Collagen Creams Are Having A Moment – But Are They The Key To Firmer Skin?

The world of skin care is complex, and navigating it, along with all its ingredients, can be challenging. Case in point: collagen. For years, there has been a long-standing buzz surrounding collagen, and its purported skin-improving and anti-aging benefits continue to make it a hot topic. Plus, with K-beauty collagen creams and masks making the rounds (this isn't the first time the ingredient has received major playtime), it can be confusing to understand how collagen works in various applications and what its benefits are.

Despite the influx of collagen-centric products that are all over Instagram and TikTok, New York facial plastic surgeon and founder of Airem Beauty Rituals, Dr. Eunice Park, M.D., shares that collagen, a key structural protein that is different from what is in topical skin care products, is essential for healthy skin, as it provides structural foundation to the skin to keep it firm, smooth, and resilient. "It acts like scaffolding that supports the dermis, helping to maintain skin elasticity and hydration. But as we age, collagen production slows, leading to visible signs of aging like fine lines, sagging, and dullness."

In a perfect world, flooding the skin with a substance that it is naturally composed of would boost its innate supply to improve the aforementioned signs of aging. However, that's not the case with collagen. Dermatologists and plastic surgeons attempted to take that route years ago when injectable collagen was all the rage (pre-hyaluronic acid fillers), only to find that its lip-plumping and wrinkle-smoothing abilities yielded short-lived and often allergenic results.

Injectable collagen has since made its way to the aesthetic treatment graveyard, and today, the ingredient comes in creams, serums, masks, and more, all promising to enhance the skin's health and appearance. Some even claim to preserve and increase skin firmness and elasticity while reducing the appearance of sagginess. And it makes perfect sense that people clamor to reap the benefits of collagen, especially since it naturally degrades at a rate of 1% per year starting in our 20s.

But the real question on everyone's minds is if these collagen creams work as they promise to. Or are they just another fleeting fad? To find out the real deal on collagen creams and what they offer, TZR turned to three dermatologists for a detailed explanation of how the ingredient works in skin care products and what to expect from them. What we reveal about your favorite collagen cream (yes, even the K-beauty ones) may surprise you and have you reconsidering how to build and sustain collagen for your best skin yet.

Collagen 101

If you want plump, cushiony, bouncy skin with few wrinkles and lines, then you need to boost your skin's collagen levels. "Think of your skin like a mattress," says Dr. Joshua Zeichner, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. "Collagen is the frame, elastic fibers are the springs, and uric acid is the stuffing. Collagen is the backbone of the skin, providing structure and support." However, it's not always that simple to rev up collagen within the skin since the body's natural supply begins to degrade, leading to dry skin, wrinkles, and a loss of elasticity caused by sun and environmental exposure, inflammation, and natural aging. "The combination of decreased production of new collagen along with damaged collagen leads to wrinkles, sagging skin, creepiness, fine lines, and prominent pores," he adds. "That's why enhancing collagen production is the backbone of an anti-aging skin care routine."

In-office treatments that stimulate collagen production, such as microneedling, radiofrequency, laser treatments, and poly-l-lactic acid injectables, offer distinct benefits compared to skin care products that contain collagen. "They are also far more effective in stimulating the body's collagen production by triggering a controlled wound-healing response in the dermis," Park explains.

How Collagen Creams Work

There is a lot of misinformation out there about what collagen can and cannot do for the skin. One of the most important things to note is that applying a cream with the ingredient in it will not stimulate the production of new collagen, nor will it necessarily sustain what is already there. Zeichner says that while collagen-containing creams offer excellent hydration benefits, they have minimal impact on stimulating new collagen.

