Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Review – Worth?

|  Marketing  |  Ingredients  |  Side Effects: Unflavored, Vanilla, Apple-Cucumber, Mixed Berry, Lemon-Lime, Chocolate, Chai  |  Reviews  |  Pricing  |  Pros & Cons  |  Overall  |

According to the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate reviews posted by customers, this brand has vastly exceeded any expectations.

Many people report that it has been amazing for their skin; namely, it’s so much better than any cream that they’ve ever encountered. Others praised it for tremendously improving hair health, as well as even returning its pigmentation lost with age. And others more are thrilled with their new gut health, joint, nail, thyroid health, and more.

So, in this Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate review, we’ll explore all seven supplements of the brand for the full range of insights.

Hence, the idea is to be no extension of the manufacturer’s marketing or other similar nonsense. This is all going to be about what I feel is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And we’ll do that by assessing marketing, ingredients, side effects (additives), customer feedback, and pricing. We’ll do it the truth-seeking way.

Marketing | It’s The Classic Nails, Skin, Joints & Hair With Great Lakes

According to the manufacturer, the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate (or Great Lakes Wellness Collagen Peptides) is a supplement brand that believes in the fact that a healthy lifestyle and a balanced diet are the cornerstones of a life well-lived. Per their words, it is nearly tasteless, odorless, colorless, easily digested whilst also being the perfect addition to cold and hot beverages.

The product pages are very similar across the seven supplements. Their well-structured and rather brief while also embracing some marketing. Which reminds me of brands like the Primal Kitchen Collagen Peptides (review).

So, for marketing, we have the option to subscribe and save 10%. We also get additional discounts if we buy in bulk. They also offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.

And then, there is also a section for Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate reviews by customers.

As for the promised benefits, they are all about maintaining healthy hair, fostering joint health, promoting strong nails, and improving skin health. And there are also other benefits they suggest on supporting pages (like better gut health).

As for any free-of claims, the supplements are Gluten-Free, Preservative-Free, Halal, Glyphosate-Free, Paleo-Friendly, Kosher, and Keto Certified. On top of that, unlike Orgain Collagen Peptides (review), it’s also third-party approved for Non-GMO.

So, I think that the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate products look great. But are they truly worth investing in?

Ingredients | To Review Contents, This Collagen Feels Pretty Good

Powders are a very popular choice when it comes to Collagen supplements. That’s what supplements like the Bubs Naturals Collagen Protein (review) and Left Coast Performance Multi Collagen (review). And that’s also how the Collagen Hydrolysate of Great Lakes Gelatin goes about things.

So, per serving (two scoops), all seven supplements offer 12 grams of Collagen Hydrolysate or Collagen Peptides. Here’s more to elaborate on all that.

First, we need to discuss sourcing.

This is bovine Collagen. It’s Grass-Fed and Pasture-Raised. It’s also Glyphosate-Free which is a herbicide used to ensure weed-free crops but also inhibits natural amino acids found in the plants. It’s basically ensuring that the cows are eating only grass that isn’t laced with chemicals [R, R, R].

And that’s a very good thing. Still, what it seems the Collagen likely lacks is Hormone-Free. Which isn’t the end of the world. But it’s certainly better to have Hormone-Free Collagen. It’s just more beneficial overall and doesn’t burden our bodies with unnecessary stuff.

Second, it’s about the amounts. And 12 grams is a very decent one. I mean, I’d say (and research says) that 10 grams is typically the minimum. And this exceeds that [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Meaning, it’s very likely that the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate supplements will deliver on all the benefits they promise. Meaning, better joints, hair, skin, nail health, improvements to gut health are all possible [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Third, we have the testing aspects of things. And the supplements of this review do get third-party tested. Which is the best way how to go about purity, safety, and potency.

Side Effects | It All Depends On The Flavor Of Any Of The 7 Supplements

Given that there are seven different supplements of the Great Lakes Gelatin that we need to discuss, I feel it’s best to break them down, separately. I mean, side effects are typically the product of additives. And all of these seven supplements do use a different combination of those.

Thus, for the reason of keeping this as simple, straightforward, easy to follow as possible, let’s look at each of them (the Unflavored, Vanilla, Apple-Cucumber, Mixed Berry, Lemon-Lime, Chocolate, and Chai) one at a time.

