Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/942738
44 march/april 2018 expertadvice INGREDIENTS Less is More When it comes to peptides, fewer may be better by Danné Montague-King Peptide is a huge buzzword today, with some companies basing their entire line on fancy peptide serums or creams. There are literally hundreds of peptides and many categories, both biologically natural and synthetic, and guess what? Skin cells do not know the difference. THE WORKER BEES Peptides fall into three basic categories: 1. Short: Two amino acids with one peptide bond 2. Medium: Tripeptides or tera peptide, most common in skin products 3. Long: Polypeptide chains Peptides are worker bees in helping to assemble and construct protein building blocks. They are also the conveyor belt in the collagen factory—the fibroblast cell that carries the amino acid components from the front door of the factory on the conveyor belts (peptides), after which other components are added, and finally to the loading dock, which are then thrust out into the matrix as new, teenage collagen fibers. On their own, peptides are not a primary source of power— they're more of a precursor to other complex molecular actions. There has not been much research on peptides specifically for skin care (outside of the companies that create products based on peptides). Some peptides appear to help other ingredients react in the cell structures of skin more efficiently. Clients seem to be attracted to anything with the word "peptide" on it, but the truth is many ingredients naturally contain peptides— vitamin C, retinoids, and other coenzymes—so adding expensive peptides may be superfluous.