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What Are Peptides: The Skincare Ingredient that Helps Improve Skin Elasticity

There are multiple factors involved in the way our skin looks and feels, from lifestyle steps like getting enough sleep, and eating a balanced diet, to the ingredients in our skincare.

Peptides are one of these ingredients. A powerful skincare ingredient known to help firm skin, strengthen the skin barrier, and encourage it to look and feel younger, Peptides are used all across skincare products because of their ability to improve skin elasticity and help with moisture retention.

Thinking of adding Peptides into your skincare routine? You've come to the right place. Let's take a deep dive into this popular ingredient and discover all the uses and benefits of Peptides in skincare.

How to Improve Skin Elasticity: Key Takeaways

• Peptides are amino acids that occur naturally in the skin and in some plants. They are the building blocks of important proteins like Collagen, Elastin, and Keratin.

• The benefits of Peptides in skincare include improving skin elasticity, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and improving the skins barrier.

• The benefits of Peptides can be enhanced by combining them with other skincare ingredients such as Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, and Retinol.

What Are Peptides?

So, what are peptides? Peptides are a type of amino acid that occur naturally in the skin and in some plants, they can also be made synthetically in laboratories. All Peptides are short chains of Amino Acids, and these Amino Acids are the building blocks of proteins in the skin, including Collagen, Elastin, and Keratin.

Collagen is fundamental to the strength and health of the skin, but as we age, Collagen production naturally slows down, meaning skin loses plumpness and tone. Unfortunately, our bodies are unable to absorb topical Collagen, and can only produce it internally.

However, our skin can absorb Peptides, so when we apply Peptide-infused skincare it works to tell our cells to produce more Collagen and Elastin, helping to boost skin elasticity and firmness in the long term.

A woman feels her visibly smoother face after using Lancome's Peptide infused Renergie Multi Glow Cream

What Are The Best Peptides For Skin?

Peptides are short chains of Amino Acids – the fundamental building blocks of proteins – that naturally occur in the skin. Think of them as smart messengers: they help support essential processes like Collagen production and skin repair. Because our Peptide levels decline with age and loss of skin elasticity occurs, introducing them via our skincare can help maintain a firmer, more resilient complexion.

In skincare formulations, Peptides are prized for more than just firming. They work at the cellular level to help smooth the look of fine lines, fortify the skin’s protective barrier, and support an overall more youthful-looking complexion.

There are four main types of Peptides commonly used in topical skincare:

Signal Peptides — communicate with skin cells to encourage natural Collagen and elastin production.

Carrier Peptides — help deliver trace elements, like copper, deep into the skin where they can support regeneration.

Enzyme Inhibitor Peptides — help reduce the breakdown of Collagen by inhibiting enzymes that accelerate ageing.

Neurotransmitter Peptides — act to relax the appearance of expression lines by subtly modulating muscle activity.

Close up of a woman applying Lancome's Renergie H.P.N 300 Peptide Rich Cream. Accompanying text says: In 1 application, REHYDRATED AND FIRMER SKIN.

Benefits Of Peptides

First up, Peptides are a non-irritating, anti-ageing ingredient that anyone with any skin type from oily to dry, can safely add to their skincare routine. To unlock all the benefits of Peptides, they can and should be combined with other powerful active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, antioxidants and vitamin C for the best results.

Thanks to their ability to inform skin cells to boost the production of Collagen and Elastin, Peptides are important for anyone looking to improve skin elasticity. Collagen helps your skin feel firm and look youthful, making it a crucial part of anti-ageing skincare and one of the best things for skin elasticity.

But the benefits of Peptides extend beyond their ability to boost skin elasticity, they also help:

Reduce fine lines and wrinkles: Research suggests that the topical application of Copper Peptide (GHK-Cu) can improve lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation.

Enhance and restore the skin barrier: Peptides can help to strengthen the skin barrier and prevent further damage from environmental factors such as pollutants. A stronger skin barrier can help the look of skin tone and smoothness.

Reduce redness: If your body produces too few Peptides, you may have a skin condition such as eczema or acne. Using a skincare product that contains Peptides can help ease the swelling and redness caused by some skin conditions.

How To Use Peptides

Adding Peptides to your skincare routine is relatively easy, even for those with sensitive skin. We would always recommend adding Peptides to the serum or moisturiser step of your skincare routine, as these products stay on the skin surface for a long time, allowing the Peptides to be efficiently absorbed.

Pairing Peptides with certain ingredients has been proven to improve its benefits, including skin elasticity and moisture retention. For this reason, most creams or serums that use Peptides combine them with Vitamin C, Hyaluronic Acid, or Retinol.

Vitamin C with Peptides

On its own, Vitamin C can help the body produce collagen. and in turn reduce signs of ageing. Studies have shown that combining Vitamin C with Peptides can lead to smoother skin, fewer wrinkles, and improved skin elasticity.

Lancome's Renergie C.R.x. Triple Serum Retinolcombines Peptides with Vitamin C for a high-performance anti-ageing serum which boosts skin elasticity and improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

Hyaluronic Acid with Peptides

Hyaluronic Acid compliments the effects of Peptides. When used together, Hyaluronic Acid provides deep skin hydration for a plumper feeling and in tandem, Peptides work to improve skin elasticity. Research has also shown that Hyaluronic Acid and Peptides can improve the appearance of skin tone and wrinkles. Lancome's Renergie H.C.F. Triple Serum combines Hyaluronic and Peptides for an advanced anti-ageing serum formulated to visibly target wrinkles, loss of firmness, and dark spots.

Peptide with Retinol

Retinol is a powerful anti-ageing ingredient that can help stimulate cell turnover, wrinkles, and tone. When combining Peptides with Retinol, a complimentary effect is created and wrinkles, skin hydration, skin elasticity, and radiance can all be improved.

Shop Lancome's products formulated with Peptides

Discover our full range of anti-ageing skincare products using Peptides. Designed to improve skin elasticity, boost hydration, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles, our Peptide products can be incorporated into your anti-ageing skincare routine.

Collagen Skincare: FAQs

• Why does skin lose elasticity as we age?

As we age, our internal Collagen production begins to slow down. Collagen helps to keep our skin firm, flexible, and youthful looking. As the amount of Collagen decreases, so does our skin’s elasticity.

• How to maintain skin elasticity?

You can maintain or boost skin elasticity by using products with Peptides in them. Our body is unable to absorb Collagen directly, but can absorb Peptides which instruct the body to produce more Collagen and Elastin.

• What are the best Peptides for skin?

There isn't a single Peptide for skin — effectiveness depends on what the skin needs. In skincare, the most beneficial Peptides are those that support Collagen production, help reinforce the skin barrier, and smooth the appearance of fine lines.

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