Peptides: Your New Best Friend In Skincare

Hey beauty lovers! Have you heard of peptides and how wonderful they are for your skin? If not—or if you just want to learn more about them—this blog is for you!

The superheroes of skincare!

Peptides are literally the superheroes of skincare ingredients! Let’s start with the basics and first define what they are. Peptides are the building blocks of skincare and are made up of amino acids linked together that help to keep your skin healthy and glowing. These tiny but mighty amino acid links (aka peptides) have the ability to “talk” to proteins in our skin, such as collagen and elastin by signaling to collagen and elastin to start working their magic!

Peptides are amino acid chains that can stimulate the production of proteins like collagen and elastin, literally improving your skin from the inside out!

Who doesn’t want these little peptides talking to collagen saying things like “produce more here to help plump up those fine wrinkles,” or to elastin saying, “right here…this is where we need to tighten and lift! 1-2-3 PULL!” Can’t you just hear it! 

The reality is, peptides are super important to healthy skin. In this blog, I’m talking specifically about natural peptides (i.e., occurring naturally in nature—not synthetically made in a lab) and topical peptides. There are peptides that you can ingest as well, but this blog is strictly discussing natural peptides: copper, marine and silk, specifically, that can be applied to your skin.

Copper Peptides

First up, let’s talk about copper peptides. Copper is a mineral that is naturally found in your body and essential to many of your body’s functions, including brain development and creating energy. These peptides are tiny linked amino acids that contain ….you guessed it, copper!! They are natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, so they are great to help oily and combination skin, but they can also help to stimulate collagen production.

THE IMPORTANCE OF COLLAGEN PRODUCTION

Collagen production is EXTREMELY critical to the look and feel of your skin, because the amount of collagen our skin contains starts decreasing in our 20s, and by the time we are 30, collagen decreases at a rate of 1% per year. Worse yet, within the five years after menopause, it is estimated that as much of 30% of your remaining collagen is lost, and from that time forward, continues to decrease at a rate of 2% per year! Ugh.

Knowing how important collagen is to plump up the skin and smooth out fine lines, this decline is not good news. But, let’s turn our attention back to copper peptides, because this IS good news. Since copper peptides stimulate collagen production, it will help improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Additionally, these little superheroes also have antioxidant properties, which can help to protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, which basically is everything that is microscopic in the air (think dirt, grime, smoke, pollution, fumes, etc.).

Lastly, research has shown that copper peptides can help to increase the production of certain growth factors, which are essential for the regeneration of skin cells. Elina Organics Crushed Copper Mask contains copper powder (peptides in powder form) and is a great detoxing clay mask for oily skin and the Mermaid Elixir contains copper peptides and marine peptide to help….

Marine Peptides

Next, we have marine peptides. These peptides come from marine organisms like fish, algae, and shellfish. Something to note, however, is that the peptide products Elina Organics creates, the brand we carry, do not contain any shellfish. They use marine peptides and marine collagen from wild fish, primarily salmon. These peptides are often used in skincare products due to their incredible ability to hydrate and nourish the skin so that you can get your glow on! Marine peptides are not only rich in amino acids but other nutrients that can help to improve skin elasticity, which can improve the firmness of your skin.

One of the primary benefits of marine peptides, which I mentioned above, is their ability to increase skin hydration, which is essential for healthy skin. Not only that, research has shown that marine peptides can also help increase the production of hyaluronic acid, which is an ingredient that is found naturally in your skin and helps to retain moisture and plump up your skin to minimize those annoying fine lines.

NOURISHING

If you have dry or dehydrated skin, marine peptides are a must have in your skincare arsenal. Elina Organics Natural Peptide Mask contains copper, marine and silk peptides, which we are about to talk about next. You can use this mask as a traditional mask and wash it off after wearing it 10 -15 minutes, but I prefer to leave it on all night as my nighttime moisturizer. With regular use, this product will give your skin a healthy, radiant glow.

FIRMING

For firming the skin, Ambra Elixir is your go-to product with marine collagen peptides.

Silk Peptides

Silk peptides (linked amino acids) are primarily natural, water-soluble proteins that are extracted from raw silk and are often the “crown” peptide because of their amazing anti-aging properties. This is largely because silk peptides contain a significant amount of a key component called hydroxyl amino. Hydroxyl amino is critical because it is known to regulate both the water binding process in your skin and also the moisture content of your skin.

Bottom line, this important peptide improves fine lines and wrinkles, delivers and retains moisture, helps the skin barrier to fight free radicals from further damaging your skin, improve skin tone, and helps keep your skin stay hydrated and silky (pun intended) soft. Elina Organics Cleopatra Neck Cream has silk peptides to improve the look, appearance and feel of your neck!

Let’s Wrap This Up

Let’s put a bow on this and review the critical takeaway on peptides. There was a lot of information in this, but the main takeaway, is that if you have dry or aging skin, peptides are vital ingredients for improving your skin’s health and appearance, by helping to keep your skin looking youthful, hydrated, and protected.

So the next time you’re shopping for skincare products, keep an eye out for ingredients like copper peptides, marine peptides, and silk peptides. Your skin will thank you, and you will definitely be able to see a difference in your skin!