Collagen peptide for skin hydration, wrinkles and elasticity
What it found
In 64 women aged 40 to 60, taking 1000 mg of a low-molecular-weight collagen peptide daily for 12 weeks improved skin hydration, wrinkling and some measures of elasticity compared with a placebo.
The authors say it may work as a health food ingredient.
What they found
Studies in people
Skin hydration
Skin hydration was significantly higher in the collagen peptide group than the placebo group at both 6 and 12 weeks. The rise in hydration was 7.23 times greater than placebo at 6 weeks and 2.9 times greater at 12 weeks.
Wrinkling
After 12 weeks, dermatologists' visual scores for crow's-feet wrinkles improved significantly more in the collagen peptide group than in the placebo group. The improvement was 10.5 times greater than placebo.
Wrinkle measurements
Three instrument-measured wrinkle parameters (R1, R3 and R4) were significantly better in the collagen peptide group than the placebo group at 12 weeks. None of these improved significantly in the placebo group.
Skin elasticity
Two out of three elasticity measures (R2 and R5) were significantly higher in the collagen peptide group than the placebo group at 12 weeks. Only one measure (R5) improved significantly from the start within the collagen peptide group.
Safety checks
Blood tests, urine tests and vital signs stayed in normal ranges in both groups. No adverse reactions were observed in any participant.
What the authors conclude
“The LMWCP is a safe health functional food ingredient with anti-skin photoaging efficacy which can effectively improve hydration, elasticity, and wrinkling in human skin at the dose of 1000 mg once daily.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that the collagen peptide is a safe health functional food ingredient with anti-skin photoaging efficacy that can improve hydration, elasticity and wrinkling in human skin at 1000 mg once daily.
- They recommend further studies in both men and women of different age groups to generalise the anti-photoaging effects.
- They also suggest that larger numbers of participants would give more robust results in future studies.
How it was done
The authors wanted to test in people whether a fish-derived collagen peptide, already shown to help skin in mice, could improve hydration, wrinkles and elasticity in photoaged human skin.
They recruited 70 women aged 40 to 60 with crow's-feet wrinkles, and 64 started the study. Participants took either 1000 mg of the collagen peptide or a placebo once daily for 12 weeks, and skin was measured at the start, 6 weeks and 12 weeks.
What it can’t tell you
- This trial only included women aged 40 to 60, so the results may not apply to men or other age groups.
- The study lasted 12 weeks, so it cannot show whether the skin improvements would last longer with continued use.
- The authors note that the placebo group also improved in hydration at 12 weeks, possibly due to the vehicle or cosmetics used, so the exact size of the collagen peptide's effect is uncertain.
Who paid
- Conflicts
- The authors and the company, Newtree Co., Ltd., declare no conflict of interest to any extent.
- Authors work at
- CHA University, Korea; Central Research Institute, Japan
The paper
- Title
- Oral Intake of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Improves Hydration, Elasticity, and Wrinkling in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kim DU, Chung HC, Choi J, Sakai Y, Lee BY (2018). Oral Intake of Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Improves Hydration, Elasticity, and Wrinkling in Human Skin: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu10070826Free full textPubMed 29949889DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error