This article reviews the collagen peptides powder from Orgain®, whose plant-based protein powders I’m very familiar with.
I first bought their Unflavored pure hydrolyzed collagen 4+ years ago & took it daily for a little over two years.
In this product review I will discuss its:
- ingredients
- amino acid profile
- nutrient features
- cost
- taste
- comparison to best-seller Vital Proteins®
- & other interesting things too.
Science resources included
As is my custom here on heydayDo, I will provide links to all of the relevant sports science and medical resources, clinical studies, & nutritional data used in this article.
Table of Contents
ToggleWhat’s next
We’ll get into the review details in a bit, and later on I’ll answer a few collagen peptides questions about weight gain, comparisons to whey, & all sorts of collagen-related things.
Up next I’d like to share a bit of interesting info about Orgain, the company behind this collagen protein powder we’re looking at today.
About Orgain
Orgain was founded in 2008 by Andrew Abraham, M.D., who is the company’s CEO. (1)
They’re located in Orange County, California, in the city of Irvine.
How & why Orgain began
Dr. Andrew Abraham started Orgain after his battle with cancer inspired him to use only the cleanest natural foods in his own diet. (2)
He also saw the nutritional shortcomings in popular ready-to-drink shakes, and advised his patients to make their own.
Unfortunately as he puts it, “compliance was low”, as it just wasn’t convenient enough for his patients to consistently take the time to make their own healthy shakes & smoothies.
So he began working on the recipes that later became Orgain’s flagship products:
- meal replacement shakes
- protein powders
- snack bars
Here’s a 2 minute video of him sharing how Orgain came about:
Orgain company values
* Make delicious, clean, and organic nutritional products to help people lead healthy, vibrant lives.
* Orgain uses only the highest quality ingredients, never at the cost of taste and texture.
* Most Orgain products are Certified Organic and all are soy free, gluten free, non-GMO and free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
Info courtesy of Business Wire.
People like working there too, according to Orgain’s ‘A’ rating at the employment site Glassdoor.
Orgain contact info
P.O. Box 4918
Irvine, CA 92616
info@orgain.com
ph#: (888) 881-4246
More business info on Zoom.com.
Orgain collagen buyer ratings & comments
Here’s feedback from a few Orgain Collagen Peptides buyers, and the product enjoys an excellent rating from tens of thousands of customers across the internet.
“I’m just an average 50-something woman…looking for something to improve my life. That’s where this product excels, IMO. I have noticed the following benefits: Less Pain – My joints feel better, less daily grumbles. Skin Looks & Feels Better – My skin isn’t as dry, allowing me to skip the morning post-shower lotionfest, which also saves time in the AM.” -RW
“Great product & excellent value! I was a skeptic. I have been adding it to my protein shakes post-workout for a month. I have noticed that my nails grow very quickly, and have noticed some improvement in my skin tone.” -DR
“Great product! You cannot taste this AT all, it blends nicely!! I have a few chronic illnesses and this really helps strengthen my stomach and help my gut heal..” -EK
“I love to mix this into literally everything, and the fact that it is flavorless makes that SO EASY! I have used in it shakes, smoothie bowls, mug cakes, overnight oats, regular oatmeal, you name it, I have tried it. I have yet to find something this doesn’t mix into perfectly.” -K
To check today’s price or read more buyer comments, click on the product pic or the name link.
Orgain Collagen Peptides Review
4.6 ⭐ 88% 4&5-star ratings – 50,000+ online reviews
What I like:
- It’s a pure hydrolyzed collagen product, no additives
- Made by a company focused on clean nutrition
- Excellent customer rating with thousands of online reviews
- Priced better than the biggest names in the collagen peptides market
- No taste or smell, can easily be mixed with anything
- Good amino acids profile, but low in BCAAs like all collagen powders are
Ingredients & Supplement Facts
Only 1 ingredient
Like all of the other pure collagen powders on the market, Orgain’s has just the single ingredient, bovine hydrolyzed collagen peptides.
Supplement facts panel
All of the numbers here on Orgain’s nutrition panel are right in line with all three of the other collagen peptides products I’ve tried: Sports Research, Bulletproof, & Vital Proteins.
Calories, macros, collagen, & sodium are all the same as you’d see elsewhere.
I’ve included a pic of Vital Protein’s Supplement Facts panel below so you can verify this for yourself:
Vital Protein Supp. Facts
Orgain Collagen Amino Acid Profile
I think this is a very good-looking amino acid panel for a collagen product.
