Vital Proteins is arguably the most popular collagen brand in the US. The brand sells a wide variety of collagen products from collagen powder to collagen bars, and their products are promoted by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston.
But does collagen powder actually have anti-aging effects? What's the best-quality formulation sold by the brand? Does Vital Proteins use unhealthy ingredients? And what was our honest experience purchasing and testing various products?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in some of Vital Proteins’ most popular products to give our take on whether or not they're likely to improve skin, and whether or not they're healthy.
We'll review Vital Proteins Collagen Powder, Vital Proteins Professional, Collagen Water, Beauty Collagen, Collagen Creamer, Protein Powder and Collagen Gummies.
We'll also share our honest experience purchasing and testing multiple products from the brand for months.
Key takeaways:
- Collagen is clinically proven to have anti-aging effects
- Vital Proteins provides effective collagen doses
- We currently recommend Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Advanced
What's the Best Vital Proteins Formulation?
From a potential efficacy perspective, we consider Vital Proteins Professional Skin Hydration & Antioxidant Support to be the highest-quality formulation.
Its ingredients are shown below:
image source: https://www.vitalproteins.com/
All of the additional active ingredients have research backing for improving skin quality.
Holimel is a trademarked melon juice concentrate which is clinically shown to protect skin from UV damage.
Lycopene was shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect on skin in a 2024 meta-analysis.
Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 was shown in a 2010 clinical trial to protect skin from environmental damage when combined in an oral supplement with antioxidants (like lycopene).
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I wanted to try this formulation myself.
I purchased Vital Proteins Professional and used it for two months:
I personally noticed that my skin was less dry than usual, and I typically use the basic Collagen Peptides formulation.
I also enjoyed knowing that my skin was better-protected from UV than usual.
The only downside is that the taste is slightly strange (a bit tomato-ey from the lycopene), which is worse than the unflavored Collagen Peptides version I'm used to.
My skin looks noticeably healthier and younger when I regularly use collagen.
I plan to stick with this formulation long-term, because I don't mind spending a bit more for a higher-quality product, but to be transparent, I think the benefit is marginal, and just using the basic formulation is probably a better value.
Is Collagen Proven to Work?
Collagen protein has a wide variety of health benefits, but most consumers take it for improvements to skin.
As we age, our natural collagen production decreases which can accelerate skin aging and increase wrinkles.
Oral collagen supplementation is proven in clinical research to improve a wide variety of skin parameters, including collagen density, skin elasticity and hydration.
The dose of collagen used in medical research varies, but we recommend a dose of 10 grams (g) daily, which appears to be the maximally effective dose.
A recent medical review summarized 19 clinical trials on collagen for skin and concluded that “collagen peptides can delay and improve the signs of skin aging by decreasing facial wrinkles and improving skin hydration and elasticity.”
All of the studies except one used a dosage at or under 10 g daily except for one.
Research clearly demonstrates that collagen supplementation can improve skin quality and reduce visible effects of aging, and we recommend a daily dose of 10 g.
The improvements to skin typically take weeks to months, and are not instant.
Collagen Peptides Advanced Review
The ingredients in Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Advanced are shown below:
image source: https://www.vitalproteins.com/
Collagen peptides in this supplement are sourced from grass-fed animals, and clinical studies have shown that food sourced from grass-fed animals is nutritionally superior.
The 20 g dose is within the effective range, as established in the previous section of this article.
Hyaluronic acid is included at a 120 milligram (mg) dose.
A 2015 clinical trial reported that hyaluronic acid improved skin moisture at this dose.
Vital Proteins has significantly improved this formulation since our initial publication of this review, increasing the hyaluronic acid dose from 80 mg (underdosed) to 120 mg (effectively-dosed).
There are no ingredients in this formulation we consider to be unhealthy.
Overall, we consider Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Advanced likely to have an anti-aging effect, and we currently recommend this supplement.
We Tested Vital Proteins Chocolate
One of our product testers named Hannah Westerman tried both the unflavored and the Chocolate flavors of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides for a month.
Here's her experience:
The powder does not come with a scooper so you need to use a tablespoon.
The regular powder is a little harder to mix with liquid, it often gets clumpy.
