Inside Peptides: Which Types Are Best For Your Skincare and Beauty Goals?

Peptides and Their Anti-Aging Benefits in Skincare Routines

You’ve most likely heard about vitamin C serums, retinol, collagens, SPF, and the works. But, have you heard about peptides for skin?

No? Well, we’re here to give you an overview on peptides, the different types, and the purpose of each one in Swedish skincare.

What Are Peptides Exactly?

…and more importantly, what can they do for your skin?

For starters, peptides are small fragments of amino acids (the components of protein) with an uncanny ability to direct the skin on when to rejuvenate itself. We’ll dive more into what we mean by “direct.” In general, peptides alongside collagen and elastin are the reasons why your skin feels supple to touch.

Applying non-fragmented pieces of proteins such as collagen directly on the skin doesn’t really have many benefits… shocker, right?

Swedish Skincare Lab Analyzing Plant Stem Cells

Well, that’s because these collagen proteins are simply too heavy and large to pass through the epidermis or top layer of the skin. However, these peptides are much smaller and thus able to pass through the skin. Once they do, they signal cells to produce more collagen… ingenious little system.

The Many Benefits of Peptides for Aging Skin

Peptides are highly beneficial for rejuvenating skincare. They reduce the appearance of fine lines, hydrate the skin, make the skin firmer, help with inflamed and damaged skin, and also even out complexion. And, they’re powerful enough to work all over the body, such as the face, neck, hands, etc. That’s why we use advanced peptides in Stråla One: Swedish Rapid Rejuvenation Luxury Cream. Now, let’s dive deeper.

Types of Peptides and Specific Benefits to Mature Skin

There are three main groups of peptides called the signal peptides, carrier peptides, and neurotransmitter (inhibitor) peptides.

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1. Signal Peptides

Signal peptides are designed to create a biological response – typically an increase in the production of collagen, which helps skin texture, plumpness, and health. The signal for these peptides is often the degradation or damage of collagen chains. For those reasons, signal peptides are advanced and expensive in the world of cosmetics.

Anti-aging skincare products (such as Stråla One) can trick these peptides to believe collagen damage occurred causing them to produce more collagen. One such peptide, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide (Pal-KTTKS aka Matrixyl) has about five amino acids linked to Palmitic Acid. This has been shown to increase the production of collagen I, III, and V leading to smoother and firmer skin.

2. Carrier Peptides

Carrier Peptides enhance wound healing by carrying co-factors to the sites where they are needed. An example is GHK (Glycine, Histidyl, and Lysine). When this peptide is linked to copper, it is excellent not just for wound healing but also reduction of fine lines and smoothing out of wrinkles.

3. Neurotransmitter Peptides

Also known as Inhibitor Peptides, Neurotransmitter Peptides act like botulinum toxin (also known as Botox). These are advanced peptides that block the release of specific neurotransmitters (like acetylcholine) leading to decreased muscle activity where they are present. This causes skin to stay relaxed and minimizes small movements to prevent the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (also known as ‘motor’ wrinkles). These peptides are said to mimic the effects of Botox on the skin when topically applied (and are used in Stråla One: Swedish Rapid Rejuvenation Luxury Cream).

Choosing the Right Peptide for the Beauty of Your Skin

This is very important. Don’t just grab every product that has ‘peptide’ written on it and lay it on your skin.

Choosing the right form of peptide is as important as choosing the right type. We recommend getting one as a moisturizer, cream, or serum, that way, it has enough time to work its magic. However, if you get one as a cleanser, you’d just wash it off after a few seconds… not a very good idea.

Board-certified dermatologists even recommend key peptides such as Tetrapeptides (with four amino acids) or Hexapeptides (contains 6 amino acids) to brighten the skin and boost elasticity and firmness respectively.

Another great option is to look for products that are a combination of peptides and other active ingredients such as glycerine, ceramide, and hyaluronic acid. Chances are that the manufacturers have evaluated the combination of these ingredients and approve their ability to deliver high impact results. Similar to how we approached developing an all-in-one rejuvenation cream for maturing skin.

We also considered the synergies and interactions between peptides and other ingredients. Always important to be diligent and safe. For example, we would never combine peptides with alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) because of the negative affects on efficiency and results.

So don’t wait for your skin to lose its elasticity and appear dull and saggy before you give it a “pep talk”…see what we did there?

Hurry now and incorporate peptides into your skincare routine, you will definitely not regret it.