Collagen Types I, II and III and Sources: Bovine, Marine, Porcine, Chicken and "Vegan Collagen"

Overview

Product labels talk about "type I and III," "type II," "marine," "bovine" and "vegan" collagen. This page explains those words so you can read a label. It does not rank sources. A direct comparison of two common sources is on Marine vs bovine collagen. The main guide is Collagen supplements.

What the "types" mean

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, and the body has many kinds of it. One review says the most prominent are types I, II and III. [1] A larger review counts 28 known types, spread across tissues such as skin, bone, cartilage, blood vessels and muscle. [2]

What the sources I read support about the three common numbers:

• Type I: the type a review of hydrolyzed collagen describes extracting from bovine, porcine, marine and chicken raw materials. [2] A systematic review of musculoskeletal studies looked specifically at type I hydrolysate. [3]
• Type II: the type used in undenatured type II collagen supplements, which are derived from chicken sternum cartilage. [4] This product works differently from ordinary collagen peptides and is covered on Gelatin and undenatured type II collagen.
• Type III: one of the three most prominent types in the body. [1] I did not find a trial in this review that tested a type III supplement on its own. Proper evidence not found.

The trials in the reviews did not test whether the type printed on a label decides which tissue benefits. Do not assume "type I for skin, type II for joints" is a proven match.

Animal sources

Collagen and its hydrolyzed form are commonly made from pig or cow skin. The same review says concerns about mad cow disease, and religious restrictions on pork products in some regions, pushed manufacturers to look at marine and poultry sources. [2]

Do the sources differ in results? A meta-analysis of 26 skin trials found that the effect on skin hydration varied with the collagen source and the length of supplementation, while the effect on elasticity did not differ significantly by source. [5] That is a pattern across trials, not a head-to-head test, so it does not show one source is better.

Allergens and sourcing

• Fish collagen: collagen is a recognized fish allergen. In one study, 50% of Japanese patients with fish allergy had antibodies to mackerel collagen. [6] In another, antibody reactivity to fish collagen stayed after heavy heating, so cooking did not remove the problem. [7] People with fish allergy should ask a clinician before any marine product.
• Pork or beef: if you avoid certain animals for religious, ethical or health reasons, the label should name the animal source. If it does not, contact the maker.
• Other animals: the sources I read gave no human safety data comparing bovine, porcine and chicken products to one another.

What "vegan collagen" means

Real collagen comes from animals. Products sold as vegan collagen therefore fall into two groups:

1. Plant-based "collagen support" blends: blends of plant ingredients or nutrients marketed to support the body's own collagen. They are not collagen. I searched PubMed for trials of such products and found none to cite. Proper evidence not found.
2. Lab-made (recombinant) collagen: researchers have made human-sequence collagen pieces in moss, described as a vegan alternative to animal collagen. [8] That paper is laboratory production research, not a trial in people.

Because the human trials in the reviews tested hydrolyzed collagen from animals, their results should not be transferred to vegan products. [9]

Safety and label pointers

Check the animal source, type, grams per serving and allergen statement, and see Reading supplement labels and Product quality and contamination. For medicines, see How interactions work.