Formulation Review Report | Project B Collagen 5,000mg

Product Studied: Project B Hydrolyzed Biomarine Collagen Peptide 5,000mg

Introduction
We at Project B emphasize on being bare and transparent of our entire product development process. We have an extensive product development stage, carefully engineer every product to ensure they work. As a part of our groundwork, we reach out to a number of independent professionals for a blind test to compare the nutritional information and ingredients of our formula with the available brands in the market. 

Under this review, we reached out to independent pharmacist to compare the nutritional information and ingredients of collagen product from two other brands: Kinohimitsu, Beauxlim and Project B, to see if there was any way to improve it. This was a blind test, that Kinohimitsu's, Beauxlim's and Project B's names are never disclosed during the creation of the reviews. The pharmacist was not paid or given anything to endorse any of these products.

This product has been studied and fine-tuned for over 26 months before the formulation is confirmed. We took another 6 months to test its efficacy profile on over 48 individuals before it is being delivered to you. This part of the report reviews the product formulation, where we have another part of the report displays the results of the efficacy profile.

The results in brief
Rank 1: Project B Hydrolyzed Biomarine Collagen Peptide
Rank 2: Kinohimitsu Collagen Diamond
Rank 3: Beauxlim Collagen Mix with Pomogranate

 

Who are the formulators
We work closely with a team of researchers during the study of product formulation, led by Dr Iko. Dr Iko has developed strong interests in the use of collagen to improve human health, and focused her research on collagen's roles in skin health, women health and joint health back in year 2005. She has also published her work to over 40 journals and 6 textbooks.

Here, we took over 26 months to finalize the product formula, where each ingredients at their optimum effective dose, can work synergistically with collagen, completing the product efficacy profile and portfolio.

 

Who have we approached
We wanted to carry out a fair review of our product formula, so we have invited Mr. Chan S.W, an independent pharmacist with over 8 years of working experience in the both the clinical and retail setting, where he is believed to have the best access of understanding collagen products in the market and to conduct an unbiased review from the consumer standpoint.

What is Pharmacist
Pharmacists are qualified medication experts who use their detailed knowledge of medicines to ensure the quality of medicines supplied to patients. Pharmacists are responsible in dispensing medications, assuring the safety and appropriateness of the prescribed therapy and within the law; monitoring patient health and progress to achieve the best medication results; at the same time, providing education and advice on the use of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Pharmacists are statutorily regulated, with a protected title and governed by an ethical code, to ensure that they always work to the highest standard. The spectrum of environments in which pharmacists practice is broad and includes the government practice, private practice, industry, education, research, publishing and non-government organisations. Their advice influences healthcare policy across the spectrum from government to local communities and individuals.

The title 'pharmacist' can only be used by those appropriately trained professionals who have registered with the Pharmacy Board of Malaysia and whose details are on the official portal of pharmaceutical services program: ministry of health Malaysia website.

 

What have been evaluated
The nutritional information and ingredients of collagen product from two other brands: Kinohimitsu, Beauxlim and Project B are compared and evaluated.

 

The information we provided for review
Below shows the information the pharmacist was provided:

It was a totally blind test, where the brand names have been removed. The pharmacist was paid for his time producing the reviews, but not to endorse or favor any product. The reviews below aren't perfect, and we are the first to admit such. However, Chan SW is expert in his field, highly professional and have provided some great insights to highlight between the three products.

 

The results
The following review produced have not been edited or altered in any sense, it is the original piece that the independent pharmacist has provided. This review is conducted based on 3 brands: Kinohimitsu (Product A), Project B (Product B), Beauxlim (Product C)

Pharmacist: Chan S.W (Mr)

I was provided with 3 unnamed product labels and was asked to sound an unbiased review. Out of the 3 products included in this review, on comparison of the ingredients list and nutritional content, product B stands out most impressively as it contains 11 functional ingredients which to my understanding, one of the top in the market. Standing in consumer's point of view, product B is also cost effective for long term consumption, noted that this review is made based on the current dated retail price, and is not subjected to price changes or fluctuations. I have not tested any of these products and my observations are blinded to the brand name, therefore not endorsed by myself.

Elaborating from the above, Product B contains 11 functional ingredients (Collagen Peptide, Vitamin C, CoQ10, Bird Nest Powder, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Grape Seed Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, Sakura Extract, Acerolla Cherry Extract, Cactus Extract, Aloe Vera Extract), amongst those contain many essential ingredients, specially CoQ10, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Grape Seed Extract, Royal Jelly Extract, with well established with clinical studies, useful and effective in targetting for antiaging and skin health. This has topped off the rest by 2-3 times; where Product A contains 5 functional ingredients (Collagen, Vitamin C, Perilla Seed Extract, Silk Protein, Soy Peptide) and Product C contains only 4 functional ingredients (Collagen, Vitamin C, Punica Granatum Extract, Camellia Sinensis Extract). Product B definitely offers greater functional profile.