The 3 main amino acids responsible for all of collagen’s skin & joints benefits are:
- glycine
- hydroxyproline
- proline (14)
Orgain’s collagen powder provides 8.7 grams of those three collagen-boosting amino acids.
Is that a good number?
Well, compare it to Vital Proteins’ amino acid profile below and you’ll see that Orgain gives us about one gram more (8.7g vs. 7.8g) per serving of those 3 collagen aminos.
Vital Protein’s amino acids profile
Features & benefits
Let’s look at what nutrition science shows regarding each of those benefits listed on the back panel of Orgain’s collagen peptides can.
Collagen sourcing
- Made from grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle.
Bovine collagen (as it’s called when the collagen comes from cattle) supplies collagen types I & III, which are the ones with most of the research behind them. (4)
Joint function
* A study of athletes at Penn State University found reduced joint pain after supplementing with collagen for several weeks. (5)
* In another collagen study, supplementation reduced arthritis pain & improved physical function in adults 40-75 years old. (6)
Muscle recovery
Research has found that collagen aids in the recovery of muscle, joints, & tendons, and in the speeding up the repair of injuries like torn muscles. (7)
(My “I been taking it for 2 years” opinion: The above two benefits — improved joint function & muscle recovery — are the reasons I take collagen. I’m pretty certain that supplementing with it has helped me in those areas.)
Strong hair & nails
Another study found collagen supplementation reduced brittleness & strengthened nails.
I’ve also come across medical publishers online reporting that hair & nails may grow longer faster when taking collagen.
(My 2¢ opinion: I can report that my nails grow much faster — still do even months after quitting collagen — but they’re not any stronger. My hair’s growing faster too, but I don’t think it’s any thicker.)
Radiant skin
A few studies have demonstrated that taking collagen improves the elasticity of our skin. (10)
Other researchers found that taking collagen
“leads to a significant improvement in wrinkle depth. It is also able to induce noticeable improvement in elasticity and hydration of the skin.” (11)
And another research team showed how collagen supplementation improved the signs of aging on the participants’ faces, and produced a “noticeable reduction in skin dryness & wrinkles”. (12)
(My opinion: I don’t think my skin looks any better. I still look like a weathered, sun & sea-damaged 64 year-old surfer…😄)
Another benefit: improved gut health
Studies have found collagen can help improve gut health by strengthening the lining of the stomach damaged by IBS. (13)
Researchers using Type I collagen concluded that it was effective at significantly reducing damage & “facilitated faster regeneration of damaged mucosa (stomach lining)”. (14)
Taste test: Orgain vs. Vital Proteins vs. Sports Research
This test compared Orgain’s taste to that of Sports Research & Vital Proteins.
I mixed them with a spoon using 5-6 oz. of water in those glass jam jars you see.
Disclaimer: My taste buds & yours are way different from each other I just know it, so my opinion here doesn’t mean much.
Results:
All three have very faint, almost imperceptible tastes & smells after being mixed in water.
I can tell I’m drinking something other than plain water, but there’s no strong, definitive taste with any of them.
If I had to make an opinion, I’d say Orgain’s was the most pleasant-smelling & tasting…but again, it’s a very slight distinction.
And once these are mixed in anything besides water, all taste & smell differences are gone.
Cost per ounce
I did a price comparison recently between the four collagen powders I’ve drank at least a whole tub of:
- Orgain
- Sports Research
- Bulletproof
- Vital Proteins
The results
Orgain is the cheapest by several dollars per pound.
And it’s been the cheapest pure collagen peptides product I’ve found since I started comparing them 3-4 years ago.
Below I show how they ranked price-wise the day I last checked their cost per ounce.
(Since prices change often, you may see different numbers when you check them out.)
Their names & images link to their product pages on Amazon where I grabbed the prices on the day I last updated this article.
Orgain Collagen Peptides $1.37 /ounce
Sports Research Collagen Peptides $1.85 /ounce
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides $2.11 /ounce
Bulletproof Collagen Peptides $2.25 /ounce
Orgain collagen review summary
Bottom line: Orgain collagen is an easy product for me to recommend. The company has clean, certified standards in their manufacturing practices, the price is right, and my wife & I took it for 2+ years with no complaints.
Reviewing an Orgain product for the first time was an eye opener of sorts.
I didn’t have any expectations, since I knew so little about the company before I started doing my research work for this review article.
But I’m impressed by the company:
- what Orgain stands for;
- how it’s run;
- the high quality of their products.
