Consumers are buying collagen for more than just beauty, with mood, sleep and overall health also key considerations. Latest insights from our Nutritional Solutions team shows that there are opportunities for the use of collagen in new formats.
Understanding collagen
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and an essential structural protein in the skin, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bones. Because of its key roles in providing strength and elasticity, collagen is especially important for skin, joint, and bone health. While the body can produce its own collagen, supplementing with additional collagen is growing more popular among consumers.
Global trends
Collagen health claims
Beauty from within continues to be the most popular positioning for collagen products, with skin health as the number one health claim for 2022's global supplement launches containing collagen (1). Joint health and bone health were the next most commonly featured health claims (2).
We’re seeing some interesting new claims on the rise for collagen products. Mood/brain health claims on collagen products grew at a CAGR of 89% from 2019 to 2022, while insomnia/sleep health claims grew 63% (3). These newer products often contain a blend of collagen with other ingredients such as vitamins and minerals.
Collagen sources
Globally, Europe makes up the largest market for collagen products, accounting for 39% of last year’s new product launches, while Asia is the next largest market at 21% (4). However, the preferred collagen sources are not the same. In Europe, though collagen hydrolysate remains popular, new collagen products with beef collagen (CAGR +54%, 2017 to 2022) and collagen peptides (+40%) are growing the fastest (5). In Asia, collagen peptides (+38%) and fish collagen (+21%) are the fastest growing (6).
The origin of collagen is also becoming more specific by application. For example, among 2022’s global supplement launches with collagen, collagen hydrolysate was the top source for hair, skin, and nail products but not for glucosamine products, which favoured collagen type II (7).
US Collagen Market
In the US, collagen product sales are forecast to reach $316 million in 2025, with growth of 7%–10% expected annually between 2023 and 2025 (9). Hair, skin, and nails is the top positioning by far (followed by joint health), though emerging positionings include sports, energy, and weight management, as well as gut health (10).
US consumers report using collagen products for many different reasons, including to strengthen their immune system (14.3%), manage their digestive health (11.1%), increase their energy (9.3%), and manage their weight (7.2%) (11).
US consumers want to learn more about collagen. 44.9% think the collagen supplement market is not well explained or it’s too confusing, and 75.2% of consumers say they wish they knew more about collagen supplements (12). For those who do use collagen products, powders (60.5%), pills (43.1%), and gummies/chewables (29.3%) are the top formats (13), but there is an opportunity to reach more consumers by expanding into more approachable formats like ready-to-drink beverages, bars, and coffee creamer powders.
References
- (1-8) Innova Database, The Latest Trends in Collagen Ingredients, November 2022.
- (9-13) Nutrition Business Journal, 2022 NBJ Collagen Report, 2022.