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Unflavored – It Has No Additives Whatsoever

The Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Unflavored option is kind of their flagship supplement of the brand. It also goes by the name of Great Lakes Wellness Collagen Peptides these days. And it’s the most simplistic and straightforward of all options.

So, this one is exactly like the unflavored options of Native Path Collagen (review) and Bulletproof Collagen Peptides (review).

Meaning, there are all kinds of ways how to get it wrong. Say, adding Maltodextrin as an additive, which can often be encountered in all kinds of processed foods, is just one way [R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

But the basic Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate (Collagen Peptides) doesn’t do that.

Actually, it does in the best way possible, in my opinion. It does it without any additives whatsoever. Hence, the claim to be Preservative-Free is a well-justified one. At least with this particular, unflavored supplement.

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Vanilla – Three Decent Quality Options

I think having a Vanilla flavor for a Collagen protein supplement is a classic one. Almost everyone that ever decides to offer flavored options do add this one to their lineup as well. And with the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Vanilla, we get exactly that.

So, instead of having no additives, this one has to have them since there is no Collagen with vanilla flavor in nature.

To make that happen, this one uses Natural Vanilla Flavor, Stevia, and Monk Fruit.

Of these, Stevia and Monk Fruit are amazing choices for sweetening up any powder. Not only these do not imbue the devastating effects of processed sugar but they are actually healthy to consume. And in so, they can make stuff taste as if it has sugar added but actually have none of it [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Whereas Natural Vanilla Flavor is a little bit trickier.

Indeed, the fact that it has “Natural” in its name does not necessarily mean that it’s a healthy thing to consume. No, it’s much trickier than that. Ultimately, I feel whether or not a Natural Flavor is safe to consume is highly dependent on how great the manufacturing practices used for their making are. And that entirely depends from case to case [R, R, R, R, R].

But to that end, I think it shouldn’t be any problem. Because the Collagen Hydrolysate Vanilla of Great Lakes Gelatin does get third-party tested. Hence, it’s very unlikely that the natural flavor will be troubling in any way.

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Apple-Cucumber – Unique In How It Flavors

Apple-Cucumber taste is a rather unconventional one. I mean, we don’t really find anything similar with other supplements out there, let alone Collagen ones. But this is exactly what the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Apple-Cucumber brings to the table

Overall, it’s an amazingly similar supplement to both previous ones. It offers that same Collagen amount per serving. And has most of the same additives that the Vanilla option uses.

So, it’s Natural Apple Cucumber Flavor, Malic Acid, Stevia, and Monk Fruit. Meaning, it adds that extra Malic Acid in there.

So, while it’s something that is not extremely popular among supplements it’s still a very common organic compound naturally found in fruits like apples, pears, oranges, grapes, mangos, and a bunch of others. It’s also something that our bodies naturally produce and hence, something that can be quite beneficial to our well-being [R, R, R, R].

So, overall, no harm ever in having it in our supplements. Thus, making the Apple-Cucumber Collagen Hydrolysate a very solid choice.

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Mixed Berry – It Likely Contains Artificial Colors

As a flavored, berries are decently more common than apple-cucumber alternatives. Still, I wouldn’t say that it’s a thoroughly common flavor. But the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Mixed Berry does bring the likes of such to our liking.

Overall, the supplement for the most part is identical to the other flavored options we already discussed. However, there is a tweak.

So, it uses Natural Berry Flavor, Malic Acid, Added Color, Stevia, and Monk Fruit. So, what is that Added Color about? What does it mean?

Quite honestly, it could mean a number of things. As an ingredient, the way it’s named is as generic and unpredictable as they come. But here’s my best guess at what we are likely actually looking at.

So, they say that it’s Added Color but they don’t claim anywhere on the supplement label that it is free of Artificial Colors or that it uses only natural ones. But then, when it comes to flavors, they are quick to push “Natural” on it.

Namely, it’s just a long way of saying that I believe it’s highly likely that the color they are actually using here, is not a natural one but an artificial one. And artificial colors are just trouble.

The consumption of those has long been linked to a wide range of different cancers. Then, there’s also that notion of it increasing irritability and hyperactivity, especially in children, and creating more ill effects [R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Lemon-Lime – Adding Some Vitamin C To The Mix

To find another genuinely unique flavor, we have the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Lemon-Lime. In its uniqueness, it also adds one extra nutrient to the beneficial ingredients. And there are new additives that we haven’t discussed yet.

