Isagenix Collagen Elixir Review: Likely Effective But Extremely Overpriced

What Isagenix Gets Right

• Contains responsibly-sourced marine collagen in a likely effective dose
• Provides a highly-absorbable form of collagen
• Good source of vitamin C, biotin, and zinc
• No added sugar
• This product has a promising, but small clinical trial

Important Considerations

• The exact amounts of other ingredients in this product are not provided, making it more challenging to evaluate how effective they are in this supplement
• Not suitable for those who have fish allergies
• No information was provided on third-party testing
• Unfriendly return and shipping policies
• Collagen supplementation requires consistent long-term use to be effective

Isagenix Collagen Elixir at a Glance

Isagenix Collagen Elixir is a ready-to-drink anti-aging supplement containing a unique formula of hydrolyzed marine collagen and several additional ingredients.

It’s intended to help your body produce more collagen (which declines with age) to support and improve the health of your skin, leading to a visibly improved appearance.

Isagenix is a multi-level marketing (MLM) company that recruits independent consultants who receive commissions to sell their line of supplements and personal care products. The prices and claims of MLM supplements are often exaggerated.

We’ll look at all the important factors below to help you understand what this product can (and can’t) do for you.

Marine vs. Bovine Collagen: What Is the Difference?

Most popular brands contain collagen sourced from bovine, but they also add marine collagen into their product lines. Isagenix provides only marine collagen. However, the health benefits of bovine and marine collagen are virtually the same. Here are the distinct differences between bovine and marine-sourced collagen:

• Marine collagen is sourced from fish.
• Marine collagen absorbs 1.5 times more efficiently in your body than bovine. (1)
• Marine collagen is considered cleaner than bovine, with less likelihood of contaminants.
• Marine collagen is unsuitable for vegans or those who have allergies to any fish.

The Ingredients in Isagenix Collagen Elixir

Isagenix Collagen Elixir does contain ingredients that have been shown to help improve your skin health. Below we’ll outline the ingredients and the research behind them.

Marine Collagen Blend

Isagenix Collagen Elixir’s ingredient label lists wild-caught cod, pollock, and haddock as the collagen source. Collagen is a protein that provides structure to the skin. Loss of collagen is associated with visible signs of aging.

Marine collagen is sourced from fish and contains type I collagen, similar to the types of collagen found in humans and one of the most abundant types of collagen in the human body. (2, 3)

Research has found that collagen supplements are well tolerated with high absorption rates in humans. Several studies report desirable changes in the skin, including improved skin hydration, elasticity, and firmness, following several months of oral marine collagen supplementation. (4, 5)

Proprietary Blend

The proprietary blend contains goji extract powder, aloe vera juice powder, acerola berry extract, and chamomile extract. It does not list the amount of each ingredient in the blend, so it’s hard to know exactly what you’re getting and whether the studies behind them use the same amount as used in this blend.

• Goji Extract Powder: Because of their high antioxidant content, Goji berries are considered a superfood. Foods rich in antioxidants prevent oxidative stress and DNA damage contributing to aging. Additionally, Goji berry contains vitamin C, which can help support collagen production. Finally, goji berries contain beta-carotene, and studies show that supplementing with 30 mg daily helps improvise facial wrinkles and elasticity. (6, 7)
• Aloe Vera Juice Powder: Because the aloe vera plant leaves contain a moisturizing gel, it’s believed to have a hydrating effect when consumed. Studies have shown that participants who orally supplemented 40 micrograms of aloe produced more collagen and experienced improved skin hydration and elasticity. (8)
• Acerola Berry Extract: A cherry-like fruit that is native to tropical climates. It contains very high amounts of vitamin C as ascorbic acid, which plays a role in the body’s natural collagen production. The fruit is also rich in antioxidants, which may counteract oxidative stress and cellular damage contributing to aging. (9)
• Chamomile Extract: It’s been used for centuries in traditional medicine for its anti-inflammatory benefits. It’s also been used to treat inflammatory skin conditions. However, more human research is needed to understand how beneficial it can be when consumed orally, as most studies are done on applying chamomile topically for its skin benefits. (10, 11)

Other Ingredients

• Biotin: Considered a vitamin B7. There is no available research showing that biotin can help with improving skin health. However, studies show that you may experience stronger nail and hair growth if deficient in this vitamin. (12, 13)
• Vitamin C: This product contains 50 mg of vitamin C. Research shows that vitamin C can help increase type I collagen production. (14)
• Zinc: A nutrient present throughout our bodies that helps support our immune system. Supplementation with zinc is known to have many benefits. Specifically, studies have shown that zinc may play a role in collagen production. Additionally, studies have shown that zinc may help treat various inflammatory skin conditions, including acne, dermatitis, and diaper rash. (15, 16)

A Clinical Trial

In 2021, the company conducted a four-week clinical trial on Collagen Elixir using 60 subjects. The subjects were divided into two 30-person groups — one placebo and one control group (the actual group receiving the product).

