{"id":130949,"date":"2024-05-20T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/collagen-powder-vs-pills\/"},"modified":"2025-07-05T10:55:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-05T10:55:36","slug":"collagen-powder-vs-pills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/collagen-powder-vs-pills\/","title":{"rendered":"Collagen Powder vs. Pills: Which Is Best?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Collagen comes in many forms, with powder and pills being two of the most popular delivery forms. Both offer the same health benefits, specifically the ability to boost nail, hair, skin<\/strong><\/a>, and even gut health<\/a><\/strong>. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of each form, so you can decide whether to buy Collagen powder<\/a><\/strong> or pills.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why bother taking collagen in the first place?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Collagen is an important building block of our skin, bones, muscles, tendons, internal organs, and ligaments. But as we grow older, collagen production declines and signs of aging slowly start appearing. To slow down collagen depletion, you can consume collagen-rich foods (such as bone broth<\/a><\/strong>) or collagen supplements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this post if you want to know more about the key benefits of collagen supplements<\/a><\/strong>.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collagen powder vs. pills: Dosage<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Collagen powder is literally just loose powder in a jar, tub, or packet. Collagen pills, on the other hand, are made by packing collagen powder inside capsules or pills. As you will see below, this results in a huge discrepancy in terms of serving size and the amount of collagen per serving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some popular collagen powder brands on Amazon and the corresponding amounts per scoop\/serving:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collagen Powder<\/strong><\/td>Serving size<\/strong><\/td>Collagen per serving<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Intelligent Labs Multi Collagen Powder<\/strong><\/td>1 scoop<\/td>11.2g<\/td><\/tr>
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides<\/td>2 scoops<\/td>20g<\/td><\/tr>
Sports Research Collagen Peptides<\/td>1 scoop<\/td>11g<\/td><\/tr>
Neocell Super Collagen<\/td>2 scoops<\/td>10g<\/td><\/tr>
Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein Powder<\/td>1 scoop<\/td>10.1g<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Here are some examples of popular collagen pills:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collagen Pills<\/strong><\/td>Serving size<\/strong><\/td>Collagen per serving<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Vital Vitamins Multi Collagen Complex<\/td>3 capsules<\/td>1.6g<\/td><\/tr>
Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Capsules<\/td>3 capsules<\/td>1.5g<\/td><\/tr>
Sports Research Multi Collagen Complex<\/td>3 capsules<\/td>1.6g<\/td><\/tr>
Caribou Nutrition Multi Collagen<\/td>3 capsules<\/td>2g<\/td><\/tr>
Live Conscious Beyond Collagen<\/td>3 capsules<\/td>1.3g<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

WINNER: Collagen powder<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the collagen powder brand, each serving contains about 10-20 grams<\/strong> of collagen peptides. As for collagen pills, think of them as tiny scoops that can only hold a few hundred milligrams<\/strong> of collagen. A single scoop of our Multi Collagen Powder (11.2g) is equivalent to<\/strong> 17-26 collagen pills<\/strong>! That\u2019s a lot of pills to swallow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collagen powder vs. pills: Convenience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For this category, it\u2019s important to paint a picture of the basic steps you need to take to get your collagen fix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powder<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prepare the warm<\/strong> or room temperature liquid<\/strong> you\u2019re going to mix the powder into; this can be water, tea, coffee, soup, etc. Open the collagen tub and grab the scoop inside. Scoop out the recommended serving size (1-2 scoops) and dump in the liquid. Stir or shake until the powder dissolves. If you want to enjoy a cold drink, add ice once the powder\u2019s fully dissolved (the powder may clump if poured on cold liquid).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pills<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take out the recommended number of pills for one serving. You may swallow one at a time or take three at once if you can handle it. Drink water to avoid choking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WINNER: Collagen pills<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Well, it\u2019s quite easy to see which form\u2019s more convenient, right? Collagen pills win this round hands down! Additionally, collagen powder also has the potential to cause a mess. Drop a full scoop on the floor and you\u2019ll see what I mean. If you\u2019re unfortunate enough to have a fan blowing in that direction, you\u2019ll be chasing powder on the floor! But such a problem does not exist with collagen pills. If you drop it, just grab it back.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Collagen powder vs. pills: Versatility<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Collagen powder is typically sold in neutral flavors, so it\u2019s easy to mix into any<\/em> liquid. Add it to your morning coffee, tea, cocoa, and juice, and it won\u2019t alter the taste. Or, add it to your afternoon shakes and smoothies. You can even add it to your evening cocktail! And the list doesn\u2019t end there. Since high temperatures do not damage the collagen, you can also bake and cook with it!