If you're into skincare, then there's a huge chance you've heard of peptides. It's been around for decades. But for the past 2 years, there's been a noticeable influx of it in the beauty market as serums and eye creams. But what exactly are peptides? Well, it's not that simple to explain. We need to talk science.
Peptides are strings of amino acids, which are the building blocks that make up proteins in our body, including collagen in the skin
Proteins are the fundamental building blocks of skin. Without peptides, skin doesn't remain intact and the result is a loss of firmness, the appearance of wrinkles, texture changes, and skin that doesn't bounce back as it once did.
When amino acids are combined in certain formations they create specific peptides, and there are actually hundreds of peptides as you can see from sites like this one. Each of them works in very specific ways to target an exact skincare need, the most popular is the one that helps revive aging skin.
Do Peptides in Cosmetics Work?
Peptides can are already present within our body, but it is still a great addition to your skincare routine because we also lose 1% of our remaining collagen per year after age 30, and they can address many skin concerns.
But slathering peptides onto your skin doesn't necessarily give you more of them. Your skin just sees these peptides as "signals" that send messages to different parts of the skin to promote collagen, elastin and other proteins where it is needed.
So when choosing cosmetic products with peptides, opt for something that does not easily wash off the skin like a moisturizer, eye cream or serum. And it is best to use peptide products with a cocktail of other ingredients like Niacinamide, Hyaluronic Acid, and anti-oxidants as you could see in my favorites Dr. Jart+ Peptidin Serums and Purito Centella Green Level Eye Cream.
