Nutricost Collagen Peptides Vanilla Review
#12 of 12 · Flavored, stevia-sweetened✓ Label verified · Supplement Facts read Oct 18, 2026Real retailer photo, cut out. Label unedited.
Buy it if you want a vanilla collagen scoop with a real 11 g dose at a fair price. The pack says third-party tested and grass-fed but names no lab or certifier, and there is no vitamin C.
$22.95 / 1 lb tub (37 servings, Amazon US, Oct 18, 2026)$0.62 / 11 g serving
Why It Scores 8.0 — And The Label Line Behind Each Number
Form + type matched to job
30% of scoreHydrolyzed collagen, the correct skin-and-connective form (Proksch 2014, Clark 2008), in a single collagen line with no blend. The panel names it "Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate" and does not print the animal or the collagen type; bovine and type I/III come from the listing and the brand page. That puts it level with Orgain, which we also hold at 8.5, and under NOW and Sports Research bovine (9.0 each). Like every peptide here it is not an osteoarthritis product.
- Per serving
- 11 g Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate · 1 scoop (12 g)
- Source
- Panel prints "Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate"; animal and collagen type not printed (listing says bovine, type I and III)
Dose accuracy
25% of score11 g of collagen hydrolysate in a 12 g scoop clears Clark 2008's 10 g joint dose and sits well above Proksch 2014's 2.5-5 g skin dose; two scoops reach 20 g. That is level with Sports Research bovine and Orgain (both 8.0 on the list). We did not copy NOW's 9.0 for its 10 g scoop; an 11 g scoop that needs two scoops for 20 g is held at 8.0 like the other tubs of that size. One quirk: the panel prints 10 g of protein beside the 11 g of collagen, so we use the 11 g collagen line for the dose.
- Protein
- 10 g per scoop (panel line); collagen line prints 11 g
Third-party testing + source quality
20% of scoreThe pack prints "Third Party Tested" with a dagger, a "GMP Compliant Facility" badge and a "Grass-Fed Collagen" badge, and names no lab, no certifier, no grass-fed standard and no certificate. The back label says made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients, so the origin is not named. Nutricost is not in the NSF Certified for Sport product list or the Informed Sport certified-brands list (checked Oct 18, 2026), and we found no batch certificate of analysis. We hold it half a point under Orgain (8.0) and 1.5 under Sports Research bovine (9.0), whose reviews cite certifications.
- Certification
- Pack says "Third Party Tested" and shows a "Grass-Fed Collagen" badge; no lab, certifier or standard named. Not found in the NSF Certified for Sport product list or the Informed Sport certified-brands list (Oct 18, 2026)
- Manufacturing
- Manufactured for Nutricost, Vineyard, UT; "Made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients"; "GMP Compliant Facility" badge, facility not named
Cost per effective serving
15% of score$22.95 for 37 servings is $0.62 per 11 g scoop (Amazon US, Oct 18, 2026), about $0.56 per 10 g of collagen. That is level with Orgain (8.0) on cost per gram and the same band as Sports Research bovine (8.0). The tub holds 37 servings, so two scoops a day runs it down in under three weeks.
- Count
- 37 servings · powder · 454 g (1 lb) tub
- Price
- $22.95 · $0.62 per 11 g scoop (Amazon US, Oct 18, 2026)
Co-factors + real-world response
10% of scoreVanilla, naturally flavored and sweetened with reb M from stevia, with no sugar, sucralose or sugar alcohol on the panel, which is a clean flavored option. No vitamin C is in the scoop, the panel prints 135 mg of sodium (6% of the Daily Value) per scoop from the added Himalayan rock salt, and we have not taste-tested or mixed it. Scored level with Orgain (7.0) and under the unflavored single-ingredient tubs at 7.5.
