Apples and penguins: the pitfall of comparing collagen peptide prices
10, 2024
Manufacturers should consider cost-in-use and added value, rather than being seduced by per kilo prices when evaluating different collagen peptide options, says Lara Niemann, Category Management, Beauty, at GELITA.
With high input prices and consumers stretched by the rising cost of living, manufacturers are digging deeper to find ways of protecting their margins. In this context, formulation economics are under greater pressure and scrutiny than ever before.
When reviewing costs and determining where savings can be made it is important to perform cost-in-use calculations rather than simply drawing cost per kilo comparisons. This is especially true in the realm of functional health ingredients where overly simplistic calculations can lead to misinformed decisions.
The issue is that you are rarely comparing like with like. You might think you are comparing apples with apples, but it is highly likely you are comparing apples with penguins, meaning the two things are not comparable.
We frequently see this flawed comparison in the collagen peptides market. VERISOL® - the leading collagen peptides for beauty from within applications - does indeed carry a higher per kilo price than many of the typical competitive collagen peptides in the market. But don’t fall into the trap of making a simple per kilo price comparison.
It’s all about the dose
Let’s consider what you’re getting in the per kilo price. The simple fact is that one kilo of competitive collagen peptides equals one kilo of VERISOL® …by weight only. But - and this is important - what are you getting in that one kilo?
Typical competitive collagen peptides are often recommended with a daily dose of 10 grams, which means each kilo offers 100 daily doses. VERISOL®, on the other hand, has been optimized to deliver more of the right thing to skin cells and as such, features a low daily dose of 2.5 g, which means that each kilo of VERISOL® offers 400 daily doses: four times that of its typical competitors. Even if VERISOL® were double the per kilo price of competitive collagen peptides, its cost in use would still be half the price!
Further, five published clinical trials have confirmed 2.5 g as the optimal dose level for VERISOL® to achieve discernible benefits for wrinkle reduction, skin elasticity, cellulite reduction, and hair and nail health.
Beyond the math
When making comparisons between different collagen peptide solutions, there are other factors to consider that add value but don’t show up in calculations.
The mechanism by which VERISOL® peptides work is different to some other forms of collagen and key to its efficacy.VERISOL® interacts with the fibroblasts in the skin using a ‘lock and key’ principle. It unleashes collagen production by simulating these cells to produce more collagen. Also, thanks to its robust supporting science, VERISOL® has health claims in major markets, including Brazil, Japan and Canada, with more expected soon. It is hard to monetize the value of a health claim, but it counts for a lot.
