Dairy with Collagen Can Own the Protein Conversation about Skin, Bone and Joint Health

 

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body, with skin being the body’s largest organ. Collagen gives the skin structure, firmness and elasticity and it influences mobility due to its effect on bones, ligaments and joints.

There’s a lot of confusion about collagen consumption. Here are the basic facts. Collagen consumed does not travel to the skin and reside there as collagen. The collagen consumed acts as a catalyst to boost the body’s natural collagen production, which starts to slow down after 20 years old, and even more so by the time one reaches 35 years old. 

The body makes collagen by combining amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. Humans consume proteins. They are digested and broken down into amino acids and peptides. Bioactive peptide complexes can trigger fibroblast activity in the body, producing collagen. 

It’s all about cellular reactivation. Research shows that hydrolyzing collagen, which yields peptides around 2,000 Daltons--unhydrolyzed collagen peptides are 3,000 to 5,000 Daltons--are absorbed when consumed dissolved in food and beverage. In other words, the peptides can travel directly to collagen producing sites in the body and get them going.  

It’s no wonder collagen is one of the hottest functional ingredients around the world. 

 

 

Dairy makes sense as a delivery vehicle. For starters, dairy proteins are also triggers of fibroblast activity in the body. Further, vitamins A, D and C are necessary for the activation of enzymes to produce collagen. Milk naturally contains vitamin A. Milk and many dairy products are fortified with vitamin D. And, well vitamin C, let’s start adding it. There’s more science to all of this, but you get the drift. There’s a real opportunity for dairy foods formulated with collagen to own the protein conversation about skin, bone and joint health.

So much so that at Dairy Forum 2026, Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), sampled the Elevate prototype. This refrigerated dairy creamer-style product can whiten coffee, but it can also be used to make dirty soda, overnight oats and more. Each serving is crafted with a targeted nutrition blend including 10 grams of protein. The Balance variety contained collagen and vitamins A and K to promote skin health.

DMI’s New Product Competition, which took place in late spring, awarded the Gold Dairy Innovator Award ($7,000) to Cornell University for its concept: Melt a Whey. This bite-sized dairy snack melts in the mouth and can be prepared as a latte-style beverage. The product contains approximately 55% dairy ingredients and delivers 18 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of collagen per serving.

Here are some recent commercial dairy-collagen innovations.

German dairy group Ehrmann has partnered with Glow25 collagen brand to offer Glow To Go Coffee. The shelf-stable drinks come in 250-milliter glass bottles in two flavors: Caramel Latte and Caffé Latte. Each bottle contains 15 grams of bovine collagen hydrolysate and 65 grams of caffeine, along with niacin, biotin and selenium to give them an energizing boost.

 

Protein Pop is growing its canned beverage range with sparkling Protein Pop Plus. The zero-sugar carbonated drink provides 30 grams of a clear protein blend of whey and bovine collagen per 12-ounce can. The product is described as supporting muscle growth and retention, and being highly satiating. Flavors are Citrus, Mango Peach and Orange Cream. The new line joins the original non-carbonated Protein Pop line that delivers 22 grams of whey protein isolate per can. Flavors are: Blue Raspberry, Peach, Pina Colada and Watermelon. 

 

 

Be LOVE introduced Power + Restore, a refreshing clear protein drink that makes everyday protein simple. One 12-ounce serving provides 15 grams of protein (13 grams are clear whey protein isolate and 5 grams are collagen peptides) and 100% of the Daily Value of essential vitamins and minerals. It also has zero sugar and no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. This formulation offers clean, convenient nutrition in a light, crisp format without the heaviness of traditional protein shakes. A key differentiator is that the beverage comes in the six nostalgic, fruit-forward flavors: Strawberry Swirl, Orange Dream, Rocket Pop, Cherry Vanilla, Peach Mango and Lemon Drop.

 

To read more about the opportunity in clear dairy protein beverages, link HERE. 

 Mayora Nutrition in Indonesia produces a shelf-stable canned milk beverage that contains 1 gram of collagen per serving. It is described as being useful for skin, joints and bones. (opening photo)

DFS Food in Spain introduced Livania Yogur con Colageno.  Water is the first ingredient, followed by whole milk powder, yogurt and sweetened collagen. It also contains live probiotics. The no-added-sugar refrigerated dairy snack gets sweetness from milk’s inherent sugar, as well as from the addition of cyclamate and saccharin. Each 130-gram cup contains 120 calories, 6.6 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein and 6.6 grams of (inherent) sugar. In addition to the spoonable cup variety, there’s a drinkable, too. 

There's a bright future for dairy + collagen products. It's time to get busy.