- Sodium
- 135 mg (6% DV) per scoop
- Flavor
- Vanilla, naturally flavored with other natural flavors
- Sweetener
- Reb M (from stevia extract)
- Other ingredients
- Natural flavors, Himalayan rock salt, reb M (from stevia extract)
- More Specs
- Calories
- 45 calories, 1 g total carbohydrate per scoop
- Minerals
- Calcium 30 mg, phosphorus 20 mg per scoop
- Co-factors
- None; the panel declares no vitamin C
- Label
- Supplement Facts panel read Oct 18, 2026
Label verified. Every figure read from the Supplement Facts photo, Oct 18, 2026.
Marketing Claims Vs. Reality
11 grams of collagen per serving (scoop included).
The panel prints Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate at 11 g per 1 scoop (12 g), and the front shows 11G Collagen Peptides and 37 Servings. It also prints a protein line of 10 g, so the two numbers differ by a gram on the same panel; the collagen line is the one we use.
Grass-fed bovine collagen, type 1 and type 3.
The pack prints Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate and a Grass-Fed Collagen badge. It names no animal, no collagen type and no grass-fed certifier, and the back label says globally sourced ingredients. The bovine and type 1 and 3 wording comes from the Amazon title, its bullets and Nutricost's product page. Treat it as a brand statement.
Third Party Tested.
Printed on the pack with a dagger and on the badge. It names no laboratory, no certifier and no certificate. Nutricost does not appear in the NSF Certified for Sport product list or the Informed Sport certified-brands list we checked on Oct 18, 2026, and we found no batch certificate of analysis on the brand's site. Its product page says an independent, accredited lab tests its products but names none, and the Amazon bullet says ISO-accredited laboratories without naming one.
Manufactured in a GMP compliant, FDA registered facility.
The pack shows a GMP Compliant Facility badge and says made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients. It names no facility and no GMP certifier, and "FDA registered" appears only in the listing. We could not check a facility we cannot identify.
Non-GMO and gluten-free.
The back label prints Third Party Tested, GMO Free and Gluten Free with daggers, and the listing gallery shows Non-GMO and Gluten-Free badges. No Non-GMO Project or gluten-free certifier is named. The panel declares no gluten-containing ingredient, but the claims are the brand's own.
What Our Test Actually Found
A real dose in a flavored scoop
Eleven grams of collagen per scoop clears the 10 g dose from Clark 2008 and is well above the skin dose in Proksch 2014, and the vanilla comes from natural flavors and stevia rather than sugar or sucralose. At about $0.62 a serving it sits level with the other mainstream grass-fed tubs on cost per gram. The panel is simple and complete: one collagen line, a few mineral lines and three other ingredients, with no blend hiding amounts.
The grass-fed and testing claims are statements, not certificates
The pack prints "Third Party Tested" and a "Grass-Fed Collagen" badge and names no lab, no certifier and no grass-fed standard. We searched NSF's Certified for Sport product list and read the Informed Sport certified-brands list on Oct 18, 2026, found no Nutricost entry, and found no batch certificate of analysis. For an animal-tissue concentrate, a named test would carry real weight, so this is the main reason it scores under the best-documented tubs. For a recreational buyer it may be fine; for a drug-tested athlete it decides the purchase.
The panel does not print the animal or the collagen type
The panel line reads Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate. Bovine and type I/III appear in the Amazon title and bullets and on Nutricost's product page, and they are plausible for a grass-fed hydrolysate, but they are not on the pack. The back label also says globally sourced ingredients, so the origin is open. None of this changes the dose; it limits how much of the sourcing story we can confirm.
No vitamin C, and 135 mg of sodium a scoop
Nothing in the scoop supplies vitamin C, the rate-limiting cofactor for your own collagen synthesis, so you add it yourself from food or a cheap supplement. The panel also prints 135 mg of sodium (6% of the Daily Value) per scoop, and Himalayan rock salt is the second item in the other ingredients. That is small for most people, but worth knowing if you watch sodium, and it is a difference from a plain unflavored tub.
It is a skin and connective product, not an osteoarthritis one
Like every peptide tub here, this one does not treat osteoarthritis. That needs undenatured UC-II at 40 mg a day (Lugo 2016 beat glucosamine + chondroitin on knee-OA). These peptides support skin and general activity-related joint comfort at the doses the trials used. Keep the jobs separate.
