The Essential Collagen Formulation (Box)

VERISOL®
+15% Skin elasticity¹
Proksch E, et al. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2014;27(1):47–55
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 69 women aged 35 to 55 years. The participants received 2.5g VERISOL® daily for 8 weeks. There was a statistically significant increase in skin elasticity, with the effect being most pronounced in women over 50. It is noteworthy that the improvement persisted even 4 weeks after the end of supplementation.

VERISOL®
–32% wrinkle depth²
Proksch E, et al. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2014;27(3):113–119
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 114 women aged 45 to 65 years. After 8 weeks of daily intake of 2.5g VERISOL®, the volume of eye wrinkles was reduced by up to 32%. Skin biopsies confirmed a 65% increase in procollagen type I and an 18% increase in elastin synthesis – proof that the peptides act at the cellular level.

VERISOL®
+31% hair follicle growth³
Oesser S, et al. Nutrafoods 2020;1:134–138
Randomized, placebo-controlled study with 44 healthy women aged 39 to 75 years over a period of 16 weeks. The VERISOL® group showed a statistically significant increase in hair thickness (+1.93 µm), while the placebo group showed a slight decrease. In-vitro tests confirmed a 31% increase in hair follicle cell proliferation rate, demonstrating that VERISOL® directly stimulates hair metabolism.

VERISOL®
–11% cellulite⁴
Schunck M, et al. J Med Food 2015;18:1340–1348
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 105 women aged 24 to 50 years with moderate cellulite. After 6 months of daily intake of 2.5g VERISOL®, the participants showed a statistically significant reduction in the degree of cellulite, a reduction in skin rippling and a 9% increase in skin density compared to placebo, demonstrating that the peptides restore the structure of the skin connective tissue.

VERISOL®
–42% nail fragility⁵
Hexsel D, et al. J Cosmet Dermatol 2017;16(1):1–7
Clinical study with 25 participants who took 2.5g VERISOL® daily for 24 weeks. The nail growth rate increased by 12% and the incidence of nail breakage decreased by 42%. 88% of participants reported an improvement just 4 weeks after treatment, and 80% were completely satisfied with the results.

FORTIGEL®
–42% less joint pain⁶
Zdzieblik D, et al. Nutrients 2021;13(2):523
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 180 physically active men and women aged 18 to 30 years with exercise-induced knee pain. After 12 weeks of daily intake of 5g FORTIGEL® showed a statistically significant reduction in activity-induced joint pain compared to placebo.

FORTIGEL®
+12% bone mineral density⁷
Zdzieblik D, et al. J Bone Metab 2021;28(3):207–213
This is a follow-up study to the original study from 2018. 131 postmenopausal women (mean age 64 years) with age-related BMD reduction participated in the first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. After 12 months of daily intake of 5g collagen peptides, the BMD of the spine and femoral neck increased significantly compared to placebo, and the bone formation marker P1NP was also significantly increased. The 4-year follow-up confirmed the sustained benefits.

VERISOL®
Skin hydration, elasticity and wrinkles
Proksch E, Zdzieblik D, Oesser S. Cosmetics 2025;12(2):79
Double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 66 women aged 35 to 55 years. The participants received 2.5g VERISOL® made from bovine collagen or placebo daily for 8 weeks. Skin hydration, elasticity and the volume of eye wrinkles improved significantly after 4 weeks, with the effect being even more pronounced after 8 weeks. Wrinkles decreased by an average of 25% and skin elasticity improved by 9%. In-vitro experiments confirmed that VERISOL® stimulates the biosynthesis of type I collagen, elastin and proteoglycans. This is the first study to confirm the moisturizing effect of VERISOL® in addition to its known effects on elasticity and wrinkle reduction.

FORTIGEL®
Synthesis of ligament and tendon matrix
Praet SF, et al. (In-vitro study)
Laboratory study showing that FORTIGEL® significantly stimulates the biosynthesis of ligament and tendon matrix molecules. RNA expression and the synthesis of collagen types I and III increased by 1.2 to 2.4 times compared to untreated controls. Proteoglycan synthesis (versican, decorin) also increased in both Achilles tendon and ligament fibroblasts.

FORTIGEL®
Synthesis of ligament and tendon matrix (in vitro)
Schunck M, Oesser S. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 2013;10(Suppl 1):P23
In-vitro laboratory study on primary human fibroblasts from ligaments and Achilles tendons. The treatment with FORTIGEL® led to statistically significant increases: The synthesis of collagen types I and III increased by 1.2 to 2.4 times, the proteoglycan synthesis (versican, decorin) increased in both tissue types and the elastin biosynthesis increased by approximately 50%. Importantly, the expression of matrix metalloproteinases was downregulated, suggesting that FORTIGEL® both builds new tissue and protects against degradation. The authors concluded that FORTIGEL® is a promising option for the treatment and prevention of tendinopathies and may reduce the risk of injury and rupture.

FORTIGEL®
Knee osteoarthritis (with Fucoidan)
Martin-Martin LS, et al. Clin Res Trials 2016
Randomized multicenter study with 126 participants aged 40 to 65 years with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2–3). After 12 weeks (not 3 months) of daily intake of 10g FORTIGEL® + 100mg fucoidan, participants showed a significant reduction in VAS pain scores and Lequesne's algo-function index.

FORTIGEL®
Joint pain in athletes (pioneering study)
Clark KL, et al. Curr Med Res Opin 2008;24(5):1485–1496
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 147 subjects (97 completed the study and were statistically analyzed) at Penn State University. The participants received 10g FORTIGEL® or placebo daily for 24 weeks. Six parameters showed a statistically significant improvement over placebo, with more pronounced effects in the knee subgroup analysis.

FORTIGEL®
Cartilage regeneration in knee osteoarthritis (MRI study)
McAlindon TE et al. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2011;19(4):399–405
Randomized, placebocontrolled, double-blind pilot study, conducted at Tufts Medical Center/Harvard Medical School with 30 participants with knee osteoarthritis. The participants received 10g FORTIGEL® or placebo daily for 48 weeks. Using advanced dGEMRIC MRI imaging, the FORTIGEL® group showed a statistically significant increase in proteoglycan density in knee cartilage (medial tibial region +29 ms, lateral tibia +41 ms), while the placebo group showed a decrease. This was the first human study to demonstrate that oral collagen peptides directly regenerate cartilage structure.

FORTIGEL®
Activity-related knee pain in young adults
Zdzieblik D, et al. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2017;42(6):588–595
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 139 athletes with functional knee problems (no diagnosed joint disease). After 12 weeks with 5g FORTIGEL® daily, the participants showed a statistically significant reduction in activity-related knee pain compared to placebo. The use of additional treatments (painkillers, physiotherapy) was also significantly reduced.

FORTIGEL®
Functional joint pain in everyday life
Schulze C, et al. Nutrients 2024;16(11):1646
Randomized, placebo-controlled study with 182 healthy adults who suffered from knee and hip pain during everyday activities. After 12 weeks of taking 5g of FORTIGEL® daily, participants showed a significant reduction in pain at rest, when walking, climbing stairs and kneeling. This confirms that the benefits of FORTIGEL® extend beyond athletes to everyday joint pain.