As a formulator, you’re likely no stranger to collagen. Often hailed as the ultimate key to youthful, radiant skin in mainstream media, this essential protein serves as the skin’s structural backbone, delivering strength and elasticity. However, as we age, collagen production declines, leading to the inevitable signs of ageing.
Recently, a surge of online claims suggests that collagen-infused skincare products and supplements can boost the skin’s natural collagen production. But is there any scientific merit to these assertions, or are they simply myths? And does collagen really work for the skin?
In this post, we delve into the science behind collagen and its reputed benefits, exploring the most effective collagen-boosting ingredients available. We’ll also guide you through how to formulate with these powerful, in-demand components so you can create high-performance skincare products.
What is collagen?
Collagen is a protein in our skin and the primary structural component of the dermis, our second skin layer. Produced by fibroblast cells in the dermal layer, type I collagen provides strength and support to the skin. However, its production declines with age, which typically leads to wrinkles and fine lines (i).
Why is collagen important?
Collagen is the most important structural protein in our skin, which provides structural integrity and resilience to the skin. Along with elastin, it is responsible for the skin’s firmness and elasticity. As we age, many changes occur which lead to wrinkling, loss of elasticity, sagging, and other ageing signs.
Understanding how the skin works and the different types of collagen – types I and III being the main cutaneous types (i)- can help you formulate the best skincare for mature skin.
You can find out more about the skin barrier below:
Skin barrier 101: essential guide for natural skincare formulation
What affects collagen production?
Collagen production declines with age, as fibroblasts become less active when you reach early adulthood. It can also be affected by certain lifestyle choices, as well as extrinsic (UV-radiation, pollution) and intrinsic factors (genetics, age, ethnicity, hormones) (i).
Collagen-based skincare: myth or fact?
Now that you know more about collagen, you’re probably wondering if incorporating plant-based or maritime collagen in your skincare formulations can boost the natural levels of collagen within the skin. After all, a lot of people on the internet are claiming that adding collagen to their skincare routine- either in topical, injectable, or ingestible forms- can help stimulate natural collagen production.
Unfortunately, that’s not true. While a topical collagen cream might help moisturise your skin, it won’t boost natural collagen production. That’s because the molecular weight of collagen is far too big to penetrate the epidermis effectively and reach the dermis, where collagen is located.
However, other compounds, such as retinoids or vitamin C, can increase the biosynthesis of collagen (ii). There are also studies with hydrolysed collagen peptides which show promise in reaching the dermal layer (iii).
Top 5 collagen-boosting ingredients
While topical collagen won’t influence natural collagen production, some ingredients can help boost connective tissue production, thereby rejuvenating skin and other tissues (ii).
These ingredients are considered the ultimate anti-ageing ingredients, as they target existing wrinkles, rather than prevent future signs of ageing.
Hyaluronic acid
Number one on this list is hyaluronic acid, a polysaccharide naturally present in the skin, responsible for the skin’s hydration. As a cosmetic ingredient, hyaluronic acid is a humectant which can help hydrate and moisturise the skin.
Recently, a study (iv) found that hyaluronic acid can also help stimulate collagen and elastin production, and displays interesting regenerating and repairing properties, which control the inflammatory process and active collagen synthesis. While more evidence is needed to confirm this, the research is looking promising.
Find more about hyaluronic acid in our dedicated Mini Lab or our dedicated blog post below:
Add hyaluronic acid powder to your water-based formulations, including gels, toners, serums, creams, and lotions. We recommend you use low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, as it penetrates deeper into the skin, and therefore has a better chance to stimulate collagen production, but you could also add high-weight molecular hyaluronic acid for instant hydration. You could also combine hyaluronic acid with other actives for a synergetic effect.
Bakuchiol
While retinol shows strong abilities to help restore type I collagen in naturally aged and photoaged skin (v), we chose to list bakuchiol instead as one of the top collagen-boosting ingredients on the market. A natural alternative to retinol, bakuchiol is far gentler on the skin, is easy to source, and doesn’t have the same photosensitising issues as retinol.
A 2014 DNA microarray study found that bakuchiol works similarly on the skin as retinol by helping to stimulate cell turnover, type I, III, and IV of collagen; and reduce visible signs of ageing and hyperpigmentation (vi).
Find out more about bakuchiol in our dedicated Mini Lab or these blog posts:
Top 5 natural retinol alternatives and why you should use them
How to formulate a bakuchiol beauty concentrate
As a powerful antioxidant and collagen stimulator, bakuchiol is a great addition to the cool-down phase of your mature skincare formulations.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is one of the most researched vitamins on the market and is an amazing antioxidant which can help neutralise free radicals in the skin, brighten the skin, and increase regulation of type I and III of collagen (vii). However, it is notoriously difficult to formulate with.
