Chlorophyll and collagen: do wellness supplements live up to the hype?

Walk into a health food shop, flick through TikTok, or wander the aisles of a beloved beauty chain and you’ll see the same familiar pitch: that a pill, powder or potion is the shortcut to radiant skin, more energy, or even some kind of internal "detoxification".

Two of the loudest names in that space are chlorophyll - the green pigment in plants now turning up in fashionable waters and tinctures - and collagen, the protein often marketed as the holy grail for youthful-looking skin and resilient joints.

The question is how much of that noise is genuinely supported by research, and how much is smart marketing wrapped in green juice and sleek branding.

Below is a closer look at what these products are meant to do, what the evidence actually suggests, and whether your money (and expectations) might be better directed elsewhere.

Chlorophyll

Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and cavolo nero have a long-standing reputation for helping boost key nutrients, including iron, folate and beta-carotene. They also contain plenty of chlorophyll - the pigment central to photosynthesis, the process plants use to harness sunlight to produce glucose and oxygen.

As part of the broader wellness trend, chlorophyll water has been pushed heavily by influencers, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Kourtney Kardashian-Barker.

Each has promoted it via their own wellness brands - Goop and Poosh - attributing a wide list of potential upsides, from less body odour to improved "detoxification". One claim that crops up repeatedly is that chlorophyll (whether in water or supplement form) can "oxygenate" the blood.

The "oxygenate" claim and what chlorophyll does in the body

As Ben Goldacre - physician, academic and well-known critic of pseudoscience - has highlighted, that particular claim doesn’t really stand up. Unlike a plant leaf, the human body isn’t bathed in sunlight.

And without light, chlorophyll can’t carry out photosynthesis in your gut or bloodstream. It cannot manufacture oxygen inside you - regardless of how green your smoothie looks.

So what is chlorophyll’s real job? Beyond colouring plants (and, potentially, your poo) a striking green, its key role is to capture sunlight and turn water and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen. Think back to GCSE biology and that classic photosynthesis equation written across the classroom board.

That mechanism lets plants create their own food (which then feeds animals too) while releasing oxygen into the air - a process that underpins life on Earth.

Humans, however, do perfectly well without chlorophyll: we inhale oxygen and eat carbohydrates. For chlorophyll to function in us as it does in plants, it would presumably need to sit in our skin - essentially making us resemble the Wicked Witch of the West.

What about the broader wellness promises? Supplements frequently use chlorophyllin - a semi-synthetic, water-soluble form of chlorophyll thought to be more active - and packaging often suggests benefits such as "detoxification", brighter skin, quicker wound repair, and even improved body odour.

The proposed explanations vary. Chlorophyll may slow bacterial growth or bind/neutralise smelly compounds in the gut. It has also been suggested to act as a free radical scavenger - helping mop up unstable molecules produced by toxins or normal metabolism that can damage tissues.

What the evidence says: odour, antioxidants, weight loss and wound care

Overall, the science is inconsistent. Some (much older) studies indicate chlorophyllin may reduce the smell of faeces and flatulence - though it may also colour them green. When it comes to halitosis or body odour, the evidence is weaker.

Support for chlorophyll as an antioxidant is limited, and much of the talk around weight loss is anecdotal. In practice, any weight-related benefit is more likely to come from eating lots of leafy greens - typically lower in fat and higher in fibre - rather than from chlorophyll itself.

The area that looks more encouraging is wound care. Dressings that contain chlorophyll derivatives have been studied for their potential to speed healing and reduce odours from infected wounds.

Collagen

Chlorophyll isn’t the only supposed "miracle" ingredient aimed at the wellness market. Collagen is arguably even more mainstream than any green powder or superfood capsule.

Collagen is a protein and a normal part of connective tissue throughout the body. It provides strength and structure for skin, bones, ligaments and blood vessels - and it’s present in organs such as the heart and lungs. When collagen levels are insufficient, or when collagen production is disrupted (as in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome), tissues can be more delicate, easier to injure, or slower to repair.

That makes it sensible to ensure the body has what it needs to make collagen. Because collagen is built from amino acids (the components of protein), getting enough dietary protein matters. Vitamin C is also crucial, as it helps the body synthesise collagen from those amino acids.

Collagen supplements and topical collagen: what research supports

So do we need extra collagen in supplement form - and what does research indicate? Some studies report that oral collagen supplements may help improve the look of skin, support joint function, increase bone strength, and enhance muscle mass.

However, there isn’t convincing evidence that collagen supplements drive weight loss or treat cardiovascular or autoimmune conditions - despite the sweeping promises used by some companies.

Collagen creams and serums are even more common, but they have less scientific support. Collagen molecules are typically too large to pass through the skin barrier, so they’re unlikely to meaningfully reduce wrinkles. At most, they may moisturise the surface and create a short-lived plumping effect.

Overall, the evidence base is uneven: promising in a few areas, unclear in others. And if your aim is to support your own collagen production, there are often simpler (and cheaper) approaches.

Protein-rich foods such as chicken, fish, eggs and bone broth can help maintain adequate intake. Micronutrients that support collagen synthesis include vitamin C, copper and zinc.

So unless you’re Poison Ivy from Batman (who, admittedly, looks fantastic), you probably don’t need to pile into chlorophyll. And if your diet is broadly adequate, you likely don’t need to spend heavily on collagen powders or collagen creams either.

Love the skin you’re in. It’s better than going green like Elphaba from Wicked.

Dan Baumgardt, Senior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.

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