The Protein Works is not primarily a collagen brand. It is a sports nutrition company that added collagen to its lineup in 2024, joining an already crowded UK market alongside specialist brands like Ancient + Brave and Hunter and Gather.
But where those brands built their entire identity around collagen, The Protein Works brings something different to the table: mass-market pricing, in-house manufacturing, and the infrastructure of a company that has sold over 430 million shakes worldwide.
We have reviewed every collagen product in The Protein Works range to help you decide whether a sports nutrition brand can genuinely compete with dedicated collagen specialists, and which of their four products actually delivers on the promise. Because while the collagen market is full of premium brands charging premium prices, sometimes the best value comes from an unexpected direction.
About The Protein Works
The Protein Works was founded in 2012 by Mark Coxhead and Ross Edgley in Cheshire, starting from laptops in coffee shops with a mission to make sports nutrition more accessible and better tasting.
The company has since grown into one of the UK’s largest direct-to-consumer functional food brands, now operating from PW Campus, a custom-built £10 million state-of-the-art facility in Liverpool with over 170 employees spanning product development, manufacturing, logistics, and marketing.
The Protein Works manufactures everything in-house at its own facility, which gives it direct control over quality, formulation, and pricing that third-party-manufactured brands simply cannot match. If you want to back a British supplement brand, this is it.
On Trustpilot, The Protein Works holds a 4.7 out of 5 rating from over 46,600 reviews, with 84% of customers awarding a full five stars. That is an exceptional review volume for any supplements brand, though it is worth noting that this rating reflects the entire product range, not collagen specifically. The collagen products are relatively new additions launched in 2024, and individual review counts remain low compared to the brand’s established protein and diet shake lines.
What The Protein Works does not have is the specialist collagen credentials that define its competitors. The brand is not B Corp certified. It does not publish sourcing transparency about its bovine collagen beyond stating it comes from cattle.
There are no sustainability certifications for its marine collagen, no MSC certification, and no information about whether the bovine is grass-fed, pasture-raised, or from a specific region. The brand has not commissioned any clinical trials on its collagen products and does not employ a named functional nutrition director in the way that Hunter and Gather has Pauline Cox (MSc) or Ancient + Brave has Dr Jenna Macciochi.
This is not necessarily a dealbreaker. Many collagen products on the market use perfectly good collagen peptides without the boutique branding and provenance storytelling. But if sourcing transparency and ethical credentials matter to you, The Protein Works simply does not compete on those fronts. What it does compete on is dose, price, and convenience, and in those areas it holds some genuine advantages.
The Complete Collagen Range
The Protein Works offers four collagen products across three categories: a flavoured collagen powder, marine collagen capsules, a collagen-infused coffee, and a collagen whey protein blend. Here is the full range at a glance.
| Product | Type | Source | Size | RRP | Collagen/Serve | Rating |
| Clear Collagen 360 | Type I + III (bovine) | Bovine (unspecified origin) | 480g | £21.99 | Up to 15,000mg | 97% |
| Marine Collagen Extra | Type I (marine) | Fish skin (unspecified origin) | 60 capsules | £12.99 | 1,000mg | 100% |
| Collagen Protein Coffee | Type I + III (bovine) | Bovine (unspecified origin) | 475g | £23.99 | Up to 20,000mg | 98% |
| Collagen Whey Protein | Type I + III (bovine) | Bovine (unspecified origin) | 450g | £25.99 | 8,000mg | 100% |
The Protein Works does not operate a subscription model for collagen products. Instead, the brand runs near-permanent sales that significantly reduce prices below the listed RRP. At the time of writing, discounts of 30% to 50% are applied across the collagen range, making the effective price considerably lower than the sticker price. Larger bag sizes are available for most products at a lower per-serving cost. Free delivery applies to orders over £60.
Clear Collagen 360
Clear Collagen 360 is the standout product in the range and the one most directly comparable to pure collagen powders from specialist brands. It delivers up to 15g of bovine collagen peptides per serving (Type I and III) alongside vitamin C, zinc, and selenium. That 15g dose places it ahead of Hunter and Gather’s bovine at 13g per serving and significantly above Ancient + Brave’s True Collagen at 5g, though Ancient + Brave’s smaller dose is deliberate and backed by their own clinical research.
