Thorne Collagen Plus
by Thorne · Our pick for women
13–15 g collagen peptides plus nicotinamide riboside and ceramides. Thorne's skin-focused formula with the company's four-stage in-house testing.
Built for the skin endpoint rather than adapted to it: collagen peptides at a trial-relevant dose plus nicotinamide riboside and ceramides, the adjuncts a skin-focused formulator actually reaches for. Thorne's testing reputation is the strongest of any non-certified brand. The honest caveats: the add-ons have their own early-stage evidence rather than proven synergy, and at $2.10 a serving you are paying formulation prices for a commodity base. For the buyer whose entire goal is skin, this is the considered choice.
Hydrolyzed collagen is the rare supplement-aisle product with randomized human trials behind specific claims: a 2021 meta-analysis of 19 RCTs found improved skin hydration and elasticity after roughly 90 days, and a 24-week randomized trial reported less activity-related joint pain at 10 g per day. The effects are modest, many trials are industry-funded, and the hair, gut and weight claims on most tubs outrun the data. We grade the full evidence file in our collagen peptides review; the short version is that skin and active-joint endpoints are earned, the rest is marketing.
The published trials used 2.5 to 10 g daily for skin endpoints, 10 g for joint comfort, and 15 g in the muscle protocols paired with resistance training, taken for 8 to 24 weeks; nothing in the literature supports week-one effects. Timing is unstudied except for one pre-exercise protocol, so consistency beats clock-watching, and hot coffee does not degrade the peptides. Vitamin C is a genuine cofactor in collagen synthesis, so taking your scoop with a meal that includes some costs nothing. This is reported from the trials, not a prescription.
- The Best Collagen for Women, Ranked · ranked #1, our pick for women
- The 8 Best Collagen Peptides, Ranked · ranked #5, the skin formula
