The Power of Peptides

What are peptides exactly?

Peptides. Also known as “mini proteins” – are one of the hottest ingredients in skincare (and yes, found in our Caviar and Correcting lines).

Our skin is made up mostly of collagen; it is the foundation that gives your skin its support and thickness. Young people have lots of collagen and taut, smooth skin. In contrast, older people have much less collagen and thin, more wrinkled skin. Collagen is protein and is made up of long chains of amino acids strung together, like chains of linked building blocks. When it is broken down, short segments of three-to-five amino acids form, called peptides. Among other messages, Peptides signal your skin to make more collagen. Peptides and proteins represent a wide world of possibilities, and many molecular biologists spend years researching the functions of single peptides and proteins to learn more about how the body works.

Scientists can make peptides to perform any number of functions including to help rejuvenate, rebuild and to lighten the skin. And yes – signal your skin to make more collagen. Applying peptides directly to your skin is a way to trick your skin into thinking that it has lost collagen recently and needs to make more. You can find peptides in the Caviar Age-Defense Serum, Caviar Night Crème and Caviar Eye Crème in our Caviar Skincare Collection and in our At-Home Professional Peel and Brightening Eye Crème in our Correcting Skincare range. Its prefix determines the number of peptides it is made up of. For example, Penta means it has five, Tri, three and so on.

While effective alone, peptides work even better in conjunction with antioxidants, alpha hydroxy acids, natural marine ingredients and essential oils. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals (molecules that want to join with other molecules and when doing so, cause cellular damage), so having antioxidants in your skincare products is a must.

Some desirable antioxidants (and we use them) include Sea Algae (Spirulina among many others), Aloe, Green Tea and Vitamin C. Inflammation is responsible for many or even most of the challenges we face in skincare like rosacea and hyperpigmentation – which is why proper nutrition also plays a key role in having beautiful skin, and protecting and calming the skin with anti-inflammatory ingredients is important.

Using advanced peptides helps to restore and maintain skin’s smooth, youthful look. The skin also gets a firming boost since peptides help support development of connective tissue.

Peptides can be powerful wrinkle fighters when combined with great antioxidant products and a healthy lifestyle.

By Charlene Florian