We have purposely chosen Marine Collagen for our collagen product, and this type of collagen (over types such as bovine) is now widely accepted as being more easily absorbed and better assimilated into our own bodies.
After very rigorous research we selected a branded Marine Collagen called NatiCol, which is made by a European company called Weishardt. Their global reputation and clinical testing is world-class, and substantiates the benefits of the product well. You can find out more about them right here.
They also have a page on sustainability and sourcing that will reassure you of how the product is sourced, production standards and operational sustainability - click here to view this.
The marine sources of fish used in our Marine Collagen are selectively derived from the skin and scales of fish. The fish used are a mix of Tilapia and Catfish. NatiCol (Weishardt) are careful to ensure that these are sustainably farmed so as to prevent ecosystem imbalances and to replenish fish sources.
In terms of any pollution factors (such as heavy metals), we are extremely careful in the sourcing of the raw ingredients and this forms part of our decision to use NatiCol, which is fully tested for the presence of heavy metals. For our reassurance, this is then further tested by our own manufacturing facility (so a third party).
Not only would NatiCol not allow anything that failed this test to go to market, but we would not accept it if it had failed (either their test or our own). We understand the serious concerns regarding this type of pollutant and don't want this in our products. It is our ethos to offer only the very best quality and purity.
When it comes to the absorbability (and therefore the benefits or the different Collagens available on the market today), there are many factors at play beyond just the delivery method and mg per day. These include not just the type of collagen (ie, marine or bovine etc, type 1 pure or multi-type complex etc), but also things like the molecular weight, whether the collagen is combined with anything else, and the amino acid profile of the protein peptides that make up collagen.
We choose to stay with capsules as these are generally what our customers want and demand. We work within an ethos of simplicity and making a long term supporting supplementation easy to add to a daily routine (ie, two very quick and easy capsules that are optimised and targeted for specific benefits).
Molecular weight - this is measured in daltons. The most well absorbed (and therefore most effective) collagens have a dalton measure of between 2000-5000. Ours is 4000 making it extremely well assimilated into the body, and ensures it provides its clinically proven results. Many liquids or powders that have a much higher advertised daily mg dose (outwardly making them possibly seem more effective), may also have a much higher dalton weight (eg, 10,000 daltons). So despite them seeming to offer more, they may actually be offering less and be less effective.
Added ingredients - Collagen is best absorbed by our own body when it is on its own (and alongside good hydration). This is a key driver for us ensuring that we use capsule delivery, and that we keep our collagen as pure as possible (ie, no additional nutrients). We also recommend that our capsules are taken on an empty stomach (20 minutes clear of food) to allow for this and to get the absolute best out of our product.
By nature, liquid collagen delivery already has added ingredients that can interrupt this absorption process, and if there are then additional nutrient ingredients added, this further compounds that factor. Our belief is that pure collagen (and a well-balanced diet and good hydration alongside) leads to the best, and most targeted benefits and results.
Also, many liquid collagen requires additional sweeteners, flavourings and other stabilising ingredients and that is something we don't want to add to our product.
Amino acid profile - Naticol have ensured (and clinically tested) the amino acid profile of our raw collagen ingredient to ensure it specifically targets the areas that our customers most want to support. This is defined primarily by the breakdown of the amino acids (protein peptides) that make up the product. We will happily supply the 'amingram' to on request if customers wish to see it.
Cost - our supply of pure marine collagen capsules last two months (making it roughly 40-42p per day based on our RRP) and offers great results, as our many customers, and the NatiCol clinical testing support.
Liquid collagens are usually considerably more expensive (on a per-day basis - sometimes as much as £2+ per day!), they also usually include a lot more packaging, as well as having the factors above that influence their absorption.