Plant-based ingredient supplier ProTec Nutra has announced the publication of results from a recent patient-reported study about the impact of its Vollagen ingredient in adults using GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies.
Vollagen is a plant-sourced collagen-profile amino-acid formulation, with the company positioning the product as a plant-based alternative to traditional animal-derived collagen.
The study showed strong consumer perceptions of skin hydration, radiance and suppleness in GLP-1 users, with improvements in hydration, radiance, suppleness and firmness seen after eight weeks. Hair health and shine also showed improvements.
Why this matters
GLP-1 receptor agonist therapies have become increasingly popular and have therefore changed what a significant group of consumers wants from a supplement.
Weight loss from using a GLP-1 is substantial and often rapid. A 2026 study found a clear link between weight loss and the visible changes that came with it.
Among people who lost more than 20% of their body weight, 72% reported skin sagging, 52% reported hair loss and 50% reported a loss of facial volume.
Changes to hair have also been recorded with GLP-1 medication use. A 2026 meta-analysis of 4114 GLP-1 users reported an overall hair-loss event rate of 3.9% and a 3.25-fold higher risk than placebo.
Regulatory trial data for semaglutide and tirzepatide also record hair loss, particularly in women.
For nutricosmetic product formulators, this presents a large opportunity.
The study and its results
The study used 58 volunteers who took 1000 mg of Vollagen daily, as two capsules with a meal and completed questionnaires at four weeks and at eight weeks.
After four weeks, hydration and radiance were the greatest early improvements. 80.39% of respondents agreed that their skin felt hydrated and the same proportion agreed that it looked hydrated.
Radiance reached 74.51%, while suppleness and firmness both reached 72.55%.
These findings remained consistent at eight weeks.
Also at the eight-week mark, 66.67% of participants reported healthier-feeling hair and 66.67% reported shinier-looking hair.
However, the company did note the study's limitations: it was a consumer-perception study rather than a clinical trial and participants were all female, with the largest age group being 40 to 49 years.
ProTec Nutra said that while this cohort "reflects the current GLP-1 nutricosmetic consumer closely," it is a characteristic worth noting.
Gary Parker, Managing Director of ProTec Nutra, explained the reasoning behind the study and its design: "Vollagen has a long-standing evidence base in general skin perception."
"What it did not have was data in the specific population now asking these questions. Rather than infer from that general collagen data and hope the argument held, we commissioned Ayton Global Research to test Vollagen in adults actually taking GLP-1 injections or medication."
Ayton specialises in substantiating perception claims and works under ISO 9001 alongside ESOMAR, MRS and MRC principles, which matters when the output is intended to support marketing claims.
The full study is available to read here.
