It’s the biggest fraud in skincare, so they say – collagen cannot absorb into the skin and doesn’t do anything. The fact that thousands of cosmetic products worldwide keep putting this molecule into their formulas is a sham and we’ve all wasted a lot of money, time and effort into skincare that doesn’t work. But is this true? Is this still the case in 2025 – where we have come so far in skincare that we are still using an ingredient that holds little benefit? Let’s dive into the truth on collagen – backed by clinical study and find out what does it really do for our skin? 

Collagen is a natural protein that is found in our skin. It’s a large complex protein (size is around 300,000 Da) that is rigid and holds its shape well to form strong joints and firm skin. It is a strong powerful molecule, but over time it naturally degrades – which leads to a loss in skin firmness and the general appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. In older years, this degradation is why our joints aren’t as strong and start getting creaky.

So, thinking on that massive size – can our skin absorb it? Simply put, pure collagen molecules are far too large to pass through our skin barrier. The rule for skin is called “The 500 Dalton Rule” and it means anything smaller than 500 Da generally can be absorbed by skin. So, if we are slapping collagen on our faces in its large molecular form – yes, it’s not penetrating any skin cells. 

So, how did we start trying to get around the fact that it’s too complex to just slap into our skin. The first (and honestly a great) way to absorb collagen is to eat up! If you are a fan of bone broths, natural meaty stews or even gelatin-based or collagen boosted desserts – you are doing great! Collagen is broken down carefully by our stomach enzymes and absorbed to be transported directly to the cells that need it. 

In fact, collagen in our diet has been directly linked to better, more youthful skin as well as improved nail health, joint health, muscle health and bone health. A trial showed adding hydrolyzed collagen supplements to diet improved skin hydration and elasticity. Keep an eye out for collagen additives at your favourite juice or milk tea place. 

The other way is ‘hydrolyzed collagen.’ Yes, our skin cannot absorb a giant molecule – but the majority of beauty products will break down collagen into smaller peptides. The average molecular weight of hydrolyzed collagen is 12,000 Da (so still bigger than our skin can absorb on its own). If it doesn’t absorb, it acts as a great moisturizer that seals in our skin barrier and prevents water loss. It also acts as an antioxidant – which prevents damage to cells. 

The ideal type is ‘marine collagen’ which, in place of animal sources, comes from the ocean. It is far more lightweight and when hydrolyzed can be as small as 1,000 Da. Although still above the recommended 500 Da, if paired with an absorption enhancer, it becomes able to be directly absorbed into skin cells. 

So, is ‘collagen’ written on our skincare creams just an old sales tactic? Well, for the majority – pretty much. It moisturizes and plumps the outside of our skin quite well and helps protect our water barrier – but the collagen is not helping the inside of our skin cells. 

The only way to get even hydrolyzed collagen to absorb – is to take on more advanced skincare techniques. This is where Medicube has been a big player. Using collagen with their skincare devices (i.e. the Medicube AGE-R Booster Pro) can increase skin absorption by +700%. This allows larger molecules, such as hydrolyzed collagen to actually absorb into skin. 

Similarly, they have a PDRN serum that uses ‘spicules’ - microneedles that form channels deeper in skin in order to boost absorption. You can also use a spicule serum first (such as VT Reedle shot)to form these channels and follow up with hydrolyzed collagen serums/creams. 

So, how do you forget about all the creams that are not actually tackling your fine lines and really get your skin boosted and fine lines smoothed out? Here is the ultimate, true method: 

1. Always be hydrating 
Both yourself and your skin. Not having a good water intake can increase aging effect in our skin, leading to premature water loss and degradation of our skin’s elasticity. So, arm yourself with a tasty beverage with great water content. For your health. 

2. Eat lots of Vitamin C 
Might seem a weird one – but if you want those great peptides to have any use, Vitamin C is a vital enzyme for collagen production. If you go to the effort of increasing collagen in your diet, be sure to add in plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit to go with it. 

3. Peptides for Skin Nutrients 
If you are looking for a topical cream to help plump your skin, you are better off trying to select keywords such as ‘peptides’ or ‘amino acids’. These can absorb into the skin properly (due to their small size) and will give your skin cells the ingredients to produce fresh collagen.

4. Retinol 
If you have been looking at fine line reducing creams, you’ll have come across retinol. It’s specifically amazing for aging care due to its ability to directly stimulate collagen production. It also stops collagen break-down, creating a genuine reduction in fine lines and wrinkles. 

5. Hyaluronic acid 
Although HA is not directly responsible for collagen production, it acts on fibroblasts and increases their natural activity, which includes producing collagen. It also helps keep your skin cells happy and plump, which as we mentioned before is vital to reduce fine lines. 

6. Enhance absorption 
As mentioned before – there are a few ways to increase skin absorption to allow collagen to be directly absorbed into skin cells. 
- use a skincare device that boosts absorption 
- use spicules or microneedling to form channels for easy absorption 
- always choose hydrolyzed collagen or marine collagen for topical use as these have a better chance of absorbing. 

Taking all this into account, what collagen products should you look at? We applied all of the above and thought carefully- creating our list of our top K-beauty collagen products that actually improve your fine lines. 

