If you’ve browsed any health store lately, you’ve seen it everywhere: collagen powders, capsules, coffee creamers, even gummies. But what exactly is collagen, and why has it turned into such a massive business?
What is collagen?
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body. It makes up about 30% of your total protein and acts like the scaffolding that holds everything together.
Structurally, collagen is like a rope. Three protein chains wind into a triple helix, which makes it incredibly strong and flexible. Scientists have found 28 different types, but 90% of the collagen in your body is just three kinds:
Type I: Found in skin, bones, tendons, and organs. This is what keeps skin firm and bones strong.
Type II: The main component of cartilage. It cushions your joints.
Type III: Supports skin elasticity, blood vessels, and organs.
Here’s the catch: after age 25, you lose about 1% of your collagen every year. By 60, you’ve lost roughly 30%. That decline shows up as wrinkles, achy joints, and weaker bones.
What is collagen used for?
Health and medical uses
Supplements: Hydrolyzed collagen peptides in powders and capsules are popular for skin elasticity, joint pain, and bone density. The research is still growing, but results so far look promising.
Wound care: Collagen dressings help burns and ulcers heal faster.
Joint support: Type II collagen is used for arthritis. Types I and III support bone health.
Cosmetic fillers: Injected collagen smooths wrinkles for 3-6 months.
Food industry
Collagen cooked down becomes gelatin. That’s what gives structure to jellies, marshmallows, gummy bears, and the shells of capsules. It’s also added to sausages and yogurt to improve texture and hold moisture.
Other industries
Cosmetics: Creams and serums often advertise collagen. The whole molecule is too large to enter skin, but smaller peptides might help.
Biomedical: Used in artificial skin, bone grafts, and drug delivery systems.
Leather: Animal hide is basically collagen, which gets tanned into leather.
How is collagen made commercially?
Step 1: Pick a source
Most collagen comes from cow hides and bones, pig skin, chicken cartilage, or fish skin and scales.
Step 2: Extract it
The raw material is soaked in acid or alkali for days to strip away fats and minerals. Then enzymes are used to break the tight bonds and release the collagen. For supplements, the collagen is broken down further with heat and enzymes into small pieces called peptides. These dissolve easily in water and are better absorbed.
Step 3: Dry and package
The liquid is filtered, concentrated, and spray-dried into powder.
This process gives three main products:
1. Native collagen: Full triple helix structure intact : Used for Medical devices, cosmetics
2.Gelatin: Partially broken down collagen: Used as gelling agent in food, capsules
3.Hydrolyzed collagen peptides: Fully broken into small pieces: Used in Supplements, drinks, no gelling
Can collagen come from fish scales?
Yes, and it’s one of the fastest growing sources.
Fish skin and scales are 30 to 50% collagen. The process is similar: clean them, use acid to remove calcium from the scales, then extract with enzymes.
Why use fish scales?
1. No religious concerns: Unlike bovine or porcine sources, fish is acceptable to most cultures.
2. Safety: No risk of diseases like BSE/mad cow.
3. Better absorption: Fish collagen peptides are smaller. Some studies show they absorb 1.5x better than bovine collagen.
4. Sustainability: It turns fish processing waste into a valuable product. About 50 to 70% of a fish gets discarded as skin, scales, and bones.
5. Right type: Fish gives you Type I collagen, the same kind found in human skin and bone.
The downside is cost. Fish collagen is more expensive, and if not purified well it can have a fishy smell. Major producers in Japan, China, and Vietnam use tilapia, cod, and salmon.
How big is the collagen business?
The numbers are eye opening.
Global market size in 2025: Around $10.5 to $11.2 billion.
Forecast for 2030: $16 to $18 billion, growing 7 to 9% per year.
Where it comes from:
- Bovine: ∼40% of supply
- Marine/fish: ∼30% and growing fastest
- Porcine: ∼20%
- Chicken and others: ∼10%
Where it goes:
- Food and beverages: 35%
- Healthcare and supplements: 30%
- Cosmetics: 20%
- Pharmaceuticals: 15%
Gelatin still makes up 60% of volume, but hydrolyzed collagen peptides are the growth engine because of supplements and functional foods.
What’s driving it?
An aging population wants solutions for skin and joints. The protein and sports nutrition boom helps too. “Beauty from within” products are exploding. And medicine is finding more uses in wound care and bone repair.
Major companies include Rousselot, Gelita, Nitta Gelatin, and Tessenderlo. In India, players like Narmada Gelatines and India Gelatine & Chemicals are active. The fish collagen segment alone was about $1.2 billion in 2024, and coastal areas in India are now setting up plants to use fish processing waste.
The takeaway:
Collagen went from slaughterhouse scraps to an $11 billion global industry in a few decades. Fish scale collagen shows how waste can turn into wellness. Whether you’re taking it for joints, skin, or just curious about the business, collagen is one of those rare ingredients that connects food, medicine, and beauty.
I was just thinking. If not for the bureaucratic inefficiency coupled with the democratic incompetency, Kerala by now would have been a leading producer of this product and with a big export potential. Fish scales are fully wasted as of now.
Any idea about anyone trying this business in Kerala or South India?
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