How important is type 3 collagen?
Reviewed by Scarlett Gray, Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD200526), BNutrDiet Hons, Sports Dietitian. @scarlett__redefiningnutrition
Reviewed: 16 September 2026
As you explore collagen supplements, you'll keep meeting the same three characters: types 1, 2 and 3, the most abundant collagen types in the body. Do they do different things? Does it matter which one you take? This post covers what each type does, takes an honest look at type 3 specifically, and explains why Kollo uses type 1 marine collagen. For the fuller science, our guide to collagen types 1, 2 and 3 goes deeper.
A brief introduction to types 1, 2 and 3
Type 1 accounts for roughly 90% of your body's total collagen. It's the main type in skin, where it supports firmness, elasticity and hydration, and it also forms the protein framework of tendons, ligaments, bones and teeth. Marine collagen is predominantly type 1.
Type 2 is found mainly in cartilage, the cushioning tissue between the bones in your joints, and in the discs of your spine.
Type 3 is found in your skin (usually alongside type 1), blood vessels, muscles and internal organs including the intestines.
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body, making up around 30% of your total protein. It's a structural protein that provides strength and elasticity to many tissues: it gives the skin its firmness and supports hydration, and it also contributes to the suppleness of tendons and ligaments, the integrity of cartilage and the structure of bones. Natural collagen production begins to decline by roughly 1% per year from around age 25. On the supplement side, clinical research consistently shows measurable improvements in skin elasticity, hydration, and the appearance of fine lines over 8 to 12 weeks of daily use at around 10g.
How important is type 3 collagen?
Type 3 is the second most abundant collagen type in your body, with a genuine structural role in the intestines, blood vessels and muscles, as well as supporting type 1 in the skin. Because of where it lives, there's understandable interest in whether supplementing it matters for gut and cardiovascular health. But finding a protein in a tissue doesn't mean swallowing more of it improves that tissue, and here's where we have to be straight with you: no clinical trials have shown that oral type 3 collagen supplementation improves gut health or arterial health, and any link between taking type 3 collagen and reducing heart attack or stroke risk is not established. Collagen is generally well tolerated, and research into its possible role in gut and vascular health is ongoing, but ongoing research is not proven benefit, and we won't pretend otherwise.
What about type 2 collagen?
Type 2 makes up most of the collagen in cartilage, and everyone's cartilage experiences wear over a lifetime, which is why joints are the second big reason people reach for collagen.
Here's the evidence picture worth knowing. Hydrolysed collagen, which Kollo's marine collagen is, has the broader evidence base for joint outcomes in osteoarthritis and active populations, at typical doses of 5 to 15g daily. Undenatured type II collagen, usually derived from chicken cartilage and taken at around 40mg daily, has emerging evidence in osteoarthritis specifically and works through a different mechanism: immune-modulating, rather than providing raw peptides. Both work best over 12+ weeks alongside movement. Supplements support joints; they don't replace exercise, physiotherapy, or medical care.
So why does Kollo use type 1 collagen?
Two honest reasons. First, type 1 is by far the most abundant collagen in the body and the dominant type in skin, where the strongest supplement evidence sits: elasticity, hydration and the appearance of fine lines over 8 to 12 weeks, with emerging evidence for joint comfort at 12+ weeks.
Second, and this is the part most collagen marketing skips: whatever type of collagen you swallow, your body breaks it down into peptides and amino acids and uses them to build whatever collagen it needs. Your body decides what types to produce, so consuming type 3 collagen won't necessarily raise your own type 3 levels. What you're really supplying is high-quality building blocks. Kollo delivers 10,000mg (10g) of hydrolysed type 1 marine collagen peptides per daily sachet, at the top of the range used in clinical research, in a low molecular weight form that's easy to absorb.
So do I need to take type 3 collagen specifically?
No. Since your body directs its own collagen production, the sensible strategy is supplying it well rather than chasing specific types. That means a quality hydrolysed collagen source plus the nutrients your body uses in collagen synthesis:
- Amino acids, from collagen peptides and other dietary protein
- Vitamin C, which contributes to normal collagen formation
- B vitamins
- Copper and zinc
- Antioxidant-rich fruit and vegetables
These come from a varied diet: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, pulses, leafy greens, citrus, nuts and seeds. And protect the collagen you have: daily sunscreen and sensible sun exposure, not smoking, managing stress, limiting refined sugar and alcohol, regular exercise, hydration and 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Our reviewed guide on what to avoid when taking collagen supplements covers the protection side in more detail.
What makes Kollo stand out?
Kollo was developed by following the science, and the factual case is this: 10,000mg of premium hydrolysed type 1 marine collagen per daily sachet, a formula enriched with B vitamins, vitamin C and l-lysine, a great tropical taste from natural, sugar-free flavourings, and every batch Informed Choice certified, independently tested for over 250 prohibited and potentially harmful substances. Thousands of five-star reviews from verified buyers, over a million doses sold, features on ITV This Morning and in Women's Running, and multiple industry awards round out the picture, but the label is the argument: explore Kollo Premium Liquid Marine Collagen and judge it yourself.
