Collagen Peptides - Types I & III Peptides

I bought this after developing a pain in my shoulder, trying to avoid the decades of joint and bone pain my father suffered. I did my research and narrowed it down to this or another brand, but this one was cheaper. I wish someone had warned me to start with a small dose, so I will warn you. The dosing scoop is quite large, and I happily gulped down a full scoop dissolved in water my first morning after receiving this. While this has no flavor, the texture can be a bit much if you have a sensitive gag reflex, but I got it down and kept it down and went about my life. Twelve hours later, I found myself more awake than I had ever been in my life, with a painfully bloated stomach and enough gas to power a bus. A little research showed that I should have given instructions to build up to the full dose. Now I take it at night, usually with something warm like tea or cocoa to help it dissolve better, and I am taking about a teaspoon dose. Protein and collagen combine to give you energy, nothing jittery like caffeine, but I'd just as soon have it kick in during the day and not when I'm trying to sleep. All that being said, I'm amazed by how quickly I'm seeing results. The pain in my shoulder has improved greatly and I can sleep on my left side again. My nails are noticably stronger, and unlike biotin supplements, this does not cause my skin to break out. I take excellent care of my skin but if this will improve it more over time, I'm certainly willing to let it! I find myself eating less as my stomach feels more satisfied, but it's too soon to have lost any weight. All told, this is definitely giving noticable results in a short period of time, and is easy to integrate into my routine. I hope very much that with long term use along with a healthy diet and lifestyle, I will be able to avoid many of the aches, pains, and surgeries that plagued my father. Pain hurts, and none of us are getting younger.

I just got this today and figured id test it out. I read reviews of other people saying it clumped up but mine dissolved completely. I didnt even use hot water. It has no smell and I don't taste anything but im using a water flavor enhancer. I think if it's not dissolving, you are probably using too much powder and not enough liquid. If i remember, I will come back and update on the physical benefits after I've used up the whole bag. Edit: i used a half a scoop of this stuff every day for like a month. I didnt use the whole bag because i had some life stuff going on and ended up forgetting it even existed. What i noticed while taking it is that my nails seemed to grow faster and become stronger and also my baby hairs above my temples seemed to be getting longer finally. I cant comment on my skin or joint pain because i just didnt test it long enough or use a full scoop. I did notice that after i rememebered it was in my cabinet i figured i would start taking it again and i couldnt because it had a stronger flavor and it was slightly more clumpy when i put it in water. So maybe for people who had that problem with the taste, it may not have been fresh. All together i liked it and its a good way to get a little extra protein in the morning.

I use it in my coffee. It dissolves good, no noticeable flavor. My nails don't split as much and it may help other physical body parts.

Are repeat purchasers of this product. High quality and we are very satisfied

I've used this collagen powder for seven months or so, and my fingernails are stronger: they are less likely to break and harder to clip than previously. I add it to my first cup of coffee of the day (10 oz), and it dissolves easily; there is no noticeable taste. I do notice differences between batches, usually in how quickly it dissolves. I haven't had a problem with the taste between batches, but others have. Also, I first tried this product because my sister couldn't use it, saying it made her skin dry. Oddly enough, I generally have more trouble with dry skin than she has, but I don't notice any difference when using this powder regularly. TL;DR: Stronger nails with no noticeable side effects.

