You've probably been told you need to take vitamin C with your collagen for it to "work better". It's a common belief, and partly true. But the reality is a bit more nuanced, and honestly more interesting.
Hydrolysed collagen? It works on its own.
A good hydrolysed collagen, like the ones available at SuperKure, doesn't need vitamin C to be absorbed.
When collagen is hydrolysed, it's broken down into small fragments, peptides, which pass directly into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. No intermediary, no cofactor needed. This is precisely what sets a quality hydrolysed collagen apart from native collagen, which is too large to be absorbed as is.
Recent studies (2024, Frontiers in Nutrition) confirm this: these peptides are detectable in the blood 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion. Once in circulation, they reach skin tissue and send a signal to fibroblasts, the cells that produce your skin's collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. This mechanism is what's thought to explain the results observed for firmness and hydration after a regular course.
Your collagen works, with or without vitamin C. It's not a matter of absorption.
So what is vitamin C actually for?
Something entirely different, and just as essential. Your body makes its own collagen continuously. But for that collagen to be strong and well-structured, it needs a key ingredient at every step of production: vitamin C. Without it, the fibres produced are unstable, and the body breaks them down before it can even use them.
This is actually why scurvy, severe vitamin C deficiency, causes tissue to break down: bleeding gums, wounds that won't heal, skin that becomes fragile. All of it because the body can no longer produce collagen properly.
Vitamin C also plays a third role that's often overlooked: it protects the collagen fibres already in place from free radicals. It doesn't just support production, it preserves what already exists.
Vitamin C doesn't "get collagen into" your cells. It helps your body make its own, better.
Why pairing them is still a good idea
The two act on different mechanisms, and that's exactly why they complement each other well. Hydrolysed collagen sends a signal to your fibroblasts to boost their activity. Vitamin C makes sure those same fibroblasts produce quality collagen. One stimulates, the other optimises.
A reference study (Shaw et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017) measured collagen synthesis markers in subjects who took collagen enriched with vitamin C: production was twice as high as in the group without vitamin C. That's not a minor difference.
|
|
Collagen alone |
Vitamin C alone |
Both together |
|
|
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
|
|
Peptide absorption |
✅ |
❌ |
✅ |
|
|
Fibroblast stimulation |
✅ |
Indirectly |
✅ Amplified |
|
|
Endogenous collagen production |
Partial |
✅ |
✅ Maximal |
|
|
Antioxidant protection of fibres |
❌ |
✅ |
✅ |
|
In practice, what should you do?
If your diet is already rich in vitamin C: citrus fruits, peppers, kiwis, fresh vegetables daily, your collagen will be absorbed and effective without any extra supplement.
If you want to maximise results over the long term, adding vitamin C to your routine is a sound, well-documented, risk-free decision.
Not just any vitamin C
If you do go for the pairing, the form matters.
Classic vitamin C (tablet or powder) is well absorbed in small doses. But beyond a certain threshold, the gut reaches saturation and the rest is simply eliminated. Liposomal vitamin C works around this problem: encapsulated in lipid vesicles, it's absorbed differently, with bioavailability measured up to 1.77 times higher according to available clinical studies. And crucially, it's far better tolerated digestively.
See our special guide on liposomal vitamin C.
Our liposomal vitamin C
What to remember
Hydrolysed collagen works without vitamin C, its absorption doesn't depend on it. Vitamin C supports what your body produces naturally, and protects what you already have. Taken together, they act on two complementary fronts. It's a smart pairing, not an obligation.
FAQ, the most frequently asked questions about pairing collagen and vitamin C
Is my collagen less effective if I don't take vitamin C?
No. A quality hydrolysed collagen is absorbed and active on its own. Vitamin C acts on your body's own collagen production, that's a distinct mechanism. If you eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables, you're probably already covered.
Do you need to take them at the same time?
Not necessarily. Your body synthesises collagen continuously throughout the day. What matters is that vitamin C is present in your system regularly, not that it's taken at the exact second you take your collagen.
What dose of vitamin C is recommended?
