Marine vs Bovine Collagen: Which Should You Choose?

Short answer: marine collagen is type 1 only, sourced from fish, and suits anyone avoiding beef. Bovine collagen is types 1 and 3, sourced from cattle, and usually costs less per gram. Both are hydrolysed into the same peptides once processed.

Where each comes from

Marine collagen is extracted from fish skin and scales — in our case from an MSC-certified sustainable fishery. Bovine collagen comes from cattle hide, typically a by-product of the meat industry.

That sourcing difference decides most of the practical questions. Marine is unsuitable for anyone with a fish allergy. Bovine is unsuitable for anyone avoiding beef. Neither is suitable for vegans — collagen is an animal protein, and products advertised as vegan collagen contain no collagen at all, only nutrients involved in its production.

Collagen types explained

There are at least 28 types of collagen in the body. Three matter for supplements:

• Type 1 — the most abundant in the body, found in skin, tendon, bone and ligament
• Type 2 — found mainly in cartilage; usually sold separately as undenatured type 2
• Type 3 — found alongside type 1, particularly in skin and blood vessels

Marine collagen is almost entirely type 1. Bovine supplies types 1 and 3 together. Whether that combination matters is not well established — the peptides are broken down before absorption either way.

Amino acid profile

Both are rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, the three amino acids that characterise collagen. Marine collagen is slightly higher in glycine and hydroxyproline; bovine slightly higher in some others. The differences are small.

One point worth knowing: collagen is not a complete protein. It lacks tryptophan, so it should not be counted as your main protein source, whatever the protein figure on the tub says.

Molecular weight and absorption

Marine collagen peptides are often described as having a lower molecular weight than bovine, and therefore absorbing better. There is some basis for this, but the difference is modest and depends more on how thoroughly a given product is hydrolysed than on the source animal. Any hydrolysed collagen peptide is broken into fragments small enough to absorb.

Treat large absorption claims from either camp with caution.

Cost, halal and practicalities

Bovine is generally cheaper per gram — cattle hide is abundant and processing is well established. Marine costs more, partly because raw material supply is tighter.

Halal status depends on certification rather than the animal. Both of our collagen sources are halal.

Neither dissolves better than the other in any meaningful sense. Both hydrolysed powders mix into hot or cold liquid without setting.

How much, and in what format

Studies on collagen supplementation typically use 2.5g to 15g daily, with 10g a common middle ground. A 10g serving is easy in powder and much harder in capsules or gummies, where you would need a great many to reach it.

That is the honest trade-off between formats: powders deliver the doses used in research, while capsules, gummies and liquids deliver less but get taken more consistently. Neither matters if the tub sits unopened.

Our collagen range

Marine, type 1, from an MSC-certified fishery: Marine Collagen Powder 300g at 10,000mg per serving, also in 150g. Lower-dose formats include capsules and gummies.

Bovine, types 1 and 3, grass-fed and halal: Collagen Peptides Powder 300g, also in 150g.

Prefer to drink it? Collagen Glow Liquid Peptides deliver 10,000mg per 25ml serving.

Browse everything in our collagen range.