Let’s Talk About Collagen: What Your Body Actually Needs

Collagen has become a very big business.

Powders, drinks, gummies, sachets, creams, serums — you name it, somebody has managed to put the word COLLAGEN on the front.

And collagen does matter. A lot.

But somewhere along the way, the message seems to have become:

“Want more collagen? Buy collagen.”

It really isn’t quite that simple.

Your body already makes its own collagen. It has been doing it all your life.

So before spending a small fortune on the latest collagen powder, it makes sense to understand how your body actually makes collagen, what it needs to do it, and what putting collagen on your skin can — and cannot — do.

Because once you understand that part, the whole subject becomes much easier.

What is Collagen?

Collagen is a protein, and it is one of the main structural proteins in the human body.

You find it in your:

• skin

• bones

• cartilage

• tendons

• ligaments

• blood vessels

• connective tissue

In your skin, collagen forms much of the support structure underneath the surface.

Think of it as part of the scaffolding.

When that scaffolding is strong and well organised, skin has better firmness and resilience. As we get older, we produce less collagen, and the collagen already there becomes more fragmented and damaged over time.

Unfortunately, our bodies don't seem terribly interested in keeping everything exactly as it was at 30.

Very inconsiderate.

But here is the important part:

Collagen is something your body builds.

And to build anything, you need the right materials.

You Cannot Make Collagen out of Thin Air

Collagen itself is made from amino acids, especially glycine, proline and hydroxyproline.

Protein in your diet helps provide the amino acids your body needs.

This is also why eating collagen doesn't mean that collagen travels directly from your stomach to your cheeks.

Your digestive system breaks proteins down into amino acids and smaller peptides, and your body then decides where those materials are needed.

There is no little address label saying:

PLEASE DELIVER DIRECTLY TO FACE.

Pity.

But amino acids are only part of the picture.

Your body also needs certain nutrients to actually turn those raw materials into properly formed collagen.

And one of the most important is Vitamin C.

Vitamin C: you cannot make it yourself

This is something many people don't realise.

Humans cannot manufacture Vitamin C.

Most mammals can make their own Vitamin C internally. We can't.

We have to get it from our food or from supplementation.

So when we're talking about collagen, Vitamin C is not some optional little extra.

Your body uses it during the actual collagen-making process.

It helps enzymes do the work needed to form and stabilise the collagen structure.

That is why I find it a bit backwards when somebody is spending hundreds of rands every month on collagen powder but hasn't thought about whether they are getting enough Vitamin C.

You can supply all the building material you like, but the body still needs the tools to put it together.

Vitamin C from the inside

Obviously food comes first.

Fruit and vegetables such as citrus, peppers, broccoli, strawberries and leafy greens all provide Vitamin C.

But sometimes people choose to supplement as well.

Choose Buffered Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids for internal use.

“Buffered” simply means the Vitamin C is provided in a less acidic form than ordinary straight ascorbic acid, which some people find easier to use regularly.

The bioflavonoids are plant compounds naturally found alongside Vitamin C in many fruits and vegetables.

The main point here isn't that you need enormous amounts of Vitamin C.

More is not automatically better.

The point is that your body must have enough, because without Vitamin C, normal collagen production simply cannot happen properly.

And Vitamin C on the skin?

This is where we move from nutrition to skincare.

Vitamin C also has a very useful place topically.

The trouble with Vitamin C in skincare is that ordinary ascorbic acid can be unstable. Light, oxygen and the formulation itself all matter.

A bottle can say “Vitamin C” in very impressive lettering, but if the Vitamin C has degraded, that doesn't help your skin much.

This is why formulation matters.

Our Jean Genie Vitamin C Serum uses 3% Ethyl Ascorbic Acid, a stable Vitamin C derivative, together with Ferulic Acid, organic Aloe Vera and vegan Hyaluronic Acid.

And the collagen connection?

Vitamin C is involved in collagen production in skin cells as well as throughout the rest of the body.

So while a topical Vitamin C serum is not “putting collagen into your skin”, it is giving the skin an ingredient that actually has a recognised role in the collagen-making process.

That makes a lot more sense to me.

 

MSM and sulphur: the bit that often gets left out

Then we get to MSM — Methylsulfonylmethane.

Thankfully MSM is easier to say.

MSM is a naturally occurring organic sulphur compound and is one of my favourite supplements when we're talking about connective tissue.

Why sulphur?

Sulphur is involved throughout the body in proteins, tissue structure and antioxidant systems.

And remember — collagen isn't only about your face.

Collagen is a major part of:

skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue.

That is why I don't think of MSM as a “beauty supplement”.

I think of it as a connective-tissue supplement.

Our MSM Powder is simply methylsulfonylmethane — no fancy additions — and is used as a source of organic sulphur to support joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin, hair and nails.

There is some interesting research on skin too.

In one human study, people taking MSM showed improvements in measurements of skin hydration, firmness, elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles.

It doesn't make MSM a magic wrinkle powder — nothing does — but it does make MSM interesting when we're discussing skin structure and connective tissue.

Again, MSM does not turn into collagen.

It is part of the wider nutritional picture that supports the tissues collagen belongs to.

Where does Hyaluronic Acid fit into collagen?

Most people know Hyaluronic Acid for hydration.

And yes, it is extremely good at that.

HA naturally exists in our skin and forms part of the matrix surrounding our cells and collagen fibres.

This matters because collagen doesn't float around by itself.

It exists in a living environment filled with water, cells, elastin, Hyaluronic Acid and other components.

The cells that make collagen are called fibroblasts.

You don't need to remember the name for an exam.

Just think:

Fibroblasts = the little workers making collagen.

So I don't like saying:

“Hyaluronic Acid builds collagen.”

That's too simplistic.

