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Collagen water is just as it sounds: water that contains a certain dosage of a protein called collagen. Collagen is naturally found in the body, but its supplemental form has risen in popularity as a beauty product over the past few years.
Collagen is most commonly sold in powder form, but it also comes in capsules that contain this same powder. However, many people are gravitating toward collagen water since this refreshing mixture can contain tasty additives such as fruit infusions or even coffee.
Before jumping into the fad, though, it’s helpful to know what you’re getting into. It’s an exciting possibility that collagen, the thing that keeps our skin elastic, can be taken as a supplement for more elastic skin. But it’s not that simple.
I’ll outline how collagen works and what to expect when sipping on the collagen water fad.
One of the Vital Proteins: What Collagen Water Does
Collagen water is water that contains a liquid form of collagen proteins. Collagen is one of the most vital substances we have, since it makes up one-third of all the proteins in the body. These proteins, also called amino acids, are responsible for building strong and healthy connective tissue. Collagen is most notably known for its ability to keep skin elastic, hydrated, and supple.
But collagen actually works in many other ways: it's found in high levels in the joints, hair, fingernails, muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, and organs. As you can see, collagen keeps many foundational body structures in working order.
Since collagen is a complex protein (it actually contains more than 18 types of amino acids!), collagen water must be broken down before it can be absorbed and used.