Our Kakadu plum capsules hold the whole fruit and seed, freeze-dried: 140 x 500mg, $64.95.
What does collagen do? Collagen is the protein that holds your body together. It’s the scaffolding that keeps skin firm, cushions joints, binds tendons and ligaments, and forms the walls of your blood vessels. It makes up around 30% of all the protein in your body. And here’s the part most collagen advice skips: your body can’t make a single stable collagen fibre without vitamin C.
What does collagen do in the body?
Collagen isn’t one thing. It’s a family of structural proteins, with at least 28 types found in the human body. The three that matter most day to day:
- Type I: in skin, tendons, bones and connective tissue. The most abundant type.
- Type II: in cartilage, the cushioning in your joints.
- Type III: in artery walls, skin and organs, working alongside Type I.
Across all its types, collagen does five jobs:
- Keeps skin firm and elastic. Collagen fibres are the framework that lets skin spring back. As production falls, that framework weakens.
- Cushions joints. Type II collagen is the main protein in cartilage, the tissue that stops bones grinding together. Cartilage has no blood supply and rebuilds slowly, so collagen quality matters more than quantity here.
- Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones. About a third of bone by weight is collagen. It’s the flexible frame that minerals set into. Mineral without collagen makes bone brittle.
- Holds tendons and ligaments together. Tendons (muscle to bone) and ligaments (bone to bone) are almost entirely collagen, so soft tissue injuries are largely collagen injuries.
- Forms blood vessel walls. Blood vessel walls are largely collagen, which is why vitamin C, needed for normal collagen formation, matters for them too.
Already taking collagen? Your body can’t use it without vitamin C.
The enzymes that turn collagen into your own collagen need vitamin C to work. Our Kakadu plum capsules have 240 times the vitamin C of a fresh orange, gram for gram: 60mg of natural vitamin C in every capsule, more than a day’s need.
Natural, not synthetic. Synthetic vitamin C is a single lab-made molecule, ascorbic acid. Ours comes from the whole fruit and seed, with the iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin E and antioxidants that come with it, the other nutrients collagen-making uses.
Just 46 cents a day. Add Kakadu plum to your collagen →
Why collagen levels drop, and what depletes it
Your body makes collagen all the time, but production starts to fall from around your mid-twenties. After 40, skin collagen drops by roughly 1% a year. Fine lines, slower healing, stiffer joints and thinner skin are the visible signs. Four things speed it up:
- UV light switches on enzymes (matrix metalloproteinases) that break collagen down faster than it can be replaced.
- Smoking slows collagen-making directly and cuts the vitamin C reaching your skin cells.
- Too much sugar: glucose and fructose stick to collagen fibres in a process called glycation, making them stiff and brittle.
- Not enough vitamin C: without it, your body can’t make stable collagen at all.
Vitamin C and collagen: why your body can’t make it without vitamin C
Taking collagen without enough vitamin C is like delivering building materials with no tools to put them together.
To build collagen, two enzymes, prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase, reshape the amino acids proline and lysine so the collagen chains can twist into a strong triple helix. No reshaping means no triple helix, and no triple helix means the protein falls apart instead of becoming structural collagen. Both enzymes need vitamin C to work. Without it, they stop.
This isn’t theory. The proof is centuries old: scurvy. Every sign of scurvy, from wounds reopening to teeth loosening and joints bleeding, is collagen breaking down because a lack of vitamin C has shut those enzymes off. It’s the same process that decides whether a collagen supplement does anything for you.
Vitamin C also does a second job: it signals fibroblasts, the cells that make collagen, to produce more. So it doesn’t just make collagen possible, it drives it. Food Standards Australia New Zealand recognises this with approved wording: vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin.
The other collagen nutrients: iron, zinc, copper and manganese
Vitamin C is the most important helper, but the collagen-building enzymes need more than one tool:
- Iron: the same two enzymes that use vitamin C also need iron. Without enough, they can’t finish the job, however much vitamin C you have.
- Zinc: needed for collagen-making and the repair work that depends on it.
- Copper: needed for lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen fibres once they’re made. Cross-links give collagen its strength.
- Manganese: needed for prolidase, the enzyme that recycles proline from old collagen into new collagen, so the raw material isn’t wasted.
Vitamin E then protects the collagen you already have, because free radical damage wears collagen fibres down over time, and vitamin E contributes to cell protection from free radical damage. Vitamin E foods →
Collagen foods: what’s highest in collagen, and what helps you make it
Collagen itself is only found in animal foods, because it’s animal connective tissue. Plant foods don’t contain collagen, but they supply the nutrients your body uses to make its own. That’s good news for vegans: you can’t eat plant collagen, but you can feed your body what it needs to build it.
| Food | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Bone broth, gelatin | Collagen and gelatin from simmered bones and connective tissue |
| Chicken skin, fish skin, pork skin | Collagen-rich connective tissue |
| Egg whites | Proline, an amino acid collagen is built from |
| Beans and legumes | Plant protein and amino acids |
| Oranges, lemons, strawberries | Vitamin C, around 0.5mg per gram in an orange |
| Kakadu plum (our powder) | Vitamin C at 121mg per gram (240 times an orange, gram for gram), plus iron, zinc, copper, manganese and vitamin E |
Almost every collagen food list stops at oranges and berries for vitamin C. None of them mention the Australian fruit with 240 times the vitamin C of an orange, gram for gram.
