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We’ve been eyeing the Vital Proteins section at our local markets for what feels like forever: we’ve been on the lookout for a collagen gummy from the biggest collagen name in town. This lowkey juggernaut of collagen supplements crowds the shelves with endless variations of flavored powders, creamers and even waters…but no gummies. We know we’re partial to gummies, but honestly, it just hasn’t made any sense to us that Vital Proteins wouldn’t also have a collagen gummy.
But now, low and behold, FINALLY, Vital Proteins has graced us with some gummies. They’re here!
Vital Proteins
Vital Proteins have been around since 2013, and they pretty much dominate the collagen supplement world. It’s hard to not see an influencer peddle a collagen creamer on your explore page at least once a week. And every Whole Foods in the country has a collagen section crammed with Vital Protein products. But no judgement here. Collagen supplementation is a tried and true way to boost the body’s diminishing collagen production as we get older. We’ve got a Collagen Gummy 101 for you if you’re new to the game.
We’ve found that personally, unless we want our nails to break, we need a collagen supplement in our lives, so let’s see how this new gummy works!
Ingredients
In case you didn’t already know, this is where we break the news that collagen is not vegan or vegetarian-friendly. Don’t let them tell you otherwise!
Especially with the rampant amount of “Vegan Collagen” supplements and skin care products out there these days, it’s important to know what you’re getting into with collagen, and what you’re not getting from vegan “collagen”.
If by now, you’re saying collagen isn’t for me, I’m veg: we hear you, and don’t disagree with this stance. Here’s our breakdown on what “vegan” collagen is, and you can decide if that’s the better way for you to go.
But these Vital Protein gummies are not vegan collagen: specifically, these contain 2.5 g of Verisol Bovine Collagen Peptides. (For reference, this is the same amount that’s in Olly’s Collagen Rings, which until now were the leading light in the collagen gummy game.)
In addition (and no surprise here), they’re also made with gelatin. Gelatin is an animal-derived substance used to give the gummies their gumminess, but these also contain pectin, which is typically used in vegan supplements in place of gelatin. Double the gumminess, we suppose!
If you’re a collagen junkie, and like to see the amino acid breakdown, Vital Proteins has that on the label. (For the uninitiated, collagen is a protein made up of amino acids). We haven’t seen an amino acid breakdown on a collagen label before, but we’re not super surprised. Vital Proteins is America’s #1 selling collagen brand, and they really go for it.
Their collagen is grass-fed and pasture raised, which not all collagen gummies can say, so we appreciate their commitment to the high quality.
Effectiveness
The benefit of collagen is the stuff of beauty legends. Because collagen is so crucial for skin production, it makes sense. When you take it, you increase your skin’s suppleness, and your hair and nails also get a lil’ boost, too. Less breakage, more luster, at least in our experience.
The bottle states that this dosage has been “clinically tested”, which we’re not entirely sure what that means, but anecdotally we can tell you we definitely noticed a difference while taking these!
After two weeks, we noticed significant nail growth and got some compliments on our skin. (skin compliments get you everywhere with us.) So we were pleased with these. We did have some nail breakage when we were doing tasks around the house, but this was just a few weeks in and we hadn’t had collagen in a while before taking these. The nail breakage stopped eventually.
The “Suggested Use” instructs us to enjoy 4 gummies per serving. And while you get a lot of collagen here, that does mean more sugar. These contain 5 grams of sugar per four-gummy serving.
(Going back to Olly Collagen Rings: the Ollys contain one gram less of sugar per serving, and only two gummies are required for the same amount of collagen. That said, if you don’t need that much collagen to have a noticeable effect, maybe you don’t need four in one go. But personally, again, we find that taking less than about 2.5 grams leads to some nail breakage.)
Tasting Notes
The flavor here is grape, and the specific grape they went for was straight-out-of-childhood candy grape. This is a Blow Pop and the right side of a Nerd package all shoved down your throat at once. As an adult, we’ve noticed that it’s hard to take grape flavor seriously. Have you had Waterloo’s Grape Sparkling Water??
We’d also like to point out that these are really big gummies. Big and chewy. And kind of cutely shaped like the Vital Proteins logo shield. But they’re pretty huge and pillowy and it’s kind of a comical flavor and size to have together. These definitely don’t taste or give you “health supplement” vibes as you’re chewing your giant fluffy purple shield gummy.
This is Vital Proteins’ first foray into the gummy world, so we’re not holding it against them. But they have some catching up to do in the sophisticated and interesting flavor department.
Honestly, between the size and the grape flavor, these wind up seeming a bit cartoonish for such a legitimate collagen brand.
Final Thoughts
We are thrilled that Vital Proteins finally came out with a gummy. (Took ‘em long enough!) And these work. Firm nails, glowing skin. The collagen amount is solid. But this oversized large gummy and cartoon grape flavor are not our faaavorite experience. We’d love if they could do something a little more sleek and minimal.
In the meantime, we’d also like to mention that Vital Proteins has come out with an entire line of gummies! Not just collagen! From ACV (natch) to a sleep gummy to a women’s multi! We wanted to try their collagen gummy first, since that’s their thing, but honestly we can’t wait to try them all.
Welcome to the gummy party, Vital Proteins! We’re so glad you joined us.