The inclusion of vitamin C, zinc, and selenium across the range is a genuine formulation advantage. Vitamin C is essential for collagen synthesis, and without it your body cannot effectively use the collagen peptides you are taking. Many pure collagen brands like Ancient + Brave and Hunter and Gather leave you to source vitamin C separately, either through diet or additional supplementation. The Protein Works builds it into the product, which is both convenient and ensures you are not wasting your collagen through inadequate co-factor intake.
Clear Collagen 360 is available in five flavours: Apple and Lemon Twist (the bestseller), Summer Berry Burst, Orange and Mango, Sour Cherry and Apple, and Natural and Unflavoured. This is a significant departure from the unflavoured powders that dominate the specialist collagen market. The product is designed to be mixed with 150 to 200ml of chilled water and consumed as a clear, refreshing drink rather than added invisibly to coffee or food. Customer reviews are positive on taste, with a 97% satisfaction rating from 23 on-site reviews, though some note that mixability can be inconsistent depending on the flavour and whether you use a shaker or stir by hand.
The 480g pouch provides approximately 32 servings at the 15g dose. At the RRP of £21.99, that is just 69p per serving, which is dramatically cheaper than both Hunter and Gather (91p per serving) and Ancient + Brave (80p per serving at 5g). With the frequent sale pricing, the effective cost drops even further, potentially below 50p per serving. For pure cost per gram of collagen, Clear Collagen 360 is very difficult to beat.
The trade-off is transparency. Where Hunter and Gather tells you their bovine comes from pasture-raised French cattle and Ancient + Brave specifies EU grass-fed farms, The Protein Works simply states the product contains “premium bovine collagen.” There is no information about the country of origin, farming practices, or whether the cattle were grass-fed. For buyers who prioritise sourcing provenance, this is a meaningful gap. For buyers who prioritise dose and value, this may not matter.
We have published a full review of Clear Collagen 360 covering ingredients, taste across all five flavours, pricing at different bag sizes, customer feedback, and how it compares to unflavoured alternatives from specialist brands.
Marine Collagen Extra
Marine Collagen Extra is the only capsule product in The Protein Works collagen range, and it is the one product we have the most reservations about. Each serving of two capsules delivers just 1,000mg (1g) of marine collagen peptides alongside 40mg of vitamin C, 3mg of zinc, and 27.5µg of selenium. That 1g collagen dose is well below the range typically used in clinical studies, which generally investigate doses of 2.5g to 15g per day.
To put this in context, Hunter and Gather’s Marine Collagen Powder provides 10,000mg per serving, Ancient + Brave’s Wild Collagen provides 5,000mg, and even The Protein Works’ own Clear Collagen 360 delivers up to 15,000mg. At 1g per day, Marine Collagen Extra is providing a fraction of what the research suggests is needed for meaningful results. The brand’s own FAQ advises not exceeding one serving per day due to the zinc content, so doubling up is not recommended.
The product is available in packs of 60, 120, or 180 capsules, with 60 capsules (a 30-day supply) priced at just over £7 RRP. At 33p per capsule or roughly 43p per daily serving, it is inexpensive in absolute terms. But cost-effectiveness should be measured against whether the dose is likely to deliver results, and at 1g of collagen per day, the evidence for meaningful skin, hair, nail, or joint benefits is extremely thin.
The marine collagen is described as “extracted from the skin of fish” with no further sourcing detail. There is no MSC certification, no country of origin, and no information about the fish species used. The on-site reviews consist of a single five-star review at the time of writing, which is far too small a sample to draw any meaningful conclusions about customer satisfaction.
If you specifically want marine collagen capsules for convenience, Marine Collagen Extra is affordable and the supporting vitamins are a sensible addition. But if you want a dose that aligns with the clinical evidence, a marine collagen powder from Hunter and Gather, Ancient + Brave, or Bare Biology would be a significantly more effective choice.
