NeoCell is one of the most popular collagen brands in the US, with products available for sale online and in major retailers like Walmart and Target. The company suggests their collagen can help customers "Age Powerfully" and "Nourish your inner power."
But does collagen improve skin appearance and joint health? Does NeoCell provide an effective collagen dose? Does the brand use any unhealthy ingredients? And what was our experience purchasing and testing NeoCell for a month?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze research studies on collagen supplementation to give our take on whether or not it's likely to be effective for improving skin quality and joint health.
We'll also share our honest opinion after purchasing and testing this brand for a month, and analyze the ingredients in two of NeoCell's most popular products to see if they're effectively formulated, and compare NeoCell to other popular collagen brands to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Collagen is clinically shown to have an anti-aging effect
- Powder is free of unhealthy ingredients
- We currently recommend NeoCell collagen powder (but not tablets or liquid)
We Tested NeoCell Collagen
As the author of this article, I wanted to try NeoCell Collagen myself to share my thoughts on its taste, consistency and the overall product experience.
I purchased a small tub of the collagen powder at my local Walmart.
The price was great, and significantly cheaper than the Vital Proteins collagen I typically buy.
The consistency is better than most collagen supplements I've used in the past. It easily mixes into water without any floating "chunks" on top.
I used it for a month and feel like I noticed some subjective improvements to my skin quality, wrinkles and skin moisture content.
I didn't experience any side effects using this product.
Overall, I'd rate NeoCell Collagen 8.5/10.
Collagen is the only ingredient in this formulation, so we consider it to be the healthiest NeoCell formulation (which we'll explain later in the article after reviewing the other formulations).
Is Collagen Proven to Work?
Collagen is the structural protein in skin, and it’s one of the most well-studied supplements for reducing wrinkles.
As we age, our body’s collagen production slows down, and medical research strongly suggests that supplemental collagen can help replenish collagen levels in the body and improve the appearance of the skin.
An extensive medical review published in the International Journal of Dermatology analyzed data from 18 clinical trials on oral collagen supplementation and its effects on skin.
Data from over 1,000 trial participants was examined, and researchers concluded that oral collagen supplementation provided significant improvements to skin:
“Based on results, ingestion of hydrolyzed collagen for 90 days is effective in reducing skin aging, as it reduces wrinkles and improves skin elasticity and hydration.”
Another meta-study that we frequently cite on Illuminate Health concluded similarly, and suggests that the effective dosing range of collagen for skin is 2.5 grams (g) to 10 g per day.
Collagen can also improve joint health.
A medical review from 2019 evaluated whether orally-administered collagen could reduce osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms.
The researchers concluded that collagen reduced OA symptoms overall, and was particularly effective for reducing stiffness.
We consider collagen to be one of the most promising therapeutic supplements for improving skin quality and reducing wrinkles, and to also have significant research backing for improvements to joint health.
Collagen Tablets Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in NeoCell Grassfed Collagen Peptides tablets are shown below:
image source: https://www.neocell.com/
Hydrolyzed collagen is included at a dose of 6 g, which is within the effective range as documented in the previous section of this article.
The collagen is sourced from grass-fed animals.
As we explained in our Youtheory Collagen reviews article, we generally consider animal products sourced from pastured animals to be healthier given the increased nutritional density, although this matters less for a supplement like collagen that does not contain fat.
Vitamin C and biotin are the two other active ingredients in this formulation.
Oral intake of vitamin C was shown in a medical review published in the Nutrients journal to support optimal skin health, and the dose in NeoCell is within the range of some of the clinical trials cited.
Biotin is often included in skin formulations, but we haven't come across any clinical evidence that supplemental biotin improves skin quality in otherwise healthy adults, nor does the brand cite any on their product page.
Although biotin is water-soluble, meaning the risk of overdose is extremely low, the dose used by NeoCell is 16,667% of the Daily Value (DV) for biotin, which is relatively high.
We would advise consumers to speak with their doctor prior to taking such a high dose of biotin for extended periods.
The good news about this supplement is it only contains one inactive ingredient, shown below, which should be safe and non-toxic:
Overall, we consider NeoCell Super Collagen likely to improve skin health given its effective dose of hydrolyzed collagen and vitamin C.
We don't currently recommend this supplement due to the relatively high biotin dose.
Liquid Collagen Ingredient Analysis
The active ingredients in NeoCell Collagen Liquid are shown below:
image source: https://www.neocell.com/
Collagen is included at an effective 4 g dose.
We haven't come across any evidence that the ingredients in the Antioxidant Beauty Blend have anti-aging effects when taken orally.
To the credit of NeoCell, they dramatically improved the healthiness of this formulation since our initial review, by removing green tea extract.
As we documented in Obvi Collagenic Burn reviews article, there is clinical evidence suggesting that green tea leaf extract can cause liver injury.
The inactive ingredients in NeoCell Collagen Liquid are shown below:
image source: https://www.neocell.com/
Organic sugar is included , and diets high in added sugar are associated with obesity according to a 2019 medical review.
The 1 g of added sugar in this product is relatively low, but many Americans already consume too much sugar from diet, so we generally prefer supplements without added, refined sugar.
Citric acid is a preservative and flavor enhancer that is shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals.
A series of case reports published in the Toxicology Reports journal documented such, and noted that over 90% of citric acid used in manufacturing is not actually derived from citrus fruits, but from a fungus called Aspergillus niger.
Potassium sorbate is a synthetic preservative.
Overall, we consider NeoCell Collagen + C likely to support optimal skin health for the same reasons we concluded such in the previous ingredient analysis section: primarily because it provides an effective collagen dose.
We do not currently recommend this supplement due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above.
NeoCell vs. Popular Collagen Brands
Here's how NeoCell Collagen compares to other popular collagen supplement brands, in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Vital Proteins
High-quality formulations, many different options, most are additive-free.
Winner: Vital Proteins
Orgain
Only one single ingredient: collagen peptides sourced from grass-fed animals.
Also provides an effective collagen dose, as we documented in our Orgain Collagen Peptides reviews article.
Winner: Orgain
Spoiled Child
One of the new-generation collagen brands with great branding but an underwhelming formulation.
Contains dietary phosphates, which are clinically shown to be associated with worsening bone health.
Winner: NeoCell
Our Clean Collagen Pick
Thorne Collagen Fit is our top collagen pick.
It provides 15 grams (g) of collagen per serving, is sourced from grass-fed animals and is NSF Certified for Sport (meaning a third-party laboratory has verified it to be free of harmful contaminants.
This formulation also contains nicotinamide riboside, which "will play an important role in anti-aging therapy" according to a 2022 medical review.
NeoCell Collagen Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Effective collagen dose
- Should improve skin quality
- Should support joint health
- Effective vitamin C dose
- Powder formulation has no inactive ingredients
- We tested and appreciated subjective skin effects of powder formulation
- Brand improved the healthiness of Collagen Liquid formulation
Cons:
- Super Collagen contains a high biotin dose
- Collagen Liquid contains potassium sorbate
- Collagen Liquid contains added sugar
- Collagen Liquid contains citric acid
