The Power of Collagen: How It Supports Joint and Skin Health

Collagen has earned its reputation as the “fountain of youth” — hyped by health pros, wellness influencers, and probably your bestie. 

But is it just a passing trend, or is it the real deal for wrinkles, creaky joints, and healthy nails and hair?

Let’s take a science-backed tour of how collagen works its magic for skin, joints, and more. We’ll explore why it’s vital as we age and which sources pack the most benefits (because they’re not all created equal!). 

🤔 COLLAGEN BENEFITS 101: START HERE

Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body.[*] It’s the structural glue holding your body together and the scaffolding keeping your skin firm, your joints mobile, and your tissues from falling apart.

Made of 19 amino acids (the building blocks of protein), collagen lives in your cartilage, ligaments, tendons, muscles, joints, and bones.[*] It’s also found in your skin, hair, and nails.

Though our bodies create collagen, we produce 1.5% less every year.[*] 

🚀 YES, YOUR COLLAGEN LEVELS NEED A BOOST

Several factors affect our body’s collagen factory. Diet, lifestyle, and too much UV exposure from the sun can all put our collagen shop on part-time hours.[*] Certain health conditions and autoimmune diseases can affect it too.

As we celebrate more birthdays, our body doesn’t just make less collagen. The collagen we produce isn’t as good. And it breaks down faster than we can replace it.[*][*][*]

Feeling like time’s catching up to you may be a red flag that you need more collagen. The most common signs of low collagen levels include:[*][*]

• Wrinkled, crepey, or sagging skin

• Hallowing around your eyes and face

• Dry, rough skin and loss of suppleness and smoothness

• Muscle weakness and aches

• Stiff joints, less flexibility, joint pain, osteoarthritis, and loss of mobility

• Gastrointestinal problems

• Thin, brittle hair and nails that are prone to breaking and slow to grow

These symptoms can make you feel older than you actually are. And nobody wants that! 🙅‍♀️ 

Luckily, adding more collagen to your diet can top off your reserves and help your body make more collagen.[*] This powerful combo may be able to proverbially slow the clock. Let’s dive into how!

🌟 THE TOP BENEFITS OF COLLAGEN FOR JOINT HEALTH

Most of us don’t think about bone and joint health until those pesky aches start interfering with our favorite activities. Collagen may be the trick to feeling flexible and spry again. 

According to studies, it may:

🤸 REDUCE JOINT PAIN AND STIFFNESS

Collagen accounts for up to 60% of your body’s cartilage — the stuff that cushions your joints and absorbs impacts.[*] Less collagen means less cartilage, and that means more joint pain.

Research says collagen supplementation helps:[*][*][*][*]

• Protect cartilage from damage and degeneration

• Support the repair and regeneration of cartilage

• Lessen joint pain, especially in people with osteoarthritis and other arthritic conditions

• Improve joint flexibility and mobility

• Reduce stiffness

• Support better joint health

One study found that supplementing with just 5 grams of collagen reduced joint pain by 38% when active and 39% at rest.[*] Imagine what your morning runs or yoga sessions could feel like with a collagen boost!

🐶  Want to support your furry bestie’s joint health and mobility? Discover why many paw-rents use collagen-rich bone broth for dogs!

🦵 SLOW OSTEOPOROSIS

Osteoporosis weakens bones and decreases bone density and mass. This makes your bones more prone to fractures.

💡 FUN FACT: Your bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding. While bone density stays balanced when we’re young, that rebuilding process slows once we’re over the hill. Cue potential bone mass losses.[*]

Good news? Researchers found that a year of daily collagen supplementation significantly increased bone mineral density. They also noticed signs of active bone formation.[*]

Even better? In a follow-up four years later, those perks were still going strong![*]

Collagen doesn’t just keep you moving pain-free — it also plays a starring role in maintaining your youthful appearance, giving you the confidence to embrace each passing year.

✨ 5 BENEFITS OF COLLAGEN FOR SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS

Collagen makes up 70%–80% of your skin.[*] As it decreases, skin loses its bounce, elasticity, and hydration — then wrinkles, dryness, and dullness can take over.[*] 

Supplementing with collagen could help:

💧 BOOST SKIN HYDRATION (SEE YA, WRINKLES!)

Collagen works like a moisture magnet for your skin, improving hydration, enhancing your skin barrier, and reducing roughness.[*] It also helps your body produce more hyaluronic acid (a proven skin plumper).[*] 

The result? 

More fullness and bounce and fewer wrinkles.[*] And get this: participants in one study noticed visibly smoother, fuller skin after just one month of collagen.[*]

😊 INCREASE SKIN ELASTICITY

Worried about thinning, crepey skin? You’re not alone. Thankfully, studies show collagen supplementation increases fullness, firmness, and elasticity. 👏

After 12 weeks of collagen, participants in one study increased their skin elasticity by almost 25%![*] 

Another study revealed significant improvements in elasticity and firmness — and these were still noticeable 4 weeks after the women stopped taking the collagen, especially in the older participants.[*]

🌞 UNLEASH YOUR RADIANT, HEALTHY GLOW

Exfoliants slough off dead skin cells and encourage the growth of new ones. And guess what? Collagen does this too!