We have published a full review of Marine Collagen Extra covering the ingredient breakdown, dose analysis, pricing across all pack sizes, and how it compares to marine collagen capsules and powders from other brands.
Collagen Protein Coffee
Collagen Protein Coffee is the most interesting product in the range and one of the highest-dose collagen coffee products on the UK market. Each serving delivers up to 20g of bovine collagen peptides (Type I and III) alongside Brazilian coffee and vitamin C, with 19g of protein per serving. It is available in two flavours: Americano (140mg caffeine per serving) and Caramel Latte (68mg caffeine per serving).
That 20g collagen dose is remarkable. Hunter and Gather’s Collagen Coffee provides just 5g per serving, and we noted in our review that this falls below the 10g minimum we consider optimal. Ancient + Brave’s Coffee + Collagen combines their coffee blend with a separate 5g collagen serving. At 20g, The Protein Works delivers a clinically significant collagen dose in a single cup, which is a genuinely impressive formulation choice.
The product is designed as a just-add-water coffee, making preparation simple. Customer feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with a 98% satisfaction rating from 20 on-site reviews. Several reviewers note the coffee taste is genuinely good rather than the protein-powder-pretending-to-be-coffee experience common in this category. One reviewer reported noticeable improvement in plantar fasciitis symptoms after two months of daily use, which aligns with the broader evidence for collagen supplementation supporting connective tissue repair.
The 475g pouch provides approximately 19 servings. At the RRP of £23.99, that works out to £1.26 per serving, which is more expensive per cup than Clear Collagen 360 but still cheaper than buying a collagen supplement and a quality coffee separately. With sale pricing, this drops to around 79p per serving, which is exceptional value for a product delivering 20g of collagen and a decent cup of coffee.
The caveat here is the same one that applies across the entire Protein Works collagen range: no sourcing transparency. You are told the collagen is “premium bovine” and the coffee is “Brazilian,” but there is no further detail about farming practices, origin certification, or ethical sourcing credentials. For a brand that prides itself on innovation, the lack of supply chain transparency feels like a missed opportunity.
We have published a full review of Collagen Protein Coffee covering the full ingredient breakdown, caffeine content comparison, pricing, and how it stacks up against collagen coffees from Hunter and Gather and Ancient + Brave.
Collagen Whey Protein
Collagen Whey Protein occupies a unique position in the UK collagen market as a hybrid product designed for people who want both their protein shake and their collagen supplement in one go. Each 30g serving delivers 8g of bovine collagen peptides (Type I and III) alongside 12g of whey protein, for a total of 20g of protein per serving. The formula also includes vitamin C, zinc, and selenium.
This is a fundamentally different product from anything offered by Ancient + Brave or Hunter and Gather, neither of which combine collagen with whey protein. It is aimed squarely at the fitness market: people who are already taking a protein shake daily and want to add collagen without taking a separate supplement. At 8g of collagen per serving, the dose sits below the 10g threshold we generally recommend for optimal results, but it is a meaningful amount that could deliver benefits over time, particularly if you are training regularly and consuming additional protein from food.
The product is available in three flavours: Chocolate Silk, Strawberries ‘n’ Cream, and Vanilla Creme. The 450g pouch provides approximately 15 servings. It is worth noting that whey protein provides a complete amino acid profile including all nine essential amino acids, whereas collagen provides a different amino acid profile rich in glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline but lacking in certain essentials like tryptophan and leucine.
Combining the two in a single product gives you the best of both worlds: the collagen-specific amino acids for skin, joint, and connective tissue support alongside the muscle-building amino acids from whey. This makes nutritional sense, even if the collagen dose alone would ideally be higher.
