When considering whether or not to take a collagen supplement, most people will ask 2 questions – does it taste bad, and does it work? And if you’re a vegan, you will also ask whether there is a plant-based alternative to the dubious bovine and marine-sourced broths that some celebrities and influencers seem to want to persuade us all to buy.
Well, as it happens, there is an alternative and in this review of Arella’s vegan liquid collagen we will consider all those questions. In it I describe my experience of using the product, explain why I like it, share my thoughts on its pros and cons, and point you in the direction of some of the research I did to educate myself on the efficacy of collagen supplementation. I hope you find it useful.
Pros
- Great taste
- Effective
- Competitively priced
- Vegan, and allergen-free
Cons
- Packaging
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Who is Arella Beauty?
Founded by Laura Capewell, Arella Beauty is a UK based company that focuses on a select number of beauty and wellbeing supplements that are vegan, sustainable and use ‘clean’ ingredients. They have a good score of 4.7 on Trustpilot where you can see largely positive, genuine purchaser reviews. This post has been sponsored by them, but reflects Vegan Mum’s genuine opinion of the product.
What is liquid collagen?
Arella’s individual vegan liquid collagen sachets each contain 30ml (suggested daily intake) of…yes, you guessed it…liquid, made up of VeCollal® vegan collagen alternative, together with a number of collagen-supporting nutrients. The consistency is fairly syrupy – not dissimilar to an old-school undiluted fruit squash, although not as sweet. It tastes very pleasant and because it is already measured out for you, it’s also very convenient.
Vegan collagen can come in many other forms though, often as a powder which you need to measure out and dilute in water, or as a capsule. I personally like the convenience of the liquid sachet and find it much more palatable than the other forms. Some research also suggests that collagen in liquid form is more bio-available, which basically means it is more easily absorbed and used by the body.
My experience of Arella vegan liquid collagen
I found that I really benefitted from taking this product, so here’s some more detail about my thoughts – both positive and negative:
It tastes great
If you want to take a supplement every day for any reason, its taste becomes pretty important because if it’s bad, it can actually put you off taking it. And collagen does have quite a reputation on the flavour front, so I was very pleasantly surprised by the flavour of Arella’s plant-based product.
Not that I have ever taken a bovine or marine-based collagen – I’ve been vegan for many years and vegetarian before that, so back to a time when collagen wasn’t on my priority list – but you’ve only got to dig around on the internet a bit to see that its dubious taste, and how to stomach it, is a popular topic!
I have tried other vegan collagens though, and whilst they don’t share the problematic flavour profile of the animal-based products, they can taste a bit metallic. To counteract that, some brands use flavourings and sweeteners to excess which causes them to be too sticky, syrupy, and a bit sickly. Not a flavour profile that I enjoy.
So, I find Arella’s vegan liquid collagen comparatively tasty and very pleasant. It is a grown-up flavour, not overly sweet, and you do get a hint of the Japanese Plum that underpins it. But it’s worth remembering that you are taking a supplement, not eating something that has culinary aspirations, so I guess it’s a good idea to manage your expectations too!
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I find it very effective
It is enormously difficult to judge whether any supplement works, and I’m never terribly convinced by before and after pictures either. With different lighting, a changed angle, or strategic make-up application, the camera can definitely be economical with the truth.
Or maybe I’m just a cynic. Either way, I’m not going to insult your intelligence with a before and after photo, and as a woman who is hurtling through her early 60’s, you’re just going to have trust me on this one.
Arella’s product is known as type 1 collagen which is formulated to focus on hair, nails and skin.
Skin
I’ve been using Arella regularly now for 2 years (although not constantly) and find it particularly useful after the harsh effects of a cold winter. Whilst I would find it difficult to measure whether my facial lines have reduced, I have experienced a vast improvement in the overall condition of my skin and that was apparent within the first few weeks of using it. As a result my skin is clearer, more hydrated, and the pores on my nose and chin are much less noticeable.
