If collagen has become part of your wellness routine, you might be wondering whether there’s an ideal time to take it. Should you add it to your morning coffee, is collagen better before bed, or after a workout?
There’s currently no strong evidence to suggest that taking collagen in the morning is better than taking it at night, or vice versa. What appears to matter more is taking it consistently as part of a balanced lifestyle.
So, the best time to take collagen is simple: whenever you’re most likely to remember it.
Is It Better to Take Collagen in the Morning?
Early morning can be a great time to take collagen simply because it’s easy to pair with habits you already have.
Try stirring your collagen into your morning coffee or matcha, blending it into a smoothie or adding it to breakfast.
One benefit of enjoying your collagen in the morning is that you'll have your daily dose ticked off early in the day, so you're less likely to forget it later on.
What About Taking Collagen at Night?
Prefer an evening wellness ritual? That works too.
You could stir your daily serving into a warm evening drink, yoghurt or oats. The important thing is finding a routine that feels effortless enough to repeat.
There’s currently no good evidence showing that collagen peptides become more effective simply because you take them before bed. While sleep is an important time for the body’s natural recovery processes, that doesn’t mean collagen needs to be consumed at night to be useful.
But if building a healthy habit at night suits your routine better, there's no reason why you can't end your day with a serving of collagen.
Marine or Bovine Collagen: Does Timing Differ?
No. Neither Rheal Marine or Bovine Collagen Peptides needs to be taken at a particular time of day.
You can also include both within your routine if that suits your goals and dietary preferences. Either way, there’s no need to overcomplicate when you take them.
5 Easy Ways to Make Collagen a Daily Habit
Consistency beats perfect timing, so try introducing collagen to something you already do every day:
-
Upgrade your morning brew: Stir a serving into coffee or matcha.
-
Blend it: Add collagen to your favourite smoothie or protein shake.
-
Make breakfast work harder: Mix it into yoghurt, overnight oats or porridge.
-
Keep it simple: Add it to water or your favourite cold drink.
-
Create an evening ritual: If mornings are hectic, pair collagen with a regular evening drink.
Our hydrolysed collagen peptides have a neutral taste and are designed to mix easily into everyday food and drinks.
So, When Is the Best Time to Take Collagen?
Morning or night? It’s completely up to you.
There isn’t currently evidence that one time of day offers better results. Instead, focus on making collagen a consistent part of a healthy routine alongside a varied diet, enough protein, good-quality sleep and the other habits that help you feel your best.
Morning coffee person? Add it there. Smoothie lover? Blend it in. Prefer a slower evening ritual? End your day with a creamy collagen latte.
The best collagen routine is the one you can stick with.
Rheal Hydrolysed Collagen Peptides with Vitamin C
Our Bovine Collagen and Marine Collagen peptides are hydrolysed, meaning the collagen has been broken down into smaller peptides which are easier to absorb and utilise in the body.
Marine Collagen is often chosen by those with skin-focused wellness goals, while Bovine Collagen provides Types I and III collagen and is a popular choice for broader support including joints, bones and connective tissues.
Rheal Collagen contains just two ingredients: hydrolysed collagen peptides and Vitamin C. There is 10,000mg collagen and 125mg Vitamin C per serving (which helps to boost collagen uptake and synthesis in the body).
One serving is an easy addition to your everyday routine, to enjoy the benefits of consistent collagen daily - at a time that suits you.
References
de Miranda, R.B., Weimer, P. and Rossi, R.C. (2021) ‘Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, International Journal of Dermatology, 60, pp. 1449–1461. doi:10.1111/ijd.15518.
Proksch, E., Segger, D., Degwert, J., Schunck, M., Zague, V. and Oesser, S. (2014) ‘Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study’, Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 27(1), pp. 47–55. doi:10.1159/000351376.
Pu, S.Y. et al. (2023) ‘Effects of oral collagen for skin anti-aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis’, Nutrients, 15(9), 2080.
Zdzieblik, D., Oesser, S., Baumstark, M.W., Gollhofer, A. and König, D. (2015) ‘Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial’, British Journal of Nutrition, 114(8), pp. 1237–1245. doi:10.1017/S0007114515002810.
