Collagen peptides and eye wrinkles in 114 women
What it found
Taking specific collagen peptides for 8 weeks reduced eye wrinkle volume by about 20% compared to a placebo in women aged 45 to 65.
The effect was still visible 4 weeks after they stopped taking it.
What they found
Studies in people
Eye wrinkle volume
After 8 weeks, the women taking collagen peptides had 20.1% less wrinkle volume around their eyes compared to the placebo group. The biggest drop seen in one person was 49.9%. Four weeks after stopping, the wrinkle reduction was still 11.5%.
Procollagen type I
In the skin fluid collected from forearm blisters, procollagen type I was 65% higher after 8 weeks in the collagen group than in the placebo group.
Elastin levels
The same skin fluid tests showed 18% more elastin in the women who took the collagen peptides compared to those who took the placebo.
Fibrillin levels
Fibrillin was 6% higher in the collagen group than in the placebo group. This difference was too small to rule out chance.
Other findings
Product source and makeup
The tested product is made from pig type I collagen broken down into small pieces. These pieces have an average molecular weight of 2.0 kD.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that taking this specific collagen peptide by mouth reduced eye wrinkles and boosted the production of key skin proteins like collagen and elastin.
- They note that the results apply only to the exact peptide blend used in their trial, and other collagen products might work differently.
- They call for more research into exactly how these peptides act on skin structures.
How it was done
As skin ages, it loses elasticity and forms wrinkles because the body makes less collagen and elastin. The authors wanted to test whether swallowing a specific collagen peptide supplement could reduce wrinkles and boost the skin's building blocks.
They gave 114 healthy women aged 45 to 65 either 2.5 g of a specific collagen peptide powder or a placebo every day for 8 weeks. They measured the volume of wrinkles around the eyes at the start, after 4 weeks, after 8 weeks, and again 4 weeks after stopping. A smaller group of 40 women also had tiny blisters raised on their forearms to collect skin fluid and measure collagen, elastin, and fibrillin levels.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only included women aged 45 to 65, so the results may not apply to men or younger people.
- The study lasted 8 weeks with a 4-week follow-up, so it cannot show what happens over many months or years of use.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Kiel, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Proksch E, Schunck M, Zague V, Segger D, Degwert J, Oesser S (2014). Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis. Skin pharmacology and physiology. doi:10.1159/000355523Free full textPubMed 24401291DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error