Full analysis: all pros & cons (8), buy if / skip if
- 11 g of collagen per scoop clears the 10 g trial dose; two scoops reach 20 g
- Vanilla sweetened with stevia, with no sugar, sucralose or sugar alcohol on the panel
- About $0.62 a serving, level with the mainstream grass-fed peptide tubs
- Simple panel with every amount printed and no proprietary blend
- "Third Party Tested" and "Grass-Fed" name no lab or certifier; not in the NSF Sport or Informed Sport lists we checked
- The panel does not print the animal or collagen type, and the origin is "globally sourced"
- No vitamin C in the scoop, and 135 mg of sodium per scoop
- Only 37 servings, so two scoops a day empties the tub in under three weeks
- You want a flavored collagen scoop with stevia instead of sugar or sucralose
- You want an 11 g dose per scoop at a fair price per serving
- You will add your own vitamin C, or already get plenty
- You are not drug-tested and a plain "third party tested" claim is enough for you
- You want a named lab, certifier or batch certificate; none is printed or published for this tub
- You want certified grass-fed sourcing; the pack names no grass-fed certifier
- You want vitamin C and other actives in the scoop; Thorne Collagen Plus and Live Conscious build them in
- Your real problem is osteoarthritis; buy NOW UC-II Type II Collagen, a different mechanism
A real peptide dose (11 g of collagen per 12 g scoop) in a vanilla scoop sweetened with stevia, for about $0.62 a serving, with every amount printed and no proprietary blend. The catches: the "Third Party Tested" and "Grass-Fed" claims name no lab or certifier, the panel does not print the animal or collagen type, there is no vitamin C, and a scoop carries 135 mg of sodium. It scores level with the other mainstream grass-fed peptide tubs on dose and price, and a little lower on testing.
Nutricost Collagen Peptides (Vanilla) is a flavored collagen hydrolysate in a 1 lb tub. The Supplement Facts panel prints 11 g of Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate in a 12 g scoop, 37 servings, and the flavor comes from natural flavors, Himalayan rock salt and reb M from stevia extract, with 45 calories and 1 g of carbohydrate a scoop. At $22.95 that is about $0.62 a serving, or about $0.56 per 10 g. Three things hold it back. The pack says "Third Party Tested" and carries a "Grass-Fed Collagen" badge without naming a lab, a certifier or a certificate, and Nutricost is not in the NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport lists we checked. The panel prints neither the animal nor the collagen type; the bovine and type I/III statements come from the listing. And there is no vitamin C in the scoop. It is also a peptide, not an osteoarthritis product. Here is the full breakdown.
A fair-priced flavored peptide; buy it for the dose and the flavor, and skip it if you need certified testing.
Nutricost Collagen Peptides gives you what a collagen peptide should: a printed 11 g of collagen per scoop, a vanilla flavor from stevia and natural flavors, and a price of about $0.62 a serving. The panel is complete and nothing is hidden in a blend. It scores a little under the best-documented tubs because its testing and grass-fed claims name nothing we can check, the panel does not print the animal or collagen type, and it carries no vitamin C. Two honest limits decide whether it is for you. If you are drug-tested or want certified grass-fed sourcing, choose a product that is in an independent database. And if your problem is osteoarthritis, no peptide will do the job; UC-II is the different tool. For an easy flavored scoop at a fair price, add your own vitamin C, run it for 8-12 weeks and judge it then.
If This Doesn’t Fit — Try These
Sports Research Collagen Peptides (Bovine)
A single-ingredient grass-fed bovine peptide that its review scores for certifications; the pick if you want a plain unflavored scoop and a documented testing story.
NOW Collagen Peptides
An unflavored single-ingredient peptide from a brand with in-house QC, at a smaller 8 oz size; the pick if you want plain collagen to add to your own drinks.
Orgain Collagen Peptides
The closest peer: an unflavored grass-fed peptide in a 1 lb tub that scores 8.1 against this product's 8.0, with a slightly better testing score.
