Meiji amino collagen: miracle or farce?
31 May
There is one product that always gets my Singaporean friends and family really interested — Meiji Amino Collagen (5,000mg). – Click here to go to Beauty Box!
Watch my videos on how to make delicious low-fat collagen drinks.
A gal pal who lives in New York came to visit me and she commented that my skin was looking good, in fact much better than she remembered two years ago. It was flattering indeed because we hadn’t seen each other in ages. Do you know she bought 10 packets of the stuff? I hope her skin is glowing, too.
My elder sister was taking this collagen supplement as an experiment — she didn’t know I was guzzling it too. When she found out how much is costs in Tokyo, she asked me to buy as many packets as possible.
An ex-student of mine mentioned this skin wunderkind to me. She witnessed a Japanese gal pal’s transformation a year after she left for Taipei and returned for a visit in Japan — apparently her middle-aged friend’s skin changed dramatically from a papery, dry state to becoming more supple and smooth. All the friends in their group jumped into the habit immediately. My student took it for four months and I thought she looked much better. Let me clarify that her fine lines were still there but the texture of her skin looked more plump and youthful.
I couldn’t resist and now a year later, even my 65-year-old mum is into it. She is stealing spoonfuls of the collagen powder from my sister’s stash. I was tasked to buy her two packets (at least) on my next visit to Singapore. My friends have urged me to sell this on Yahoo auctions in Singapore. It sounds tempting but I don’t think I would make enough on a single trip to be worth the trouble.
The other star product from Japan is Fancl’s Tense Up EX collagen drink. It’s definitely more expensive and the dosage is actually half of what’s recommended for Meiji. Though 50 per cent cheaper in Japan than in Singapore, it is still the more pricey alternative. It tastes good with its sweet orange flavour but the bottles are heavy to transport. There are powder and pills in this range but they are not as potent.
Another question that people always have is, what does Meiji taste like? It is fairly mild in flavour. Some people think it’s fishy and my mum is convinced that it tastes like gelatin. You can drink it with milk tea, juice, or like my mother, make it into lemon jelly (that’s weird, who has the time, right?). Apparently you could put it in soup but I wouldn’t encourage that. Don’t try to drink it by itself in water either — it is horrible!
A friend suggested that this stuff doesn’t work at all because you cannot absorb collagen through your digestive system and the only way your skin can benefit from collagen is if you inject in directly into your skin. Hmmm, well, I don’t know about that. I still think the real-life testimonials I’ve had and myself included are pretty reliable. My testimonial reads, “I was mistaken for a 24-year-old twice at a party!” (Chuckles…)
I have to warn newbies though — purely from my own experience — that too much collagen could make your face look puffed up. I was very diligent in taking the stuff in the first three months. After a two-week holiday somewhere, the supermarket Chinese cashier I am friendly with exclaimed in Mandarin, “Your face became fat (ni de lian hao xiang fei le)!” Fortuitously, my Japanese student cautioned on taking too much (her facialist said it may cause breakouts) collagen and advised me to halve my intake or just take a little less than the 5,000mg per spoonful a day.
My mother said that I look fairer (I use Olay UV blocker daily now) and my skin looks smoother (I used to struggle with acne but those teenage years are long gone). I don’t know if it’s the Tokyo weather but I would think a humid, tropical clime would be better for you.
Do I have a real conclusion? I wouldn’t put my life on the line to declare this supplement works for sure. I think that if you take it at least for six months to a year and beyond, you can see slow changes to your skin — more radiance and suppleness. I don’t think it erases bad habits like not using a sunscreen or not getting enough sleep, so you still need to stick to a good skincare regime and lifestyle.
No related posts.
No this product does not heal acne scars…
Hi,
Is this product is helping the aging spot and sagging skin, is there any side effect, thank you
This is not a product that will do miracles to be honest. It will help your skin look more radiant and supple…slight tightening but it won’t erase wrinkles or remove sagging skin. See it as something to help you improve what you have slightly….There are no side effects…
Hi, i have just stated taking drink collagen for a weeek.
Please advise if i can take coffee in the morning? And also green tea? Thank you.
Hi Yuming,
I am active user of Meiji collagen since 2009, now i am pregnant, is it safe to use it now during pregancy?
It should be safe but you should always check with your doctor if he/she is okay with you taking such supplements.
I have just bought Meiji Collagen and have been consuming daily for 2 weeks already. I mix it with 1 pack of Meiji Cassis C and it taste great!
As per recommendation, I drink it every night before sleep. Hopefully my uneven dark skin tones on my arms will fade in a few months time. 
Have been trying lotion and creams which doesnt help. Will update again!
hi i’m really interested in buying meiiji collagen but i dont know what to buy the amino collagen or the premium since I have oily and acne prone skin. by the way do you know where i could buy it here in the Philippines?
I brought the regular meiji collagen in the can off beauty box online and it’s been one week so far. I must say, I can slowly see the difference on my skin, bring my acne out and then better skin comes forth. I have to say it works like my acne medication prescript by my doctor. The only reason I stopped taking the acne medicine because it cause great nausea, vomitting, dizziness and fast heart beat. The collagen drink is more expensive since I can only buy online, but there is no side effect (which I love since I went through hell trying to stay on that acne medicine), just the taste alone is not the best, but if you mix with a strong juice, it’s actually not bad at all, you won’t taste it almost. I like it so far, I will keep you guys posted of my experience if I can.
Can you tell us the expiration date of this product? (Meiji amino collagen)
12 months or 18 months?
it really depends when you buy it and which batch but i would say 12-15 months.
I bought a one it says 2012/6/14 I just wanna make sure it was made before the earthquake or after the earthquake
If it makes you feel any better, the fish used in this product is not from Japan.
i have some acne in my back. do you think meiji collagen would help me? how much do i have to drink before taking it’s effect?
No this product does not help acne.
Must it be taken at night? I’d like to take it in the morning in my breakfast drink.
Hi Yuming, I was wondering if this product is safe for men as well?
I have been reading reviews from other forums and it has been reported it contains estrogen. Could you please clarify? Thx
Yes it is safe for men and there is no estrogen in this supplement.
hello
Your blog is Awesome! I have a question, since the product is japanese and based on fish skins etc… Do you think it’s safe to consume it now? Specially after Tsunami and the Fukushima accident? Im tempted to use it…
My 2nd question, does it help only the face or the entire body skin? I want to even the color of my body and face.
Thank you so much. Much love
Hi, it won’t help the color of your skin. And all I can say is the fish used in the product is not from Japan.
Must it be taken at night? I’d like to take it in the morning in my breakfast drink.
I’ve asked this question twice. Why no response? Can it be taken in the morning why do the directions specify the evening?
Please read the comments that came before yours. This question has been asked multiple times.