Product Review: Avalon Japanese Fish Collagen

Collagen cream, collagen pills, collagen powder, collagen drinks and even collagen injection! I'm sure most of you have heard of collagen before, and its wide-spread use in the cosmetic industry, but what exactly is it?

Collagen is a fibrous scleroprotein found in animals (and humans), and is the main component of connective tissue. It's also the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25 to 35 percent of our whole-body protein content. (source: Wikipedia)

But as we age, collagen production decreases, and hence the demand for supplements. I don't really take supplements (except for the occasional vitamin C and multi-vitamin), but since Avalon Japanese Fish Collagen was giving out free samples, I thought I'd have a go at it.

To get your FREE SAMPLE, check out their Facebook page. Currently, it is only open to Singapore and Malaysia residents.

Avalon Japanese Fish Collagen is made from collagen peptides derived from fish, and fortified with Probiotics complex, which boost collagen-peptides and L-vitamin C absorption.

Each sample pack contains 3 sachets (one from each existing flavor), and the flavors range from Blueberry, Lemon, to Mango. It also comes with a handy pamphlet with information such as product benefits, interesting facts about collagen as well as directions of use. I've photographed most of the pages for you guys (though they're a little blurry), so click for bigger images:

I tried out the Lemon flavor first, followed by the Mango one and finally Blueberry (on different days).

The Lemon one, as you can tell, looks like yellowish white flour. It smells like artificial lemon with a faint whiff of the collagen itself. It's hard to describe accurately what the collagen smells like, but to me it smells a little of fish, a little bit of medicine. It's not an unbearable smell, but definitely not the most pleasant either.

There's no added sugar to this product, so you get the scent of lemons, but not so much the taste of it. Dissolved in a full cup of water, the flavor gets so diluted that what went through my head was more 'FISH collagen' than 'lemonade'. In the end I poured some honey into my cup and choked it down.

Later on I learned that pouring just a tiny amount of water or pouring the whole sachet into your mouth works better, flavor-wise. ; A ;

The mango one was significantly better, though it reminded me vaguely of antibiotics. This taste best mixed with a little bit of water, though if you have juice, that would be the best.

The powder itself is more yellowish than the lemon one. Other than that they're pretty much the same. They dissolve quite easily actually, even in cool to lukewarm water.

The blueberry flavor is by far the best! The lemon flavor wasn't strong enough to cover collagen taste, whereas the mango flavoring itself reminded me of antibiotics, but this reminded me of those blueberry hi-chew candies, which of course, is much palatable than the other two.

You can either mix it into your drink, or eat it on its own, and the general consensus seems to be for eating it in its powder form (so that the taste doesn't get diluted).

I can't say much for its effectiveness since three sachets isn't enough to see its effects, but at least I can account for the taste. If you do get this, get the blueberry flavor!

Taste: ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ (3 stars for the blueberry flavor, which was acceptable. They're still palatable, though.)
Solubility: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (Dissolves easily. I think even if you mix it in a glass of chilled fruit juice, it'd still be fully dissolved.)
Convenience: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (The sachet-type packaging is convenient on the go and pretty easy to open. Can be taken on its own without mixing.)

Disclaimer: Sample was redeemed at Avalon Japanese Fish Collagen Facebook page. All reviews are based on personal experience and 100% honesty.

Signing off,
Ringo