Pricing Breakdown
The Protein Works pricing structure is unusual in the collagen market because it relies heavily on perpetual sales rather than the subscription model used by most specialist brands. The listed RRP rarely reflects what customers actually pay. Here is a breakdown of both RRP and typical sale pricing.
| Product | RRP | Typical Sale Price | Servings | Cost/Serve (RRP) | Cost/Serve (Sale) |
| Clear Collagen 360 (480g) | £21.99 | £13.99 | ~32 | 69p | 44p |
| Marine Collagen Extra (60 caps) | £12.99 | £9.99 | 30 | 43p | 33p |
| Collagen Protein Coffee (475g) | £23.99 | £14.99 | ~19 | £1.26 | 79p |
| Collagen Whey Protein (450g) | £25.99 | £12.99 | ~15 | £1.73 | 87p |
At sale pricing, every product in the range undercuts the equivalent from Hunter and Gather and Ancient + Brave on a per-serving basis. Clear Collagen 360 at 44p per serving is less than half the cost of Hunter and Gather’s Bovine Collagen at 91p per serving, while delivering a higher collagen dose per serve. Even at full RRP, The Protein Works collagen range represents strong value. The catch is that you need to be comfortable with a brand that operates on a permanent discount model rather than consistent transparent pricing.
Larger bag options are available for Clear Collagen 360 (960g), Collagen Protein Coffee (950g), and Collagen Whey Protein (900g and 1.8kg), all of which reduce the per-serving cost further. Marine Collagen Extra is available in 120 and 180 capsule packs at progressive discounts.
Which Product Should You Choose?
For the highest collagen dose at the lowest price: Clear Collagen 360 delivers up to 15g per serving and is the best value product in the range. If you want a straightforward, high-dose collagen powder with added vitamin C, zinc, and selenium, this is the obvious choice.
For collagen and coffee in one cup: Collagen Protein Coffee delivers up to 20g of collagen alongside a genuine Brazilian coffee. It is the highest collagen dose of any collagen coffee product we have reviewed and a smart choice if you drink coffee every morning anyway.
For gym-goers who want collagen and protein combined: Collagen Whey Protein gives you 8g of collagen and 12g of whey in a single shake. The collagen dose is moderate but meaningful, and the convenience of replacing two supplements with one has real appeal for anyone with an existing protein shake routine.
For marine collagen: We would honestly suggest looking elsewhere. Marine Collagen Extra at 1g per serving is too low a dose to recommend with confidence. Hunter and Gather or Ancient + Brave offer significantly more effective marine collagen options.
Side Effects
Collagen peptides are generally well tolerated and classified as safe by major regulatory bodies. The most commonly reported side effects across all collagen brands include mild digestive discomfort (bloating, feelings of fullness, or an unsettled stomach), which typically resolves within the first week of supplementation as your body adjusts. Starting with a half serving and building up over a few days can help minimise this.
The flavoured products in The Protein Works range, particularly Clear Collagen 360 and the collagen coffees, contain sweeteners and flavourings that may not agree with everyone. If you have sensitivity to artificial sweeteners, check the ingredient list carefully before purchasing. The Marine Collagen Extra capsules and unflavoured Clear Collagen 360 are the cleanest options in the range. Collagen Protein Coffee contains caffeine (68mg to 140mg per serving depending on the flavour), so be mindful of your total daily caffeine intake. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or on medication, consult your doctor before starting any collagen supplement.
Customer Reviews
The Protein Works as a brand has an exceptional reputation, with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot rating from over 46,600 reviews. However, the vast majority of these reviews relate to the brand’s established protein shake, diet meal replacement, and creatine products rather than collagen specifically.
On-site reviews for the collagen range are still limited. Clear Collagen 360 has the most feedback with 23 reviews and a 97% satisfaction rating. Collagen Protein Coffee follows with 20 reviews and 98% satisfaction. Both Marine Collagen Extra and Collagen Whey Protein have just one review each. This is a consequence of the range being launched in 2024. It means we cannot yet draw confident conclusions about long-term customer satisfaction with these specific products.
What the existing reviews do highlight is consistently positive feedback on taste. Multiple reviewers praise the coffee product as genuinely enjoyable, the Clear Collagen 360 flavours as refreshing, and the collagen whey as smooth and convenient. The most notable individual review reports the virtual disappearance of plantar fasciitis after two months on the Collagen Protein Coffee, which, while anecdotal, aligns with published evidence on collagen and tendon repair.
It is also worth noting that The Protein Works actively responds to every customer review on Trustpilot, which suggests a genuine commitment to customer service. Multiple Trustpilot reviewers mention responsive and efficient resolution of delivery issues or damaged products.
