We all know great skincare starts with great ingredients—and peptides are among the most exciting players in modern skincare science. But what are peptides, exactly? These tiny chains of amino acids act as your skin’s natural messengers, supporting so many things from collagen production to moisture retention.
Today’s peptide-powered skincare goes beyond the basics:
Signal peptides – Your skin’s natural "texture trainers", encouraging collagen and elastin production
Carrier peptides – The "delivery experts" that escort active ingredients deep below the surface
Neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides – Your "wrinkle relaxers" that soften expression lines
But here’s the breakthrough: Science now enhances nature. While natural peptides lay the foundation, innovations like palmitoylated peptides (with their fatty acid "navigation systems") solve the delivery puzzle, helping these ingredients reach their full potential in your skin.
The future of peptides skincare is here, and it’s smarter than ever.
OVERVIEW OF PEPTIDES AND THEIR POTENTIAL ROLES IN SKIN HEALTH AND BEAUTY
Leyang Wang 1, Zhijing Wu 1, Xinyu Wang 1, Xiaoli Wang 2, Jingzhuo Mao 2, Yan Yan 3, Lu Zhang 3, Zhuzhen Zhang 1
BACKGROUND
What are peptides? Peptides are molecules that consist of at least two amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Beyond their nutritional properties, peptides are also structural components of hormones, enzymes, toxins, and antibiotics and play several fundamental physiological roles in the body.
Since the introduction of the first commercial peptide drug, insulin, peptide-based drugs have gained increased interest. Meanwhile, peptides have also gained significant attention in the cosmetic industry because of their potential in boosting skin health.
OBJECTIVE
To provide a comprehensive summary of peptides in the aspects of sources, function, the use of peptides in cosmetics and skin care, and indications in the delivery of cosmetic applications.
METHOD
A comprehensive review methodology was used to summarise existing scientific literature on peptides. It explores various aspects of peptides, including their sources, functionality, utilisation in cosmetics and skincare, and potential applications in delivering cosmetic peptides.
RESULTS
What do peptides do for the skin? Peptides are promising ingredients in the field of cosmetics and skincare due to their extensive physiological activities in the skin. These include skin conditioning, skin protecting, cleansing, humectant, reducing, bleaching, anti-ageing, and miscellaneous efficacy.
Peptides are categorised into three main categories:
Carrier peptides
Signal peptides
Neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides.
CONCLUSION
Bioactive peptides have been identified and isolated from different species, and many bioactive peptides show powerful therapeutic properties. Nowadays bioactive peptides are widely used in medicine, food and beverage, cosmetics, and personal care owing to their multifaceted roles.
Conflict of interest:
Lu Zhang, Xiaoli Wang, Jingzhuo Mao, and Yan Yan are employed by The Procter & Gamble Company.
Funding information:
This work was supported by the Startup Funds of Wuhan University, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences of Wuhan University.
Author affiliations:
1 Hubei Key Laboratory of Cell Homeostasis, College of Life Sciences, Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
2 Beijing Innovation Center, The Procter & Gamble Company, Beijing, China
3 Singapore Innovation Center, The Procter & Gamble Company, Singapore