Clinical studies on skin and joints generally use between 80 and 200 mg per day. The European nutrient reference value is 80 mg. There's no need to aim for very high doses: beyond a certain threshold, the excess is simply eliminated by the body.
Why choose liposomal vitamin C over the classic form?
Classic vitamin C is perfectly effective at moderate doses. The liposomal version offers better absorption at higher doses, and better digestive tolerance, ideal if you have a sensitive stomach or want to optimise every dose.
Can you take collagen and vitamin C as a vegan?
Vitamin C is entirely vegan. Animal collagen isn't, it always comes from an animal source (marine, bovine, porcine). If you're vegan, certain formulas based on precursor amino acids combined with vitamin C can support your body's own synthesis, but that's a different approach to evaluate based on your goals.
A reference study (Shaw et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017) measured collagen synthesis markers in subjects who took collagen enriched with vitamin C: production was twice as high as in the group without vitamin C. That's not a minor difference.
France
Should You Take Vitamin C With Your Collagen?
Hydrolysed collagen? It works on its own.
A good hydrolysed collagen, like the ones available at SuperKure, doesn't need vitamin C to be absorbed.
When collagen is hydrolysed, it's broken down into small fragments, peptides, which pass directly into the bloodstream through the intestinal wall. No intermediary, no cofactor needed. This is precisely what sets a quality hydrolysed collagen apart from native collagen, which is too large to be absorbed as is.
Recent studies (2024, Frontiers in Nutrition) confirm this: these peptides are detectable in the blood 30 to 60 minutes after ingestion. Once in circulation, they reach skin tissue and send a signal to fibroblasts, the cells that produce your skin's collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. This mechanism is what's thought to explain the results observed for firmness and hydration after a regular course.
Your collagen works, with or without vitamin C. It's not a matter of absorption.
So what is vitamin C actually for?
Something entirely different, and just as essential. Your body makes its own collagen continuously. But for that collagen to be strong and well-structured, it needs a key ingredient at every step of production: vitamin C. Without it, the fibres produced are unstable, and the body breaks them down before it can even use them.
This is actually why scurvy, severe vitamin C deficiency, causes tissue to break down: bleeding gums, wounds that won't heal, skin that becomes fragile. All of it because the body can no longer produce collagen properly.
Vitamin C also plays a third role that's often overlooked: it protects the collagen fibres already in place from free radicals. It doesn't just support production, it preserves what already exists.
Vitamin C doesn't "get collagen into" your cells. It helps your body make its own, better.
Why pairing them is still a good idea
The two act on different mechanisms, and that's exactly why they complement each other well. Hydrolysed collagen sends a signal to your fibroblasts to boost their activity. Vitamin C makes sure those same fibroblasts produce quality collagen. One stimulates, the other optimises.
A reference study (Shaw et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017) measured collagen synthesis markers in subjects who took collagen enriched with vitamin C: production was twice as high as in the group without vitamin C. That's not a minor difference.
In practice, what should you do?
If your diet is already rich in vitamin C: citrus fruits, peppers, kiwis, fresh vegetables daily, your collagen will be absorbed and effective without any extra supplement.
If you want to maximise results over the long term, adding vitamin C to your routine is a sound, well-documented, risk-free decision.
Not just any vitamin C
If you do go for the pairing, the form matters.
Classic vitamin C (tablet or powder) is well absorbed in small doses. But beyond a certain threshold, the gut reaches saturation and the rest is simply eliminated. Liposomal vitamin C works around this problem: encapsulated in lipid vesicles, it's absorbed differently, with bioavailability measured up to 1.77 times higher according to available clinical studies. And crucially, it's far better tolerated digestively.
See our special guide on liposomal vitamin C.
Our liposomal vitamin C
What to remember
Hydrolysed collagen works without vitamin C, its absorption doesn't depend on it. Vitamin C supports what your body produces naturally, and protects what you already have. Taken together, they act on two complementary fronts. It's a smart pairing, not an obligation.
FAQ, the most frequently asked questions about pairing collagen and vitamin C
A reference study (Shaw et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017) measured collagen synthesis markers in subjects who took collagen enriched with vitamin C: production was twice as high as in the group without vitamin C. That's not a minor difference.