Tocobo Collagen Brightening Eye Gel Cream 
This one is a vegan formulation – which means it does not contain true collagen. However, it does contain hydrolyzed plant proteins, which are absorbable and do help boost your natural collagen. It contains lavender water (81%), which helps soothe inflammation, contains protective antioxidants and even the smell of it helps relax your nervous system. This is carefully mixed with hydrolyzed plant proteins, hyaluronic acid and retinol – which are all stimulating your natural collagen production. This is also coupled with brightening niacinamide – which helps with dark undereye circles to create a lightweight gel that is deeply soothing, non-irritating and reduces eye fine lines. 

✔️ Vegan 
✔️ Safe for sensitive skin 
✔️ Boosts skin collagen production 
❌ Doesn’t contain collagen 

Medicube PDRN Pink Exosome Shot Serum 2000 
If you are looking to reduce fine lines and deeply glow-up your skin – this is a fabulous serum to try out. It contains one of the new favs of de-aging skincare (PDRN) which deeply absorbs into skin cells to promote repair and increases skin thickness. It also contains collagen mixed with spicules – those tiny needles that form channels for molecules to pass through our thicker, outer layer. This ensures the collagen within this formula can absorb, giving a deep and plumping boost. 

✔️ Promotes cell repair 
✔️ Microneedling for deep absorption 
✔️ Usable collagen 
✔️ Contains hyaluronic acid and amino acids 
❌ Can be irritating for sensitive skin types 

Celimax Vita-A Retinal Shot Tightening Booster 
This formula actually contains no collagen at all. But for improving fine lines and refreshing your skin, we had to add it in. It’s a lightweight, creamy formula that can be added directly to your fine lines and wrinkle-prone areas. It contains retinal carefully bound to spicules, mixed carefully with a peptide-rich complex which helps boost natural collagen formation and quickly clear fine lines. We have a review on this product – and even we were kind of shocked at the results in just a few uses. Do be careful of retinol burn, however, as it is a powerful skin active. 

✔️ Clears fine lines 
✔️ Powerful retinol 
✔️ Tightens skin and boosts natural collagen content 
❌ No collagen (although does contain hydrolyzed peptides)

Mary & May Marine Collagen Serum 
If you are just looking for a plain, simple serum that contains collagen small enough to absorb into your skin – then this marine collagen formula is here for you! With marine collagen that has been hydrolyzed (to low molecular weight), this collagen is between 300-1000 Da and small enough to pass through your skin barrier to plump and hydrate. This serum is actually 95% hydrolyzed, low-molecular marine collagen with some light hydrating agents to refresh skin. 

✔️ Contains usable collagen 
✔️ Simple, environmental formula 
✔️ Safe for sensitive skin 
❌ No dramatic results, although refreshing for sensitive skin 

Numbuzin No.9 NAD Bio Lifting Facial Mask 
Wanting to glow and undergo an entire face lift with no fear of looking a little bit ridiculous (if anybody has made this mask look cool, I want to know). Numbuzin has formulated a face mask that in just a few minutes can lift your jawline by 29%, lifts buccal fat by 25% and helps lift and vanish fine lines (for some) in an instant. With NAD+ enzymes to restore skin cells, mixed with nourishing peptides and brightening niacinamide – this mask formulation does contain hydrolyzed collagen, but likely of a size where it will just moisturize and help seal your skin barrier. 

It also contains retinol and hyaluronic acid – the more likely culprits who are helping lift fine lines and rejuvenate skin appearance. 

✔️ Quick results 
✔️ Fun application 
✔️ Contains retinol, hyaluronic acid and hydrolyzed collagen 
❌ Only a few uses (4 if you buy the mask pack). 

So there's the whole truth about collagen - majority of the time, yes, it is too large to cross the skin barrier. There are a variety of exemptions, however, and as technology advances there are likely to be more available alternatives.

If you are looking to boost your natural collagen - ideally reach for hyaluronic acid or retinol instead. But remember, even large molecules of collagen act as a natural humectant, moisturizer and protector of the skin barrier - so, it's not all bad.

Is collagen useful for skin? 
Yes, collagen is a very important molecule in skincare. It is vital, however, to ensure you are using a molecule that can pass through the skin barrier (such as amino acids, peptides or marine, hydrolyzed collagen). The words ‘low-molecular weight’ are good to look out for, as this is typically molecules that are more easily absorbed. 

What can I use to boost natural collagen? 
If you are looking to boost your natural skin collagen – it's great to eat foods high in collagen (bone broths or gelatin) as well as foods high in Vitamin C. Make sure you are well hydrated. For topical methods, you can add retinol to your skin as well as hyaluronic acid to help plump and reduce fine lines.  

Why is collagen used in cosmetics? 
Although full molecular weight collagen cannot absorb into our skin, it does help boost natural hydration and holds water inside our skin barrier. Despite not working on the inner mechanisms of our skin cells – it has remained a mainstay in moisturizers due to its protective role and how it helps improve elasticity by trapping water inside our cells. This added moisture also softens skin and produces smoother texture.