Stroll down the aisles of your local supermarket or servo and you’ll find a collagen product promising to make your skin glow and your gut as clean as the day you were born.

No, we’re not talking about the collagen powders you might’ve seen people drinking on Instagram. Today, we’re talking about ready-made collagen waters, drinks, protein bars, balls, and even shots.

These products come in bright packaging and with a list of benefits ranging from brighter, younger-looking skin and cleansed insides, to stronger hair and nails – all in a convenient, yummy, on-the-go treat. But are they legit, or a load of crap?

We asked the experts to find out everything you need to know about collagen drinks and snacks, from what collagen actually does (yes, it doesdo something), to whether these hyped products meet their claims.

Before we get into it, here’s some helpful tips to improve your skin while you snooze. Post continues after video.

What is collagen?

Before we get into collagen drinks, snacks and supplements, what the heck is collagen and why would you want to get it into you?

Collagen is a naturally occurring protein we all have in our bodies. From a skincare perspective, if you think of your facial structure as the wooden beams in a house reno, collagen is the cushiony insulation and the screws holding everything together. It’s a building block for our hair and nails, too.

Dr Adrian Lim, a Sydney-based dermatologist and the Dean of the College of the Australasian College of Dermatology, toldMamamia:

“Collagen is the padding of the skin and it gives the skin integrity. It also reflects light in a certain way, so it contributes to tautness, radiance and glow.”

He also explained collagen diminishes with age (this starts around 25, fun), as well as with sun damage and disease. The result is skin that shows some or all the common signs of ageing like wrinkles, and loss of tone and volume.

The other important thing to know about collagen is it’s a large molecule. Dietitian Rachel Scoular broke down the science for us, tellingMamamia, “Once we ingest collagen, it is digested and broken down into amino acid strands that are absorbed by our bodies as they are.”

This means the collagen we eat in a traditional diet can’t be broken down and re-packaged as collagen for our face.

Collagen products promise youthful, bouncy, plump skin. But do they deliver? Image: Getty.

Collagen for skin - can eating or drinking collagen give you better skin?

Now onto the part where people are paying good money to eat, drink or shot a collagen product for better skin. But if collagen is too big for the body to absorb and use, how can collagen products claim to replenish our existing collagen stores for glowy, more youthful skin?

The answer: collagen peptides.

"Traditionally, collagen has limited absorption capabilities. What's different these days is we have these 'peptide' versions [of collagen]. Many collagen supplements claim to contain small collagen peptides that, once ingested, can get into the blood stream and improve collagen synthesis, particularly in the skin to see an improvement in appearance," Dr Lim said.

In other words, peptides can effectively boss your cells around and make them produce more collagen.

Sounds ideal, but is there science to back these claims up? Both Dr Lim and Scoular noted that yes, literature shows small studies have identified a signal telling us there could be something in the ingestion of collagen peptide products and improved skin elasticity and decreased wrinkle appearance.

The key word here iscould.

"More studies are required to draw a conclusive link between collagen consumption and possible benefits for premature ageing or improved skin appearance. There is limited evidence that has found a small link, however, these results are minimal and also disputed by other studies," Scoular said.

Dr Lim added, "The caution is, of course, that these studies will amount to nothing. [The current research] is a far stretch from all the products coming onto the market claiming benefits."

Why are collagen drinks, snacks and supplements everywhere right now?