Quick Answers
Is it bovine, and is it really grass-fed?
The Amazon title and Nutricost's own product page call it grass-fed bovine collagen hydrolysate. The pack itself prints only "Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate" on the panel and a "Grass-Fed Collagen" badge, with no animal named and no grass-fed certifier. The back label says it is made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients, so no country of origin is printed. The Amazon listing also says type 1 and type 3 collagen; that is a listing claim, and the pack does not print a collagen type. We treat the grass-fed and bovine statements as the brand's word.
How much collagen is in one scoop?
The panel prints 11 g of Grass-Fed Collagen Hydrolysate in a 12 g scoop, and a separate protein line of 10 g. The 11 g clears the 10 g/day dose used in Clark 2008 (PMID 18416885) and sits well above the 2.5-5 g used in Proksch 2014 (PMID 23949208). For a 20 g day you take two scoops. The tub holds 37 servings, so two scoops a day lasts under three weeks.
What does it use for the vanilla flavor?
The panel lists natural flavors, Himalayan rock salt and reb M (from stevia extract) as the other ingredients, and the front says naturally flavored with other natural flavors. It prints 1 g of total carbohydrate and 45 calories per scoop. There is no sugar, sucralose or sugar alcohol on the panel. Note the sodium: the panel prints 135 mg (6% of the Daily Value) per scoop.
Is Nutricost collagen tested for drug-tested athletes?
We could not confirm it. The pack says "Third Party Tested" with a dagger and names no lab or certifier. We searched NSF Certified for Sport's certified-product list for "nutricost" on Oct 18, 2026 and it returned no results, and Nutricost is not among the brands on the Informed Sport certified-brands list. Nutricost's product page says its products are tested by an independent, accredited lab, names none and links no batch certificate of analysis that we could find. If you are tested, choose a product that is in one of those databases.
Does it have vitamin C built in?
No. The panel lists collagen hydrolysate, calcium, phosphorus and sodium and no vitamin C. Vitamin C is the rate-limiting cofactor for your own collagen synthesis, so pair it with a vitamin C source from food or a cheap separate supplement.
Will it help my osteoarthritis?
No. This is a skin-and-connective-tissue peptide, not an osteoarthritis treatment. Osteoarthritis responds to undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) at 40 mg/day through immune tolerance; Lugo 2016 (PMID 26822714) showed that form beat glucosamine + chondroitin on knee-OA WOMAC over 180 days. Peptides like this one can support general activity-related joint comfort (the Clark 2008 lever) but do not replicate that mechanism.
Sources & Further Reading
3 peer-reviewed sources, each linked to PubMed
- [1] Proksch 2014 PMID 23949208 — Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, oral collagen peptides (2.5-5 g/day) significantly improved skin elasticity versus placebo after 4-8 weeks of supplementation, with effects persisting after the treatment period. The cornerstone trial for collagen peptides' skin use case and the evidence behind ranking hydrolyzed type I/III peptides as the skin-and-connective-tissue form.
- [2] Clark 2008 PMID 18416885 — 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. In athletes with activity-related joint pain, 10 g/day of collagen hydrolysate over 24 weeks reduced joint pain (at rest, on walking, standing, and carrying objects) significantly more than placebo. The reference trial for the ~10 g hydrolyzed-peptide dose for connective-tissue and joint support, and the basis for the 10-20 g peptide dose window used in the methodology.
- [3] Lugo 2016 PMID 26822714 — Efficacy and tolerability of an undenatured type II collagen supplement in modulating knee osteoarthritis symptoms: a multicenter randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. In a 180-day randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 40 mg/day of undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) improved knee-osteoarthritis WOMAC scores significantly more than both placebo and a glucosamine + chondroitin combination. The anchor trial for UC-II's osteoarthritis use case and the reason UC-II is ranked separately from hydrolyzed peptides — it works by oral tolerance / immune modulation at a 40 mg dose, not by supplying collagen building blocks.
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