Safety and Efficacy of a Hydrolyzed Collagen Formulation (HYCOS) for Facial Skin Elasticity and Wrinkles: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

A new randomized trial gives oral collagen supplements something they rarely get: a placebo-controlled test of a named, specific formulation rather than a generic ingredient claim. Published in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, the study tested HYCOS, a drink combining hydrolyzed collagen with glutathione and vitamin E, in 140 Thai adults aged 30 to 60 with mild-to-moderate facial wrinkles over 12 weeks.

The results split cleanly along which outcomes the formulation could actually claim credit for. Skin hydration, measured with a Corneometer, rose significantly in both the HYCOS group and the placebo group, with no meaningful difference between them. The researchers, led by Sutthinee Wisutthathum and colleagues, wrote that this shared improvement suggests the effect 'may be influenced by hydration-related or behavioural factors rather than the supplement alone,' pointing to something as simple as daily drink consumption or the routine of participating in a skincare study.

Elasticity and wrinkle texture told a different story. Using a Cutometer, the trial tracked three elasticity measures, gross elasticity (R2), net elasticity (R5), and overall elasticity (R7), and found the HYCOS group improved more than placebo on all three (p < 0.05). Separately, 3D imaging with a PRIMOS CR system showed the HYCOS group had a significantly greater reduction in crow's feet wrinkle roughness at week 12. Those two outcomes, unlike hydration, tracked the product rather than mere trial participation.

What the trial cannot do is separate which of HYCOS's three ingredients drove those gains. Hydrolyzed collagen, glutathione, and vitamin E were tested only as a combined formula against placebo, never as individual arms. Glutathione is generally marketed for skin brightening and antioxidant activity, and vitamin E for protecting cell membranes from oxidative stress; neither ingredient's contribution to the elasticity or wrinkle-roughness results can be isolated from this design, a limit that any downstream marketing built on the trial's headline findings will need to acknowledge.

On safety, the picture was uncomplicated: of 135 participants who completed the study (66 on HYCOS, 69 on placebo), researchers recorded no product-related adverse events, and blood and urine biochemical values stayed within normal ranges across both groups. The trial is registered with the Thai Clinical Trials Registry under TCTR20250619006, giving future formulators a specific benchmark, gross elasticity R2, net elasticity R5, overall elasticity R7, and crow's feet roughness at week 12, against which any similarly bundled collagen-antioxidant drink can be measured.