The 8 Best Skin-Care Ingredients That Support Collagen
Supporting collagen production is vital to skin health. Here, experts break down the best skin-care ingredients you need for firm, hydrated, and plump skin.
The right skin-care ingredients can help with collagen loss. Our collagen production may naturally start to decrease in our mid-to-late 20s, explains Morgan Rabach, MD, board-certified dermatologist at Rabach Aesthetics. When you add in air pollution, sun exposure, inflammation, stress, poor sleep, and other external factors that we might face, that’s when collagen really weakens, and you’ll start to notice those first signs of aging (e.g., fine lines, sagging skin, etc.). If you’re not facing severe skin laxity that requires the more intense skin firming treatments, topical products will be your first line of defense.
“Using ingredients that support collagen improves skin quality over time,” says Dr. Rabach. “Supporting collagen will help improve hydration retention, skin texture, and firmness, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.”
New York City board-certified dermatologist Hadley King, MD, agrees and says these ingredients help protect the collagen in our skin and create an environment where it functions better. “They may reduce collagen breakdown caused by free radicals or inflammation, improve hydration and barrier health, support the skin matrix around collagen fibers, and help optimize skin repair processes,” Dr. King explains.
So if you’re looking for a skin-care routine that’s more collagen focused, these are the eight best ingredients to look out for:
Retinoids are among the best ingredients for supporting collagen, according to experts. As Dr. Rabach explains it, they stimulate collagen production, speed up cell turnover, and improve our skin’s thickness over time. They also reduce the activity of enzymes known to degrade collagen as we get older. She says you can look to prescription retinoid options such as tretinoin and tazarotene, but recommends specifically looking for retinoids like retinol or adapalene.
For over-the-counter products, some retinoid options we love include Medik8’s Crystal Retinal 1 Serum or the A313 Vitamin A Pomade. Dr. King recommends something like Mother Science’s Retinol Synergist for sensitive skin. Retinoids are powerful ingredients known to cause irritation, redness, and increased sun sensitivity, so experts recommend using caution when incorporating them into your routine. Dr. King says you can turn to gentler products that include hydrating ingredients to offset harsh reactions or look to ingredients such as bakuchiol, which offers retinol-like collagen-supportive benefits with less irritation.
Dr. King says antioxidants are important for defending collagen against the sun’s harmful UV rays, pollution, and other environmental aggressors. And one of the best antioxidants to turn to is vitamin C.
As Kevin Lamont Bachar, RN, lead injector and founder of B. Beauty Medical Aesthetics, explains, vitamin C supports collagen synthesis. “Without it, the body cannot form functional collagen properly,” says Bachar. “It acts as a cofactor for the enzymes responsible for stabilizing and cross-linking collagen fibers, working to rebuild collagen while also protecting collagen.” He recommends something like SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic Serum or the Dermalogica BioLumin-C Serum.
As you may know by now, peptides are a go-to for optimal skin health, and they are especially crucial if you are looking to support and stimulate collagen. Dr. King says that copper peptides, in particular, have the added bonus of supporting wound healing. We love something like Medicube’s PDRN Pink Peptide Serum or SkinMedica’s TNS Advanced+ Serum.
Dr. King says niacinamide helps reduce inflammation-induced collagen degradation and supports the skin barrier. Bachar agrees, adding that it stimulates dermal fibroblasts to increase collagen production and offers many other benefits to keep skin super healthy. “[It] is one of my favorite ingredients because it’s versatile and generally very well tolerated across different skin types and tones,” he says. “[It] strengthens the skin barrier, reduces inflammation, improves hydration, and brightens the skin, helping reduce hyperpigmentation.”
Try something like the Ordinary’s Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% Serum or Topicals Faded Brightening and Clearing Serum.
Dr. King recommends including growth factors, the naturally occurring proteins in our bodies that signal collagen production and encourage collagen renewal, in your skin-care routine to support collagen. We love products like Epi.Logic Master Plan Collagen Renew Growth Factor Serum or the Bioeffect EGF Serum to firm skin.
Hydration is key to supporting collagen, and no other ingredient hydrates better than hyaluronic acid. “[It] hydrates and plumps the skin, creating a healthier environment for collagen function,” says Dr. King.
She recommends something like the Korres Black Pine Primus 6xHA Wrinkle Smoothing Youth Activator for what she calls “optimal plumping” (and it’s rich in antioxidants to protect the skin from free radicals and peptides to smooth out fine lines, she says). We also like the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum and the Dr. Lara Devgan Hyaluronic Serum for that hydrated, glass skin look.
Ceramides are another skin barrier strengthener that experts love. Dr. King adds that they can help soothe chronic irritation, which accelerates collagen degradation. We like products such as Dieux’s Instant Angel Lipid-Rich Firming Moisturizer and Aestura Atobarrier 365 Cream for nourishing moisturizers that strengthen the skin barrier and maintain your skin’s moisture level.
Sunscreen is a must for many reasons (protection from cancer-causing UV rays being one of the main ones), but experts say it also plays an important role in supporting our collagen. “It’s one of the best collagen-preserving tools we have,” says Bachar. “UV exposure significantly accelerates collagen breakdown and photoaging by increasing oxidative stress and activating enzymes that actively degrade collagen fibers. Daily UV protection is one of the most impactful things we can do for long-term skin health and collagen preservation.”
He recommends the EltaMD UV Clear SPF 46 as it won’t leave a white cast and provides great sun protection. We also love La Roche-Posay Anthelios UV Air Daily Supercharged Serum Sunscreen SPF 50 or Tatcha Milky Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ for sunscreen that’s lightweight and blends seamlessly into the skin while still providing high SPF.
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