I know Big Food giant Nestlé bought Orgain a couple of years ago, but hopefully Nestlé will leave them the heck alone to continue on as top-notch as they’ve always been.
Collagen peptide FAQ
Here are answers to a few of the commonly asked questions regarding collagen peptides supplements.
How long does it take for collagen peptides to work?
Collagen peptides typically start showing effects in 4 to 12 weeks, depending on individual factors like age, health, and the dosage used.
You'll first notice improvements in skin hydration and elasticity.
How many carbs in collagen peptides?
In terms of carbs, collagen peptides are almost carb-free. Most brands contain zero grams per serving, making it suitable for low-carb or ketogenic diets.
What to mix collagen peptides with?
For mixing collagen peptides, options abound. They're flavorless and dissolve easily, making them a perfect addition to smoothies, coffee, soups, or baked goods.
Some even mix them with plain water.
Which is better marine collagen or collagen peptides?
When choosing between marine collagen and collagen peptides, it's less about "better" and more about your needs.
Marine collagen, sourced from fish, is rich in Type I collagen which primarily benefits skin.
Collagen peptides, often sourced from bovine, provide a mix of Type I and Type III, beneficial for skin, bones, and muscles. Choose according to your health goals.
Does collagen make you gain weight?
Collagen peptide powder is very unlikely to cause you weight gain. On the contrary, it can assist with your weight loss goals.
Being a protein, collagen can keep you feeling satiated or full for longer periods than foods with carbs or fats in them. (15)
This can help reduce both the amount of food you eat & any cravings as well. (16)
Collagen has also shown that it can reduce joint pain in active people. (17)
Being pain-free will allow you to exercise harder for longer periods of time, increasing the amount of calories you burn. (18)
How much collagen peptides per day?
Research studies have demonstrated collagen’s effectiveness in a wide range of amounts, from 2.5 grams to 15 grams per day. (19)
Then there are those who recommend taking upwards of 30g per day. (20)
Years ago, Vital Proteins even used to have a calculator on their site to help you dial in the amount of daily collagen that’s right for you, while acknowledging that there’s no “one-size-fits-all, especially when considering how different everyone’s lifestyles are”. (21)
What’s the difference between whey protein & collagen peptides?
There are 3 main areas where whey & collagen differ, even though both are proteins, and those differences are found in:
- the benefits each provide us;
- their respective amino acid profiles;
- and where they come from.
Collagen & whey have different amino acid profiles
Technically, collagen is considered an incomplete protein since it lacks one of the nine essential amino acids, tryptophan. (22)
Whey on the other hand is a complete protein, and is particularly high in the 3 BCAAs:
- leucine
- isoleucine
- valine
Collagen doesn’t have high BCAA content, but it does have high amounts of the amino acids glycine, hydroxyproline, & proline, and those are the ones responsible for the structure of our skin & other tissues. (24)
Different original sources
Whey’s from cow’s milk, and it’s the liquid part of milk that gets separated during the making of cheese.
Collagen powder is from the skin & bones of cattle, chicken, or fish. (26)
Different benefits for us
While some of the benefits collagen & whey give us are similar, there are important ones that differ.
Collagen protein has demonstrated in clinical trials that it has the potential to improve:
- the appearance & elasticity of our skin;
- the material making up our joints.
Whey — being a complete protein — can help us:
- increase our muscle strength & size;
- improve our recovery from exercise;
- feed our body’s necessary processes.
There are several more benefits that each protein type provide, and I share those in my article Collagen Protein vs. Whey here on heydayDo.
What’s the difference between collagen & collagen peptides?
Collagen is a type of protein found in our body, and it’s the one mainly responsible for the structure of our “skin & other connective tissues”.
Collagen peptides are chains of collagen proteins that have been broken down into smaller sizes, making them easier to be absorbed by our body. (30)
Wrapping Up
Related articles here on heydayDo
Vega vs. Orgain: A Plant-Powered Protein Punch-Out
Dive Into The Dietary Deep: Is Whey Vegan?
Read My Gorilla Bow Review & Embrace Your Inner Tarzan
Collagen Protein vs. Whey – Their Differences Explored
Creapure vs. Creatine Monohydrate: Not All Creatine Is Created Equal
Bulletproof Collagen Protein Review
Creatine vs BCAA: Less of a Battle, More of a Ballet
Sports Research Collagen Peptides
I hope that my article on Orgain’s collagen peptides powder is useful to you, and I wish you well on your fitness journey.
– greg