Many clinical studies show that the effective dose to maintain youthful skin is between 2g to 4g, for which these 3 products in review has meet the recommended effective dose, with product A has the highest collagen content - 5,300mg (A) > 5,000mg (B) > 4,500mg (C). 

In terms of product usability, it has been noted that Product A is in liquid form, ready to drink; while Product B and C are in powdered form. Ready to drink form offers convenience, but powdered form can be directly consumed too, so to my personal point of view in terms of product usability, there is a plus point to Product A but not huge enough to justify the increased in price per serving for long term consumption, as the heavy production and packaging costs are passed down to consumers. The retail price at the date when this review is being conducted is such that Product A is equivalent to RM7.40 per serving; Product B RM5.80 per serving; Product C RM4.30 per serving. Product A is about 42% more expensive than the cheapest option in this review, Product C (1 serv Product A ~ 1.5 serv Product C)

Continuing from the point on product usability, it is seen to be a trend now that to incorporate supplements into daily meals/snacks/drinks, like making smoothies, oats, cookies, cakes with some supplementary goodness. Product B offers an unflavored option and able to provide such versatility sure has an advantage, allowing consumers to consume supplement on its own or incorporated into their lifestyle. Noted that some users do value and prioritize taste and this will be an important element in improving user compliance. Elaborating further on this point, the flavored options of Product A and Product C, their first ingredients are seen to be condensed juices (the highest grammage in the serving), contains fillers like sweetener and flavorings. Fructose is positioned above collagen, so based on that, sweetener amount used is more than the active ingredient, collagen (sweetener grammage to be more than 5.3g). As a supplement point of view, it may not be the cleanest and users may need to be aware of the sugar content for daily consumption.

In conclusion, reviewing based on the ingredients list and nutritional content, Product B definitely stands out amongst the rest. Valuing the number of functional ingredients that they offer, this product is value for money (11 functional ingredients for RM5.80/serv vs 4 functional ingredients for RM4.30/serv), they have positioned themselves at a decent market price of RM5.80/serving (market collagen product ranges from RM3.50 to RM9 per serving). If a rank is required, I would place Product A second, slightly more superior in terms of its functional profile over Product C.


Author's Note: We had no contact with SW before the test was conducted, and he had never heard of Project B until after the results were gathered. These results were entirely independent and blind on his behalf. After studying SW review, we agree to his emphasis of the importance of taste to users. As much as we do not want to compromise the versatility in the existing formulation, we value the importance of user experience, so we have come out with the option of 100% natural fruit booster as a side to accommodate to individual's preference.

 

Clinical studies on collagen
Proven effective with over 60+ clinical studies on hydrolyzed collagen.

"Through 60 days, a gradual improvement in water absorption capacity was observed in volunteers who ingested collagen peptides when compared to placebo group"
Cited from Sumida E, Hirota A, Kuwaba K. The effect of oral ingestion of collagen peptide on skin hydration and biochemical data of blood. J Nutr Food 2004; 7 : 45-52

"The skin stratum corneum hydration has a significant difference (P<0.05) between the treated group and the placebo"
Cited from Ohara H, Ito K, Iida H, Matsumoto H. Improvement in the moisture content of the stratum corneum following 4 weeks of collagen hydrolysate ingestion. Nippon Shokuhin Kogaku Kaishi 2009; 56: 137-45.

"Skin elasticity in collagen hydrolysate group showed a statistically significant improvement when compared to placebo."
Cited from Proksch E, Segger D, Degwert J, Schunck M, Zague V, Oesser S. Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebocontrolled study. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 2014; 27(1): 47-55

"Daily supplementation with hydrolysed collagen for 12 weeks brought to a significant reduction (P<0.05) of skin dryness/scaling and global lines/wrinkles. Moreover, a significant increase in hemoglobin and collagen content of the skin dermis was observed after 6 weeks of supplementation. This study suggested that dietary supplementation with hydrolysed collagen can physiologically counteract natural and photo-ageing processes."
Cited from Schwartz SR, Park J. Ingestion of BioCell Collagen((R)), a novel hydrolyzed chicken sternal cartilage extract; enhanced blood microcirculation and reduced facial aging signs. Clin Interv Aging 2012; 7: 267-73.