This is an edit of my previous review: It has become evident that, depending on which batch of collagen one receives on a purchase, the taste and smell of the collagen can be very different. And based on my research I see that this appears to be true regardless of the manufacturer or supplier (it appears to be the same with all of them). I have purchased Essential Elements' collagen twice now. The collagen in the first purchase had absolutely no objectionable smell or taste. I absolutely was perfectly happy with that purchase. But the collagen in the second purchase has quite an objectionable smell and taste. Since all lots of the collagen are tested and manufactured in an FDA approved facility then surely the lab knows which lots are very aromatic and which are not. If I could be assured that every purchase of collagen would be provided (without the hassle of returns and that sort of thing) from a lot that wasn't objectionably aromatic then I would be forever happy purchasing Collagen from Essential Elements. However, the taste and smell of the second purchase of Essential Elements (lot# 190301A) was really bad. I contacted Essential Elements directly and explained what had happened. They quickly agreed to send me a replacement canister of collagen. So that was good. But what finally happened is the replacement canister was from same lot as had been my second purchase. So now I had two canisters of Essential Elements (both from lot# 190301A). So both smelled and tasted terrible and I can't use either. The way I've solved this problem is I found that a collagen called "Bullet Proof" is sold for about $35 at an HEB near where I live. And actually I've found that like Bullet Proof's collagen even more than I liked the good batch of Essential Elements. I have since purchased Bullet Proof's collagen twice from HEB without any problems.. When I take the collagen to the counter to purchase it I first explain to the cashier that after the purchase I'm going to immediately open the canister and check the Collagen's smell. And I tell the cashier that If the collagen smells bad I will want a refund because I won't want the collagen in that case. And I ask if that will be a problem? And they agree that, no, that's fine. So I've found that this is a good reason to buy this type of product from a "brick & mortar" establishment. Evidently HEB's purchaser check's the lots that they will buy and so this (along with being able to get a refund on the spot if something is wrong with the collagen) appears to solve the problem with getting extremely aromatic lots of collagen. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I've purchased this product twice. First delivery was 5 October 2019 and the second delivery was 26 October 2019 (delivery's were 21 days apart). I have no previous experience with collagen prior to these two purchases. Expiration dates of the two canisters: 06/2021 (lot# 20180609C) for the first container & 03/2022 (lot# 190301A) for the second container. The "Supplemental Facts" and the "Amino Acid Profiles" posted on the two containers were almost entirely different (with only a few things being the same). As a single example, the "Supplemental Facts" on the first container stated 8.45g of protein per serving ... while on the second container the protein per serving was stated as 10.23g. Another example, the "Amino Acid Profile" for the first container stated Alanine 0.72 and Arginine .68 ... while the second container stated Alanine 0.869 and Arginine .825. These were just the first two of many differences. Why these differences? I don't know. But I suspect it has to do with the lot numbers. My impression is that new information is printed up for each lot number (I would assume based on testing results for the different lots). I got two different lots, and in this particular case the information came out significantly different for the two lots. But after making these two purchases (and after comparing the differences between the two) I have developed an opinion as to why some reviewers are happy with the taste, odor, color, and solubility while others are not. The first batch of collagen (which had the smaller values in the "Supplemental Facts" & "Amino Acid Profiles") mixed better and had a lighter color than the collagen in the second purchase; and had a much more pleasant taste and smell (which initially, prior to this second purchase, made me wonder why there were negative comments regarding the taste, odor, solubility, and color in other reviews). But after the two comparisons the reason seems clear. I suspect that a collagen with high protein and high Amino Acid Profiles will have a stronger odor and taste, while those batches with lower values will smell, taste, and mix better. However, comments others made about hair falling out and brittle finger nails ... I can't even imagine what that's all about. Anyway, at this point I don't see any discernable changes to things like my skin, hair, or finger nails (but for me that's not a problem because that's not why I was interested in trying this anyway). But I do engage in fairly strenuous exercising twice a week (I'm 70+). And since I've been taking this collagen supplement (since 5 October 2019) I believe I'm finding that my joints are benefiting from it (Is this just a placebo effect? At this point I don't know, but I guess time will tell). But joints and connecting material are the reasons I was interested in purchasing the collagen to begin with. So when I finish this first sweeter canister I'll just "hold my nose" and continue on with the more aromatic second. In any case, at this point, I'm still glad I made the purchases.

Update 2025: I was using this collagen for probably 2 years and my joint aches greatly improved , especially my bothersome hip joint. I stopped taking it ( more from laziness than anything else) and now few years later my hip pain returned which made me reorder collagen and I’ll get back on it to improve my joints. I’m 46 yo now . I also give some collagen to my golden retriever as they tend to develop joint issues at some point in their life. I truly think this particular collagen kept my joints pain free. The improvement was significant but it takes time . Be patient with it. It took me about 3 months the first time to feel the difference. Older review: Some comments mentioned wrong scoop size. I measured with kitchen scale and the scoop is about 10-11g so it is accurate in my batch that I received. As for flavor. I didn’t expect this to be amazing in taste so my approach is , mix it and suck it up- just chug it quick , then wash it down with something more pleasant . It’s not a big deal . The taste doesn’t bother me . I don’t put this in drinks that I like such coffee because I don’t want to ruin my drink. I prefer to just dissolve it in water and drink it fast like a big girl and not fuss about it . I’m only on day two so I can’t comment on effectiveness yet. I’ll update later. I’m a hiker and I hike longer distances and because I’m over 40 yo my recovery from hiking is longer than it used to be with some mild joint pain. I’m hoping this collagen will help with faster recovery post hiking. I did some research before I bought this and I prefer when there is less than 3 peptides in a mix . The more variety you have the less effective according to studies so this collagen sounds promising and price was also important to me. Let’s hope for the best.

OK, I'm not prone to the whole magical supplement hysteria that some people rave about and think most of these unregulated products, results and reviews are highly suspect and subjective. I’ve led an incredibly healthy lifestyle since my 30’s (I’m now 73) don’t smoke, drink, use any prescribed or recreational drugs, ride my bike an average of 20 mi a day and hit the gym 5 X a week. However, even with all this healthy living, the natural aging process left me noting crepeyness in my skin that really bothered me. I knew collagen depletion was a major contributor to this condition and after researching several the products available based on purity, processing and price I chose the Essential Elements and started using them daily. Results: After approx a year of use I’ve noted a major improvement in my skin elasticity and my hair has a nice natural shine to it again. It was especially noticeable in the bend area between my calf and lower hamstring where I’m quite muscular from biking, my stomach and my biceps. The crepey skin is virtually gone and I think if I continue use, it will eliminate it completely. Is it a fountain of youth? No, but it is working! I’m not a Dr, and I don’t know if the results I’m having are the due to lifestyle and genetics, or if anyone else will have similar results. But the results I’m seeing are for real and I’m going to continue using this product as long as I can see it working.