Hydrolyzed Collagen

Hydrolyzed collagen is a humectant, film-forming, and emollient mixture of various proteins and peptides that were created by cutting the huge molecules of normal collagen into smaller pieces.

This is done via the process of hydrolysis, which is basically a chemical reaction in a water medium, where the cutting is done by specialized enzymes. These smaller pieces have the partial ability to be absorbed into the skin, but for the most part (like the whole, soluble collagen), they sit on top of the skin, where they form a protective layer, attract moisture, and prevent transdermal water loss.

The small peptides that get absorbed into the skin help with the regeneration of the native skin collagen. It has been shown in studies that topically applied hydrolyzed proteins can improve the general condition of the skin because the smaller fragments are able to participate in protein synthesis in skin cells.

Hydrolyzed collagen also has some antioxidant properties and is able to scavenge free radicals and harmful oxygen species.

There are new experiments that are attempting to trick the skin into absorbing more collagen, or hydrolyzed collagen, pieces. They are focused on encapsulating them into liposomes, globular oil-soluble particles easily absorbed by the skin.

In many previous cases, packing something into liposomes made it possible for the skin to absorb the compound, and it seems that this may be an option for hydrolyzed collagen too.