Do collagen supplements work?
The research is stronger than the sceptics suggest. A 2023 review in the journal Nutrients, pooling many clinical trials, found oral collagen improved skin hydration and elasticity, with clear effects after eight or more weeks of steady use.
Here’s how. Hydrolysed collagen is broken into small peptides, absorbed in your gut and carried in the blood to your skin. There the peptides act as signals, telling fibroblasts that collagen is being broken down and more is needed. The collagen you make in response is your own. And to make it, your fibroblasts need vitamin C.
Natural collagen from a plant: every collagen nutrient in Kakadu plum
No plant contains collagen itself, so there’s no such thing as plant collagen. The natural, plant-based route is to give your body the nutrients it uses to make its own, and Kakadu plum has all of them in one fruit.
Our Kakadu plum powder is independently lab tested at 12.1% natural vitamin C: 121mg in every gram, or 12,100mg per 100g. Gram for gram, that’s 240 times the vitamin C of a fresh orange. One 500mg capsule gives you 60mg, more than the adult daily intake of 45mg: the vitamin C your body uses to run the collagen-building enzymes.
The Australian Government’s 2009 study found Kakadu plum also carries the mineral helpers collagen needs. Our capsules are whole fruit and seed, and the seed carries the most:
| Per 100g, dried | Fruit | Seed | Its collagen job |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron | 4.0mg | 6.1mg | Powers the two collagen enzymes, with vitamin C |
| Zinc | 0.57mg | 6.0mg | Collagen-making and repair |
| Copper | 0.30mg | 2.5mg | Cross-links fibres for strength |
| Manganese | 3.5mg | 9.1mg | Recycles proline into new collagen |
| Vitamin E | 6.1mg | Protects existing collagen; the highest of any fruit tested |
How they all work together, step by step
- Vitamin C and iron switch on the builders. Prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase need both vitamin C and iron to reshape proline and lysine. Kakadu plum has vitamin C at 121mg per gram, plus iron in the fruit (4.0mg per 100g) and the seed (6.1mg).
- The chains twist into a triple helix. Once reshaped, the collagen chains wind together into collagen’s strong triple helix.
- Vitamin C tells your cells to make more. It signals fibroblasts, your collagen-making cells, to step up production.
- Copper locks the fibres together. Lysyl oxidase, a copper enzyme, cross-links the new fibres for strength. The seed carries 2.5mg of copper per 100g, 8 times the flesh.
- Zinc keeps the building and repair going. The seed has 6.0mg of zinc per 100g, 10 times the flesh.
- Manganese recycles the raw material. Prolidase, a manganese enzyme, returns proline from old collagen for new collagen. The seed has 9.1mg per 100g.
- Vitamin E and antioxidants protect what’s built. Vitamin E (6.1mg per 100g, the highest of any fruit tested) contributes to cell protection from free radical damage, alongside antioxidant power 10.5 times a blueberry.
Every step, one fruit. That’s why we use the whole fruit and the seed: it’s where the minerals are. The seed also carries magnesium (421mg per 100g), calcium and potassium.
Kakadu plum’s antioxidant power measured 10.5 times a blueberry on the FRAP test, with 4.7 times the total antioxidant compounds, and those antioxidants help protect existing collagen from oxidative damage.
Synthetic ascorbic acid gives you one molecule. Kakadu plum gives you vitamin C, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin E and antioxidants together, in a single whole food. And it’s plant-based, so it works for vegans. Why our powder is 240 times an orange →
Why we keep the seed
Most Kakadu plum products use only the dried flesh. Ours is whole-fruit powder, fruit and seed kernel together, milled to the same fine, grit-free powder, which costs more and takes more work. Per 100g the kernel has 10 times the zinc of the flesh, 8 times the copper, 2.6 times the manganese and 50% more iron. It’s also 32% protein (researchers called it a potential new protein source), 35% fat with about four-fifths unsaturated, and 21% fibre, with 539mg calcium, 421mg magnesium and 669mg potassium. A product without the seed gives you half the plant. The full seed breakdown →
What collagen costs a day, compared
A quality hydrolysed collagen supplement costs $3 to $10 a day. Most collagen brands then tell you to take vitamin C alongside it, because without it the enzymes can’t build stable collagen. That’s another supplement, and zinc, copper and manganese would be more again.
One Kakadu plum capsule costs 46 cents. It gives you 60mg of natural vitamin C, more than a day’s recommended intake, plus iron, zinc, copper and manganese from the fruit and seed, and vitamin E. It isn’t a collagen supplement. It’s the nutrients your body uses to make its own.
Kakadu Plum Vitamin C Capsules: 140 capsules, 46 cents a day →
Collagen questions, answered
What are the benefits of taking collagen?
Collagen is the framework for skin, joints, bones, tendons and blood vessel walls. A 2023 review of clinical trials found oral collagen improved skin hydration and elasticity after eight or more weeks of steady use. The key is vitamin C: without it, your body can’t turn collagen peptides into stable collagen of its own.
