Collagen Amino Acids

Collagen amino acids are derived from collagen that has been chopped up to its smallest building blocks – single amino acids, usually using enzymes in a water medium (this is called hydrolysis). This mixture of collagen amino acids mainly consists of glycine, proline, alanine, and hydroxyproline (and many many other amino acids, but to a lesser extent).

Collagen amino acids are moisturizing humectant ingredients that help the skin to retain water. They mostly stay on the surface of the skin, as it is difficult to get these water-soluble molecules any deeper.

Collagen is a huge protein that forms structures in the skin and joints, which is the reason why our skin is firm and stretchy. With age, the collagen in the skin loses its elasticity, and the topical application of the amino acids and tiny collagen fragments partially help with the regeneration.

The collagen amino acids mainly assist with moisture retention, but the small fraction that gets absorbed can be utilized as building blocks for new proteins made by the skin.