Collagen supplementation promotes new cell turnover, swapping dull, tired skin cells for shiny new ones.[*][*] The payoff? A fresh, youthful, luminous glow that brightens up any room you walk into.[*]

💅 STRENGTHEN YOUR NAILS

One of the most noticeable collagen benefits for women? Better nail health. The results are often quick and easy to spot.

Brittle nail syndrome — a frustrating combo of roughness, ragged edges, and peeling — plagues many women. In one study, collagen increased nail growth by 12% and decreased broken nails by 42%.[*]

After just a few weeks, 64% of participants noticed fewer brittle nail issues, and 88% continued seeing progress long after. Most (80%) gave collagen glowing reviews for visibly transforming their nails.[*]

💈 GROW HEALTHIER HAIR

Collagen benefits for men and women also include wonders for your mane. According to lab tests, it can help:[*][*]

• Stimulate hair follicle cells to encourage growth

• Boost production of growth factors essential for thicker, fuller hair

• Strengthen hair follicles and promote longer strands

• Spark the development of new hair shafts

• Combat hair loss

• Suppress factors that slow or block hair growth

In one study, 12 weeks of daily collagen use led to a 32% boost in hair health.[*] The researchers noted that a higher dose of collagen worked almost as well as the leading hair loss medication.[*]

So it’s safe to say that collagen can fuel your glow-up and self-care rituals. But natural food sources of collagen are a bigger win for you (and your future you).

💪 HOW TO MAXIMIZE COLLAGEN’S HEALTH BENEFITS

If you want the full spectrum of benefits, you have to pick the right type of collagen. Let’s explore your choices:

🧪 COLLAGEN PEPTIDES

Most powdered supplements are collagen peptides (aka hydrolyzed collagen).

As we discussed in our guide on Bone Broth vs. Collagen, collagen peptides undergo chemical processing, making them a less natural option than whole-food collagen sources. They’re also missing the nutrient-rich benefits found in natural collagen sources. 

It’s like comparing a fast-food burger to a nutritious home-cooked meal. We can do better!

🍖 COLLAGEN-RICH FOODS

Eating collagen-rich foods can help create the building blocks your body needs for collagen production. UCLA Health says ideal choices include high-protein foods that have a lot of connective tissue, such as:[*]

• Beef, especially tough cuts such as brisket and pot roast

• Bone broth made from chicken, beef, or fish

• Chicken and turkey, which provide collagen in skin and connective tissue

• Fish and shellfish, which contain the most collagen in their bones and scales

These supply collagen in its most natural, unprocessed state.

Bone broth is one of the best dietary sources of whole-food collagen because it’s made by slowly simmering animal bones. The collagen and other nutrients are extracted from the beneficial bone marrow, creating an even healthier broth.

This ancient wellness elixir doesn’t just provide collagen — it supplies vitamins, essential minerals like electrolytes, and compounds such as glucosamine and chondroitin, which support joint health.[*][*][*]

Chicken bone broth even increased bone mineral density and bone volume/tissue volume in one study to slow osteoporosis progression.[*]

It’s like a wellness cocktail designed by Mother Nature herself.

🙌 EASY, NATURAL SOURCES OF COLLAGEN

Here at Bare Bones, we're all about harnessing the power of whole foods to achieve optimal health. That's why we've created a range of delicious, easy products packed with natural collagen:

💙 INSTANT BONE BROTH

Our Instant Bone Broth is an all-in-one replacement for broth, stock, bouillon, and homemade bone broth with unmatched flavor, versatility, and convenience. 

Each rip stick delivers a whopping 10 grams of protein and collagen per serving. 

⚡ELEVATED DRINK MIX

Our Elevated Drink Mix provides 5 grams of bovine collagen protein per serving and nourishing prebiotics. 

Crafted with real fruit juice and sweetened naturally with agave, they’re a refreshing way to sneak more collagen into your day. And with low-sugar flavors like Lemonade, Fruit Punch, and Passion Fruit, self-care has never tasted this good!

🎂 TAKE THE NATURAL PATH TO AGING GRACEFULLY

You can’t stop aging, but you can sure slow its roll. 

From smoother skin and flexible joints to thicker hair and stronger nails, collagen reigns supreme for your whole-body vitality and keeps you feeling young.

It’s time to harness the wisdom of nature to support your healthiest, most radiant self today and tomorrow.

Our mission at Bare Bones is to meet you where you are and nourish you with real, whole-food-based nutrients in the form that best fits your lifestyle. 🔥 Pick your nutrient-rich, no-compromise solution for staying vibrant and unstoppable now!