Collagen Market Trend Insights

Overview of Current Status of Collagen Market

1. Collagen types are diverse, with type III content declining faster

There are about 29 types of collagen in the human body, of which type I-V is the most abundant, while type III is commonly found in the skin of infants to maintain elasticity and repair; human aging is manifested by the loss of collagen in the dermis, and the collagen content continues to be lost with age. Type III collagen is lost more rapidly, while type I collagen is lost at a relatively slow rate. 

2. Animal and recombinant sources, widely used in many fields

Collagen can be divided into two categories according to the source of acquisition: animal sources, which are extracted from animal tissues using acid/enzymatic methods; and recombinant collagen, which is prepared using genetic engineering.

Collagen has been widely used in several fields, mainly in beauty and health. Beauty includes both skin care and professional beauty (e.g. injectable fillers), while health includes both medical materials and functional foods, with skin care (including general/effective skin care products and medical dressings) having the broadest market.

3. Rapid expansion of market size and huge potential of recombinant collagen

In 2021, China's collagen market will be about 28.8 billion yuan, with a CAGR of 31% from 17-21; among them, recombinant collagen will be 10.8 billion yuan, with a CAGR of 63% from 17-21 and a higher growth rate; it is predicted that by 2023, the market size of recombinant collagen will exceed that of animal sources, reaching 27.1 billion yuan. The recombinant collagen market is expected to exceed $100 billion in 2027.

In the recombinant collagen market, efficacious skin care products and medical dressings are the main markets, accounting for 43% and 44% respectively in 21 years; other applications such as professional beauty programs and health care products are also growing rapidly.

Collagen Market Crowd Insights

1. Prevalent skin problems, wrinkles, barriers and other problems related to age

Among female user groups, roughness, dryness and yellowing are the top three problems, accounting for more than 50% of the total, and are common skin problems in different age groups.

Skin problems such as pigmentation, barrier damage, wrinkles and sagging are not high in proportion, but the correlation with age is obvious. Among them, wrinkles, sagging and pigmentation continue to go serious with age; while the high incidence of barrier problems is between 18-30 years old, which may be related to excessive skin care and stress leading to barrier damage.

2. Collagen loss anxiety is stronger and significantly higher after the age of 25

More than 60% of female users showed strong or strong anxiety about collagen loss; only 4% said they had no anxiety, so women's anxiety is widespread.

People's anxiety about collagen loss increases with age. Anxiety arises at ages 18-25; after age 25, there is a significant increase in anxiety as aging-related problems (e.g., wrinkles, discoloration) arise; after age 30, anxiety continues to increase steadily with age.

3. The main causes of loss are work and rest, diet, and after age 30, more attention is paid to age and environmental factors

Consumers believe that the causes of collagen loss are mainly focused on lifestyle reasons such as staying up late and sleeping late and eating unhealthy. There is a certain lack of knowledge about factors such as UV rays and bad environment.

The reason for the loss of collagen is that women of different ages have different perceptions of the causes of collagen loss due to differences in their living conditions. women under 30 years old are more concerned about the causes related to their living habits because of their stressful work and preference for diets such as milk tea; women over 30 years old have a clearer perception of age and environmental factors such as long-term exposure to oil smoke and air conditioning.

4. Multiple efficacy perceptions are more comprehensive, dry skin is concerned about light lines, sensitive skin is concerned about repair

In the various kinds of efficacy of collagen, the prevention of wrinkles, moisturizing and locking water, reducing fine lines, repairing the barrier and other 7 kinds of efficacy, the concern is more than 50%. The actual fact is that the consumer's perception of the effectiveness of collagen is more comprehensive, not only limited to anti-aging, but also includes repair, whitening, water-oil balance, etc.

The different skin types have different concerns about collagen efficacy due to their own characteristics; dry skin is concerned about light lines, sensitive skin is concerned about barrier repair, and oily skin is less concerned about each efficacy.

5. Limited knowledge of collagen ingredients and room for market education

For the ingredients that supplement and promote collagen production, VC, animal and recombinant collagen are the top three, with a recognition rate of over 50%. For the anti-aging trio (peptide, retinol, and boswellin), consumers' overall awareness of their efficacy in promoting collagen production is low.

For animal/recombinant collagen ingredients, nearly 80% of consumers are either slightly aware or not very aware. Therefore, although most people have heard of this ingredient and believe that it has the function of collagen supplementation, they still lack more in-depth knowledge about the specific efficacy, mechanism and application, and there is still huge room for market education.

6. The most concerned about the efficacy of recombinant collagen activity, over 30 years old concern acid-base balance

The most important thing for consumers is the efficacy and activity of recombinant collagen, followed by the stability of product quality and acid-base balance. 10% of the population said they were not concerned.

The difference in concerns of different age groups is obvious. 18-25 year olds are concerned about the strong hydrophilic characteristics, 26-30 year olds are concerned about low rejection and stable quality, while people over 30 years old are more concerned about maintaining the acid-base balance as the pH value of the body gradually becomes unbalanced with age.

7. In addition to the efficacy, the absorption and safety of collagen products are of concern

In addition to the efficacy, consumers are mainly concerned about the absorption and safety of collagen skin care products. As most of the large molecule collagen products are difficult to be absorbed by the body, the most important concern is whether they can be efficiently absorbed by the body. Next is the safety and gentleness of the product, such as whether there will be rejection, animal diseases, etc.

Different age groups have different concerns, with people over 30 years old concerned about the absorption and safety of the products, and people under 30 years old more concerned about the skin feel, mildness and stability of the products, and cost effectiveness.