Mechanism of Action

Our novel NZ ingredient Ovitage® is created using a novel process applied to a novel source material. The result is the world’s most complete collagen, rich in a suite of nutrients not found in traditional collagen.

Ovitage® comes from whole ovine skin and is produced using a process that isolates all of the skin's important components, including structural proteins well beyond the collagen I and III common in traditional collagen products. This results in a protein that has more cystine, glutamic acid and tyrosine than any other collagen. These specific amino acids support the body through specific challenges at different life stages.

Ovitage® works in the body to support various physiological processes, particularly in maintaining skin health, tissue healing, and connective tissue integrity.

Robert Kelly - Founder & Chief Scientific Officer at Tertiary Extracts Otautahi and leader of the team that invented Ovitage® - the world's most complete collagen.

Collagen is a crucial structural protein in the body, particularly in the skin, bones, and connective tissues. When ingested, Ovitage® undergoes the following processes to protect and enhance skin, connective tissue and hair structure:

Digestion and Absorption: Ovitage® is a soluble collagen peptide, making it well-suited for rapid absorption by the body. The digestive system can easily access the soluble collagen peptides, breaking them down further as required for complete absorption. This absorption occurs more readily than with whole protein, which can be less digestible.

Fibroblast Stimulation: The absorbed peptides contain sequences of amino acids known to stimulate fibroblasts, cells present in the skin and soft tissue responsible for producing a range of collagens and other extracellular matrix proteins.

Increased Collagen Synthesis: Stimulated fibroblasts and other cells, such as keratinocytes, produce more of specific collagens important for tissue structure and hair follicle strength in the presence of the peptides present in Ovitage®. This includes collagen IV, a membrane protein present in epidermal tissue and hair follicles.

Enhanced Elastin Synthesis: Collagen peptide supplementation has been shown to increase elastin synthesis, leading to improvement in skin elasticity.

Anti-inflammatory Effects: Cystine rich peptides, such as those in Ovitage®,  have been shown to induce an anti-inflammatory response, which can promote skin health and tissue healing.

Glutathione Precursor: Glutathione is the body’s primary antioxidant within cells. Cystine, which is a unique amino acid component of Ovitage® is an essential precursor for the synthesis of glutathione.

Keratin Formation: Keratin is the main protein in hair, nails, and skin. Cystine is the primary building block of keratin and this is uniquely provided by the amino acid composition of Ovitage®.

Improved Antioxidant Defense: While conventional collagen peptides have some antioxidant properties, the role of Ovitage®  in glutathione synthesis significantly boosts the body's antioxidant capabilities.

Ovitage® can provide comprehensive support for skin health, tissue healing, and overall connective tissue integrity. The unique amino combination present in Ovitage® as a result of the novel source material and process used to isolate it, addresses both structural and protective aspects of tissue maintenance and repair.