What are the first signs that collagen is working?
In the research, the first measurable changes are in the skin: better hydration and elasticity, usually after about eight weeks of taking it every day. Take it consistently, alongside enough vitamin C.
What happens if you take collagen every day?
Daily collagen is well tolerated. Steady, long-term use gives the clearest results for skin hydration and elasticity, measurable after eight or more weeks. Your body digests collagen like any other protein.
Can you take vitamin C and collagen together?
Yes, and you should. Vitamin C is what your body uses to turn collagen’s building blocks into its own collagen, and vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin. Our Kakadu plum capsules have 240 times the vitamin C of a fresh orange, gram for gram: 60mg of natural vitamin C in each, from the whole fruit rather than synthetic ascorbic acid.
Why do you need vitamin C with collagen supplements?
Your body breaks collagen supplements down, absorbs them and rebuilds its own collagen. That rebuilding needs two enzymes, prolyl hydroxylase and lysyl hydroxylase, which can’t work without vitamin C. If vitamin C is low, collagen-making stalls, however much collagen you take.
What is the best natural vitamin C to take with collagen?
Kakadu plum, the Australian native fruit. Gram for gram, our lab-tested powder has 240 times the vitamin C of a fresh orange, and unlike synthetic ascorbic acid, it also brings iron, zinc, copper, manganese and vitamin E, the other nutrients collagen-making uses. One 500mg capsule gives you 60mg.
Is natural vitamin C different to synthetic vitamin C?
Yes, in what comes with it. Synthetic vitamin C is ascorbic acid, a single molecule made in a lab. Natural vitamin C from a whole food like Kakadu plum comes packaged with the fruit’s other nutrients: iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitamin E and antioxidants, the same helpers collagen-making uses.
What is the best time of day to take collagen?
There’s no good evidence that the time of day matters. What matters is taking it every day, and having enough vitamin C that day.
Why must collagen be taken at night?
It doesn’t have to be. Night-time is a popular habit, but research hasn’t shown it works better than any other time. Consistency and enough vitamin C matter more.
What to avoid when taking collagen?
Don’t take it without enough vitamin C, or your body can’t use it to build collagen. Check the source if you have allergies, since marine collagen comes from fish and some blends contain egg. And cut back on sugar, smoking and sun damage, which break collagen down.
What is the downside of taking collagen?
Collagen supplements are made from animals (cows, pigs, fish or chicken), so they don’t suit vegans, and marine collagen can affect people with fish allergies. Some people notice mild digestive upset. They also cost $3 to $10 a day.
Can collagen help with weight loss?
There’s no strong evidence that collagen itself causes weight loss. It’s a protein, and protein can help you feel full, but collagen isn’t a weight-loss product.
Which food is highest in collagen?
Bone broth and gelatin, followed by collagen-rich animal parts like chicken skin, fish skin and pork skin. Collagen is only found in animal foods. Plant foods don’t contain it, but foods like Kakadu plum supply the vitamin C and minerals your body uses to make its own.
What drink is high in collagen?
Bone broth. For a plant-based option, a smoothie with Kakadu plum powder gives you no collagen but plenty of the vitamin C your body uses to make it.
How do I increase my collagen?
Get enough vitamin C every day, eat enough protein, and protect what you have: wear sunscreen, don’t smoke, and go easy on sugar. Iron, zinc, copper and manganese help too, and Kakadu plum supplies all of them, with 60mg of natural vitamin C in each capsule.
What are the symptoms of low collagen?
The most visible signs are in the skin: less firmness, fine lines and slower healing of small cuts. Joints can feel stiffer. In severe vitamin C deficiency, scurvy, existing collagen breaks down, and wounds reopen and teeth loosen, which shows how much collagen depends on a steady supply of vitamin C.
What depletes your body of collagen?
Age, from your mid-twenties, along with sun exposure, smoking, a high-sugar diet (through glycation) and not enough vitamin C.
Is there natural plant collagen?
No, true collagen only comes from animals. Vegans can still support their body’s own collagen-making with plant foods that supply vitamin C, protein and minerals. Kakadu plum is plant-based and gives you vitamin C, iron, zinc, copper and manganese in one food.
Kakadu plum nutrition, nutrient by nutrient →
Sources
- Pu SY et al. Effects of Oral Collagen for Skin Anti-Aging: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 2023. PMC10180699. Cited by 206 studies.
- DePhillipo NN et al. Efficacy of Vitamin C Supplementation on Collagen Synthesis and Oxidative Stress After Musculoskeletal Injuries. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 2018. PMC6204628. Cited by 350 studies.
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), Standard 1.2.7: Nutrition, Health and Related Claims.
- Konczak I, Zabaras D, Dunstan M et al. Health Benefits of Australian Native Foods. RIRDC (Australian Government) Pub. No. 09/133, September 2009.
- Seed kernel composition: the Kakadu plum seed.
Keep reading: Kakadu plum skin care · What is Kakadu plum? · Antioxidant-rich foods
Our products are food, not therapeutic goods, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition.