How does DHC Collagen Powder compare with Meiji? Hey folks, I’m closed to finishing my second pack of this beauty supplement and am ready to share my thoughts! Is DHC better than Meiji since it is pricier? Does it taste fishy? And most importantly, is it worth your hard-earned money?
I’ll do a complete comparison against my staple collagen supplement – Meiji Collagen Powder. But let us first take a look at what DHC Collagen Powder is and what its advertised benefits are.
Tell me about DHC Collagen Powder
If you are a beauty fanatic, you would have heard of DHC. This Japanese brand is well known for its skincare products, with some of the popular ones being DHC Deep Cleansing Oil and DHC Lip Cream.
On top of skincare, DHC also offers a wide range of supplements, from Hyaluronic Acid and Multivitamins to Royal Jelly and Collagen.
Forms of Collagen: DHC vs Meiji
Solely looking at DHC’s collagen offerings, we can see them available in various forms to suit users’ consumption preference. You can buy it in powder form, single-serve bottle, tablet/capsule or gummy. Meiji, on the other hand, only offers collagen in powder form.
The DHC product we are reviewing today is the powder-form and it comes in a 32-day zip package. As compared with Meiji, DHC Collagen Powder offers an extra 2 days of supply (or 4 days if compared with Meiji-in-a-can).
Ingredients of DHC Collagen Powder
Similar to Meiji, DHC Collagen Powder offers 5,000mg of marine collagen and 50mg of vitamin C.
> MUST-READ: Meiji Collagen Review: Does collagen powder really work?
However, it differs by not having Glucosamine in its formula. In my opinion, this is not important and would not affect my purchase decision as the quantity of Glucosamine (60mg) in Meiji is insignificant (as compared to recommended daily dose of 1500mg).
Below shows DHC’s full ingredients:
Ingredient: Collagen peptide (derived from fish), dextrin (including gelatin in a part of the raw materials) sugar cane extract, vitamin C, thickener (pullulan), sucrose fatty acid esters
Nutritional Values: DHC vs Meiji Collagen Powder
Some online reviewers mentioned that collagen powder made them fat. I’ve shared my thoughts earlier in this article. In short, I do not think collagen will make you fat because the amount of calorie per dose is low.
If you are still concerned, you may be happy to know that DHC Collagen Powder contains slightly lower Calories (23kcal vs 27kcal) and Carbohydrates (0.5g vs 1.3g) as compared to Meiji, even though both have the same amount of Protein (5.3g).
Once again, the calories difference highlighted here would not sway my purchase decision from one product to another, as 20+ calories is considered very low. A glass of iced lemon tea easily contains 6 times the calories.
What are the advertised benefits of DHC Collagen Powder?
Should I be surprised when I couldn’t find any write-up on the benefits of DHC Collagen Powder? No, as Meiji was the same. My guess is that the regulations in Japan probably prohibit companies from making explicit claims on collagen products.
Based on general beliefs, many consume collagen with the hope to improve skin, hair, nails, bones and joints. Hence, let’s use this as a basis to measure DHC’s performance, which I’ll share in a bit.
Preparing the Drink
Preparing DHC collagen drink is relatively easy as the plastic pouch comes with a scoop that levels off quite easily to offer the right amount of powder (6g). Furthermore, the powder dissolves readily in hot water.
However, if we compare it with Meiji, DHC seems to take a little bit more effort to prepare.
Hand comes into contact with collagen powder
As you see, DHC powder comes in a pouch with a narrow opening. To scoop the powder, the hand has to enter the pouch. As the powder depletes gradually, the hand has to reach further in.
I often struggle to keep my hand free from coming into contact with the inner side of the pouch, which would have some powder stick to it. With my habit of washing the hands prior to drink preparation, it is somewhat inconvenient to have to dry my hands completely before scooping the powder.
But then, the dry hand would still pick up some powder during the process which means that I have to wash my hand again when I am done with the scooping. Moreover, you can tell that the preparation of DHC drink requires a two-hand operation – one to hold and stabilise the package, and the other to scoop.