After drinking 50 mL of Collagen Elixir daily for 4 weeks (which is the amount of each serving size), participants experienced an increase in collagen levels and improvements in facial collagen density, elasticity, and moisture. In addition, 70% of participants saw a reduction in wrinkles.

While promising, it’s important to remember that the study was done on a small number of people, and more research should be done. This continues to affirm that the ingredients used in this supplement do have scientific research showing how effective they may be for skin health.

Collagen Elixir Is Safe

The ingredients used in Isagenix Collagen Exilixer are considered generally safe with very few side effects. However, this product contains fish, a common food allergen. It is not safe for anyone with a fish allergy to consume.

Anyone following a vegetarian or vegan diet should also skip this product.

Always speak to your doctor before starting this, or any new supplement.

Pricing: Outrageous, If You Ask Us

Isagenix’s product return policy is not initially accessible throughout the website and is rather hard to find. And when you do find it (we had to perform a separate Google search to find some documentation), it’s unclear what it entails.

Based on our understanding, you have 30 days from receiving the product to initiate a return. Then once you receive your RMA (return merchandise authorization), you’ll need to ship the product back within seven days, after which you will receive your refund within 30 days, minus shipping costs. You will only be eligible for a return on a product you order for the first time. In other words, if you’ve ordered the same product before and then attempted to get a refund, you’re unlikely to get one. Also, it’s unclear if this return policy applies only to subscription-based or one-time purchase customers. Finally, whether you can get a refund on opened products is unclear.

Shipping is never free for any customer. If your order costs less than $50, you will be charged a ground shipping rate of $8.95. If greater than $50, you will pay $10.95 for shipping (or 8% of the order total, whichever is greater). With an active subscription, you will receive a flat rate of $9.95.

A preferred customer is not a subscription, but you get discounts on Isagenix’s products. That will require you to register an account (which isn’t that big of a headache, in our opinion).

How Isagenix Collagen Elixir Compares to Alternatives

To give credit where it’s due, Isagenix Collagen Elixir is a unique product. Still, we don’t think there is enough benefit to justify the outrageous cost.

Here’s how Collagen Elixir compares to several popular high-quality marine collagen brands, followed by our insights on picking the best product:

Collagen supplements are typically sold in a powdered form. Some liquid collagen supplements are on the market, but very few are offered as a ready-to-drink beverage, like Isagenix.

However, despite what Isagenix claims, no scientific studies show that the liquid form of collagen offers any health benefit over the powdered form.

In fact, all the scientific research we’ve looked at used powdered collagen in their studies. In other words, we have not come across any research on liquid collagen supplementation.

Next, someone could say that Isagenix’s product is convenient. And even though the convenience factor can’t be denied, powdered collagen is very easy to use. The unflavored version could be easily dissolved into any beverage like tea and coffee, making it very simple to incorporate into a daily routine.

Lastly, we believe that most of the benefits of Isagenix Collagen Elixir come from its marine collagen content, not the other ingredients. And because alternative marine collagen brands cost significantly cheaper, we see no reason to spend the extra money on the additional ingredients of Isagenix.

All in all, we can’t justify Isagenix’s high price (unless you are involved in the MLM aspect of the company). Instead, we recommend the following:

• For the highest-dosed marine collagen supplement: Vital Proteins Marine Collagen gets our vote here. Generally, studies show that a collagen dose of 2.5 g to 10 g is effective. However, a higher amount of collagen can lead to additional benefits.
• For the best-value marine collagen supplement: CodeAge Wild Caught Marine Collagen and Further Food Premium Marine Collagen are both great choices. And because they don’t contain any additional ingredients, you can increase the daily serving size if you want to consume more collagen. It would still be cost-effective compared to Collagen Elixir.
• For marine collagen supplement with additional ingredients: NeoCell Marine Collagen with Beauty Blend contains evidence-based ingredients that could offer additional benefits for skin, hair, nails, and joint health. NeoCell comes at a significantly lower price than Isagenix.