Is there a collagen for bones and skin?

By Tom Francis·Updated 2026-09-03·2 sources·Editorial policy

The claim sits with the added nutrients

Collagen carries no authorised health claim in the UK. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage, bones, skin, gums, teeth and blood vessels, at 15 percent of its reference value or above. Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal skin, hair, nails and bones at the same threshold.

So a collagen product that includes both can carry those claims, and a plain collagen powder with neither carries nothing at all. That is the single clearest difference between products in this category.

What that means for bones specifically

Bone is a system rather than a single nutrient. Calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, manganese and vitamin C all carry bone related claims, and loading matters more than any of them because bone responds to impact and resistance training.

Rugby supplies the loading in quantity. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate contributes to the maintenance of normal bones at its 300mg elemental serving for 22p a day, which is one component of that system rather than the answer to it.

What Futuro Labs Marine Collagen actually provides

1200mg of type 1 hydrolysed marine collagen with 12mg of vitamin C at exactly 15 percent NRV and 1.5mg of zinc at exactly 15 percent NRV, for 28p a day.

Because both nutrients sit precisely at the threshold, both claims hold only at the full two capsule serving. A player taking one capsule has half the collagen and no claim, which is worth knowing before splitting a tub to make it last.

The full version

• Which nutrients are involved in connective tissue?The four nutrients that carry relevant claims and what each permits.
• How to read a marine collagen labelThe vitamin C check that decides whether any claim can be made.

Questions players ask

Sources

• EFSA register of nutrition and health claims
• Food supplements guidance, gov.uk