What's the Difference Between Bovine and Marine Collagen?

We get this question a lot. And it's a great question! People want to know which one is better or what the difference is. In short, they are both awesome and either one you choose will give you results. However, here’s some additional information for you so that you can make the decision that best suites you. 

First and foremost, both types (bovine and marine) have the amino acids necessary to help repair your hair, skin, nails, digestive tract, joints, spinal cord, etc. In terms of the effects they have on the body, they both have excellent effects to repair the body. They have a really nice amino acid profile targeting the aforementioned parts of the body. (you can view that in the amino acid profile page if you are interested).

The most obvious difference between our products is the solubility factor.

The Marine Collagen comes in a granular form, which dissolves more easily in liquids, particularly in cold liquids.

The Bovine Collagen comes in a fine powder form and there is a very specific reason for this.

We chose fine powder for the Bovine: we tested the collagen in various forms on many people and noticed that the highest absorbency rate in the digestive tract was in the fine powder form for the bovine collagen. So we decided to sacrifice a little bit on the solubility in liquids so that our customers could get the maximum absorbency from the product. We are working on getting the bovine collagen to a point where the absorbency is still very high and can be delivered in a granular form. As soon as we have that formula complete, we will bring it out to the public. But for now, fine powder absorbs better through the digestive tract so we decided to sacrifice on the solubility factor to make sure our customers are getting the most out of the product.

When testing the marine collagen, we did not notice a significant difference between the fine powder and granular form in terms of absorbency so we decided to go with granular because, like I mentioned, it dissolves more easily in liquids and that is very convenient.

 As far as other differences, here’s what you need to know:

 Why Marine Collagen?

1. The main reason is that not everyone eats beef and we were getting lots of requests for an alternative to beef collagen. (Some people don’t eat beef because their body feels heavy when they eat it, or its a religious belief not to eat it, etc.) We searched many sources and finally found this Wild Caught Red Snapper Collagen that is really really high quality. So for those who want an alternative to bovine collagen, the marine collagen is the perfect fit. 

2. Extremely sensitive digestive tracts. We have noticed that a few people (less than 1%) have very sensitive digestive tracts and tend to do better with marine collagen. Its as simple as that. If you tried bovine collagen and you seemed to react to it, try marine. It might be the right fit for you.

3. Taste. Marine collagen has almost no taste when put in water in comparison with bovine collagen. You really can’t taste either in other liquids such as smoothies, coffee, etc. But for some very sensitive people, the taste factor makes a difference. 

Why Bovine? 

1. If you've already tried our bovine collagen, and its working out great for you, it might just be as simple as that. Why change something that is working? Stick with what works. And keep it going. :) Of course you can try marine if you're curious. And at the same time, you're getting results at a great price. No argument there.

2. You love beef and your body feels well when you eat it. Then stick with bovine collagen. 

3. Price. The price of bovine collagen is lower than our marine. Our sourcing of red snapper collagen is very limited as it is meant to stay sustainable for the planet, so the price is higher. If price is a concern for you, you'll want to stick with bovine collagen. 

 So overall how should you choose? It really boils down to preference. Some people like bovine more, others prefer marine. Usually if you try both, you can see which one feels better to you. 

If you are more interested in the convenience of how it dissolves in liquids while maintaining high absorbency into the body, marine collagen is the way to go. It is also the right fit for people who have very sensitive digestive systems and tend to be allergic to a lot of things.

If you are already doing well with our bovine collagen or may be on a tighter budget, then you can keep a high absorbency at a lower price by going with the bovine collagen, and you’ll just know that you need to use the blending method for dissolving in cold liquids.

In the end it will be a matter of preference based on those factors I mentioned. Regardless of which one you choose, you can be sure that we’ve taken the time to truly research and deliver the highest quality products for human health while taking care of the animals and the sustainability of the planet in the process. That’s our commitment and our philosophy.

Best,

Mariela Villaverde and Daniela Villaverde, Co-Owners

The Functional Company

P.S. If you are on a subscription plan and want to try our marine collagen, you can do a one time purchase of marine collagen and "skip a month" for your next subscription. Then, if you'd like to switch over to marine collagen in your subscription, just send us an email at info@functionalco.com and we'll be happy to help.