Where to Buy
The Protein Works collagen range is available on Amazon UK, which is the easiest way to pick up products like Clear Collagen 360 and Collagen Protein Coffee with the convenience of Prime delivery and Amazon’s standard returns policy. Availability of the full range can vary, so it is worth checking what is currently in stock.
The brand also sells direct through theproteinworks.com, where larger bag sizes and sitewide sale events (typically 30% to 60% off RRP) are available alongside student discounts through Unidays, Student Beans, and EDiU, and a key worker discount programme.
Unlike Ancient + Brave and Hunter and Gather, The Protein Works does not appear to sell through specialist health retailers like Healf or independent wellness shops. For most buyers, Amazon UK offers the most straightforward purchasing experience with reliable delivery.
The Protein Works vs Hunter and Gather vs Ancient + Brave
These three brands represent very different approaches to the collagen market. Here is how they compare on the factors that matter most.
| Factor | Protein Works | Hunter and Gather | Ancient + Brave |
| Brand focus | Sports nutrition (collagen added 2024) | Ancestral nutrition (collagen specialist) | Wellness (collagen specialist) |
| Bovine collagen dose | Up to 15g (Clear Collagen 360) | 13g per serving | 5g per serving |
| Bovine sourcing | Unspecified origin | Pasture-raised French cattle | EU grass-fed cattle |
| Marine collagen dose | 1g (capsules only) | 10g per serving | 5g per serving |
| Marine sourcing | No certification | Wild-caught, no MSC | MSC certified |
| Added vitamins | Vitamin C, zinc, selenium | None (pure collagen) | None (pure collagen) |
| B Corp certified | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clinical trials | None | None | BECOME Study + product trials |
| Subscription model | No (sale pricing instead) | Yes (20% first 3, 10% ongoing) | Yes (20% first 3, 10% ongoing) |
| Cheapest bovine per serve | ~44p (sale) | 91p (subscription) | 80p (subscription, 5g dose) |
| Trustpilot rating | 4.7/5 (46,600+ reviews) | 5.0/5 (1,330+ reviews) | 4.4/5 (1,400+ reviews) |
| Vegan option | No | No | Yes (Radiant Collagyn) |
| Type II joint capsules | No | No | Yes (Noble Collagen) |
| Range size | 4 products | 6 products | 7 products |
The Protein Works wins convincingly on price and dose, offering more collagen per serving at a lower cost than either competitor. Hunter and Gather wins on sourcing transparency and clean single-ingredient formulations. Ancient + Brave wins on scientific credentials, ethical certifications, and product range breadth. Your priority determines which brand is the best fit.
Serving Guide
Each product in The Protein Works collagen range has its own serving instructions. Clear Collagen 360 recommends adding 15g (three-quarters of a scoop) to 150 to 200ml of chilled water and mixing well, ideally using a shaker for the smoothest result. Collagen Protein Coffee calls for one serving of approximately 25g added to hot water, stirred, with milk or sweetener to taste. Collagen Whey Protein uses a 30g scoop added to 250ml of chilled water or milk and shaken for 10 seconds. Marine Collagen Extra is the simplest at two capsules taken with food.
All products in the range come with scoops included in the pouch. For timing, The Protein Works suggests collagen can be taken at any time of day, with the coffee product naturally suited to morning consumption. There is no established evidence that timing significantly affects collagen absorption, so the most important factor is consistency: take it at whatever time of day you are most likely to remember.
Our Verdict
The Protein Works collagen range is not trying to be Ancient + Brave or Hunter and Gather, and judging it against those brands on sourcing provenance or ethical credentials would miss the point entirely. This is a sports nutrition company applying its manufacturing scale and pricing power to the collagen market, and in certain areas it does this very effectively.
Clear Collagen 360 is the standout product. At up to 15g per serving with vitamin C, zinc, and selenium included, it delivers a clinically relevant collagen dose with the co-factors needed for absorption at a price that significantly undercuts specialist brands. Collagen Protein Coffee is equally impressive at up to 20g of collagen per cup, making it one of the most potent collagen coffee products on the UK market.