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technically, you can do the same thing with collagen pills. Just pull the capsules apart and you\u2019ll free up the powder. However, as mentioned in our previous example in the Dosage section, you\u2019ll need to pull apart at least 17-26 capsules to get an equivalent of 1 scoop of our Multi Collagen Powder<\/strong>. It\u2019s so not worth the effort at all. Adding whole pills directly to liquids is also an option, but not ideal, as the capsules are made with gelatin and\/or other ingredients, so it\u2019s definitely going to affect the taste\/texture of your liquid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WINNER: Collagen powder<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Powder may not be the most convenient form, but it\u2019s definitely more versatile than collagen pills!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collagen powder vs. pills: Portability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Collagen pills are typically more portable than powder because the latter is sold in big tubs and jars. However, more brands have started offering single-serve travel packets which are easier to bring along than any bottle. Yeah, it\u2019s not the most environmentally friendly option, so we recommend you buy these only when you need to travel and don\u2019t want to pack a heavy tub in your bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WINNER: Collagen powder<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This category was not so clear-cut with both forms offering portable options. However, we factored in the fact that collagen packets contain a higher dosage than pills, meaning you’d still need to pack in dozens of pills just to get an equivalent dose in a single packet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Collagen powder vs. pills: Ease of absorption<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both collagen powder and pills are made from hydrolyzed collagen. It\u2019s the result of enzymatic hydrolysis, a process that breaks down collagen into short chains of amino acids known as peptides. This is why collagen labels often say \u2018hydrolyzed collagen\u2019 or \u2018collagen peptides\u2019. This form quickly gets absorbed into the bloodstream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collagen pills are encased in a capsule usually made with gelatin. This means the body will need to break down the capsule first before getting to the powder within.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WINNER: Collagen powder<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Powder wins this round because it\u2019s already in its most absorbable form. Collagen pills require an extra step with the need to break down the capsule first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conclusion: What is the best form of collagen to take?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Have you been keeping count of our comparison? Don\u2019t worry if not. Here\u2019s a quick recap:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Dosage – powder<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Convenience – pills<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Versatility – powder<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Portability \u2013 powder (in travel packets)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ease of absorption \u2013 powder<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    That’s 4 points for collagen powder<\/strong> and 1 point for collagen pills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, to conclude, collagen in powder form is definitely a far better option than pills! We did not include pricing in this comparison because it varies a lot, but a quick search shows that powder is a bit more expensive than pills. That said, with all the advantages of powder, shelling out a few extra bucks is more than worth it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Collagen comes in many forms, with powder and pills being two of the most popular delivery forms. Both offer the same health benefits, specifically the ability to boost nail, hair, skin, and even gut health. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of each form, so you can decide whether to buy…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":130950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[695],"tags":[693],"coauthors":[1021],"class_list":["post-130949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition","tag-collagen"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":695,"label":"Nutrition"}],"post_tag":[{"value":693,"label":"Collagen"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/collagen-powder-vs-pills-which-is-better-01-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Angie Arriesgado","author_link":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/author\/angie\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":695,"name":"Nutrition","slug":"nutrition","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":695,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":140,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":695,"category_count":140,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Nutrition","category_nicename":"nutrition","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":693,"name":"Collagen","slug":"collagen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":693,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":15,"filter":"raw"}],"wpml":{"language":"en-gb","is_original":true,"original_post_id":130949,"translations":{"de-at":{"id":171106,"language":"de-at","is_original":false},"de-de":{"id":78210,"language":"de-de","is_original":false},"en-gb":{"id":130949,"language":"en-gb","is_original":true},"es-es":{"id":77522,"language":"es-es","is_original":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130949","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130949"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130949\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136935,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130949\/revisions\/136935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130950"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130949"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130949"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130949"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-gb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=130949"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}