Orgain is one of the most popular supplement brands in the US, and they sell a collagen supplement called Orgain Collagen Peptides. The brand claims that their supplement “supports radiant, youthful skin” and also supports hair and nails.

But is collagen actually shown in research studies to improve skin, hair and nails? Does Orgain Collagen Peptides provide an effective collagen dose? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? And what was our honest experience purchasing and trying this supplement?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze clinical studies on collagen supplementation to give our take on whether or not it actually benefits skin, hair and nails.

We’ll analyze the ingredients in Orgain Collagen Peptides to share our opinion on whether or not it's effectively formulated, and feature our experience trying it.

Key takeaways:

• Collagen is clinically shown to improve skin, hair and nail quality
• Orgain provides an effective dose and has no unhealthy additives
• We currently recommend Orgain Collagen Peptides

Does Collagen Improve Skin, Hair and Nails?

Collagen supplementation has been studied in a number of clinical trials for its effects on appearance.

A 2019 medical review concluded that collagen provides “anti-aging” effects, and suggests the effective dosing range is between 2.5 grams (g) and 10 g per day.

As we documented in our review of Youtheory Collagen, oral collagen is also shown to improve skin elasticity and skin hydration.

Collagen peptides were shown to increase nail growth rate by 12% and decrease nail breakage rate by 42% in a clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

A 2022 clinical trial found that collagen peptides could be effective both for hair loss prevention and for hair regrowth.

Overall, we consider collagen supplementation likely to be effective for optimal skin, hair and nail health and consider Orgain’s marketing statements to be likely accurate.

Ingredient Analysis

The sole ingredient in Orgain Collagen Peptides is shown below:

Collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed animals is the only ingredient in this formulation.

The per-serving dose is 20 g, which is effective based on the medical review cited in the previous section.

Budget-conscious consumers may actually benefit from taking half of the typical serving per day, because our research suggests that 10 g is the maximally-effective dose, and this would provide significant cost savings.

A 2006 medical review suggests that animal products from grass-fed animals are more nutritious than animal products from conventionally-raised animals.

Although this is less of a concern with “processed” foods like collagen compared to full-fat foods like cheese, we still consider it a best practice to source exclusively grass-fed animal products for consumers who can afford to do so.

Overall, we consider Orgain Collagen Peptides likely to improve skin, hair and nail quality, and we currently recommend this supplement.

We Tested Orgain Collagen Peptides 

As the author of this article, I wanted to try Orgain Collagen Peptides myself to share my thoughts on the taste and overall product experience.

I typically use a different collagen brand, but switched to Orgain for a month.

The product experience and packaging was simple and straightforward: easy-to-open jar, scooper for a serving.

This collagen had a subtle taste to it, almost like whey protein. I wasn't used to this, because the collagen I typically use is entirely tasteless, but it wasn't bad.

I didn't experience any side effects or negative effects from its use.

The main benefit I experienced from this collagen was subjective improvements to skin quality. When I use collagen regularly, I notice that my skin (particularly on my face) has less of a "dull" effect.

I would purchase this product again, and rate it 9/10.

Is the Probiotics Version Better?

Orgain sells a version of their collagen peptides that also contains probiotics, called Orgain Collagen Peptides + Probiotics. Its ingredients are shown above.

Like the Collagen Peptides product, this formulation contains zero unhealthy additives so we approve of it.

Xylo-oligosaccharides are prebiotic compounds that were described as having “great prebiotic potential” and having the capacity to “reduce the occurrence of human health-related diseases” in a medical review published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal.

A specific strain of the probiotic Bacillus coagulans was shown to reduce gas and bloating in a 2023 clinical trial.

Overall, we consider this product likely to support skin, hair and nail health due to the collagen content, and likely to support gut health due to the prebiotics and probiotics.

This is the best skin-and-gut health supplement we’ve reviewed to date on Illuminate Health.

At the time of updating this article, this product is actually cheaper per-serving than the original Orgain Collagen Peptides, so it makes a great option for consumers who want a collagen supplement and probiotic in one.

Orgain vs. Popular Collagen Supplements

Here's how Orgain Collagen Peptides stacks up against other popular collagen supplements in terms of price and formulation quality in our opinion:

Vital Proteins

The market leader for collagen supplements, Vital Proteins has a wider array of offerings and more products with synergistic active ingredients (like their Collagen Peptides Advanced formulation which includes hyaluronic acid -- clinically shown to improve skin moisture).

Winner: Vital Proteins

Collagen Burn

Lower collagen dose than Orgain Collagen Peptides.

Contains a mineral at over 250% of the Daily Value (DV) which can be a health risk, as we documented in our Collagen Burn review article.

Winner: Orgain

NeoCell Collagen

Contains questionably high biotin dose, and a lower collagen peptide dose than Orgain Collagen Peptides.

Winner: Orgain

Orgain Collagen Peptides Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Orgain Collagen Peptides in our opinion:

Pros:

• Effective collagen dose
• Should improve skin quality
• Should improve nail quality
• Should improve hair quality
• No unhealthy additives
• Reasonable price
• Mostly positive online customer reviews
• Probiotic product should support gut health

Cons:

• Doesn’t appear clinically tested
• Brand website charges for shipping

Conclusion

Orgain is one of the best collagen peptide brands we’ve reviewed to date on Illuminate Health.

We recommend both the unflavored Collagen Peptides and the unflavored Collagen Peptides + Probiotics from a formulation perspective, and we expect both products to be effective for improving skin quality, hair quality and nail quality.

The probiotic version should also support optimal gut health.

This brand sources their collagen peptides from grass-fed animals, and uses no unhealthy additives in the unflavored version of their products.

Nearly all of the customer reviews we came across while researching this article were positive.

We consider Vital Proteins to be a better collagen brand than Orgain, but we rank Orgain Collagen Peptides above NeoCell and Collagen Burn in terms of formulation quality.