What Are Peptides In Skincare?
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash
Peptides in skincare are cell-signaling molecules that influence the behaviour of our skin cells. Depending on the molecular weight of the peptide, some influence our skin cells by a series of cascade responses, while other peptides can penetrate the skin and get right to the source of where we want that cellular influence to happen.
Peptides in skincare have multiple purposes, depending on the exact peptide that’s being used. Most on the market are targeted towards anti-aging - reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, skin plumping and firming, etc. Other peptides are used to reduce skin redness, support the health of the skin barrier, even out skin tone, etc.
We’re big fans of peptides in our skincare products, which is why our “Ground Control” Barrier Repair Cream contains a very special peptide called Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3, a biomimetic lipopeptide based on a growth factor component called TGF-b (transforming growth factor-beta). This peptide was created by a cosmetics company based in France and its primary function is to help enhance the skin’s natural production of key components of the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ), a layer of the skin.
The DEJ is a critical part of the skin involved in appropriate keratinocyte (skin cell) functioning, as well as the health and integrity of the skin barrier. When our skin barrier becomes compromised, not only does this lead to skin sagging and fine lines and wrinkles, but it also increases the likelihood of skin irritations, a weakening of our skin’s immune defenses and thus, perpetuating skin conditions like dermatitis, skin redness, skin sensitivity, acne, eczema and rosacea.
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3 helps to boost the production of structural protein in the DEJ like laminin and fibronectin, as well as enhance the expression of genes involved in the production of collagen (type VII to be exact) to help improve the structural integrity of the skin.
Caprooyl Tetrapeptide-3 can help reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (by 16% after 28 days and 27% after 56 days, based on studies conducted by the manufacturer), as well as improve skin uniformity and reduce the appearance of scarring and hyperpigmentation.
Make sense why we called our face cream what we did now?
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