With collagen supplements continuing to grow in popularity, many people are looking beyond traditional marine and bovine products in favour of more sustainable, plant-based alternatives. Green People’s new Advanced Pro-Collagen Skin Defence is one such innovation, a vegan daily supplement powered by Vollagen®, a next-generation plant-based amino acid complex designed to support the body’s natural collagen production from within.
Developed to help build, protect and support healthy skin, the science-led formula aims to provide the nutrients needed for normal collagen formation, while helping to address the effects of ageing, environmental stress and menopause. We caught up with Charlotte Vøhtz, Organic Skincare Expert and Founder of Green People UK, to discuss the inspiration behind the launch, the science of collagen, and why she believes healthy skin starts from within.
Your daughter’s diagnosis became the catalyst for this product. Can you tell us more about that journey and how it shaped your understanding of collagen and skin health?
My daughter suffered from eczema and skin allergies as a small child. When she reached puberty, things became far more complex, stretchy skin, stretch marks, easy bruising, scoliosis, joints that would dislocate, severe digestive symptoms, and increasing pain and fatigue. It took thirteen years to get a diagnosis. Up until then, doctors dismissed her and told her it was all in her head. She was eventually diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Watching her go through that completely changed how I think about skin and connective tissue. It stopped being a cosmetic subject for me. Skin and collagen are structural; they hold the whole body together, and when that structure is compromised, it affects everything, not just appearance. That understanding, and wanting to do something constructive with it, is really what led me down the path to this product.
I want to be clear that this supplement is not a treatment or solution for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or any other connective tissue disorder, it’s a general skin-health supplement, and conditions like these need proper medical care and management. That said this supplement is created with love in memory of my late daughter Alexandra (Sandra).
When did you realise there was a gap in the market that Green People could help fill?
As a skincare brand with a focus on protecting the skin barrier and supporting collagen, I felt it was important to take the next step and bring a pro-collagen supplement into the range. It became obvious to me that almost every collagen supplement on the market was marine or bovine, animal-derived. That leaves out a huge number of people – vegans, vegetarians, anyone with dietary or religious restrictions, or simply anyone who doesn’t want to take something derived from fish or cows. Given everything we stand for at Green People, that felt like a gap we were well placed to fill.
Collagen supplements have become hugely popular in recent years. What is the largest misconception people have about collagen?
The biggest one I hear constantly is the idea that if you swallow collagen, it somehow travels straight to your skin. It doesn’t work like that. Any collagen you eat gets broken down into amino acids during digestion, just like any other protein, it isn’t delivered intact to your face. What actually matters is whether your body has what it needs to build its own collagen.
Another thing people underestimate is how early the decline starts. Collagen production begins to slow from our mid-twenties, and depending on factors like UV exposure, stress levels and dietary habits, too much sugar in particular, that decline compounds over time. By the age of 50, most of us have lost around a quarter to a third of our peak collagen and some even up to 50 percent. It’s not an overnight change, which is exactly why it catches people off guard.
Many people assume more collagen is always better. Is that true?
Not at all. Your body regulates collagen production itself, it’s not simply a case of “more in, more out.” What it needs is a balanced supply of amino acids alongside the right cofactors, and that’s really where the value lies.
Our formula is built around three roles working together. First, building – Vollagen’s amino acids combine with vitamin C, which contributes to collagen formation, to lay the nutritional groundwork. Second, protecting – zinc, vitamin C, grape seed extract and superoxide dismutase (SOD) provide antioxidant defence, zinc specifically contributes to protecting cells from oxidative stress, grape seed extract is a natural source of OPCs with antioxidant properties, and SOD is a powerful antioxidant enzyme, in our case derived from melon extract. Third, supporting – zinc, copper and iron stimulate and activate collagen formation and contribute to normal skin maintenance. Iron in particular, which we include as ferrous bisglycinate, is essential for synthesising resilient collagen, alongside its role in normal oxygen transport in the body.
Our formula also reflects this balance in its amino acid profile – Vollagen contains all 18 amino acids found in collagen, in the same proportions the body uses to build its own Type I collagen. So it’s not just about giving the body raw materials, but giving it the right materials, in the right ratio, alongside the cofactors needed to put them to use. That’s the difference between simply taking “more collagen” and actually supporting the process properly.
Why was it important to focus on supporting the body’s own collagen production rather than adding collagen?
Because that’s how the biology actually works. Ingested collagen doesn’t get “installed” wherever you want it, it’s broken down and used (or not) according to what your body needs at the time. Supporting your own production, by giving it the right amino acids and cofactors, works with your biology rather than trying to bypass it.
If someone is already investing in good skincare, where does a supplement fit into their routine?
Think of it as the inside half of an inside-and-out approach. It’s not a replacement for a good skincare routine or SPF, those are still doing essential work on the surface. This is about supporting the structure underneath, so the two work together rather than one substituting for the other.
If you could give people in their 30s, 40s and 50s one piece of advice for protecting their skin naturally, what would it be?
Wear SPF, every day, without fail. UV exposure is the single biggest accelerant of collagen breakdown – more than most products or supplements will ever undo.
Are there everyday habits that have a bigger impact on collagen than people realise?
UV exposure, sleep, smoking and sugar intake all matter more than people expect. Sugar in particular — through a process called glycation — can damage collagen you already have. Stress plays a role too. These everyday habits often outweigh anything you can take in a capsule.
Is this the start of a wider range of ingestible wellness products for Green People?
This is our first move into ingestibles, and I see it as a natural extension of what we’ve always believed – that skin health starts from within. I wouldn’t rule out more in this space as we keep learning.
What excites you most about the future of skin health research?
I’m excited about where the science is heading on the connections between gut health, nutrition and skin, and about supplements becoming more personalised, so people get what their body specifically needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
