Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen Peptide Supplementation Improves Cellulite Severity, Skin Elasticity, and Hair Shaft Diameter: A Clinical Study with Pharmacokinetic Evaluation
Hwang S, Won J, Kim S, Kang W, Park M. J Med Food. 2026; 29(4):187–195.
PubMed 41788055 · doi:10.1177/1096620X261428336
Compares people who got the treatment with people who did not.
- Who or what was studied
- 114 women aged 20–50 with thigh cellulite and self-reported hair thinning
- Design
- Randomised, placebo-controlled trial, preceded by a preliminary pharmacokinetic study
- Dose
- 1,000 mg/day of low-molecular-weight collagen peptides made from fish-skin gelatin
- Duration
- 24 weeks
What it found
At weeks 12 and 24 the collagen peptide group improved more than placebo on cellulite severity, dermal–subcutaneous border length, skin roughness and skin elasticity, and hair diameter rose significantly at week 24. In the separate pharmacokinetic part, blood exposure to the tripeptide Gly-Pro-Hyp (area under the curve over two hours) was about 54 times higher after the peptide than after a general collagen product.
What it doesn't show
Cellulite and hair results are single-trial findings, and the abstract does not say who funded the study. The pharmacokinetic comparison is a blood-level measurement from a preliminary study; it does not by itself show a clinical benefit.
Funding and conflicts of interest
The authors declare no competing financial or nonfinancial interests.
Summary written from the study's abstract and checked against PubMed on November 9, 2026. How we check studies. Educational information, not medical advice.
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