A Facialists Notes On Peptides
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Peptides are becoming a huge trend right now. We’ve heard about them for years, but all of a sudden I keep getting asked about them on socials and in the clinic. Plus, I’m seeing a lot of “peptide cocktails” being offered as injectables, and “peptide infused” is another term doing the rounds.
Unfortunately, like with a lot of trends, these buzzwords get thrown around constantly, but nobody really knows exactly what they mean, what they do or what they even are… they just know they apparently need them.
So, let’s break it down… no pun intended. (Sorry. Peptide joke.)
What are they?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids and are often referred to as the building blocks of proteins.
If we think of collagen (the stuffing of your mattress) and elastin (the springs in your mattress) as proteins, peptides are essentially little message signals that tell the skin what to do. Kind of like sending a text message with instructions.
What do they do?
This is the important bit…
Not all peptides are the same, and they do not all work in the same way. You can get lots of different peptides that send out lots of different instructions, which means they all have different jobs. Some help support collagen and elastin production, some help reduce inflammation, some support hydration, some help repair the skin and others can help improve firmness.
The problem with peptide marketing though is that because “peptides” have become a bit of a buzzword, a product containing them doesn’t automatically mean it’s well formulated or does what it says on the tin.
As I’ve said time and time again, it’s all about formulation, ingredient quality and how those ingredients are actually delivered into the skin.
Because a “peptide moisturiser” or “peptide serum” doesn’t really mean very much if it isn’t formulated properly.
Delivery systems are incredibly important here because peptides can be difficult to deliver effectively into the skin. This is why well-formulated medical-grade products matter. Companies spend huge amounts of money developing technology to improve ingredient delivery because products don’t simply sail into the deeper layers of the skin because TikTok says they do.
Anyway… let’s stay on topic before I disappear down a skincare conspiracy rabbit hole.
What different types of peptides are there?
There are signalling peptides, which can encourage collagen or elastin production. Then there are carrier peptides, which help transport certain ingredients where they’re needed. Copper gets mentioned quite a lot here. Then neuropeptides are the ones people get very excited about because they can help soften expression lines and give a very subtle muscle-relaxing effect. (SkinBetter Science LINES and Meder Myo-Fix masks are lovely examples of this.) Finally there are enzyme inhibitor peptides, which can help slow collagen breakdown and may also play a role in concerns like hyperpigmentation.
BUT before you get too excited…
Neuropeptides are not the same thing as Botox. They are far more subtle. Yes, they may help soften expression lines and if you already have Botox, some people find they help support the overall effect, but if you see someone on TikTok telling you their peptide serum is basically injectable Botox in a bottle… no. Absolutely not. It’s a ruse!
Why I actually like peptides
One of my favourite things about peptides is that many of them are involved in healing, repair and reducing inflammation.
And as you know, I am obsessed with skin barrier health.
Anything that helps support repair, calm inflammation and improve skin resilience is always going to get my attention.
So, where can you actually get your mitts on some?
Here are two of my favourites…
This is designed to help soften the appearance of fine and expression lines. It contains five different forms of hyaluronic acid to pull water into the skin and improve hydration, alongside neuro-calming peptides to help soften the look of expression lines and messenger peptides that support collagen production.
It’s a beautifully formulated product and a really clever example of peptides done properly. Click here to order.
I absolutely adore this product because the technology behind it is incredibly clever. Calecim contains their patented PTT-6® technology, which includes growth factors, cytokines, proteins and exosome-associated signalling molecules. "exosomes" is another buzzword at the moment too! *Cue eye roll here*
This is one of my favourite products for supporting skin firmness, elasticity and hydration, particularly when the skin is starting to feel less resilient. If you’re focused on healthy ageing, this is a brilliant one.
And then of course, there’s Skinade.
This is a slightly different type of peptide conversation because rather than applying peptides onto the skin, we’re talking about ingesting hydrolysed marine collagen peptides to support the skin from within.
As you probably already know, I have been banging on about Skinade for years (see another post I did on collagen supplements here) because I genuinely haven’t found another collagen supplement that compares. The collagen peptides are formulated for rapid absorption, which is why I consistently see such lovely results in clinic when clients use it properly and consistently.
If SkinBetter InterFuse LINES is helping to soften expression lines on the surface, Calecim is helping support repair, firmness and skin resilience, then Skinade is working from the inside out to support collagen production and overall skin quality.
Honestly? These three together are what I would call the absolute connoisseur’s choice if healthy ageing and skin longevity are your focus.
What about peptide injections?
Yes, peptide injections do exist, but I would approach anything trendy with a decent amount of caution.
Sometimes products and treatments contain very fashionable buzzwords, but when you actually dig into the formulation or the evidence, the amounts aren’t always particularly impressive.
That’s unfortunately part of the wellness trend machine.
I hope you’ve found this little guide useful.
In simple terms, peptides are little messengers that help tell the skin what to do. They are not overnight miracles, and in my opinion, they are nowhere near as important as having a healthy, functioning skin barrier in the first place.
Like most things in skincare, they work best when used consistently and when the skin itself is healthy enough to respond well.
As I always say, focus on barrier health first. Then ingredients like peptides can become the clever little shiny cherries on top. I genuinely like peptides because a lot of the science behind them does support what they claim to do. I’m not someone who jumps on every skincare bandwagon going, but peptides, when formulated properly, can absolutely deliver some lovely results.
If you’re unsure where to begin, you can always click here to book an online consultation with me here or fill out my Skin Check-In Form and we can create a skincare routine that’s actually suited to your skin, rather than whatever TikTok is shouting about this week.
Thank you so much for reading,
Emmaline
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