icon-account icon-glass

Popular Searches

Popular Products

The Lean Protein
Whey protein powder for weight-loss.
The Energy Booster
Pre/intra-workout powder with BCAAs.

CATEGORIES

What’s The Best Collagen? Which Type Should You Use?

21st January 2022

Health Nutrition

21st January 2022

By Beth Shelper

In the skincare community, across Instagram and throughout the health and wellness industry, we can guarantee that you will have heard at least one person buzzing about collagen, the benefits of collagen, and the various types and forms that collagen comes in. And to be honest, it’s for good reason.

As one of the most exciting ingredients out there at the moment (big statement, we know), here at Innermost, we just knew we had to harbour the benefits of bovine collagen and integrate this super ingredient into one of our products. Voila, The Glow Booster was born!

Is marine collagen better than bovine collagen? What are some natural sources of collagen? How do we know which are the best collagen supplements?

To answer these questions, we first need to get some of the basics of collagen out of the way. For example, there are multiple different types of collagen, and a variety of formats in which for you to take them. Not forgetting the natural sources of collagen too, of course.

Bovine collagen vs marine collagen

The term animal collagen can pretty much be used to encapsulate a wide range of collagen used in health and wellness supplementations, but for the purposes of this article, and for coherence, we’re going to compare bovine and marine collagen. And then the rest. Gotta get you all clued up, after all. 

What is bovine collagen?

Simply, bovine collagen is that derived from cows. Makes sense.

What is marine collagen?

The clue really is in the name with this one: this collagen comes from fish. In fact, sometimes it’s even called fish collagen. More specifically, this collagen comes from the skin of fish.

Type 1 vs type 2 collagen

Aside from the different sources of collagen, there are also two different types, that are simply known as Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 collagen is commonly found in the skin and tendons of mammals, whereas Type 2 is found in the cartilage instead.

The health benefits of collagen

Now you know about the many different types of collagens, it’s time to take a look at their health benefits. Amongst the many health benefits of marine collagen and bovine collagen are some of our favourites that we’ve listed below… for your convenience, of course.

Here at Innermost we use bovine collagen, but in reality, there is no real winner when it comes to the most effective. Each source of collagen provides the user with great health benefits, including the below:

  • Reported arthritis relief
  • Improved skin health
  • Bone loss prevention
  • Joint pain relief
  • Increased blood flow

What are the best collagen supplements?

One of the best things about collagen supplements is that, if you hadn’t already noticed, are incredibly versatile. As well as a variety of collagen types, there are multiple ways in which you can ingest your collagen supplement.

  • Collagen gummies

Gummies are a pretty common form of supplements due to the ability to flavour and sweeten the supplement with flavourings. As a result, though, whilst collagen gummies can create a fruity treat, this form is often quite heavily laden with sugars, which isn’t the healthiest option.

  • Collagen capsules

This is pretty self-explanatory. Similar to our capsule collection here at Innermost, or over-the-counter medicines such as Ibuprofen, collagen capsules can be taken really easily with a good gulp of water. This makes collagen capsules ideal for on-the-go use too, for those that travel regularly!

  • Collagen liquids

Again, a slightly more controversial form of collagen supplementations, collagen liquids are typically pre-made, ready to drink liquids that you can pop in your fridge to take at any time of day. Whilst this sounds ultra-convenient, many people aren’t a fan of the taste of these.

Which leads us pretty nicely onto the below…

  • Collagen powders

Arguably the most popular form, collagen powders are flavourless powders that provide individuals with the ability to add the collagen supplement to a range of food and drinks. Think coffee, tea, porridge, soup, and even home baking recipes.

Here at Innermost, we loved the versatility of the collagen powder, and opted for this form for our debut skincare product The Glow Booster.

< Older post Newer post >

Need Expert Advice?

Take the quiz

Take the quiz

If you're not sure where to start, take our 5 minute health consultation to get product recommendations tailored to your goals.
Read more

Other Insights

The Myth of Optimal Health

The Myth of Optimal Health

We live in an age obsessed with the idea of “optimal.” The optimal diet. The optimal supplement stack. The optimal training split. Scroll through Instagram or YouTube for five minutes and you’ll find someone with a 17-step morning routine, a kitchen cupboard full of powders, and the confidence that they’ve cracked the code to human performance. But here’s the truth: Chasing “optimal” is one of the fastest ways to fall short in your health. The Illusion of Optimal Health culture has a way of dangling perfection in front of us. Big food companies do it when they market the “perfect” meal replacement shake. Biohackers do it when they promise that cold plunges, red-light therapy, and nootropics are the missing links to peak performance. But research paints a different picture. Studies on diet adherence consistently show that most people abandon strict or extreme health plans within weeks.  Fad diets, whether keto, paleo, or juice cleanses have dropout rates as high as 50–70% in the first two months. That’s not because people are weak. It’s because perfection is unsustainable. When you aim for “optimal,” you’re often aiming for something that doesn’t exist outside of a lab study or a heavily edited social feed. Consistency beats Intensity If you strip away the noise, the science is clear: the best plan is the one you can actually stick to. A Stanford University study looked at exercise adherence and found that people who built moderate, consistent routines were far more successful over the long term than those who went all in with aggressive, “optimal” plans. Think about it: Walking 8,000 steps daily is far more powerful than hitting 20,000 steps once a week. Sleeping 7–8 hours a night consistently beats the occasional marathon lie-in after a week of late nights. Eating balanced meals most of the time will always outperform the perfect, but impossible, “clean eating” schedule. Consistency doesn’t look flashy on social media. But it’s what drives lasting change in real life. The Perfection Trap The bigger danger of chasing “Optimal Health” isn’t just that it’s unrealistic. It’s that it creates guilt and paralysis. Psychologists call this all-or-nothing thinking. If you miss your “perfect” 5am workout, you write the day off. If you slip up on your diet, you feel like you’ve failed. Over time, that mindset burns people out. A review published in the Journal of Behavioural Medicine highlighted how rigid, perfectionist approaches to health goals were strongly linked to higher stress, lower motivation, and worse long-term outcomes. In other words: aiming for perfect often leaves you worse off than if you’d just aimed for “good enough” consistently. The Simplicity Advantage At Innermost, this is the philosophy we’ve always stood behind: better health should be simple, not overwhelming. We don’t believe in flashy shortcuts or marketing gimmicks. We believe in science-backed products designed to slot seamlessly into your life so you can actually stick with them. A few examples: The Hydrate Blend makes staying on top of electrolytes effortless — without the sugar, fillers, or artificial aftertaste you’ll find in the big sports drinks. The Rise Blend gives you clean energy and focus, without adding another complicated ritual to your already busy day. Our protein powders support your health and fitness goals with nutrients you and your body recognises, instead of pushing the latest overpriced fad ingredient. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s progress. Progress, not Perfection So here’s the takeaway: you don’t need the “optimal” plan. You just need a plan you’ll actually follow. If you focus on moving most days, eating whole foods when you can, sleeping properly, and staying hydrated, you’re already ahead of 90% of the population. It’s not sexy. But it works. And it’s sustainable. So the next time you feel the pressure to add another step to your routine, ask yourself: does this make my life simpler or more complicated? If it’s the latter, it probably isn’t worth it. Health isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about building momentum. An imperfect plan, done consistently, beats the “optimal” plan abandoned after a week.
Read more
Folate Blog Image

What is Folate? Uses and Health Benefits

Folate, also known as vitamin B9, is a pretty important nutrient no matter who you are. Here, we cover the benefits of folate and some tips on working it into your diet.
Read more