RAWGA Inc., an ingredient development company from South Korea with a focus on sustainability, and Freemen Nutra Group, an industry leading global supplier of ingredients, are together bringing VC-H1® to the North American market.

Sourced from organically grown hibiscus, VC-H1 is comprised of bioactive peptides from a collagen-like protein and free-radical scavenging hibiscus polyphenols. Research shows VC-H1 stimulates collagen production more effectively than traditional animal sourced collagen peptides and provides multiple clinically validated skin health benefits.

“We are excited to be working with Freemen Nutra to bring VC-H1 to the US and Canada,” says Raw Kim, Founder and CEO of RAWGA Inc. “This partnership marks a significant milestone in our quest to create more healthy, safe, and sustainable food systems.”

Hanks Li, President of Freemen Nutra commented, “We see this as a tremendous opportunity to bring to our customers, especially those with a focus on sustainability, a research-backed ingredient in a high demand category.” Adding, “VC-H1 is not only an innovative option within the collagen market, but with a 1.5g dose many, if not most our customers will also see a cost savings. That is truly a rare opportunity.”

Published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences,1 the randomized, doubleblind, placebo-controlled clinical study showed substantive skin health benefits in multiple measures. Compared to placebo, VC-H1 significantly improved:

  • Deep, lasting hydration
  • Bounce and firmness
  • Surface of the skin
  • Age-defying effects

“The key to the efficacy of VC-H1, and any collagen really, are the short two to four amino acid length peptides that stimulate collagen production in the body,” noted Eric Withee, Director Innovation at Freemen Nutra. “And VC-H1 has a very low molecular weight, meaning it is made almost entirely of these collagen boosting peptides.

Freemen will showcase VC-H1 in Booth #4354 at SupplySide Global, October 29th-30th.

1Baek, Y., Nguyen, N. H., Lee, Y. I., Jung, M. J., Kim, I. A., Lee, S. J., Kim, H. M., & Lee, J. H. (2025). Hibiscus Collagen Alternative (VC-H1) as an Oral Skin Rejuvenating Agent: A 12-Week Pilot Study. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(15), 7291. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26157291