A 2025 review of collagen supplements for skin aging found that favorable results across all included trials were not present when the authors analyzed studies without pharmaceutical-company funding or studies rated high quality. That raises important questions about the evidence, but it does not prove that funding caused positive findings or that collagen has no effect for every health outcome.
What did the 2025 collagen review find?
Myung and colleagues analyzed 23 randomized controlled trials involving 1,474 participants. Across the full set of trials, their pooled analyses found improvements in skin hydration, elasticity, and wrinkles. The picture changed in subgroup analyses: studies without pharmaceutical-company funding did not show effects on those outcomes, and studies rated high quality did not show significant effects in any category. Myung et al., 2025.
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The authors concluded: “There is currently no clinical evidence to support the use of collagen supplements to prevent or treat skin aging.” That is their conclusion about the clinical evidence they analyzed, not a finding from a regulator or proof that collagen cannot affect any person or any other health outcome.
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A difference between studies grouped by funding source is a reason to examine the evidence carefully. By itself, it does not establish that pharmaceutical-company funding caused favorable results. Other differences among the studies could contribute, and the available information does not independently verify the funding disclosures or trial-level data for all 23 trials.
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Nor does the review show that every favorable trial was industry-funded or that every collagen study is flawed. Its more specific finding is that the favorable pooled results were not sustained in the review’s analyses of non-pharmaceutical-funded studies and higher-quality studies.
How does this compare with earlier reviews?
Earlier pooled analyses reported benefits, which helps explain why readers may encounter conflicting claims about collagen and skin. The studies’ scope, included trials, and approach to assessing bias matter when comparing those conclusions.
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| Review | Scope and evidence base | Main result and qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Pu et al., 2023 | Skin-focused meta-analysis; 26 randomized controlled trials and 1,721 participants. | Reported pooled benefits, but identified risk-of-bias concerns, including missing outcome data in 13 included studies. The authors called for larger randomized trials. Pu et al., 2023. |
| Myung et al., 2025 | Skin-aging meta-analysis; 23 randomized controlled trials and 1,474 participants. | Found favorable pooled results across all trials, but not in analyses of studies without pharmaceutical-company funding or studies rated high quality. Myung et al., 2025. |
| 2025 umbrella review | Broader review of 16 meta-analyses, covering 113 randomized controlled trials and 7,983 participants across outcomes beyond skin aging. | Reported favorable findings across some outcomes, but under AMSTAR 2 only one of the 16 meta-analyses was rated high quality, four low quality, and the rest critically low quality. Its broad scope is not a direct answer to whether collagen prevents or treats skin aging. 2025 umbrella review. |
The umbrella review also illustrates why a large number of trials or meta-analyses does not automatically mean that the evidence is robust: reviews can include overlapping trials and differ in methodological quality. Its broader findings should not be treated as a direct refutation of a skin-specific analysis.
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What did the collagen industry say in response?
GROW, a representative body for the gelatin and collagen peptide industry, criticized the 2025 review’s subgroup methods and interpretations in a statement dated August 5, 2025. GROW argued: “Funding alone does not compromise scientific integrity when proper methodology and peer review are followed.” GROW statement, August 5, 2025.
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That is relevant commentary from an interested industry organization, not an independent reanalysis of the trial data. Its point that funding alone does not establish compromised science is consistent with the need to avoid treating the funding subgroup as proof of cause. The central question remains how study design, risk of bias, and results hold up when evidence is assessed by quality and funding categories.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.So, do collagen supplements work for skin?
The reviews do not support a simple yes-or-no claim that covers every product and person. Some pooled analyses report improvements in skin measures, while the 2025 skin-aging review found that its favorable overall results did not appear in its higher-quality or non-pharmaceutical-funded subgroups. Taken together, the evidence leaves uncertainty about whether oral collagen reliably prevents or treats skin aging.
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These reviews assess groups of trials, not a specific retail product. They do not establish that any particular brand or “hydrolyzed collagen peptides powder” has been proven effective.
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