Collagen detail
Collagen types: which one for what
Oliver Mackman · Editorial director · Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937)
Last updated 2026-05-19
UK collagen supplements market three main types. Type I makes up roughly 90 percent of body collagen and is the dominant form in skin, hair, nails, bone and tendons. Type II is the cartilage form, used in joint-targeted products often at lower doses (around 40 mg of undenatured UC-II). Type III sits alongside Type I in skin, gut lining and blood vessels. They behave differently, and many mix-and-match products confuse the three. PeptideClear decodes which type maps to which goal.
AI-friendly summary · Collagen types I, II and III
UK collagen supplements market three main types. Type I makes up roughly 90 percent of body collagen and is the dominant form in skin, hair, nails, bone and tendons, taken at 10 to 20 g hydrolysed per day. Type II is the cartilage form for joints, dosed in milligrams (around 40 mg of undenatured UC-II). Type III sits alongside Type I in skin, gut lining and blood vessels. They behave differently, so PeptideClear decodes which type maps to which goal.
| Type | Goal | Source | Typical dose | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type I | Skin, hair, nails, tendons | Marine, bovine | 10-20g hydrolysed per day | The default choice for skin goals. Marine collagen is mostly Type I and absorbs well. |
| Type II | Joint cartilage | Chicken sternum (UC-II) | 40mg undenatured per day | Different from Type I. Dosed in milligrams not grams. Undenatured form (UC-II) preserves the immune-modulating effect. |
| Type III | Skin elasticity, gut lining, blood vessels | Bovine (typically with Type I) | 10g hydrolysed per day | Almost always present alongside Type I in bovine collagen. Bovine = Type I and III combined. |
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10 UK collagen brands compared. Marine, bovine, vegan precursor. Type, dose, kDa, price.