Khloé’s Khollagen Krisps! Our Verdict

So Khloé Kardashian has launched some Khloud Plus Collagen Protein Chips, which are tortilla chips “infused with hydrolysed collagen”. I’ll let that sink in. Do I need to comment further? Oh yes, I think so. But where to start on this new madness?

First things first

I’m a long term fan of collagen supplements. I’ve been taking them for around 15 years. So collagen crisps – ridiculous, but perhaps clever marketing too? After all, we’re all mad for products with extra protein, and as a crisp fiend, I reckon if I’m going to indulge in a packet it would surely do me more good if they were high in protein and even had a smidge of collagen in them. (I know crisps are UPF, but you know, 80:20 and all that.)

However, if you’re taking collagen supplements, you need around 10mg of hydrolysed collagen on a consistent daily basis for three months before you’re going to see the benefits – and it’s got to be low-molecular-weight collagen if it’s actually going to be absorbed by the body. A bag of crisps isn’t going to do the trick with all of that.

What do the professionals think?

I know, before I even ask him, that nutritional therapist Ian Marber will say: “Food first!” to any question I ask him about supplements. I tell him about Khloe’s krisps, which contain 17 grams of protein, including two grams of hydrolysed collagen, in each 45g bagful. “That’s hilarious!” he says. “And absurd. The protein levels are fine, but this encourages [people to eat] a lot of food for a modest amount of collagen. And what about absorption? Surely collagen in isolation is easier to absorb?”

“But,” he sighs, “marketing with a celebrity name will no doubt override the absurdity of it.”

Glow? Or No!?

The tagline for the crisps  – “fuel your body while supporting your glow” – really riles up Elissa Corrigan, founder of Elle Sera supplements (which now has a very clever collagen in its range which I’m taking at the moment). “I feel I’m the only person on God’s green earth who is asking what happens after we swallow these ingredients,” she fumes. “We’ve become completely obsessed with the format – collagen in coffee, gummies, chocolate and now crisps, when the far more interesting questions are: what dose are you getting in what form and what evidence is there that it’s actually going to deliver the benefit you think you’re buying? These crisps claim to contain two grams of hydrolysed collagen. Fine. But simply putting collagen on an ingredients list doesn’t magically turn a packet of crisps into a ‘glow’ product.”

“Collagen has become such a powerful wellness buzzword that you can put it into almost anything and suddenly give an everyday snack a health halo,” she continues. “And this is the bit that drives me mad: collagen existing in a food isn’t remarkable. Pork skin is naturally rich in collagen. Connective tissue in meat contains collagen. We don’t wander around calling pork scratchings a beauty supplement!”

“We don’t wander around calling pork scratchings a beauty supplement!” – Elissa Corrigan, founder of Elle Sera supplements

My long-term collagen standby

Here at TTG, we’re long-term fans of the Totally Derma nutraceutical collagen drink supplement which has great benefits for joint health as well as for skin, hair and nails. Anita Eyles from Totally Derma takes a measured view of the Khloe crisps:  “While a nice bonus for a high-protein savoury snack, 2,000mg of collagen is far below the standard clinical range targeted specifically for positive ageing or joint therapy (optimal 10,000mg dosage).”

The awful thing is, I’m still curious.

I won’t lie. I still want to try them. What do they taste like? For now, they’re only available in Walmart in the USA at $3.48 a bag, so I’ll just have to wonder, though going by online reviews, the sweet-and-spicy ones called Sweet Heat seem to be the favourites.

And as my wise colleague Becki Murray points out – at least you’re eating something, rather than simply popping another non-food-based pill. Could that be in their favour? Maybe, though I still wouldn’t choose these – nor any of the widely available collagen wafers, gummies or drinks – for their collagen content. The proper supplements work just fine for me.

Curious about collagen but want it to actually work? Head to TTG’s shop to find solutions trusted by the experts.