People taking collagen supplements for healthier-looking skin are being urged by health experts to eat four foods instead, to support the body's natural collagen production through diet. Collagen has become one of the UK's biggest beauty and wellness trends, with around 1.3 million searches for the protein in the past month.
Collagen powders, gummies and drinks continue to gain popularity across the beauty and wellness market. However, consumers are being encouraged to look beyond the supplement aisle and towards the foods they eat every day.
Starting in your mid-to-late 20s, especially around 25, your body naturally begins to lose collagen. After this age, you make about 1% less collagen every year, and the breakdown of the protein fibres in your body begins to happen faster than your body can replace them.
Why Diet Matters for Collagen
While collagen supplements remain hugely popular, a leading dermatologist says people shouldn't overlook the role of a varied, balanced diet. He says certain foods can provide the nutrients the body needs to produce and maintain collagen naturally.
"Collagen is an important structural protein in the skin," Dr Conal Perrett, Consultant Dermatologist at The Devonshire Clinic, says. "But there isn't one particular food that will magically boost collagen or make your skin younger. What we can do is make sure our diet provides the nutrients the body needs for normal collagen production, particularly vitamin C, alongside adequate protein and a wide variety of fruit and vegetables."
Four Food Tips for Natural Collagen Production
According to Dr Conal Perrett, boosting healthy collagen starts with your diet.
1. Load up on vitamin C-rich fruit and vegetables – Vitamin C is essential for normal collagen production, making fruit and vegetables an important part of a skin-supporting diet. Good sources include peppers, oranges and other citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries, blackcurrants, tomatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and leafy green vegetables.
Dr Perrett said: "Vitamin C is one of the key nutrients involved in collagen production. The good news is that you don't need an expensive supplement to get it. A varied diet containing plenty of fruit and vegetables can provide vitamin C very effectively."
Peppers are particularly rich in vitamin C, while tomatoes can add another colourful plant food to meals. They can easily be incorporated into salads, omelettes, pasta dishes, soups and sandwiches. A simple lunch containing eggs or chicken, tomatoes, peppers and leafy greens can therefore provide a combination of protein and several nutrients that support normal skin function.
2. Make sure you're getting enough protein – Collagen itself is a protein, and the body needs amino acids from dietary protein to make its own proteins. Eggs, fish, meat, dairy products, beans, lentils and chickpeas can all contribute to daily protein intake.
"Rather than becoming fixated on collagen specifically, I'd make sure you're getting enough protein overall. Your body needs amino acids to produce collagen and many other proteins that are important for normal body function."
3. Don't underestimate berries – Strawberries, blackcurrants and other berries can be an easy way to add vitamin C and other plant compounds to the diet. Try adding berries to yoghurt or porridge, eating them as a snack, or combining them with other fruit in a smoothie. The message, however, is not that berries are a miracle food for skin.
"It's better to think about dietary variety than searching for a single 'superfood', different fruit and vegetables provide different nutrients, so eating a wide range of foods is a much more sensible approach."
4. Don't forget fish, beans and lentils – Skin-supporting nutrition isn't just about fruit. Fish, eggs, dairy, beans and lentils can all help provide protein, while foods such as fish, nuts, seeds and wholegrains can contribute a range of other nutrients needed for normal health.
"Healthy skin is not dependent on one nutrient," Dr Perrett said. "It's the overall pattern of the diet that matters."
Drinks and Daily Meal Ideas
Dr Perrett says collagen drinks may be marketed as a convenient way to support younger-looking skin, but consumers can also get useful nutrients from everyday drinks and simple homemade options. He says water remains important for general hydration.
Milk and fortified plant-based alternatives can also contribute protein and other nutrients. A smoothie made with berries and yoghurt, for example, can combine vitamin C-rich fruit with protein.
But Dr Perrett warns against confusing a nutrient-rich drink with a direct source of collagen for the skin: "Eating or drinking a particular food doesn't mean that its collagen, or any other protein, travels directly to your skin," he explained. "The digestive system breaks proteins down and the body uses those building blocks where they're needed."
Foods such as fish, meat, and dairy contain protein, while some animal foods may also contain collagen or collagen-rich connective tissue. But eating them does not mean collagen is transported directly from your digestive system into your skin.
Instead, dietary proteins are digested into amino acids and smaller peptides, which the body can then use to build its own proteins.
"It's important not to replace one beauty myth with another," Dr Perrett said. "Eating a particular 'collagen food' isn't a shortcut to younger-looking skin. The important thing is getting a balanced diet that supplies the nutrients your body needs."
For consumers looking for an easy way to put the advice into practice, Dr Perrett recommends thinking about combinations rather than individual miracle foods.
- Breakfast: Greek yoghurt with strawberries, kiwi and a handful of seeds.
- Lunch: Eggs, chicken or chickpeas with a salad containing peppers, tomatoes and leafy greens.
- Snack: A piece of fruit with nuts or seeds.
- Dinner: Salmon or another protein source with broccoli, peppers and a wholegrain side.
- Drinks: Water throughout the day, with milk or a fortified alternative if desired.
"This isn't a special 'collagen diet'," Dr Perrett said. "It's simply a varied diet that provides adequate protein and plenty of fruit and vegetables. That's a much better foundation for skin health than relying on a single food or supplement."
Protecting Existing Collagen
While nutrition can support the body's normal processes, Dr Perrett says protecting existing collagen is just as important as providing the nutrients needed to make it. UV exposure is a major contributor to premature skin ageing, making daily broad-spectrum sunscreen and sensible sun protection important parts of any skin-health routine.
"We shouldn't just think about how we might support collagen production," he added. "We also need to think about protecting the collagen we already have. Good sun protection remains one of the most important things people can do to reduce premature skin ageing."
People don't need to spend significant amounts of money on special foods or supplements to support healthy skin. Focus on the basics: eat a varied diet, get enough protein, eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and protect your skin from UV exposure.
Dr Perrett says there is no single fruit, vegetable, drink or 'collagen food' that can turn back the clock on skin, but a varied diet containing plenty of vitamin C-rich fruit and vegetables, adequate protein and a broad range of nutrient-dense foods can provide the nutritional foundations the body needs to maintain healthy skin and produce collagen normally.
Dr Perrett also says for consumers tempted to spend heavily on the latest collagen trend, the advice is simple: start with what's on your plate before reaching for what's in the powder tub.
