This Popular Collagen Supplement Was Just Recalled—Here's How to Know If You Need to Toss Yours

2 min readA collagen supplement sold on TikTok is being recalled over an undeclared allergen.Nearly 2,000 bottles of Mellish Island Corp’s collagen supplements are being voluntarily pulled from the market.Experts recommend being wary, even if you don’t have an allergy to fish.A popular collagen supplement that’s sold through TikTok is now being recalled. Southern California company Mellish Island Corp has issued a voluntary recall of 1,600 bottles of its Super Skin supplements over concerns that they contain undeclared marine collagen.Per the recall notice from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the “firm's finished product label does not declare the source of marine collagen, which was determined to be fish.” The notice doesn’t specify any states in particular impacted by the recall, but the supplements were distributed “presumably nationwide,” according to the FDA.Mellish Island makes a range of supplements that are promoted by TikTok influencers. The company has not issued a press release about the recall and does not mention it on its TikTok Shop page.It’s easy to assume that you can go ahead and continue to take the recalled supplement if you don’t have a fish allergy, however food safety experts and a toxicologist say that may not be the best move. Here’s why.Meet the experts: Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University; Darin Detwiler, author of the book Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University; Ellen Shumaker, PhD, food safety expert and director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State UniversityIs it dangerous to use this?It depends. “If you have a fish allergy, I would avoid this source because it can cause an allergic reaction,” says Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. “If someone with this allergy ingested the product, they could suffer an allergic reaction, which in some cases can be life-threatening,” agrees Ellen Shumaker, PhD, food safety expert and director of outreach for the Safe Plates program at North Carolina State University.People with shellfish allergies may also need to be cautious, Alan adds. “Technically, a shellfish allergy is distinct from a fish allergy—although some people have both—but I would be wary of cross-contamination, and I would avoid this product if you have any fish or shellfish allergy,” she says.Those without allergies may also want to think twice, says Darin Detwiler, author of the book Food Safety: Past, Present, and Predictions and a professor at Northeastern University.“A recall signals a failure in labeling, formulation control, or supply-chain transparency…not just a typo,” he says. “If a company failed to disclose a biologically active animal-derived ingredient, the reasonable question becomes, ‘What else about sourcing, testing, or labeling was missed?’” Alan agrees. “It makes me wonder what else they haven’t declared and what other details were skimmed over,” she says.What to do if you have the recalled collagen supplements at homeThe recall notice doesn’t provide information on next steps. However, experts suggest getting rid of these supplements if you have them at home.“I would throw it away and buy another product,” Alan says. In the future, she suggests looking for collagen supplements from a brand that uses third-party testing.