Benefits
Fewer deep wrinkles in the maker's 44-woman study
In the maker's single-blind study of 44 women aged 40 to 55, which is not published in a peer-reviewed journal, the number of deep wrinkles fell with 2 g a day and differed from placebo after three months. The maker reports a 19% drop in 71% of users by day 28 and more deep wrinkles on placebo. Fine lines and average wrinkles did not differ between groups, and the full data are not public.
Skin hydration
The maker reports an 8% rise in hydration across the whole epidermis after three months in the same unpublished study. Independent trials of other hydrolyzed collagen peptides support this outcome: a pooled analysis of 19 randomized trials with 1,125 people found better skin hydration and elasticity than placebo, and a 12-week trial found higher hydration at 1 g a day.
Collagen plus elastin in one ingredient
Collactive pairs type I collagen peptides with elastin peptides. Elastin fibers let skin spring back after stretching, while collagen gives it strength. No published trial has compared Collactive with collagen alone, so whether the elastin adds anything is unknown, and oral elastin peptides on their own have little human research.
Skin elasticity at low doses of collagen
Collactive is used at 2 g a day. Independent trials show that low doses of other collagen peptides can work: 2.5 g a day improved skin elasticity versus placebo in 69 women after 8 weeks, and 1 g a day improved elasticity and wrinkle measures in a 12-week trial. These results are for other collagen products, not Collactive.
Mechanism of action
Collagen peptides as building blocks
Hydrolyzed collagen supplies amino acids and small peptides rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline. A proposed explanation for the skin results in collagen trials is that some of these peptides reach the skin and prompt fibroblasts to make new collagen. This has not been measured for Collactive.
Elastin and skin recoil
Elastin is the protein that gives skin its elastic recoil. Collactive adds elastin peptides on the idea that they support this part of the skin matrix, but no published human study has tested whether oral elastin peptides change skin elasticity beyond collagen alone.
Clinical trials
Randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study run for the maker: Collactive (2 g a day according to the maker) or placebo for 3 months, with crow's feet wrinkles measured by a Skin Image Analyser (Monaderm, Monaco) at days 28 and 84 and skin hydration measured. Not published in a peer-reviewed journal; summary held as data on file by PLT Health Solutions. (Collactive study, PLT Health Solutions data on file)
44 healthy women aged 40 to 55 with crow's feet wrinkles (22 on Collactive, 22 on placebo).
After 3 months the number of deep wrinkles had fallen in the Collactive group and differed from placebo (p<0.05). Fine lines and average wrinkles did not differ, and total wrinkled area showed only a trend (p<0.1). The maker also reports a 19% drop in deep wrinkles in 71% of users at day 28 and 8% higher epidermal hydration. No adverse effects were reported. Full data are not public.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, double-blind, controlled trials of oral hydrolyzed collagen. (de Miranda et al. 2021, Int J Dermatol)
19 trials with 1,125 participants aged 20 to 70, 95% women.
Pooled results favored hydrolyzed collagen over placebo for skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles, with hydration and elasticity confirmed in subgroup analyses. None of the trials tested Collactive.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 1,000 mg a day of a low-molecular-weight collagen peptide for 12 weeks. (Kim et al. 2018, Nutrients)
64 adults.
Skin hydration was higher than placebo at 6 and 12 weeks, wrinkle measures improved at 12 weeks, and two of three elasticity measures were higher than placebo at 12 weeks. A different collagen product from Collactive.