past, collagen has more recently taken the limelight as an effective source of protein both for athletes and skincare fanatics alike. Keep reading to find out the answer to: is collagen protein better than whey protein?

Collagen protein, be it animal collagen through hydrolysed collagen peptides, or vegan collagen protein builders from plants are both easier on your stomach compared to whey protein as it essentially comes pre-digested! Hydrolysed collagen is broken down during the production process into collagen peptides (small chains of amino acids) that are easier for your body to then break down and digest. 

Vegan collagen protein builders are essentially a blend of the individual ingredients and amino acids required to build the protein back up in your body. They are also usually derived from wholefood sources, making them familiar to your body and making it easier for your stomach to digest.

Whey is actually harder for most people to digest and has been commonly found to cause an upset stomach and make you bloat after consumption (and ladies, we know PMS and quality time with salted pretzels makes this a big enough issue for us as it is!)

Collagen protein, be it animal collagen through hydrolysed collagen peptides, or vegan collagen protein builders from plants are both easier on your stomach compared to whey protein as it essentially comes pre-digested. Hydrolysed collagen is broken down during the production process into collagen peptides (small chains of amino acids) that are easier for your body to then break down and digest. 

Vegan collagen protein builders are essentially a blend of the individual ingredients and amino acids required to build the protein back up in your body. They are also usually derived from wholefood sources, making them familiar to your body and making it easier for your stomach to digest.

Whey is actually harder for most people to digest and has been commonly found to cause an upset stomach and make you bloat after consumption (and ladies, we know PMS and quality time with salted pretzels makes this a big enough issue for us as it is!)

Both whey and collagen protein can help with muscle recovery, but whey works mainly on your muscles whereas collagen works to help your muscles, ligaments and your joints recover post exercise.

As collagen is involved in the production of ligaments and tendons along with your muscles, it was actually shown to increase the rate of recovery after strenuous exercise. Additionally, it also helps to reduce inflammation within your joints, helping to support your joints as well as your muscles during and after working out.

Without the chocolate and cookie flavoured coating, whey protein has a very bitter taste making it almost impossible to ingest au naturel. While having a cinnamon bun flavoured “healthy” protein snack might sound like a no brainer to most, the volume of sugars, sweeteners, flavours and additional processing required for manufacturers to live up to their coveted “no sugar, high protein'' slogan makes it a rather unhealthy option.

Vegan Collagen Protein on the other hand requires little to no processing at all as the ingredients are blended into a naturally sweet, berry flavour with no additives (and I mean literally no additives) whatsoever! 

While this may not technically have to do with muscle growth, a delightful side effect of taking collagen protein is the magic it works on your skin. Collagen, especially plant based sources such as vegan collagen, provides multivitamins with collagen which can significantly help improve skin elasticity and help to naturally plump and tighten your skin – essentially with collagen you can tone up both your face and your body!

We don’t believe you should have to choose between collagen supplements for your skin, hair and nails and supplements for your body (nor should you feel like you’re drinking 50% of your diet – we believe in having as many fresh wholefoods as possible in our diet!).

That’s why we’ve combined the benefits of taking a collagen booster and lean muscle gainer into a single, chocolate flavoured, plant-based, complete collagen protein powder to help you gain lean muscle, increase your metabolism, lose weight and feel great all while having a collagen skin booster to help your skin build collagen to stay plump, youthful and glowing.

Our organic collagen protein powder contains superfoods from our award-winning organic collagen powder blend proven to work as a natural collagen booster for your skin, while helping you tone up and increase your metabolism naturally.

Find out more about our Protein & Collagen builder below (and not to blow our own horn or anything but it’s also a finalist for the pure beauty global awards 2022 for the collagen protein powder UK category).