Marine collagen for hair: what people who actually took it say

Updated on 12 November 2026 with 1,058 reviews from people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen, written between June 2019 and September 2026, and 1 study published in 2026.

Half the replies thought collagen did nothing and the other half thought it works, when one Mumsnet member asked whether anyone was actually seeing a difference or if it was all hype. People in the reviews came to it with hair clogging the plughole, a patch that had thinned, or hair that had always been fine. Their reviews of marine collagen for hair say what happened.

We went through every review of British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen. Of those, 1,058 mention hair, written between June 2019 and September 2026 by people in the UK. Growth comes up most, then thicker hair, then shine, and plenty wrote about their nails alongside their hair.

If marine collagen itself is new to you, start with what marine collagen is and where it comes from.

Here’s what the 1,058 reviews that mention hair talk about:

What they wrote about	People
Their nails as well	629
A change, with a time	322
Growth	237
Thick or thicker hair	204
Hair loss, shedding or thinning that stopped, eased or grew back	180
Thinning, a bald patch or a receding hairline that grew back	57
Shine	44
No difference	28
No side effects	17
No change yet, with a time	14
Hair loss not helped yet	10
A side effect	3

Is collagen good for hair?

Yes, collagen is good for hair, according to Dilys R., whose hair growth picked up within two months. Dilys R.’s is one of 1,058 reviews of British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen that mention hair. Twenty-eight of the people who wrote them saw no difference, 13 of them because it was too early to tell, and 19 more wrote about someone else’s hair.

Some heard about their collagen hair growth from someone else first: a hairdresser, or a haircut that came round sooner. Here’s what four people taking collagen for hair growth wrote:

What does collagen do for hair?

Collagen helped hair grow, thicken and shine, according to the people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen, and plenty wrote about their nails alongside their hair. Nails have a page of their own, on collagen for nails. Here’s what collagen did for their hair:

• Hair grew faster, according to someone who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen, whose hair went from needing a cut every two to three weeks to reaching that length in two weeks or less.
• Hair got thicker, according to another, whose hairdresser didn’t know about the collagen and commented that their hair was thicker.
• Shinier hair, according to a third, whose hairdresser commented on it at their last appointment.
• Stronger, shinier hair within a month or so, according to a fourth, whose brittle, peeling nails are now thicker and healthier too.

Those are the benefits of collagen for hair that came up in their reviews. Here’s what two of them wrote:

Does collagen thicken hair?

Yes, collagen thickens hair, according to Anne J., 72, who always had fine hair and has much thicker hair since taking it. Anne J. is one of 204 people whose reviews of British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen mention thick or thicker hair. Here’s what three people taking collagen for hair growth and thickness wrote:

What does the research say about collagen and hair?

Collagen peptides made hair stronger, thicker and glossier than a placebo did. That’s according to a 24-week trial run at Kangwon National University in Korea and published in the International Journal of Stem Cells in August 2026, in adults aged 19 to 60 with damaged hair and no hair loss, who took low-molecular-weight collagen peptides or a placebo.

The gloss was checked with a gloss meter and under an electron microscope. Strength was how much pull a hair took before it snapped, and thickness was its diameter. Scalp elasticity went up too, and people in the collagen group rated their hair’s gloss, thickness, texture and fullness as better than before.

Does collagen help with hair loss?

Yes, collagen helps with hair loss, according to 180 people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen and wrote that their hair loss, shedding or thinning stopped, eased or grew back. Ten wrote that it hasn’t helped yet, 5 of them because it was early days. Maggie’s hair has stopped shedding after a few months on it.

Hair loss, shedding, thinning: people use all three words for the same worry. Here’s what four people taking collagen for hair loss wrote:

Is collagen good for thinning hair?

Yes, collagen is good for thinning hair, according to 57 people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen and wrote that thinning hair, a bald patch or a receding hairline thickened or grew back. Margaret R. and KB both wrote about new hair where theirs had thinned, gone patchy or receded. Here’s what five of the 57 wrote about collagen for hair regrowth:

How long does collagen take to work on hair?

Collagen took a few days to six months to work on hair, according to the 322 people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen and gave a time alongside a change in their hair. Another 14 gave a time and no change yet. Here’s how long it took, quickest first:

• A few days, for someone whose first purchase was marine collagen
• A month or so, for someone whose hair got stronger and shinier
• About three months, for someone with about 3 cm of new growth
• Six months, for someone whose hair is now in such good condition

What does the research say about how long it takes?

Hair came out stronger, thicker and glossier than on a placebo by the end of 24 weeks, the length of the trial. That’s according to the International Journal of Stem Cells trial.

Is marine collagen safe to take for hair loss?

Whether marine collagen is safe for you to take for hair loss depends on what your GP or a pharmacist says. Seventeen of the people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen and wrote about their hair had no side effects, and 3 had one, according to their reviews. Here’s what two of the 17 wrote about collagen for hair side effects:

Can collagen cause hair loss?

No, collagen made nobody’s hair fall out, according to the people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen and wrote about their hair. And 180 of them wrote that their hair loss stopped, eased or grew back.

Marine collagen is made from fish skin, according to the product page’s Supplement details. Two people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen wrote about an allergic reaction.

If your hair is thinning with the menopause, four people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen wrote about the same, Kim C. among them, and none of the four wrote about a side effect. Here’s what two of the others wrote:

More of what people wrote through the menopause is on the page about collagen for menopause.

If you’re over 60, Kathleen R., about to turn 80, Anne J., 72, Christine O. and Jesmond A., both 73, C.Teague, 68, and Yvette N., 61, all wrote about their hair while taking British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen.

What does the research say about safety?

The research on safety found no side effects linked to the collagen peptides over 24 weeks. That’s according to the International Journal of Stem Cells trial (August 2026).

Ask your GP or a pharmacist about what to avoid while taking marine collagen if you:

• take anything for hair loss, or any other medication
• are pregnant or breastfeeding
• have an operation booked
• have a liver or kidney condition

Anyone with a fish allergy should not take it.

The pack adds three lines of its own: not to be taken by under 18s, do not exceed the recommended daily dosage, and keep out of reach of children.

Which collagen is best for hair?

The best collagen for hair growth is the one with reviews from people whose hair actually grew while taking it. That’s people with names and dates, not what’s printed on the pack. Here’s what three of them who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen wrote:

FAQ

What type of collagen is best for hair?

Type 1 marine collagen from fish skin is the type of collagen the 1,058 people who wrote about their hair took, according to the product page for British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen. The International Journal of Stem Cells trial gave low-molecular-weight collagen peptides for 24 weeks.

How do you know if collagen is working?

You know collagen is working when there’s less hair in the plughole, baby hairs at the front or a hairdresser noticing first, according to Angela F., Caroline J. and Carol C., three of the people who took British Supplements’ Clean Genuine Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen and wrote about their hair. That’s how to tell if collagen is working, from what they noticed.

Nails and skin come into it too, on the page about whether collagen supplements work.