But what is liquid collagen, anyway? And how does it compare to the trusty powder we all know and love? Here, we tapped experts for their honest thoughts. As a simplified overview of what collagen does for the body, it helps make up the structure of our skin, bone, cartilage, and muscle, with the purpose of helping tissues be more elastic and withstand stretching. We get into more thoroughly in this guide to collagen in the body, so read more there if you’re interested in getting into the details. So if you’re hoping to consume more than 10 grams of collagen per day, you might need to gulp down a couple of those liquid collagen drinks to meet the benchmark, which might not be as efficient or cost-friendly, gram for gram. But these added flavors aren’t without their drawbacks: “That means empty sugar calories, whether natural or artificial or from juices,” says Ferira. “Other liquid collagen brands will have zero sugar but then load up on the flavoring side, so again, longer additive profile.” After all, you can have just as much fun (without the additives) by adding collagen powder to your own tasty strawberry smoothie. Another point for powder? “Multi-ingredient collagen powders can incorporate other effective nutrients and phytonutrients to support collagen’s actions in the body and overall skin, nails, hair, gut, etc., from multiple angles (i.e., vitamins C and E, biotin, turmeric, sulforaphane, hyaluronic acid, etc.),”* Ferira tells us. “And these actives are not all able to be provided in a liquid/beverage in a homogenous or stable fashion.” That’s not to say liquid collagen products are all bad. We’d recommend a drink with high-quality collagen peptides and a clean excipient profile over a powder with an iffy ingredient list. But if you’re weighing two stellar options? We suggest you go with the powder form for the potency advantage, fewer additives, and eco-friendly edge. “Many liquid collagen brands tout the bioavailability of their product, claiming that the collagen is more efficiently absorbed and usable by the body,” adds Kujawski. “However, scientific studies in this arena are lacking to substantiate this claim.” In fact, collagen as a protein (aka peptide) compound is actually quite large (whether it comes in a liquid or powder form), so to enhance its bioavailability and absorption, your body has to break down the protein into smaller peptides and amino acids to absorb them in your gut.