So, we’ve got the same 12 grams of Collagen Hydrolysate. But we also get 120 milligrams of vitamin C.

As for that vitamin C, it doesn’t specify anything. Meaning, I would assume that it’s likely the synthetic Ascorbic Acid that they use. Which, by no means, is a terrible thing given that it’s in studies proven to be as beneficial as its natural counterpart. However, still, that has to be noted [R, R].

Now, as for those additives, it’s kind of like the Mixed Berry option. There is one suboptimal addition.

So, for additives, this Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Lemon-Lime has Malic Acid, Natural Lemon and Lime Flavors, Acacia, Monk Fruit, Stevia, and Dextrose.

In other words, we’ve got mostly what we already discussed plus Acacia and Dextrose. Of these, the former is a great and very helpful addition. It can only further improve gut health. But about the latter, I’m not so thrilled about [R, R, R].

I mean, Dextrose is a hidden sugar that’s often used in all kinds of stuff starting from sweets to medicine. I personally highly advise against any sugar in daily supplements as we typically have too much-processed sugar in our diets already. And overconsumption (and regular use) of sugars has been linked to diabetes, obesity, depression, eating disorders, heart disease, aggressiveness, learning difficulties, poor digestion, and a plethora of other negative effects [R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R, R].

Hence, at least in my mind, this makes the Lemon-Lime version of things the less optimal alternative.

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Chocolate – A Cocoa-Driven Classic

The Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Chocolate is one of the newer versions as far as the flavors go. I mean, Chocolate is an extremely common flavor with so many different powdered supplements out there. And now, it’s also available with the brand of this review.

So, this Chocolate thing is kind of like the Vanilla option.

I mean, it has the same three ingredients, essentially, Meaning, it’s a Natural Flavor, Stevia, and Monk Fruit. It’s just that the flavor is said to be a chocolate one.

But Chocolate flavors typically have Cocoa in them as one of the ingredients.

And Cocoa is a marvelous antioxidant. I mean, it’s something that can help erase fatigue, improve mood, and even aid in fighting off cancer. Plus, it can foster brainpower, boost digestion, improve heart health, help balance blood sugar and cholesterol levels, protect the brain, and offer anti-bacterial and anti-inflammation properties among other amazing things [R, R, R, R, R].

Granted, the benefits of Cocoa are likely to not be as profound in the Collagen Hydrolysate Chocolate of Great Lakes Gelatin. Still, some antioxidant power will definitely be there.

Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Chai – Tons Of Antioxidants To Add To The Experience

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Chai flavor for any supplement ever. To that end, the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate Chai is definitely a truly unique, unrivaled, unattempted by others type of flavor.

So, what kind of additives does this version hide?

Well, it’s actually no different than what we just discussed with the Chocolate option and what we had with the Vanilla one.

Meaning, it builds on those three same additives. Natural Flavor (Chai), Stevia, and Monk Fruit. But what does that Natural Chai Flavor likely entail?

Well, in Hebrew, “Chai” means life. And it’s a word used for tea made by boiling tea leaves together with milk, sugar (or sweetener), and often spices like cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves. But there are other options that can be added as well. Either way, it’s a very good option for extra antioxidants into our system [R, R, R, R, R, R].

Reviews | Customer Feedback Has Actually Gone Up In Last 1.5 Years

When it comes to the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate reviews by customers, I don’t think we get any real ones on the manufacturer’s page. I mean, yes, they do have some negative ones but all of them seem to simply despise the fact that the flavors are too sweet.

Which is highly subjective and feels, at least to me, very tailored. Because there wasn’t anything else people didn’t like about the supplements, as far as I can tell.

And that feels to me quite unnatural. Kind of like what we’ve seen with products like the Isagenix Collagen Elixir (review) and the Nature’s Truth Multi Collagen Complex (review).

So, I decided not to include them in my assessment and to research all that I can find by third-party sellers and retailers. And here’s what I found (I assessed just the Unflavored option as the flavored ones don’t seem to be reviewed as much).

In total, I managed to find 11,975 Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate reviews. Of these, 11,116 were positive and 859 were negative. Meaning, that’s a global success rate of 92.8%.

Which is likely even higher due to people generally being far more prone to reporting negative experiences than positive ones.

So, we have a bunch of people that absolutely swear by these supplements. But what about those that don’t?