The reality is topically applied collagen sits on the surface of the skin due to its large molecular size. While it can hydrate the skin and offer a temporary plumping effect, it does not aid in true collagen regeneration, shares Dr. Jenny Liu, M.D., a board-certified dermatologist in Minneapolis, MN. However, she adds that collagen-stimulating ingredients, such as retinoids, peptides, and growth factors, are the most effective options for enhancing collagen production and achieving a noticeable difference in the skin's appearance. On the other hand, oral collagen supplements, which usually contain hydrolyzed collagen peptides, show promise in clinical studies to improve skin elasticity, hydration, and overall skin health from within, Park says. "Verisol collagen is specifically made for skin with enhanced bioavailability to enhance the skin," Liu says.

Most collagen skin care products sold today contain hydrolyzed or marine collagen (other types, such as vegan collagen, also exist) due to their smaller particle size and high absorbability. According to Liu, since native collagen molecules can't penetrate the skin deeply, hydrolyzed or low-molecular-weight collagen offers better absorption and support for skin barrier function by improving hydration levels and the appearance of the skin's surface texture. "However, their effectiveness still largely depends on the supporting ingredients and overall formulation," she adds.

Despite the claims surrounding collagen creams, which range from improving skin elasticity to inducing a healthy glow and even reducing the appearance of wrinkles, Park says there is limited evidence proving that topical collagen can penetrate deeply enough to rebuild collagen in the dermis. "Most of the benefits are related to hydration and temporarily smoothing the skin."

And it's not just creams that aren't a viable source for creating new collagen. The same holds for collagen sheet masks, sleeping packs, ampoules, and under-eye patches. "I tell my patients that a collagen cream may hydrate the skin to make lines and wrinkles appear plumped up, but they won't replace lost collagen or build new collagen," Park says. However, if you want to improve the skin's hydration levels and texture and decrease water loss, then a collagen cream may help.

Collagen Creams Vs. In-Office Treatments: Which is Better?

To reap the benefits of new, well-organized collagen within the skin, in-office treatments and collagen-promoting skin care ingredients are preferred over collagen creams. Zeichner says that several procedures can help stimulate collagen to thicken the skin's foundation, improve skin elasticity, and minimize the appearance of pores, fine lines, and wrinkles. "Fractionated lasers, resurfacing devices, microneedling with radio frequency, and ultrasound treatments, such as Sofwave, all work towards these goals. Biostimulating injectables, like Sculptra, also enhance collagen production."

Unfortunately, due to the large molecular size of collagen used in many creams, a product won't make much of a difference if the molecules are on the larger side, which is why dermatologists prefer treatments and ingredients that are known to work. "While smaller, hydrolyzed peptides have a better chance of penetrating and potentially stimulating a biological response, it's more about how the collagen is delivered to the skin than it is a product boosting a label that says it contains collagen," Liu says.

That's not to say that collagen creams don't work. But they won't work the way you may think they will. However, he cautions against vegan collagen skin care products, which contain collagen amino acids or peptides, neither of which is actual collagen, making it even more difficult for the cream to deliver its purported collagen-boosting effects.

That's not to say that collagen creams are a complete waste of money – they aren't. But they probably won't work the way you may think they will. As for the viral two-piece Korean collagen masks that turn from white to clear when the skin has purportedly soaked up all the collagen, they, too, offer a temporary glow or increased hydration at best, and Liu says it shouldn't be mistaken for long-term collagen rebuilding. "They're fun and can be part of a self-care ritual, but they don't replace evidence-based treatments or ingredients that stimulate real collagen synthesis. Many of these products are good for a quick plumping and glow-boosting effect, especially before events or photos. Still, the reality is they don't rebuild collagen in the skin and are more of a hydration booster than a biological fix," she says.

The Bottom Line

While collagen creams and masks can help hydrate and smooth the skin, offering a quick pick-me-up, they are not a surefire way to build new collagen or improve the skin's overall health. Instead, look to tried-and-true collagen-stimulating ingredients such as vitamin C, retinol, retinoids, and peptides, as well as in-office collagen-boosting treatments and procedures that are known to improve skin support while promoting collagen production. "It's better off to use collagen creams as a complement to, not a replacement for, the more effective tools available," Park adds. And, of course, if you're serious about preserving the collagen within your skin, never skip a day of wearing broad-spectrum sunscreen, either.