The Skin Nerd: Here's everything you need to know about peptides and how to use them

One of the most buzz-worthy ingredients of the moment, peptides, have the potential to rejuvenate everyone’s skincare regime

Peptides have undoubtedly taken centre stage this year and for good reason

It can seem like there’s a new beauty buzzword doing the rounds on a weekly basis, but every now and then an ingredient trend starts and sticks - and this is the case with peptides. Now, peptides are hardly new, but they have undoubtedly taken centre stage this year and for good reason! Renowned for their ability to stimulate collagen production and fighting sagginess, peptides can put the pep back into the most lacklustre of complexions...

What is a peptide?

Pro-collagen peptides are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of protein in our skin and can diminish the depth and appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. To get nerdier, collagen itself is made of polypeptides chains. Whilst collagen is a large molecule that is hard to penetrate the surface of the skin, peptides are smaller and so are better able to penetrate the skin and provide skincare benefits topically.

Peptide benefits

Peptides offer a natural solution for firming the skin, having have been found to stimulate your skin to make more collagen. This means that regular use can lead to a decrease in fine lines and wrinkles. More benefits include:

• Reducing inflammation in the skin: The anti-inflammatory properties within peptides can help to soothe any redness and irritation.

• Building up barrier strength and increasing skin firmness. This can help to boost resilience against external aggressors as well as helping to make the skin feel tauter.

• Boost hair vitality: Peptides also make up the protein keratin – which is crucial for hair health.

Who should use peptides?

This hero ingredient is an ideal addition within any anti-ageing skincare routine but is especially beneficial for people wishing to decrease fine lines, wrinkles and inflammation and wanting to help the skin look firmer. Whilst peptides are beneficial for most skin types, occasionally irritation can occur, so do always follow manufacturer instructions to the word and seek advice from your GP or skin specialist if you have any concerns.

What to look for

The shelves are stacked with many different types of peptides, and you may find these labelled as ingredients beginning with ‘palmitoyl’ as well as peptides on a products INCI list (ingredient label). Within the topical skincare market, you are most likely to find the most potent dose of peptide delivered in serum form. I recommend looking for products that stay on the skin rather than rinse off to allow the peptides time to work and penetrate skin. An amicable bunch, peptides work well with other common skincare ingredients including vitamin C.

Peptide-infused picks

• IMAGE Skincare Ormedic Balancing Bio-Peptide Creme (€71.25, imageskincare.com and theskinnerd.com) features a tetrapeptide complex to promote radiant skin.
• Environ Youth EssentiA Vita Peptide Eye Gel (€75, environskincare.com and theskinnerd.com contains vitamins A and E alongside peptides to refresh and replenish the eye area.
• Murad Soothing Oat and Peptide Cleanser (€32.30, murad.com) features micellar peptides, which are 300x more effective than potentially irritating sulphates to lift away dirt and impurities whilst keeping moisture intact.
• Skingredients Skin Veg Hyaluronic Acid Hydrating Serum (€55, skingredients.com) features pro-collagen peptide to reduce the depth and appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and “drinkles” (aka wrinkles caused by dehydration).
• Ole Henriksen Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment (€18, boots.ie) contains lip specific, strengthening peptides and kokum butter to counteract volume loss, hydrate and restore bounce.