I’ll admit it – I was skeptical. The idea of putting what is essentially powdered protein from animal connective tissue into my sacred morning coffee seemed… well, wrong.
Like putting ketchup on ice cream wrong (which my sister used to do, claiming she liked it, but we all knew it was just for attention). But here’s the thing about being in your thirties: you start doing things you once judged others for, especially when those things promise better skin.
“It’s completely tasteless,” my friend Joanie insisted over brunch, looking annoyingly dewy while I tried not to fixate on my new forehead lines. “You literally won’t know it’s there.” Joanie, who has always been irritatingly right about beauty trends, had been adding collagen to her coffee for six months. I couldn’t argue with the results.
So I ordered some. Not the cheap stuff (lesson learned from a bargain retinol incident of 2022), but a reputable brand of collagen peptides that came highly recommended by people who seemed to know what they were talking about. The powder arrived in a sophisticated white container that looked more like expensive skincare than something you’d find in the protein powder aisle.
The Next Morning
Here’s what nobody tells you about adding collagen to your coffee: technique matters. My first attempt left me with a lumpy mess that looked like something that would get sent back at a diner.
Pro tip: Don’t just dump it in and stir. Instead, add the collagen to your empty cup first, pour in a tiny bit of coffee, and create a smooth paste before adding the rest. Trust me on this one.
But Does It Actually Work?
The science behind collagen in coffee is surprisingly solid. Your body’s natural collagen production starts declining in your twenties (happy birthday!), and while eating collagen doesn’t directly translate to more collagen in your skin, it does give your body the building blocks it needs to produce its own.
The caffeine in coffee might actually help too. Some studies suggest that caffeine helps collagen absorb better, which feels like the universe is finally cutting us a break. Plus, unlike some other supplements that need to be taken on an empty stomach, with food, or while standing on one foot during a full moon, collagen is pretty foolproof.
What Nobody Tells You
The Downside? It’s not cheap. Quality collagen isn’t going to be budget-friendly, but neither is Botox, so there’s that. And you have to be consistent. This isn’t a miracle powder that will transform you overnight into a dewy goddess after one cup.
After three months of my collagen coffee ritual, here’s what I noticed:
- My nails stopped peeling and breaking
- The creaky knee I got from trying to become a runner during lockdown felt better
- My skin looked… better? It wasn’t dramatic, but that papery look it was developing seemed less noticeable
- My hair stylist asked if I was taking biotin (I wasn’t)
The Best Part
Remember how I said it’s tasteless? It actually is. No weird protein powder aftertaste, no funky smell, nothing that ruins the coffee experience. If anything, it makes your coffee slightly creamier, which is a bonus I wasn’t expecting.
Some Tips If You Want to Try It:
- Get the unflavored kind (unless you enjoy the taste of disappointment)
- Start with one scoop, not two, even if the container suggests otherwise
- Cold brew works just as well as hot coffee if you’re an iced coffee person
- Mix it with a small amount of liquid first to avoid the dreaded lumps
- Store it with the lid tightly closed (humidity is not your friend)
- Don’t mix it into coffee that’s too hot – let it cool slightly first
The Verdict
A year later, I’m still putting collagen in my coffee every morning. Joanie is still annoyingly right about beauty trends. And while I haven’t turned into a Benjamin Button case study, I’m happy with the subtle improvements I’ve seen. Plus, there’s something satisfying about making your morning coffee work harder for you.
Just don’t tell my coffee snob friends what I’m putting in my single-origin Ethiopian beans. Some people just aren’t ready for that conversation.
