The cost of ageless skin: an overview on the environmental damage caused by the collagen industry

Social media promotions for Collagen in Sri Lanka

Collagen products have gained popularity in Sri Lanka recently, as many influencers have been promoting them on social media.

Below are some of those Social Media Posts

In most of these adverts, these collagen products are promoted as a miracle powder which gives you ageless skin. Are these statements true? Or is there a dark side to collagen with so much popularity in the beauty industry.

The Climate Fact Checks team investigated the topic after a statement was published in the Guardian magazine which claimed that the Collagen Industry is directly related to deforestation in the Amazon. Find that article here.

What is collagen and how is it sourced?

Collagen is the most abundant protein which makes up 30% of proteins in the human body. Collagen is the primary building block of your skin, muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments and connective tissues. And is also found in your organs, blood vessels and intestinal lining. This protein is made out of proline, glycine and hydroxyproline which are amino acids found in the body. Collagen provides structure, strength and support throughout your body.

There are 28 types of collagen which occurs naturally in the human body.

The 5 main types of collagen with prominent functions are mentioned below

• Type I. makes up 90% of your body’s collagen. It is used to provide structure to your skin, bones, tendons and ligaments.
• Type II. Found in elastic cartilage, and provides joint support.
• Type III. Found in muscles, arteries and organs.
• Type IV. Found in the layers of your skin.
• Type V. Found in the cornea of your eyes, some layers of skin, hair and tissue of the placenta.

The human body produces less collagen with the aging process and the existing collagen breaks down. For females, menopause can cause a significant reduction in collagen.

Top brands of Collagen in Sri Lanka and how they are sourced.

This is what we found when we investigated the top brands of collagen in Sri Lanka and how each of these products are sourced.

01.Vital Proteins Beauty Collagen Peptides Powder Supplement is sourced from sourced from grass-fed, pasture-raised bovine.

02.Bioglan Inner Glow Beauty Drinking Powder includes Coconut Water & Aloe Vera, Zinc & Vitamin C and blue spirulina and Blue Spirulina, a cyanobacteria which increase the growth factor of cells that produce collagen. 

03.California Gold Nutrition Collagen UP, Marine Hydrolyzed Collagen contains Fish (One or more of the following: Tilapia, Cod, Pollock, Haddock & Hak)

04.Neocell Super Collagen is sourced from grass-fed bovine and it contains, hydrolyzed type I and type III collagen as the only active ingredient.

05.NOW Collagen Peptides Powder has mentioned their sources as beef, chicken and fish.

06.Biosil Advanced Collagen Generator is sourced from a bioavailable 

07.Nature’s Way Beauty Collagen Powder is sourced from a bioavailable form of silicon, known as Orthosilicic acid.

08.Glow Collagen Sachets includes responsibly farmed fish skin.

09.Evergen Marine Collagen Plus also includes fish.

10.Voost Effervescent Collagen also sources it active ingredient from fish.

Can Collagen be sourced sustainably?

Although collagen ticks all the boxes in the nutrition front, it is important to check the sustainability front to ensure that these products have done minimum damage to the environment. When selecting a sustainable collagen product, it is important to look at the traceability, durability and responsibility.

Bovine collagen is sourced from by-products of the already existing cattle industry, but it is still important to check if the supplier is working to limit the environmental impacts within their control. Research shows that livestock accounts for 14.5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, and cows make up a significant proportion of that.

Looking at how marine collagen is being sourced, there is a widely held perception that marine collagen is more sustainable and ‘clean’ than bovine collagen. There are options of products manufactured with the use of farm-raised fish, solely wild-caught fish and a mixture of both. There are pros and cons for each source, but many brands nowadays are opting to pay more for sustainably wild-caught marine collagen. A Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification is a good sign that a marine collagen supplier is serious about sustainability. The MSC is an international non-profit that promotes the health of the world’s oceans by recognizing and rewarding sustainable practices. Click here to find out how to purchase sustainable collagen.

The most sustainable source of collagen available in the market is vegan and plant based. Although these supplements are called collagen, they are just plant-based ingredients which enhances your own collagen production. Hence, this is the most sustainable form of collagen available in the market which is also proven to be effective. Click here to find out more

Is the Collagen Industry Responsible for Deforestation in the Amazon?

The collagen industry is worth up to $4 billion due to the increase in wellness conscious people in the world. The cattle farms that a responsible for the illegal logging of the amazon, is used to manufacture collagen. Although, the cattle are not being farmed purely for the collagen industry, it inevitably becomes and unethical product.

However, an investigation by the Guardian, Bureau of Investigative Journalism, Center for Climate Crime Analysis (CCCA), ITV and O Joio e O Trigo in Brazil has found cattle raised on farms causing deforestation were processed at slaughterhouses serving international collagen supply chains. Some of this collagen can be traced to Nestlé-owned Vital Proteins, a leading producer of bovine collagen supplements.

Hence, it is important to do a background check of your collagen products before purchasing, as it may be contributing to vast environmental damage which is responsible for climate change. In addition, it has the highest carbon footprint among the collagen products.

Are beauty products like collagen getting away with environmental damage?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) categorizes materials applied to the human body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the appearance without affecting the body’s structure or functions as cosmetics. Products like perfumes, moisturizers, nail polish, makeup, hair products, and even toothpaste fall under this category. The 2020 British Beauty Council report stated that there is an essential role to be played by the beauty industry to tackle climate change. 

From packaging material, the plastic pollution involved to the microbeads incorporated into some of these products make them very harmful to the environment. Apart from the plastics, unsustainable resource consumption, chemical pollution, air pollution, animal cruelty and deforestation are all negative impacts of the beauty products people consume. Find out more here. Hence, it is important to find out how to consume these products consciously causing minimum damage to the environment.

Why it is important to consume products consciously regardless the benefits

Collagen is a natural protein found in our body. There are habits people could develop that can enhance the body’s collagen production without depending on multinational supplements. Few of these habits include, having a balanced diet, adding collagen enhancing food to your diet, reducing sugar and refined carbs, using sun protection and stop smoking.

Moreover, the effectiveness of collagen supplements has not yet been researched well enough. There’s a lack of controlled trials done on dietary supplements, few such studies that have been done have found that collagen peptides are possibly effective to improve skin hydration and skin elasticity. It’s also possibly effective for relieving pain and improving joint function in people with knee osteoarthritis.

However, it is important to know about the science behind supplements.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate collagen supplements. Hence, they don’t require the double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trials that medications do to be approved. The manufacturer can easily put them on the market. Many of the studies conducted with supplements are funded by the supplement industry or the study authors have financial ties to the supplement industry. it’s not known if collagen supplements will do what the label promotes. Finally, the ingested collagen peptides (from foods or supplements) can’t be directed. Instead, the body uses these peptides for whatever it needs, be it collagen or protein.

Therefore, it is important we take the best and safest path possible to achieving ageless skin. Making sure we don’t over exploit the planet and support industries that are most responsible for Climate Change. Instead if it is a necessity, it is important to research