While ascorbic acid has been widely researched, it is highly unstable, oxidises fast, and can trigger skin sensitivities. You could use natural alternatives instead, but more research is needed to confirm their properties. Ascorbyl glucoside, also known as AA2G™, is one of the most promising so far, with good stability and high antioxidant activity.
Learn more about vitamin C and its alternatives in our dedicated mini lab or the posts below:
4 Vitamin C myths every formulator should know
The benefits of vitamin C in skincare
Best forms of vitamin C in skincare
How to formulate a restoring vitamin C face serum
You can use this water-soluble powder in the cool-down phase of your emulsions. Alternatively, you could use ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate, an oil-soluble form of vitamin C, which can mitigate signs of premature skin ageing, reduce hyperpigmentation, and help collagen synthesis.
Green tea
While we’re on the topic of antioxidants, let’s talk about green tea. Extracted from the Camellia sinensis leaves, this ingredient is known for its high amount of catechins, a class of polyphenols renowned for their antioxidant properties.
Some studies (viii) have shown that using topical skincare containing green tea extract can help fight free radicals and reduce the production of collagen-degrading enzymes in the skin, as well as boost collagen production in human skin cells.
Find out more about green tea in these posts:
Leaf to lotion: the benefits of green tea in cosmeticsHow to make a skin-loving green tea serum
Add green tea extract to your skincare formulations for smoother and resilient skin. This particular ingredient is very versatile, as it’s available in powder, hydrosol, wax, glycerite, and oil forms. Be aware that catechins are very sensitive to oxygen and light, so make sure you store your ingredients correctly.
Peptides
Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got peptides. Naturally present in our skin as short chains of amino acids, peptides are also among the hottest ingredients on the market.
There are four types of cosmetic peptides, but we’re mostly interested in signal peptides and enzyme-inhibitor peptides here. While peptides stimulate collagen production, enzyme-inhibitor peptides reduce collagen breakdown. When applied topically, peptides can help stimulate the production of dermal collagen and elastin, which are responsible for the skin’s structure, firmness, and elasticity (ix).
Find out more about peptides in our dedicated Mini Lab and the guide below:
You can choose from many plant-based peptides, including FSS hexapeptide 1, hydrolysed pea protein, hydrolysed lupin, and many others. These are best added in the cool-down phases of your serums, lotions, and creams.
Collagen: worth the hype?
Now that you’ve learned more about collagen, you’re probably wondering if collagen is worth the hype. As a cosmetic ingredient and on its own, we wouldn’t recommend it, as its molecular weight is too big to do anything for the skin. However, you can supply the skin with collagen-boosting ingredients to help stimulate the natural production of collagen and elastin in the skin.
At Formula Botanica, we’re all about positive ageing and wholeheartedly believe that ageing is a privilege. After all, ageing is a normal process we all go through, and we should all formulate with that in mind. We’re here to help you harness the power of botanicals to help you create amazing formulations, and guide you along the way.
Want to learn more? Join the lab today!
At this point, you’re probably eager to learn more about collagen-boosting ingredients. Why not join our exclusive membership site, the Lab at Formula Botanica, to unlock your formulation potential?
Access over 50 bite-sized mini labs and a huge library of natural collagen-boosting ingredients including gotu kola, AHAs, vitamin E, resveratrol, coenzyme Q10, and so much more! We can’t wait to see you there!
References & Further Reading
(i) Reilly et al, 2021. Skin collagen through the life stages: importance for skin health and beauty
(ii) Gref et al, 2020. Vitamin C-squalene bioconjugate promotes epidermal thickening and collagen production in human skin
(iii) Hong et al, 2019. Preparation of low-molecular-weight, collagen hydrolysates (peptides): current progress, challenges, and future perspectives
(iv) Tanha et al, 2023. A green-based approach for non-invasive skin rejuvenation: potential application for the skin
(v) Sun et al, 2016. Topical retinol restores type I collagen production in photoaged forearm skin within four weeks
(vi) Chaudhuri et al, 2014. Bakuchiol: a retinol-like functional compound revealed by gene expression profiling and clinically proven to have anti-ageing effects
(vii) Niaimi et al, 2017. Topical vitamin C and the skin: mechanisms of action and clinical applications
(viii) Koch et al, 2019. Applications of tea (camellia sinensis) and its active constituents in cosmetics
(ix) Jeong et al, 2019. Anti-wrinkle benefits of peptides complex stimulating skin basement membrane protein expression
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Ariane is Formula Botanica’s content creator and an active member of the student community. She has worked as a professional journalist, blogger, copywriter and editor before joining Formula Botanica full-time in 2024.
