Which collagen is best for women over 50?
No brand has proof it’s best. The trials below used collagen peptides, 2.5 to 10 g a day. But for your bones after menopause, the NHS backs three basics, and collagen isn’t one of them.
On this page
What is the best collagen for women?
No UK health body ranks collagen brands. The NHS pages on menopause and thin bones don’t mention collagen at all.
What the trials used was plain collagen peptides, also called hydrolysed collagen. That’s collagen broken down into small pieces. The dose depended on the goal.
| Goal | Daily dose and time | What the trial found |
|---|---|---|
| Skin wrinkles (women aged 45 to 65) | 2.5 g for 8 weeks | Eye wrinkles 20% smaller than with a dummy powder (placebo). |
| Bones (after menopause, with low bone density) | 5 g for 12 months | Spine and hip bone density rose a little more than with a placebo. |
| Sore joints (osteoarthritis, wear-and-tear joint pain) | 8 to 10 g for 3 to 6 months | Small to moderate pain relief, in a review of 35 trials of several collagen types and doses. |
Sources: Proksch 2014; König 2018; Liang 2024; Lin 2023
Joint aches are common in menopause, the NHS says. But the joint trials were in people with osteoarthritis (wear-and-tear joint pain), not menopause aches.
So the best pick is one that at least matches a trial dose for the thing you want help with. Turn the pack over and find the grams of collagen in one daily serving.
Does collagen help menopause skin?
Your skin does lose collagen after menopause. One research team found it falls by about 2.1% a year, over the 15 years after it.
Whether a supplement puts any back is where the studies split.
| Review | What it looked at | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 trials, 1,125 people, mostly women | Better moisture, stretch and wrinkles after 90 days. |
| 2025 | 23 trials, 1,474 people | No effect in high-quality trials, or in trials not paid for by companies. |
| 2026 re-check | The main earlier reviews | Found errors in the data. No evidence of benefit. |
| 2026 update | Newer trials added | Better moisture and stretch. Wrinkle results not solid. |
Sources: de Miranda 2021; Myung 2025; Grimes 2026; Batool 2026
The take-home: any skin effect is small and not settled. The 2025 review found gains only in the trials companies paid for.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) isn’t the skin answer either. Guidelines don’t support HRT just for skin, because there aren’t strong trials.
Want to try collagen anyway? Take a photo in the same window light today and again at 12 weeks. If you can’t see a change, stop paying.
For more, read sunscreen and skin ageing.
Can collagen help your bones after menopause?
Women lose bone quickly in the first few years after menopause, the NHS says. The risk of thin bones is higher if menopause starts before 45, or after your ovaries are removed.
In the one bone trial, 131 women had low bone density (how solid and strong the bone is). Density rose a little more with collagen than with a placebo.
But it’s one trial, partly paid for by the maker. It measured bone density, not broken bones. Both groups were also encouraged to take calcium and vitamin D.
The NHS basics for your bones
- Do weight-bearing exercise, such as brisk walking, dancing or tennis. Swimming and cycling don’t count.
- Do muscle-strengthening exercise on 2 or more days a week, working your legs, hips, back, tummy, chest, arms and shoulders.
- Get 700 mg of calcium a day from food, such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, tofu or leafy greens.
- Consider a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement, especially in autumn and winter.
- Stop smoking, and drink no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.
Sources: NHS: preventing osteoporosis; NHS: vitamin D
Those are the three NHS basics: exercise, calcium and vitamin D.
HRT also helps prevent thin bones by raising oestrogen. The NHS says it’s particularly important if your periods stop before 45. Never stop or change a prescribed medicine without your prescriber.
Collagen powder or liquid: how to choose
We found no trial that compares powders with drinks. Doses in skin trials ranged from about 0.25 g to 12 g a day. So judge either one by the grams per daily serving.
Five checks before you buy collagen
- Find the grams of collagen in one daily serving. The trials above used 2.5 g to 10 g.
- Look for “collagen peptides” or “hydrolysed collagen”. That’s the kind most skin trials used.
- Check the source if you avoid fish or meat. Trials used collagen from fish, pig, cow or chicken.
- Give it 12 weeks before you judge it. Skin trials lasted 2 to 12 weeks.
- Paying extra for added vitamin C? You should be able to get the 40 mg a day adults aged 19 to 64 need from your daily diet.
Sources: Grimes 2026; de Miranda 2021; NHS: vitamin C
For the wider evidence, see do collagen supplements work and vitamins for women over 40.
When to speak to a GP
Thin bones aren’t usually painful until a bone breaks. Contact your GP if:
- You think you have menopause symptoms, such as dry, itchy skin or joint pain, and want to know your options.
- You’re thinking about HRT and you’re worried about the risks.
- Your periods stopped before 45, or you’ve had your ovaries removed. Ask how to protect your bones.
- You have a fast heartbeat (palpitations), or you still have periods but you’re bleeding more, not less.
- You’ve had no period for 12 months or more and you have any vaginal bleeding.
See also perimenopause symptoms.