But in addition to all that, I have rosacea – an inflammatory skin condition – and have experienced a very positive (and welcome) impact since taking this supplement. My skin tone has gradually evened out and most importantly of all, I have not had to use antibiotics to clear up unpleasant inflammatory breakouts for nearly 2 years which is amazing.
Hair
Without doubt my hair is in better condition and whilst I had started to see some thinning as I’ve got older, that has abated and I have plenty of regular new growth in evidence!
Nails
I’m lucky because my nails have always been fairly strong and healthy, so I can’t say that anything has changed there as a result of taking collagen. However, I know that others have said they see improvements after taking a supplement.
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Competitively priced
I’ve checked out a number of Arella’s competitors and compared prices where they have a similar product, although I found only 1 other brand whose product seemed to be of equally high quality. The prices below are correct at the time of publishing so are subject to change, and you may also find discount codes that could reduce the price gap a little. However, the cost difference is still significant and Arella certainly seems to have a competitive edge on both price and ingredients.
| Quantity | Purchase option | Arella | Competitor |
| 14 sachets | one-off purchase | £32.99 | £45.95 |
| 14 sachets | subscription | £26.39 | £35.95 |
| 28 sachets | subscription | £48 | £64.71 |
So, decent collagen supplements are costly, but although Arella’s product isn’t cheap, it is competitive when compared with similar products on the market. And you can use Vegan Mum’s exclusive Arella discount code below to secure an exclusive 20% reduction with Arella:
It’s vegan and allergen-free
Arella’s products are vegan, sustainably sourced and apart from containing no animal or dairy products, they are free from soy, wheat and gluten too.
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Packaging
I guess that in return for the convenience factor of having a tasty, ready to drink sachet, with no measuring, unpleasant-tasting powders, or capsules to swallow, there is an environmental impact. Arella do state though that they use recycled materials – that are also recyclable – wherever possible.
And the outer packaging is all cardboard and easily recycled. I’m assuming that it is difficult to find a completely environmentally-friendly packaging material that will hold a liquid, but I’m sure there are people out there that know far more about that than I do…
My verdict
I’ve seen some great results from using this product and to back that up, I’ve also been fortunate enough to speak to an expert in this area, Dr Ioannis Liakas who explained why taking a supplement is so beneficial. You can read my interview with him in my article Does Vegan Collagen Work?
And Arella vegan liquid collagen contains all the right ingredients that research suggests will help with your skin’s signs of ageing, including:
- VeCollal® type 1 collagen – a scientifically proven alternative to animal-based collagen, supporting collagen production
- Vitamin A Retinol – anti-inflammatory, reduces appearance of wrinkles, treats certain skin disorders
- Ginseng – anti-inflammatory, and may help protect against UV damage and collagen degradation
- Hyaluronic Acid – a key molecule in ageing, and encourages moisture retention
- Vitamin C – perhaps the most fundamentally important vitamin in your body’s synthesis of collagen
But it’s not just me that has experienced the benefits of taking Arella – many users have reported improvements in their skin’s signs of ageing and you can also see the results of an independent clinical trial in my Research References below.
So in conclusion, I feel very comfortable about recommending this product because whilst I appreciate it’s never going to make me look like I’m 20 again, I’m pretty pleased with the results it does give me!
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Research References
VeCollal® in vitro and human independent clinical trials
Retinoid articles from Medical News Today
Hyaluronic acid: A key molecule in skin aging
If you would like to read more about VeCollal® and further research I have done on the efficacy of vegan collagen, see Vegan Mum’s 6 Best Vegan Collagen Supplements UK Guide.
More articles on vegan collagen
I hope you have found this review of Arella’s liquid collagen helpful. You can find out why I particularly like to take it in the Spring in my article on Getting Ready for Summer. And if you’d like to read more about vegan collagen in general, some examples for further reading are below:
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