I prefer:

Hyaluronic Acid helps maintain the hydrated environment in which your collagen-producing cells have to work.

Our Hyaluronic Acid Serum contains two molecular weights of vegan Hyaluronic Acid.

Why two?

Because molecule size affects where HA works in the epidermis. Larger molecules mainly work nearer the surface, while smaller molecules can penetrate further into the outer skin layers.

Together, you get hydration at different levels instead of just sitting everything on top.

And well-hydrated skin simply functions and looks better.

Sometimes skincare really doesn't need to be more complicated than that.

And Vitamin E?

Vitamin E plays another part in the story.

Think of Vitamin C as being involved in making collagen.

Vitamin E is more about protection.

Vitamin E is one of the main fat-soluble antioxidants in the skin.

Why does that matter to collagen?

Because oxidative stress and free-radical damage can trigger processes that break collagen down.

Vitamin E helps support the skin's antioxidant defences.

Interestingly, Vitamin C and Vitamin E also work very nicely together.

Our Vitamin E Serum uses natural Vitamin E together with Hyaluronic Acid, Baobab, Rosehip, Argan, Frankincense and Myrrh — a richer formula particularly suited to dry and changing skin.

So again:

Vitamin E isn't collagen.

It doesn't need to be.

Its job is different.

Now let's talk about collagen creams

This one deserves its own section because there is a lot of clever marketing around it.

Can you rub collagen onto your face and replace the collagen you have lost?

No.

Whole collagen molecules are simply too large to get through the skin barrier and travel down to the dermis where your natural collagen sits.

That doesn't mean collagen in a cream is useless.

Collagen can sit on the skin and act as a moisturising or film-forming ingredient.

Your skin may feel lovely afterwards.

But that is not the same as:

“This cream replaced my collagen.”

It didn't.

What about hydrolysed collagen?

Hydrolysed collagen has been chopped into smaller peptides.

Some of the tiniest pieces may enter the upper layers of the skin more easily.

But — and this is the important bit — those little pieces cannot simply join themselves back together inside your skin and become new collagen fibres.

So when I see a collagen cream being sold as if it is somehow refilling the collagen underneath your skin, I take the marketing with a fairly large pinch of salt.

What about drinking or eating collagen?

This is different.

I am not saying oral collagen is useless.

Collagen and gelatine contain amino acids such as glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, so they can certainly supply some of the materials the body uses.

Hydrolysed collagen powders are simply collagen that has been broken into smaller peptides.

There is research showing benefits from certain collagen peptide supplements.

But collagen powder is still not the entire answer.

Your body still needs Vitamin C and other nutrients to take those building materials and actually make normal, stable collagen.

This is why I keep coming back to the same point:

It is not only about supplying collagen. It is about giving your body everything it needs to make collagen.

Don't forget good old gelatine

Long before collagen powder came in designer tubs, we had gelatine.

Gelatine comes from collagen and contains many of the same useful amino acids.

I have personally used plain gelatine powder in a hot drink for years.

Simple. Inexpensive. Easy.

No pastel tub required.

And bone broth?

Bone broth can also provide gelatine and collagen-derived amino acids.

A good homemade broth made with connective tissue, skin and bones can be a lovely food.

But there is one thing to understand.

Bone broth isn't standardised.

The amino-acid content depends on what went into the pot and how it was made.

That doesn't make bone broth bad.

It means it is food, not a laboratory-measured dose.

And I'm perfectly happy with food being food.

The part I really want you to remember

You can drink bone broth.

You can add gelatine to your hot drink.

You can take collagen peptides.

All of those can supply amino acids the body can use.

But if you are missing the things the body needs to actually build collagen, you haven't solved the whole problem.

Especially Vitamin C.

Humans cannot make it.

We have to get it from our diet or supplements.

That is why I look at collagen support from both sides:

FROM THE INSIDE

Protein
Vitamin C
MSM and sulphur
Collagen-rich foods, gelatine or bone broth if you want them

FROM THE OUTSIDE

A well-formulated Vitamin C serum
Hyaluronic Acid for hydration and the skin's supporting environment
Natural Vitamin E for antioxidant protection

And then allow your body to do what it was designed to do.

Want to support your own collagen properly?

If you want to build a simple routine around the things we’ve talked about here, these are the Jean Genie products I’d look at:

For internal support:
Buffered Vitamin C with Bioflavonoids — for the Vitamin C your body cannot make itself.
MSM Powder or MSM Capsules — for organic sulphur and connective-tissue support.

For topical skin support:
Vitamin C Serum — stable Vitamin C support for skin.
Hyaluronic Acid Serum — for hydration and the skin environment around collagen-producing cells.
Vitamin E Serum — for antioxidant protection and dry, changing skin.

You do not need all of them.

Choose what makes sense for your skin and your routine.

Shop Jean Genie Natural Skincare & Health at jean-genie.co.za

The bottom line

I'm not anti-collagen.

I'm anti the idea that one expensive tub is going to do everything.

Collagen is part of a much bigger picture.

Give your body the amino acids.

Give it the Vitamin C it cannot make for itself.

Support the connective tissue.

Keep the skin hydrated.

Protect it from unnecessary oxidative damage.

And please don't expect a collagen face cream to somehow squeeze a giant collagen molecule through your skin and rebuild the dermis underneath.

Skin is clever.

The human body is clever.

Sometimes our job is simply to give it the right tools and stop making everything more complicated than it needs to be.

If you'd like to explore our full range of clean, eco-certified serums formulated with these exact principles, browse our skincare collection here.

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Jean Creasey is a qualified herbalist and natural health practitioner, and the founder of Jean Genie Health — a South African natural skincare and wellness brand formulating clean, eco-certified products backed by herbal science. Have a question? WhatsApp Jean directly for personalised natural health advice.