Nippon Menard Develops Food-Grade Low-Molecular-Weight Collagen to Boost Collagen Production in Skin, Bones, and Joints

Nippon Menard Cosmetic Co., Ltd. announced that it has developed a proprietary food-grade low-molecular-weight collagen designed to enhance collagen production in the skin, bones, and joints. The company also confirmed that the ingredient acts on the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, which regulates collagen synthesis in cells throughout the body, and efficiently promotes collagen production. By helping maintain collagen levels that decline with age, the ingredient is expected to support skin firmness and the maintenance or improvement of physical function. Collagen accounts for about one-third of the body’s proteins and is widely present in the skin, bones, joints, blood vessels, and other tissues. It plays an important role in maintaining beauty and health. However, collagen levels decrease with age, contributing to wrinkles, sagging, increased fracture risk, and other functional declines. Promoting collagen production in the body and maintaining or increasing collagen levels is therefore important. Recent studies have reported that intake of low-molecular-weight collagen peptides is effective in promoting collagen production. Menard’s previous research found that the dipeptide glycylproline is involved in the formation of collagen fibers in the skin. The company has now succeeded in developing a new food-grade low-molecular-weight collagen with a high glycylproline content. Further functional analysis showed that the newly developed collagen activates the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, a major route for collagen synthesis, and promotes collagen production in skin, bone, and joint cells. The TGF-β/Smad pathway serves as an important command center that switches on collagen synthesis in cells throughout the body. By acting on this pathway, the ingredient is believed to enhance collagen production across the body. The newly developed low-molecular-weight collagen is expected to be applied as a new food ingredient that increases collagen levels throughout the body, supporting both beauty and health. Menard plans to use these research findings in the development of health foods. Part of the research will be presented at the 80th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Nutrition and Food Science, to be held in Takamatsu from May 15 to 17, 2026. Reference materials explain that collagen is abundant in the skin, bones, and joints, supporting skin firmness and elasticity, bone flexibility, and smooth joint movement. Drawing on its cosmetics research, Menard optimized the enzymes and reaction conditions used for collagen breakdown and successfully developed a food-grade low-molecular-weight collagen rich in glycylproline. Cell experiments showed that adding the ingredient to fibroblasts, osteoblasts, and chondrocytes promoted SMAD2/3 activation and increased production of type I collagen in skin and bone cells and type II collagen in joint cells. Supplementary data also showed that SMAD2 and SMAD3 gene expression declines as fibroblasts undergo replicative aging, suggesting that reduced function of these factors may contribute to age-related decreases in collagen levels.