Where does Biopeptide Complex technology come from?
Biopeptide Complex is not a standard collagen hydrolysate, of which there are thousands on the market. It is the result of many years of original scientific research led by Prof. Andrzej Frydrychowski, MD, PhD — a distinguished Polish scientist, graduate and lecturer at the Medical Academy in Gdańsk, and head of the Department of Human Physiology at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Frydrychowski specializes in developing anti-aging, cosmetic and health-supporting preparations — over the course of his scientific career he has developed seven groundbreaking patents.
At the heart of his research was a question that had long gone unanswered in cosmetology: how can marine collagen be obtained in a way that preserves not just amino acids and structural proteins, but also the delicate signalling peptide fractions that play a messenger role in a living fish's body? Most processing methods available on the market destroyed precisely these fractions before the collagen ever reached a jar or bottle.
A professor of medical sciences, graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the Medical Academy in Gdańsk, and head of the Department of Human Physiology at the Faculty of Health Sciences. Head of the WellU Scientific Board. Inventor of a unique, patented method for obtaining marine collagen peptides from fish skins. Holder of 7 patents, recipient of national and international awards.
What the patent protects — the technical heart of the discovery
WellU's Polish patent (no. PL206813, application P.356650) and its US equivalent (patent US7285638) protect the method of obtaining biologically active collagen from the skins of freshwater fish of the salmonid family (Salmonidae) for cosmetic purposes and to support human tissue and organ function.
The key to patent protection is not simply the use of marine collagen — hundreds of companies around the world do that. What's protected is the extraction method, which preserves the biological activity of collagen and peptide fractions in an unaltered state. In short: other methods "cook" or chemically break down collagen, while WellU's method extracts what is biologically valuable from the fish without destroying its structure.
Why is the extraction method so important?
Freshwater fish skin (particularly from salmonids) contains several hundred fractions of biologically active peptides, which in a living fish's body serve signalling, transporting and structural roles. These fractions — particularly derivatives of lumican, decorin and histones — have a unique ability to "communicate" with human skin fibroblasts and stimulate them to produce new collagen.
The problem is that these signalling peptides are extremely sensitive to temperature and chemicals. Standard industrial methods — high-temperature enzymatic hydrolysis, acid digestion, pressure cooking — yield a hydrolysate rich in amino acids and simple peptides, but stripped of active signalling fractions. The product is nutritious, but doesn't "communicate" with the skin.
Frydrychowski's method solves this problem through low-temperature extraction followed by lyophilization — freeze-drying that removes water without using heat. The result: signalling peptides remain intact and biologically active, across the full spectrum of fractions that, in the living fish, were responsible for the integrity of connective tissue.
| Parameter | Standard hydrolysis | WellU method (patented) |
|---|---|---|
| Processing temperature | High (50–90°C) | Low (below 0°C during lyophilization) |
| Use of enzymes/acids | Yes — enzymatic or acid hydrolysis | No — mechanical and physical extraction |
| Signalling peptides | Destroyed or heavily reduced | Preserved across the full spectrum |
| Lumican/decorin/histone fractions | Practically absent | Preserved — the core of Biopeptide Complex |
| Number of peptide fractions | A few to a few dozen | Several hundred, biologically active |
| Peptide molecular weight | Typically below 2000 Da (hydrolysate) | 7–29 amino acids — diverse fractions |
| Peptide concentration vs other brands | Baseline for comparison | Up to 100 times higher (PRO-line preparations) |
Research confirming effectiveness — a 671% increase in collagen synthesis
The effectiveness of Biopeptide Complex, obtained through the patented method, was confirmed by studies carried out at the Medical Academy in Wrocław in the fourth quarter of 2012. The study used the SIRCOL method (a standard quantitative test for collagen synthesis) on cultured cells taken from the palate. The result: using WellU preparations containing Biopeptide Complex was associated with a 671% increase in collagen synthesis compared to the control sample.
For context: typical low-molecular-weight collagen hydrolysates show increases in collagen synthesis of a few to a few dozen percent in similar in vitro models. The 671% result was possible precisely because of the presence of signalling fractions from lumican and decorin, which are absent in standard products.
A 671% increase in collagen synthesis measured by the SIRCOL method does not mean skin will have 7 times more collagen after a single application. It's a laboratory result from a cell culture — it shows how strongly the peptide fractions in Biopeptide Complex activate fibroblasts. This translates into a more intensive, faster regenerative effect compared to preparations without signalling fractions.
The Brussels Eureka award — international recognition
WellU's technology and its preparations received a silver medal at the 55th Brussels Eureka International Exhibition of Inventions in 2006 — one of the world's most important events dedicated to inventive innovation. This is not a marketing award — it is granted by a jury of patent and scientific experts from around the world, evaluating originality, novelty and practical application of an invention.
The patent and Larens/Nutrivi products — what this means in practice
The patent protects the method — not marine collagen itself, nor products made from it. This means other companies can sell supplements and cosmetics with marine collagen, but cannot use this specific extraction method that preserves signalling fractions. The practical effect is that the Biopeptide Complex found in Larens and Nutrivi products is biologically different from standard hydrolysates available in drugstores and online shops — even if both products list "marine collagen" on the label.
Biopeptide Complex applied topically
In Biopeptide Serum Spray, Lifting Face Cream, BioRenew Tissue Face Mask and other Larens cosmeceutics — peptide fractions are applied directly to the skin. They penetrate the epidermis and dermis, reaching fibroblasts and initiating collagen synthesis from the outside.
Biopeptide Complex taken orally
In Glowin'UP, Holistic Peptide Complex and other Nutrivi supplements — the same peptide fractions are absorbed through the small intestine and transported via the bloodstream to fibroblasts throughout the body: skin, joints, bones, blood vessels. This is a channel unavailable to topical skincare.
The WellU philosophy — two channels, one complex
Larens + Nutrivi used together work complementarily: topically stimulating facial skin fibroblasts directly through the epidermis, internally delivering building-block amino acids and signals to fibroblasts throughout the body. This synergy has been built into the architecture of both brands from the start — Biopeptide Complex is shared between them.
WellU's place in the history of marine collagen
The history of Polish marine collagen patents is surprisingly rich. Poland has a unique tradition of marine collagen research, dating back to Gdańsk fisheries laboratories in the 1980s — it was here, aboard the research vessel "Profesor Siedlecki" among other places, that the first experiments in extracting collagen from sea fish skins were conducted. Researchers involved included Dr Maria Sadowska, Dr Ilona Kołodziejska and Dr Eugeniusz Krajewski of the then Fisheries Academy in Gdynia.
Subsequent generations of researchers built on this scientific legacy — including Prof. Frydrychowski, who focused not on whole collagen molecules (as earlier researchers had) but on peptide fractions that retain biological activity. This fundamental shift in approach — from "collagen as a structural protein" to "collagen peptides as biological messengers" — is the essence of WellU's innovation and the basis of its patent protection.
Sources: Polish Patent Office database UPRP (patent PL206813, application P.356650), USPTO (patent US7285638 "Method of obtaining biologically active collagen from skins of the salmonidae fish"), official WellU materials (WellU 2013 catalogue, wellu.eu), an interview with Prof. Andrzej Frydrychowski (wellu4u.info.pl, 2018), SIRCOL study results from the Medical Academy in Wrocław (Q4 2012). This content is for informational and educational purposes.