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Writer's pictureNatalia

What are "Peptides"?

Bioactive peptides with promising cosmetic properties come from different sources, including chemical synthesis and natural sources. Chemical synthesis involves using a mixture of amino acids as a starting material, allowing peptides of different amino acid sequences and combinations to be obtained. Natural sources, such as plants, animals, and marine sources, can be used to extract bioactive peptides using various approaches.


Types of peptides and what they do:





Plants are well known as a rich source of proteins without saturated fatty acids, that can carry useful ingredients and can perform several functions in humans (e.g., antidiabetic, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities) [46]. Especially bioactive peptides with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities are expected to provide great cosmetic benefits.


Animal-derived peptides are also increasingly attracting interest as prominent candidates in the field of cosmetology. Milk, meat, fish, and egg are usually the origins of peptide derivatives. It has been reported that peptides of animal origin can lower blood pressure, stimulate the immune system, inhibit proline-specific endopeptidase activity, induce smooth muscle contraction, have antibacterial and antimicrobial activities, and improve the nutritional value of foods.


Marine-derived peptides have also been confirmed to have high nutritional value and great cosmetic properties, which can provide both health and cosmetic benefits. Particularly, marine environments are more biologically diverse than terrestrial environments, and because of these organisms’ unique adaptions to dark, cold, and high-pressure environments during their evolution, they are able to express different proteins to overcome these incompatible environments.


Edible insects have been considered as new sources of peptides based on their good source of protein. Insect-derived bioactive peptides are characterized by a variety of properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, and ACE-inhibitory activities.


Exploring bioactive peptides for cosmetic applications has opened up new possibilities in skincare and beauty. This has provided valuable insights into the potential of peptides as active ingredients in cosmetic formulations. Bioactive peptides extracted from various sources (plants, animals, marine sources, and edible insects) exhibit single or multifunctional cosmetic properties, including anti-aging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Several in vitro/in vivo studies and clinical trials demonstrate that bioactive peptides are effective in enhancing skin appearance in both topical applications and oral administration, such as improving skin whitening and moisturising and reducing skin aging based on various intracellular mechanisms.


Once again, the above is not my own work but taken from the article, mentioned (the citation) below. These articles are mentioned as I hope that they will give you something of an insight into what is in skin care and how it may be able to help you. I do take out a lot of the rather technical medical elements, but if this is of interest, I would invite you to read the full article. Further, please note I am a NOT a Doctor. Whatever your chosen qualified medical professional says, comes first!


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