What is the difference between marine collagen and bovine collagen?
What is the difference between marine collagen and bovine collagen?
What is collagen?
Collagen: definition
Collagen is part of a family of structural proteins found in the connective tissue of animals and humans that is naturally produced in the body. It alone accounts for one-third of the body's proteins and plays an essential role in maintaining the structural integrity of tissues. It helps in the renewal of new cells. It plays a role in many organs of the body. In the skin, it helps maintain skin firmness and increase its elasticity. It therefore plays an important role in delaying the process of wrinkles and/or fine lines.
The primary mission of collagen is to provide structure and strength to the body's connective tissues. Collagen is abundant in skin, bones, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs, and other parts of the body. Due to its structural properties, it is used in certain medical and cosmetic treatments such as reconstructive surgeries.
Collagen is widely used in cosmetics, both "in" (treatment from the inside via food supplements) and "out" (topical use on the skin) to improve skin structure and appearance.
What are the different types of collagen?
There are several types of collagen, each with its own specific role in the body.
Type I collagen: Present in skin, tendons, bones, and ligaments. It represents almost the entirety of the collagen in our body.
Type II collagen: Primarily found in cartilage, it is often used to support joint health.
Type III collagen: Associated with type I collagen, it is found in the skin, blood vessels, and internal organs.
Type V collagen: Present in hair, the ocular surface, and the placenta. It is often associated with type I collagen.
Type X collagen: Present in articular cartilage. It is often used to support joint health and can be derived from type II collagen sources.
The origin of collagen: marine collagen and bovine collagen.
2.1 Marine collagen
Marine collagen is a form of collagen extracted from the tissues of marine fish (pollock, cod, salmon, etc.) as well as from the skin, scales, and other parts of the fish. It is a type I or II collagen, generally used in food supplements or as an ingredient in skincare products.
The main role of marine collagen is to improve skin elasticity and firmness, reduce wrinkles and fine lines, and promote a healthier skin appearance.
It is a preferred origin; marine collagen is recommended in food supplements for the skin because it is better absorbed by the body.
2.2 Bovine collagen
Bovine collagen is derived from cattle, particularly from the skin, bones, or other tissues of cows. It is a type I or III collagen. Like marine collagen, bovine collagen is often used in skincare products but is more beneficial for joint health. Therefore, it is not the preferred choice if one wishes to act on skin beauty.
2.3 Which is better: marine collagen or bovine collagen?
The difference lies mainly in their source, composition, application, and individual preference.
To answer this question, it all depends on the desired outcomes and the primary use of the collagen.
Marine collagen will be more suitable for people following a vegetarian or meat-free diet for ethical reasons. From an ecological point of view, marine collagen is preferable. This type of collagen is a more sustainable option because it often uses by-products from the fishing industry that would otherwise be wasted.
In terms of assimilation, marine collagen is again superior. It has been shown that the body assimilates marine collagen better than bovine collagen, resulting in greater effectiveness.
As for bovine collagen, it is more widely available, so its cost will be lower. It contains a combination of type I and III collagen, which can be beneficial for certain specific connective tissues, such as in the treatment of joints.
Conclusion: which collagen to choose?
Collagen is a protein whose supportive role is essential for the body. The presence of collagen in our body decreases with time and age. It is this decrease in collagen that causes tissue sagging, which is why it is interesting to have an additional collagen intake from the age of 30, in order to help delay the process of skin wilting and sagging.
Both bovine and marine collagen are available on the market. For skin treatment, we believe it is much more beneficial to choose marine collagen rather than bovine collagen because it is better assimilated and therefore more effective at therapeutic doses.