Collagen peptides (hydrolyzed collagen) are collagen protein broken down into short chains of amino acids. They are used as a supplement for skin, joints and connective tissue, and have been studied most for skin aging.
Also known as: hydrolyzed collagen, collagen hydrolysate.
Collagen peptides have no Recommended Dietary Allowance or upper limit. A 2019 analysis (Paul) describes amounts of 2.5 to 15 g a day as those used in published studies. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved collagen peptide drug.
A 2021 systematic review and meta-analysis (de Miranda) pooled 19 randomized trials with 1,125 people aged 20 to 70, 95% of them women, and found better skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkle scores with hydrolyzed collagen than with placebo, with most trials lasting about 90 days.
If you count collagen toward your protein, note that it is an incomplete protein: it lacks tryptophan, one of the essential amino acids (Paul 2019). That analysis calculated that collagen peptides could replace up to 36% of the protein in a typical Western diet while still meeting essential amino acid needs.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for collagen peptides that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Collagen is digested into amino acids and small peptides, and the studies we found report effects after weeks of daily use, not blood levels after one dose.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator