Collagen Peptides 101: How They're Made

The path from a wild-caught fish to a scoop of collagen powder involves a handful of well-established steps. Knowing them makes it easier to evaluate what a brand is actually doing versus what it is implying.

The general process

1. Sourcing — collagen-rich material (typically skin) is collected, often as a byproduct of fisheries already processing fish for food
2. Cleaning — the material is washed and prepared to remove non-collagen tissue
3. Hydrolysis — enzymes break the collagen down into smaller, water-soluble peptides
4. Filtering & drying — the resulting liquid is filtered and dried into a fine powder
5. Testing — batches are screened for identity, purity, and contaminants like heavy metals before release

Where quality differences actually show up

Two products can list the same ingredient and go through a similar process, but differ meaningfully in sourcing consistency and testing rigor. That is generally not visible on the label itself—it is visible in whether a brand can produce documentation (a Certificate of Analysis) when asked.

This is the process behind Unmade: wild-caught source, enzymatic hydrolysis down to a low molecular weight (around 3,000 daltons) for clean solubility, over 92% protein by weight, and independent batch testing for identity, purity, and heavy metals before anything reaches your jar.