Well, as for the bad reviews, while there are some occasional side effects that people have encountered (caused stomach pain, acne, other allergies) and some didn’t enjoy the taste, that’s definitely not the overall feel. I mean, the feedback seems to be thoroughly defined by the following (which likely ties in with the encountered side effects and taste as well).

It seems that there are many people who’ve used the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate supplements for years and never had any problems. But then, this one time they bought it on Amazon, and it effectively wasn’t the same product at all.

Which isn’t a particularly novel trend. I mean, I’ve reviewed many products already where it seems that fakes have likely been the case when purchasing stuff on Amazon. And the supplements of this review just seem to be one of those brands plagued by this as well.

Still, it’s hard to tell, for sure, as just as likely it might just be a quality consistency issue since some bad batches also seem to have happened by reputable sellers. But then, again, some people have reported the quality of this being superb for the last four to five years except when it comes to some of the latest batches.

But then, at the end of the day, the customer feedback hasn’t actually gone down in the last 1.5 years. In fact, it has been holding steady and risen slightly from 92.7% to now being at the 92.8%. And if that’s not consistency, I don’t know what is.

Pricing | Many Don’t Like The Cost But Is It Actually Expensive?

When it comes to pricing, I did encounter quite a few people being unhappy about it. I mean, most of them just didn’t enjoy the fact that, in their view, the price of these Collagen products has been rising way too fast. And others more simply didn’t approve. They do see them as expensive.

But are they truly and objectively that way? Let’s do some math to assess.

So, the Unflavored version of the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate typically comes for $26.99 (Unflavored). That’s for a container of 38 servings (76 scoops). Meaning, it typically costs $0.71 per serving. Or to compare it properly, that’s 59.2 cents for every 10 grams of Bovine Collagen.

And we’d have to be crazy to label that as expensive. Because that’s everything but expensive. In fact, it’s insanely reasonable. Here are a few examples to illustrate.

So, we have something like the Physician’s Choice Collagen Peptides (review). It typically prices at $16.99 for a container. Since a container holds 35 servings, that’s 69.3 cents for every 10 grams of Bovine Collagen. Which is some 15% more expensive than the supplement of this review.

But it does add some Digestive enzymes to improve gut health and potentially improve the gains from the protein. Both have typically great additives. Both are Grass-Fed and Pasture-Raised but not Hormone-Free. Both got third-party testing.

Overall, the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate feels like the better deal.

Another seeming very capable option is the Primal Harvest Primal Collagen (review). I mean, it’s third-party tested, Non-GMO, Grass-Fed, Pasture-Raised, and Hormone-Free. It’s got no additives. But it also hasn’t got any flavored options. But it’s expensive.

I mean, it typically costs 98.5 cents for every 10 grams of Bovine Collagen. So, it’s some 66% on top of the Collagen Hydrolysate’s price. And that’s a profound difference. That’s a difference I would argue is not worth it.

Pros & Cons | There Are Some Very Strong Pros For This Product

Overall | I Would Easily Buy This Collagen Peptides Supplement

The Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate, these days also known as Great Lakes Wellness Collagen Peptides, is the prime Collagen. I mean, Great Lakes Gelatin Co. was creating Collagen supplements long before they ever became popular. And they’ve offered these products since 1922. That’s 100 years of business. I mean, it must mean something.

Another uniqueness of them is that they are pretty much the only brand that ensures the Collagen to be Glyphosate-Free. Plus, it has certifications for Kosher and Keto which can’t be said about most. Plus, the product offers very unique flavors that can’t be found with other Collagens.

On that note, to add to the positives, it’s decently sourced, good amounts per serving, third-party tested for purity, and it has great additives most of the time.

Which brings me to the negatives. One certain one is that the Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate is not Hormone-Free. And so, another is the fact that we can’t just choose any flavor as not all of them feel to be optimal. They should really fix that.

But regardless, (out of avoid it, consider it, shortlist it, buy it) I think that it’s well worth the buy. In fact, I think that overall this is one of the best choices for a Collagen supplement overall.

But if you’re interested in an even better deal, I would propose looking into this one (full review with a summary).

Above all, I hope this Great Lakes Gelatin Collagen Hydrolysate review helped you find the information you were looking for. If you have any thoughts or questions, I’m just a comment away. And do feel free to leave your own personal reviews on the product as well.