Rousselot pushes targeted collagen peptides beyond beauty and mobility with Nextida platform

Amid continued consumer and market interest in collagen, Rousselot says the category is moving beyond generic claims toward targeted collagen peptides’ composition and clinically validated solutions. The collagen and gelatin specialist highlights brand opportunities to stand out in an increasingly crowded market by moving beyond traditional beauty and mobility applications, such as tapping into metabolic wellness with its specific collagen peptide Nextida GC. 

Nutrition Insight discusses the importance of peptide composition and scientific research supporting collagen peptides’ specific health benefits with Florencia Moreno Torres, global marketing manager at Rousselot. 

“Collagen peptides are mainstream and will forever stay as the standard ingredient for beauty and mobility.” 

However, in the future, she expects innovations to go beyond traditional benefits in beauty and mobility through more precise peptides. “That’s why we’re calling it the next generation of collagen peptides.”

“The number of benefits that collagen can bring beyond beauty and mobility is immense. In the next few years, we’re going to start seeing new collagen ingredients and specific collagen peptide compositions, tackling specific health benefits outside the classic box.”

“Looking ahead, the Nextida platform will continue to expand, reflecting our commitment to unlocking new, targeted health benefits.” Moreno Torres adds. 

Beyond beauty and mobility

Collagen is well-established in applications for beauty and mobility. Moreno Torres notes that most companies and scientific research focus on these benefits. However, she says the recent collagen boom has driven more industry initiatives and research in other health areas such as sports and active nutrition as well.

Moreover, as the most abundant protein in humans, she says it is logical that collagen has applications beyond skin, mobility and active nutrition.

Demonstrating how collagen benefits are expanding beyond these traditional applications, Nextida GC is a specialized collagen peptide composition developed to support metabolic wellness. Clinical trials showed increases in the natural release of GLP-1 and GIP, reductions in post-meal glucose spikes, and improvements in insulin response among study participants.

“The body of studies around metabolic health is not as big as traditional beauty and mobility (yet), but the quality of the science is strong and is increasingly growing.”

Rousselot’s research shows that 50% of collagen passes through the bloodstream as dipeptides and tripeptides bonded by hydroxyproline.“There’s a whole world of potential hidden in the collagen molecule, and for us, the success is in unlocking that potential and continuing to research.”

Collagen innovations

Rousselot’s R&D center started working on the Nextida platform several years ago, says Moreno Torres. At the time, Rousselot had conducted an analysis on the collagen market, which projected substantial growth. 

“As you have more competition, and it becomes more mainstream, you need to find ways to differentiate yourself,” she highlights. “For several years, we were seeing that this growth was coming and that it was necessary to continue to differentiate, so Rousselot started to invest substantially.” 

Moreno Torres says the company created a library of collagen peptides, each with a different, specific composition of peptides. This library is called the Nextida platform. 

“We test these candidates in vitro first for different mechanisms of action. In the case of our first ingredient from the Nextida platform, Nextida GC, we tested it for GLP-1 secretion in vitro. Compared to the other 16 candidates, it was significantly higher. Then we moved to in vivo testing and clinical testing, and that’s the Nextida GC that we have now.”

Hydrolyzing the collagen molecule

Moreno Torres notes that collagen's functionality lies in its unique composition. Unlike other proteins, collagen contains hydroxyproline, an amino acid with a distinctive structure that allows a significant proportion of collagen peptides to survive digestion intact.

“Our peer-reviewed bioavailability studies show that around 43% of hydroxyproline is absorbed as collagen-specific dipeptides and tripeptides, rather than being fully broken down into free amino acids,” she explains. “This highlights why collagen peptides cannot simply be viewed as another protein source.”

“These dipeptides and tripeptides also go through the bloodstream, and these specific compositions trigger very specific pathways for physiological functions.”

Moreno Torres says Rousselot aims to research which pathways these different combinations of di- and tripeptides trigger to bring targeted benefits. 

Rousselot is also building real-world evidence for its collagen peptides in response to customers’ growing demand for such data.She compares the process of hydrolyzing collagen peptides with cooking: “We may have the same cake recipe and ingredients, but different ovens, or we add slightly different quantities of ingredients. We will both make a cake, but the flavor is different.”

“Our way of hydrolysis varies so that we can obtain different candidates, and that’s why you get a different target benefit, because the type of dipeptides and tripeptides is different in each candidate.”

Science focus

Clinical validation and robust science are crucial for Rousselot, underscores Moreno Torres. The company has built a research and innovation center in Ghent, Belgium, where scientists collaborate with universities and clinical research organizations. “It’s not only about the quantity of studies, but it’s also the quality of the science,” she adds. 

In addition to clinical validation, the company translates its findings into customer- and consumer-friendly information. 

“For our customers, we have a co-branded program,” says Moreno Torres. “Part of the advantages of that program is that our customers have access to some of our marketing material. We can coach them on how they can communicate findings, and our scientists and regulatory team offer support with communication to end consumers.”

She adds that each candidate’s collagen peptide composition in the Nextida platform is being tested for a specific mechanism of action, which means the company can link its products, such as Nextida GC, to specific health areas. 

In addition to clinical evidence, Moreno Torres says Rousselot is focusing on building real-world evidence for its targeted collagen peptides in response to customers’ growing demand for such data. Rousselot aims to expand this research for the entire Nextida platform. 

“Recently, we worked on a consumer study with Ipsos, where people were taking Nextida GC for six weeks, and they had very positive feedback. This is still in the pre-launch phase but will come in the upcoming weeks.”

Building a patent portfolio

Rousselot has been working with gelatin and collagen for more than 130 years and started investing heavily in clinical research for collagen around 20 years ago, says Moreno Torres. 

“Because collagen is becoming more mainstream and competitive, we remain committed to pushing the category forward. In the last few years, we’ve been working heavily on increasing our patent portfolio and have been receiving many patents.” 

Moreno Torres notes that patents are especially important for Rousselot’s Nextida platform, as the company aims to patent all ingredients in this platform. 

“It’s also part of the strategy and value proposition of Nextida as a new generation of collagen peptides,” she adds. “Everything we’re going to launch will be a breakthrough in the collagen world, making patents part of the package.”

Currently, Nextida GC holds patents in Australia, Japan, China, Europe, and the US. Moreno Torres says there are pending patents for the ingredient in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Korea, Mexico, India, and Peru.