There's No Such Thing As Vegan Collagen & This PhD & RD Explains Exactly Why

"Is your collagen vegan?" is a common question we receive from the mbg family and collagen aficionados far and wide. The answer remains the same: Collagen protein/peptides/hydrolysate will never be vegan. Expecting a collagen supplement to be vegan is like expecting bone broth or a mink fur stole (yikes) to be vegan. They just aren't. 

Collagen is the most prevalent protein in the animal kingdom1 (and absent in the plant kingdom). It's the structural protein foundation of those animals' connective tissues. That's why collagen products are derived from those tissues, for example:

Nonetheless, science has shown that collagen peptides deliver meaningful nutritional value, contributing to daily protein needs, plus bioactive, functional benefits (e.g., skin, joint, and bone health).*

But don't silo this tough triple-helix protein to skin alone. Collagen is pivotal to the structure of connective tissues throughout our body, comprising one-third of total body protein4 in humans. In other words, collagen is whole-body relevant. That's because it's a ubiquitous, critical structural component for our gut, bones, teeth, vasculature (i.e., blood vessels), muscles, tendons, cartilage, organs, etc. 

Anecdotally, I personally know many vegetarians, flexitarians (I am one), and pegans who incorporate collagen supplements into their daily diet, whether in their coffee (or iced coffee), plant-based milk, smoothie, or other creative recipes. Collagen is keto-friendly by design, but when looking for a collagen powder, make sure it has low or no sugar if you're keto-conscious. 

These collagen "boosters" may include ingredients like amino acids (especially proline, lysine, and glycine), vitamins C and E for collagen production and cross-linking, a B complex for cellular energy, or botanical antioxidants to protect collagen from oxidative damage.* If your vegan protein sources are delivering ample amino acid building blocks for collagen, then these helper compounds can support your body's endogenous collagen production and function.*

A collagen supplement formula that features these aforementioned "helpers" is rare, but mindbodygreen delivers with beauty & gut collagen+. While the non-vegan 17.7 grams of premium types I and III collagen peptides from Brazilian grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle most definitely headline this product, the rest of the blend is equally intentional, with curated nutrients and bioactives included to:

For the carnivores, here are some tips when shopping for a collagen supplement. Make sure the brand is transparent about these four things:

And if a brand is trying to sell you "vegan collagen," tap into the collagen in your connective tissues and run! 

I don't want my vegan collagen case to be dismissed on a technicality. So yes, technically there is "vegan collagen"...if you want a genetically modified (GMO) product5. There are strains of bacteria and yeast that can be engineered to produce collagen with recombinant technology leveraging human genes, but again...GMOs. As an innovative biomaterial for lifesaving therapeutic applications, I say absolutely. But for regular collagen supplement consumption, I'm going with nope. 

Some things in life just aren't vegan, and collagen is one of them. That doesn't detract from the critical, widespread role of this structural protein in mammalian connective tissues. With a whole-body impact on human health, high-quality collagen peptides are a smart strategy for supporting collagen production and its ubiquitous functions in the body.*