Luckily, there is a solution to the above – I can transfer the powder into my empty Meiji container. Thank you, Meiji! 🙂
Takes a while to dissolve in cold water
DHC powder does dissolve in lukewarm or cold water. However, it takes longer to do so than Meiji. In the process, you will see tiny clumps within the DHC drink that require you to stir further. With Meiji, I didn’t notice any clumps when mixing it with cold water.
Despite the longer time taken to mix the powder in cold water, DHC doesn’t put me off as I have the habit of mixing collagen powder with a small quantity of hot water before topping up with cold water and ice cubes. It’s faster that way.
Next, let’s put DHC Collagen Powder to a smell and taste test.
Smell & Taste Test: DHC vs Meiji
Both collagen drink have a water-like consistency and fishy taste and smell. However, DHC Collagen Powder wins hands down in the department of “fishiness”.
After trying it for two months, I still couldn’t get used to the obvious fishy scent. It was the most intense during preparation, when stirring the drink. Meiji, on the hand, is not as off-putting.
> RELATED: Review of Asahi Collagen Powder – it’s not fishy!
In terms of taste, I am able to drink Meiji Collagen when it’s mixed with water. However, when I did the same with DHC, this is what I wrote in my diary, “Don’t like it. Unpleasant.”
What goes well with DHC Collagen Powder?
The fruit powder that I’ve been using to add flavor to collagen drink doesn’t work well with DHC. The fishy taste can’t be masked completely. Neither can tea conceal the taste of marine.
After some experiments, I’ve found coffee and Vitamin C effervescent tablet to work well with DHC Collagen Powder. Unfortunately, Vitamin C tablet is often my last resort as I prefer to consume my vitamins through natural food intake.
DHC Collagen Powder: Any noticeable benefits?
I believe this is the portion that you are most interested in – does DHC Collagen Powder slow down visible signs of aging?
Unlike my experience with Meiji, where I had a clear BEFORE-AFTER timestamp on collagen consumption, I didn’t enjoy the same time demarcation for DHC Collagen drink. That’s because I was already taking Meiji collagen for a year and presumably, reaping its benefits before proceeding to try DHC.
Perhaps, what I can conclude is that I didn’t observe any deterioration in skin laxity and radiance when I switched from Meiji to DHC. My left knee has also remained pain-free after the product switch.
Therefore, I am inclined to say that DHC would probably perform as well as Meiji if it was given a fair chance of a Before-After comparison. But to be honest, we really won’t know for sure as benefits of supplements have always been difficult to ascertain. 🙂
Still, you may like to refer to the benefits of Meiji Collagen Powder as these could possibly be what you would get out of DHC collagen drink.
Price of DHC Collagen Powder
For a long time, I had wanted to try DHC collagen, but was discouraged by its 60% premium over Meiji ($62 vs $39 respectively).
No thanks to Covid-19, Singapore entered a 2-month lockdown in April which saw prices of many products being slashed, including DHC collagen. At a 50% discount, I had no reason not to try out a new collagen supplement.
Even after lockdown, I’ve noticed that the price of DHC Collagen Powder in Singapore has remained depressed, probably due to the gloomy economic climate or the need for DHC to stay competitive.
Summary: Pros vs Cons of DHC Collagen Powder
What’s Good?
- An established brand since 1972
- Water-like consistency; not sticky
- Maintained skin elasticity and radiance (I believe)
- Slightly lower calorie than Meiji Collagen Powder
What’s Bad?
- Obvious fishy smell and taste (can be masked with some beverages)
- Relatively easy to prepare, but Meiji fares better
- Pricier than Meiji
- Less travel-friendly than single-use sachets, e.g. from Astalift
- Collect a plastic spoon every month (#CanBeMoreGreen)
Recommendations: Would I buy DHC Collagen again?
I believe DHC Collagen Powder works as well as Meiji in improving skin firmness and radiance. However, due to various factors highlighted above such as scent and price, I am likely to opt for Meiji over DHC.
The exception comes if DHC collagen is on a super mega discount, though I think I may still hesitate due to its fishy scent and taste. Rating: 3.5/5
To find out the latest price on Amazon, click HERE.
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