The weaknesses are equally clear. Marine Collagen Extra at just 1g per serving is difficult to recommend. The complete absence of sourcing transparency, B Corp certification, and clinical research puts the brand several steps behind its competitors on trust and credibility. And the perpetual sale pricing model, while great for your wallet, makes it difficult to know what the “real” price of any product actually is.
For budget-conscious buyers who prioritise dose and value over provenance and brand credentials, The Protein Works offers genuine quality at prices the specialist brands simply cannot match. For buyers who want to know exactly where their collagen comes from, how the animals were raised, and whether the product has been clinically tested, look to Hunter and Gather or Ancient + Brave instead. Both approaches are valid. It just depends on what matters most to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Protein Works collagen grass-fed?
The brand does not specify whether the bovine collagen is sourced from grass-fed cattle. Product pages describe it as “premium bovine collagen sourced from cattle” without further detail on farming practices or country of origin. If grass-fed sourcing is important to you, Hunter and Gather and Ancient + Brave both provide more detailed provenance information.
Why is the marine collagen dose so low?
Marine Collagen Extra provides 1,000mg per serving in capsule form. Capsules are inherently limited in how much powder they can contain, which is why most brands offering clinically relevant collagen doses use powder format. At 1g per day, this product falls well below the 2.5g to 15g doses used in published clinical studies. If marine collagen is your priority, a powder product from another brand would deliver a more effective dose.
Are The Protein Works collagen products suitable for vegetarians or vegans?
No. All four collagen products contain animal-derived collagen peptides (bovine or marine) and are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans. The Protein Works does not currently offer a vegan collagen alternative.
How does the “up to 20g” claim work for Collagen Protein Coffee?
The “up to” wording means that the total protein per serving is up to 20g, which includes both collagen peptides and any other protein in the formulation. The actual collagen content per serving may be slightly less than the headline figure depending on how it is formulated. Check the nutritional panel for the exact collagen peptide content per serving in your chosen flavour.
Do the sale prices reflect what you actually pay?
In practice, yes. The Protein Works runs near-permanent sales and discount events throughout the year. The full RRP is rarely the price customers pay. This is a different model from the consistent pricing used by brands like Ancient + Brave and Hunter and Gather, where subscription discounts are the primary way to reduce costs. Neither approach is inherently better, but it does mean The Protein Works’ “real” pricing is effectively the sale price rather than the RRP.
Can I take Clear Collagen 360 while pregnant?
The Protein Works does not specifically address pregnancy on its collagen product pages. As a general precaution, consult your GP or midwife before starting any new supplement during pregnancy or breastfeeding. This applies to all collagen supplements regardless of brand.
How long before I see results?
The Protein Works suggests most customers notice improvements within 4 to 6 weeks of consistent daily use. This is broadly consistent with the wider research literature, though some studies report that skin hydration and elasticity improvements may take 8 to 12 weeks. Joint benefits may take longer. Consistency is more important than timing or dose size beyond a clinically relevant threshold.
Is The Protein Works collagen halal or kosher certified?
The brand does not advertise halal or kosher certification for its collagen products. If religious dietary requirements are a factor, contact The Protein Works customer service directly for confirmation before purchasing.
How does Clear Collagen 360 compare to Elavate Multi-Collagen?
Both products offer high collagen doses with added vitamins at competitive pricing. Elavate combines bovine, marine, and chicken collagen in a multi-source blend at 8,050mg per serving with additional biotin, probiotics, and lion’s mane. Clear Collagen 360 uses bovine only at up to 15g per serving with vitamin C, zinc, and selenium. Elavate includes more ingredients per serving, while The Protein Works delivers a higher collagen dose. Elavate undercuts on bulk pricing with multi-bag subscriptions, while The Protein Works relies on sale events. Both are mass-market value plays rather than premium specialist products.
Medical Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your GP or a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new supplement, especially if you have underlying health conditions, take medications, or are pregnant or breastfeeding. Individual results may vary.
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I started this site after spending weeks trying to figure out which collagen actually works. Now I test products, read the studies, and share honest reviews so you can skip the research phase and get straight to results.