Do Peptides in Skin Care Products Work?
Many skincare products use peptides to treat wrinkles. But what are peptides? And do they actually make you look younger?
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, wrinkled skin.
Collagen is protein and is made up long chains of amino acids strung together, like chains of linked building blocks. When it is broken down, short segments of 3-5 amino acids form, called peptides. Peptides are not just junk collagen; these “mini proteins” are active molecules — and you pay a whole lot for them in your wrinkle cream.
Here are three ways that peptides claim to improve wrinkles and make you look younger:
1. Peptides Signal Your Skin to Make More Collagen
When we age collagen is destroyed but not replaced. As a result young, smooth becomes thin and wrinkled over time.
One strategy to improve winkles and to make you look younger is to replace lost collagen. When collagen breaks down, it forms specific peptides. These peptides act as a signal to tell your skin it was damaged and to make new 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. The most popular signal peptide for cosmetic use is palmitoyl pentapeptide (Matrixyl). It can be found in many peptide skin products and might be effective in improving the appearance of fine lines. Be a smart skin care consumer — you can find this active ingredient in Strivectin and many other expensive peptide creams. Yet, it can also be found in the much less expensive products like Oil of Olay’s Regenerist, which I recommend to my patients.
2. Peptides Deliver Copper into Your Skin
Because peptides are small, they can penetrate the skin’s protective barriers to get to the deeper layers. When copper is attached to a peptide, the peptide can deliver copper to the living layers of the skin. There is research showing that copper is an effective agent in skin healing which is why it has been used for years to treat chronic wounds.
Copper peptides seem to promote collagen production and act as antioxidants. They are needed for natural healing and regeneration of your skin and to help remove damaged collagen. Copper peptides can be found in pricey product lines such as Neova or Osmotics as well as less expensive products like Neutrogena’s Visibly Firm Night Cream.
3. Neuropeptides Might Act Like Botox
Some peptides might block transmission of signals from nerves to your facial muscles. In particular, a neuropeptide called argireline has been shown in the laboratory to block the release of neurotransmitters from nerves. If argireline was absorbed all the way through the skin to the level of the muscle, then it might block contraction of the muscle, leading to smoother skin, similar to Botox. However, it would be like pouring a small glass of water onto a mattress and expecting it to soak through the underside of your box spring– it’s very unlikely.
Neuropeptides are sold in products often called wrinkle-relax creams and are a big part of Dr. Perricone’s line. There are plenty of anecdotal stories of their efficacy but essentially no good published scientific data. Although they sound great, until there are good studies to show they actually work, I would skip neuropeptides for now.
Peptides Might Not Do Anything
There are many things that have to go right in order for peptides to actually have a benefit. Because they are break-down products of proteins, they have to be stabilized or they might continue to break down further in a topical cream, becoming useless. Also, they have to be in a cream that allows them to penetrate the skin. If a great peptide is in a thick cream that only sits on the surface, then it will never penetrate and will eventually be washed off, without any benefit.
That being said, signal peptides and copper peptides seem to have the most evidence for their efficacy and can be found in products that cost less than a tank of gas.
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Photo credit: Misha Brittleson
Disclaimer: I do not receive any money or free products from any of the companies listed. I have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
We have a whole line based around peptides and they work great. The more peptides the better…
I’ve got to get my wife to read your blog.
Paul-
LOL. Thanks. I hope she likes it.
Never heard abt peptides but after reading this topic i became crazy and want 2 apply it asap on my face.
Appeciate the insight on matrixyl. What can you tell us about matrixyl 3000? Difference between the two; which may be more deserving of use; and less expensive products containing the 3000. Thanks!
Jeff, so great meeting you last weekend and I am loving your blog. I already use the Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum (which I love) and will definitely try the Neutrogena Visibly Firm Night Cream.
What is a neuropeptide? Also, do you know anything about Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle serum? if so do you think it is effective?
Great to read more and more on peptides! I sell a range of amazing cosmetics here in New Zealand which are all made from peptides and the results are dramatic with continued use!!! So GO PEPTIDES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I use the Olay regenerist face cream and at first I really loved it, but it seems that it’s not doing anything anymore. Should I be doing something else, serum (?). How do I reduce pore size and increase elasticity? I’ll be 48 in a few weeks and altho people can’t believe it, I see it. I recently moved from the beach of So California to the northwest of Idaho. So that might be part of it. HELP
Very informative
i had terrible dry patches after this winter – it was itchy and blotchy, flaky and just ugly… and i have such a poily nose – so the whole thing was very annoying. my mom adviced to use peptides on my itchy dry skin and it worked wonders, a week of la rochey-posey cream with peptides and my skin had its relief… i’m 22 though, so don’t need the antiaging properties of them yet.
Does peptides in skincare really wotk?
Does peptides in skincare really work?
If neuropeptides were used on the forehead, often the site for Botox injection, might it not be more likely to go deep enough to reach the muscle as the skin seems most thin there?
In order to slow down or stop the aging process and enjoy perfect health your intra and extra cellular fluids, and surface membranes must be kept youthful, and if damaged they must be repaired.
I am using peptide based cream from last 4 months.No improvement in my skin texture.
Care for skin should not only be done with skin care products. You want to care for skin by making sure that you eat a healthy diet and drink plenty of water. Getting exercise on a regular basis and plenty of rest will also help in your quest for healthy skin. You just have to remember that it is imperative that you are committed to a skin care treatment because you won?t be able to see any visible results if you don?t. Getting the desired results will depend on how committed you are to the care for skin.
I appreciate your positive attitudes to peptides in skin care. I also agree that claims of muscle relaxation trhough topically applied products (peptides or other) are probably highly exaggerated; furthermore, the type of formulation (serum, cream, lotion, even preservatives) may have a big impact on the efficacy of a peptide, even when it is used at the right level.
However, I do not agree that “peptides” are just “protein break down” products. In our body, yes, that was the basis for their development. But the truly active peptides you mention (in Strivectin, Regenerist) are stable, synthetic, pure molecules. Unfortunately, sometimes cheaper products containing protein hydrolysates (of wheat, milk or soy…) also claim to contain “peptides”, but these are just undefined mixtures of truly “protein breakdown fragments” that have little or no documented biological activity.
thanks for keeping this in mind.
Nice article. I really liked it. Can I have your e-mail address, so I can ask you a few things?
I also believe in products that are made w/peptides specialy this cream I used the other day at Dillard’s I hardly believe how wonderful my skin look and my deepest wrinkles were gone w/ one application. I am shocked w/ this skin line . It is certified organic the line is called “Organicare” is anti-aging. Look I have used Sisly, La Mer , Lapraire ,and the most expensive creams but none worked like this line .
My husband could tell the difference and that really impress me! The serum is the most effective it call “Rescue me”.Look if anyone want to check it out here is the website: http://www.icareorganics.com
I am using and so is my daughter ,she also was very impressed w/ the line.
Ane Eubanks
Very good write-up. I really liked reading it. Can I have your e-mail , so I can ask you just a few things?
I have heard quite a bit about peptides for good skincare. What skincare product would you recommend with this ingredient?
The artical is very nice. It give more clear information about the petited. Please try to give us more information about the same.