Collagen Sources

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The medical definition of collagen is “an insoluble fibrous protein of vertebrates that is the chief constituent of the fibrils of connective tissue (as in skin and tendons) and of the organic substance of bones and yields gelatin and glue on prolonged heating with water”. Despite this definition, collagen can be described as soluble in some industry sectors. Soluble collagen extracted from animals usually arises when the source is younger animals, eg lambs rather than sheep. The amount of cross linking between collagen fibers is significantly lower and it is this that gives the collagen its “solubility”. Soluble collagen is thought to penetrate skin more efficiently and has been traditionally used in cosmetics, including injectables. In medical applications, soluble collagen is often the substrate of choice to act as a delivery mechanism for pharmaceutical excipients. 

Native collagen is essentially the fully formed, mature version. It’s has a very high molecular weight and it is a very large molecule. It characteristically exhibits low immunogenicity and is resistant to enzymic degradation. In medical applications this sort of collagen is suitable for soft tissue repair and is sold in sheets or sponges for wound care and treatment of burns. It is used in orthopedic applications and to generate artificial blood vessels and valves.  

This type of collagen is most commonly used in cosmetics (mainly for topical application)  and vitamin/nutritional supplements. Hydrolyzed collagen  is formed by taking mature collagen and chemically “chopping it up into tiny bits", to create a gelatin or collagen powder.