Native Path is a popular brand of collagen. They sell a variety of collagen-related products including collagen creamers and other supplements, but their most popular products are their collagen powders which we’ll be reviewing in this article.
In this article we’ll review the ingredients in Native Path Collagen Peptides, along with Native Path Chocolate Collagen PM, to provide our determination on whether or not these products are likely to be effective for improving skin quality and joint health (which is what most consumers use collagen for).
We’ll first analyze medical studies on whether collagen is effective, and at what dose.
Does Collagen Improve Skin and Joint Health?
Collagen is the structural protein in skin, and it’s one of the most well-studied supplements for reducing wrinkles. As we age, our body’s collagen production slows down, and medical research proves that supplemental collagen can help replenish collagen levels in the body and improve skin.
An extensive medical review published in the International Journal of Dermatology analyzed data from 18 clinical trials on oral collagen supplementation and skin parameters. Data from over 1,000 trial participants was examined. The researchers concluded that oral collagen supplementation provided significant improvements to skin:
“Based on results, ingestion of hydrolyzed collagen for 90 days is effective in reducing skin aging, as it reduces wrinkles and improves skin elasticity and hydration.”
Another meta-study that we frequently cite on Illuminate Health concluded similarly, and found the effective dosing range of collagen for skin care to be 2.5 grams (g) to 10 g per day. We typically recommend 10 g since collagen is a safe food product without side effects, and this appears to be the maximally-effective dose.
Collagen can also improve joint health. A medical review from 2019 evaluated whether orally-administered collagen could reduce osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms. The researchers concluded that collagen reduced OA symptoms overall, and was particularly effective for reducing stiffness.
We will conclude that collagen is effective for improving both skin and joint health.
Native Path Collagen Peptides Ingredient Review
Native Path Collagen Peptides has a simple and effective formulation with one single ingredient: collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed animals. There are no questionable additive ingredients like flavoring or sweeteners that are added into so many collagen products.
The dose per-serving is the maximally-effective 10 g as described in the previous section.
We approve of this formulation from a health perspective.
For consumers intent on purchasing from Native Path, we would recommend purchasing the larger size (19.8 ounces) because it’s cheaper per-serving than the 8.8 ounce size.
Our Collagen Recommendation
We recommend Bulletproof Collagen Powder to consumers interested in using collagen to reduce wrinkles and support joint health.
Bulletproof collagen contains no questionable additive ingredients; its only ingredient is hydrolyzed collagen sourced from grass-fed animals.
Bulletproof Collagen has a bulk option that costs $85.54 at the time of updating this article, and contains 120 servings of 10 g collagen. That equates to a price of $0.71 per maximally-effective collagen serving.
Native Path Collagen Peptides Value Size currently costs $49.95 for a one-time purchase and contains 56 servings of 10 g collagen. This equates to a price of $0.89 per 10 g serving, or around 25% more expensive per 10 g collagen serving than Bulletproof.
Interested consumers can buy Bulletproof Collagen powder at this link.
We don’t consider one formulation more effective than the other. Both products contain the exact same ingredient: grass-fed collagen peptides. Given this information, it seems logical to purchase the cheaper per-serving option.
Native Path Chocolate Collagen PM Ingredient Review
Native Path Chocolate Collagen PM is one of the brand’s best-selling products, and is formulated to help consumers fall asleep faster and improve sleep quality.
We find this to be a somewhat strange product formulation, given that collagen itself doesn’t improve sleep quality and is almost never used for that purpose.
This supplement contains melatonin which is arguably the most well-studied ingredient for naturally enhancing sleep. The 5 milligram (mg) dose in this supplement is effective according to a medical review published in the Sleep Medicine journal.
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) is included at a dose of 2 g which seems high in our opinion. A medical review of GABA as a sleep supplement described an effective dosing range of 100 to 300 mg, or around 90% less than that in Native Path Chocolate Collagen PM. This ingredient is effective for reducing sleep latency (duration to fall asleep).
L-theanine is an amino acid typically used to induce relaxation. We cannot identify any medical studies suggesting it’s effective for improving sleep at a 200 mg dose, so we’ll consider this ingredient likely ineffective.
This supplement also has several ingredients we recommend avoiding.
It contains a blend of minerals like iron and potassium. We’re continually confused by supplement manufacturers adding seemingly-random blends of vitamins and minerals to their products. We have not found any medical research suggesting these minerals improve sleep quality. Further, we find it to be illogical to supplement with vitamins or minerals without a documented deficiency in that vitamin or mineral.
We recommend avoiding supplements with added vitamins and minerals.
Native Path Chocolate Collagen PM also contains natural flavor. As we documented in our article on “is Pedialyte good for you,” there are some concerns over the toxicity of natural flavoring agents used in food products and supplements. Since this class of ingredients has no nutritive value and questionable health effects, we recommend avoiding it entirely.
Overall we do believe this supplement is likely to be effective for reducing sleep latency and improving sleep quality due to the inclusion of melatonin and GABA, but we don’t recommend it because of the additive ingredients.
Further, we find a collagen and sleep supplement to be rather illogical because collagen itself doesn’t improve sleep quality, and the price-per-serving of collagen in this product is significantly higher than the price-per-serving of Native Path unflavored collagen peptides ($2 vs. $0.89).
Our Sleep Supplement Recommendation
We recommend Bulletproof Sleep to consumers seeking a sleep supplement.
It contains an effective dose of melatonin (3 mg), and also passionflower extract which has been shown in a clinical trial to increase total sleep time and decrease wakefulness. Most importantly, the supplement contains no questionable additive ingredients like flavoring agents.
We’re not suggesting that this supplement is more effective than Native Path Chocolate Collagen PM for sleep, but we believe it’s likely to be equally effective with a more favorable additive ingredient profile.
Further, the price of Bulletproof Sleep is only $22.46 at the time of writing this article. Interested consumers can buy Bulletproof Sleep at this link.
Native Path Collagen Real User Reviews
Native Path Collagen Peptides has been reviewed over 30,000 times on Amazon at the time of updating this article. The average review rating is 4.4/5, but the product only receives a “D” grade from FakeSpot, which is a software tool that identifies potentially fraudulent Amazon reviews. FakeSpot’s “Adjusted Rating” of this product is only 2/5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “C.H.” who claims the product has caused arthritis pain relief:
“I now find some relief from both walking daily and taking two scoops of collagen daily. It has maintained my bone production as well. I don’t want osteoporosis!”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Scott” who is unhappy with the price per serving:
“Very disappointed after opening, it was substantially much lower in quantity then my previous purchase of 28 servings at 19.8 oz and for practically the same price, then the now 25 servings at 8.8oz…Is the price gouging worth it Native Path?”
Native Path Collagen Pros and Cons
Here’s our opinion on the pros and cons of this brand:
Pros:
- Effective formulations
- Unflavored collagen contains no additives
- Relatively cheap
Cons:
- Poor Amazon review rating from FakeSpot
- Sleep supplement contains questionable additives
- Slightly more expensive per-serving than Bulletproof