The chocolate powder mixes easily.
The taste of the regular powder is neutral, and for this reason I find that it is best in smoothies, overnight oats and granola bars.
The chocolate powder tastes good but is sweetened with stevia and that flavor is fairly prominent. If you don’t like stevia, you probably won’t like this powder.
These collagen powders helped me to stay full for a while, gave me energy and contributed to high protein breakfasts that stopped cravings later in the day.
I did not experience any side effects from either powder.
Overall, I rate Vital Proteins 9/10, and I plan to continue purchasing from this brand!
Does Vital Proteins Cause Side Effects?
Collagen is a very safe food product; it’s just a type of protein.
A thorough clinical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology found collagen supplementation to be “generally safe with no reported adverse events.”
Vital Proteins doesn't appear to have been tested in clinical trials, but we can make an educated guess about the risk of side effects based on the stated ingredients.
We do not consider Vital Proteins likely to cause side effects in healthy individuals.
Even the formulations we don't currently recommend for health reasons are free of any ingredients we consider actively dangerous.
There is no mention of side effects published by the brand, on their product pages, at the time of updating this article.
Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer Review
The flavoring ingredients in Vital Proteins Vanilla Collagen Creamer are shown below:
image source: https://www.vitalproteins.com/
This formulation has significantly worsened from a health perspective since our initial publication of this review.
Maltodextrin is a highly-processed food additive that is clinically shown to cause intestinal inflammation when used at high doses, as we documented in our natural weight gainers review article.
The maltodextrin dose does not currently appear to be published by the brand.
Natural flavors is a broad categorical descriptor which can include synthetic preservatives.
Stevia sweeteners is a strange ingredient that we haven't come across prior to updating this article.
Stevia itself is naturally-derived and healthy, but given the vague secondary descriptor, this leaves us confused about what specific chemical compounds are being used here.
We do not currently recommend Vital Proteins Collagen Creamer after these formulation updates, even though we recommended the previous formulation.
Vital Proteins Collagen Gummies Review
The ingredients in Vital Proteins Collagen Gummies Grape flavor are shown below:
image source: https://www.vitalproteins.com/
As we explained in our review of Olly vitamins, gummy supplements often contain unhealthy flavoring ingredients compared to powdered or liquid formulations.
That trend holds true with Vital Proteins Collagen Gummies in our opinion.
These gummies provide 2.5 g of collagen per serving, which is still an effective dose, but it also contains a number of flavoring ingredients we consider unhealthy.
Corn syrup is the first inactive ingredient, and was shown to be inflammatory in a clinical trial published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
Sugar is the second-listed ingredient, and is another highly-refined sweetener.
Citric acid has been shown in a series of medical case reports to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals.
We do not currently recommend Vital Proteins Collagen Gummies, and we consider this formulation also to have worsened from a health perspective since our initial publication of this review.
Quick Hits - Other VP Products
Vital Proteins Marine Collagen
Clean and effective formulation. Collagen sourced from fish. Good option for pescatarians.
We haven't come across any medical evidence that collagen sourced from fish is more effective than collagen sourced from animals, and this product is more expensive than the standard collagen powder, so we wouldn't recommend this product to individuals who eat meat.
We currently approve of this supplement.
Vital Proteins Matcha Collagen
Safe & effective formulation, no flavorings. Green tea has been proven to have some additional skin benefits like photoprotection.
We currently approve of this supplement.
Creatine
Simple formulation with one single active ingredient: creatine monohydrate at a 5 g dose.
This is within the clinically documented effective dosing range for muscle building and ergogenic effects.
We currently approve of this supplement.
Vital Proteins Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Collagen is clinically shown to reduce wrinkles
- Effective collagen dose in all supplements analyzed
- Most supplements reviewed are free of unhealthy ingredients
- Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides Advanced may have additional anti-aging effects
- Unlikely to cause side effects
- Some products have third-party certifications
- We tested Professional Version and enjoyed the product effects
- We tested Collagen Peptides version (flavored) and enjoyed taste
Cons:
- Gummies are relatively overpriced
- Gummies contain ingredients we consider unhealthy
- Collagen Creamer and Gummies formulations worsened since our initial review
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
