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 Collagen powder or pills.
Table of Contents
Why bother taking collagen in the first place?
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) or collagen supplements.
Check out this post if you want to know more about the key benefits of collagen supplements.
Collagen powder vs. pills: Dosage
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.
Here are some popular collagen powder brands on Amazon and the corresponding amounts per scoop/serving:
| Collagen Powder | Serving size | Collagen per serving |
| Intelligent Labs Multi Collagen Powder | 1 scoop | 11.2g |
| Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides | 2 scoops | 20g |
| Sports Research Collagen Peptides | 1 scoop | 11g |
| Neocell Super Collagen | 2 scoops | 10g |
| Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Protein Powder | 1 scoop | 10.1g |
Here are some examples of popular collagen pills:
| Collagen Pills | Serving size | Collagen per serving |
| Vital Vitamins Multi Collagen Complex | 3 capsules | 1.6g |
| Ancient Nutrition Multi Collagen Capsules | 3 capsules | 1.5g |
| Sports Research Multi Collagen Complex | 3 capsules | 1.6g |
| Caribou Nutrition Multi Collagen | 3 capsules | 2g |
| Live Conscious Beyond Collagen | 3 capsules | 1.3g |
WINNER: Collagen powder
Depending on the collagen powder brand, each serving contains about 10-20 grams of collagen peptides. As for collagen pills, think of them as tiny scoops that can only hold a few hundred milligrams of collagen. A single scoop of our Multi Collagen Powder (11.2g) is equivalent to 17-26 collagen pills! That’s a lot of pills to swallow!
Collagen powder vs. pills: Convenience
For this category, it’s important to paint a picture of the basic steps you need to take to get your collagen fix.
Powder
Prepare the warm or room temperature liquid you’re 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’s fully dissolved (the powder may clump if poured on cold liquid).
Pills
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.
WINNER: Collagen pills
Well, it’s quite easy to see which form’s 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’ll see what I mean. If you’re unfortunate enough to have a fan blowing in that direction, you’ll be chasing powder on the floor! But such a problem does not exist with collagen pills. If you drop it, just grab it back.
Collagen powder vs. pills: Versatility
Collagen powder is typically sold in neutral flavors, so it’s easy to mix into any liquid. Add it to your morning coffee, tea, cocoa, and juice, and it won’t 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’t end there. Since high temperatures do not damage the collagen, you can also bake and cook with it!
Technically, you can do the same thing with collagen pills. Just pull the capsules apart and you’ll free up the powder. However, as mentioned in our previous example in the Dosage section, you’ll need to pull apart at least 17-26 capsules to get an equivalent of 1 scoop of our Multi Collagen Powder. It’s 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’s definitely going to affect the taste/texture of your liquid.
WINNER: Collagen powder
Powder may not be the most convenient form, but it’s definitely more versatile than collagen pills!
Collagen powder vs. pills: Portability
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’s not the most environmentally friendly option, so we recommend you buy these only when you need to travel and don’t want to pack a heavy tub in your bag.
WINNER: Collagen powder
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!
Collagen powder vs. pills: Ease of absorption
Both collagen powder and pills are made from hydrolyzed collagen. It’s 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 ‘hydrolyzed collagen’ or ‘collagen peptides’. This form quickly gets absorbed into the bloodstream.
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.
WINNER: Collagen powder
Powder wins this round because it’s already in its most absorbable form. Collagen pills require an extra step with the need to break down the capsule first.
Conclusion: What is the best form of collagen to take?
Have you been keeping count of our comparison? Don’t worry if not. Here’s a quick recap:
- Dosage – powder
- Convenience – pills
- Versatility – powder
- Portability – powder (in travel packets)
- Ease of absorption – powder
That’s 4 points for collagen powder and 1 point for collagen pills.
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.
