Peptides for skin: what they are, how they work and why they are not all the same

Some skincare ingredients need very little introduction. Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, retinol.

And then there are peptides.

We have been seeing them in serums and creams for years, particularly when talking about firmness and skin ageing, yet they are probably one of those ingredients many people use without being entirely sure what they actually do.

Are they proteins? Do they stimulate collagen? Do they all work in the same way? And what is the difference between a biomimetic peptide and a peptide associated with an exosome?

Let's start with the basics.

What are peptides?

Peptides are chains of amino acids joined together.

Amino acids are also the building blocks of proteins. The difference, simplifying things considerably, lies in the size and complexity of those chains.

We can picture it like this:

amino acids → peptides → proteins

If amino acids were letters, a peptide would be a word or a short sentence, while a protein would be a much longer and more complex structure.

But being small does not make peptides any less interesting.

Some peptides can participate in cell signalling, acting as messages capable of triggering specific biological responses.

And that is where their relevance in dermocosmetics begins.

How do peptides work in the skin?

Here we need to dismantle a fairly common simplification:

not all peptides do the same thing.

“Peptide” describes a chemical structure, not a function.

Depending on their amino acid sequence and specific characteristics, different peptides may participate in different biological processes.

Some function as signal peptides. Others may act as carriers or modulate certain enzymatic processes. There are also peptides developed to act on mechanisms related to neuromuscular communication.

So saying that a cream “contains peptides” only tells us part of the story.

The next question should be:

which peptides does it contain, and what evidence exists for them?

Peptides and collagen: a more interesting relationship than it may seem

This is probably the best-known association.

Peptides = collagen.

But it is worth understanding what that actually means.

Collagen is a fundamental protein of the extracellular matrix of the dermis and contributes to its structural and mechanical properties.

And the cell actively involved in its production and remodelling is the fibroblast.

As skin ages, both the extracellular matrix and fibroblast behaviour change. This is why some cosmetic strategies investigate certain peptides capable of acting as signals related to the synthesis and remodelling of that matrix.

So we are not simply “putting collagen on top of the skin”.

We are talking about attempting to intervene in specific biological signals related to its production or maintenance.

→ If you want to understand what happens to fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix as we age, read Skin regeneration: what it means and how it changes with age.

What types of peptides are used in skincare?

There is no single perfect classification, but some of the peptides used in skincare can be grouped according to the mechanisms for which they have been studied.

Signal peptides

These act as signals capable of modulating specific cellular responses. Some have been studied in relation to the synthesis of components of the extracellular matrix, including collagen, elastin and other structural proteins.

Carrier peptides

These can bind to certain elements and help facilitate their transport or availability. Some copper-associated peptides are among the best-known examples.

Enzyme-modulating peptides

These are studied for their ability to act on specific enzymatic processes involved in skin biology.

Peptides related to neuromuscular communication

This category includes some of the peptides popularly described as having a “Botox-like effect”.

It is a useful commercial expression, but scientifically it is not particularly precise.

Some cosmetic peptides have been developed to modulate mechanisms related to the communication involved in muscle contraction. But a cosmetic containing peptides is not equivalent to an injection of botulinum toxin, either in mechanism, penetration or magnitude of effect.

So, does a cream become better simply because it contains more peptides?

Not necessarily.

A formula containing ten peptides is not automatically ten times better than one containing a single peptide.

And a long list of ingredient names is not a substitute for evidence.

What matters is the peptide sequence, concentration, stability, availability within the formula and the studies carried out on it.

There is also something we sometimes forget when searching for the next hero ingredient:

the rest of the formula.

Our skin does not receive an isolated ingredient. It receives a complete formulation.

And this also matters when it comes to tolerance. We cannot assume that a product will be suitable for sensitive skin simply because it contains peptides: it depends on the molecules used, their concentrations and, above all, how the complete formula has been designed and evaluated.

That is why at UMOA we are more interested in understanding the function of each technology and how it fits into the overall formulation than in collecting active ingredients simply to list them on the front of a box.

What are biomimetic peptides?

Many peptides commonly used in skincare are molecules selected or developed to reproduce specific biological sequences and signals.

In other words, we know which peptide we are adding and the mechanism we want to target with it.

One example is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, a peptide used in Matrixyl® Synthe’6™, a technology studied in relation to different components of the extracellular matrix.

Another is Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, a peptide present in Argireline® Amplified, studied for mechanisms associated with neuromuscular communication linked to expression lines.

In these cases, we are talking about defined peptides that form part of technologies supported by specific studies. The evidence should always be interpreted in relation to the technology itself and the conditions under which it was studied.

Put very simply, they are fairly precisely selected messages.

But peptides can enter a formula in other ways too.

And this is where a particularly interesting part of the story behind our treatment cream begins: Cell Reversa.

How did we decide to work with peptides in Cell Reversa?

When we started developing Cell Reversa Firming Cream, we did not simply want to build a formula around a long list of peptides.

We wanted to combine two different ways of working with biological signals.

On one hand, defined biomimetic peptides selected for specific mechanisms.

On the other, a technology capable of providing a much broader diversity of signals produced by plant cells.

The logic was simple:

precision + diversity.

It was not about adding more peptides simply for the sake of adding them.

It was about using different types of signals where each could contribute something distinct within the same formulation strategy.

Where does Centella Reversa™ come in?

To provide that biological diversity, we incorporated Centella Reversa™, a technology developed by Vytrus Biotech from Centella asiatica cell cultures.

Unlike a defined biomimetic peptide, Centella Reversa™ contains a complex set of signals produced by the plant cells themselves.

Using peptidomic analysis, Vytrus identified more than 10,000 different peptides and over 1,000 types of proteins.

That represents considerable molecular diversity.

But 10,000 peptides do not automatically mean greater efficacy.

The number alone does not prove that a technology works better.

This is why it is also important to consider its biological evidence. Vytrus studied Centella Reversa™ in vitro on human dermal fibroblasts and observed activity on parameters related to procollagen I, elastin and regenerative capacity.

These results relate to the technology as a whole. We cannot isolate one of the thousands of identified peptides and individually attribute to it the effects observed with the complete complex.

What makes it interesting is precisely that it represents a different approach.

With biomimetic peptides, we select specific signals.

With Centella Reversa™, we also work with a much broader ecosystem of signals produced by plant cells.

Peptides and exosomes: what is the connection?

And here we find a second important difference.

Some of the peptides studied in Centella Reversa™ appear associated with small vesicles produced by the plant cells themselves, within a fraction that Vytrus has characterised as exosomal.

A conventional biomimetic peptide is incorporated into a formula as a defined molecule.

An exosome, explained simply, can be understood as a small biological vehicle released by a cell that can carry, or have associated with it, different molecules.

Including peptides.

Within the exosomal fraction studied in Centella Reversa™, Vytrus identified hundreds of different peptides.

We can picture the difference like this:

With a biomimetic peptide, we select a specific message. With exosomes, we work with small biological vehicles that may carry different messages produced by the cell itself.

This does not mean that a peptide associated with an exosome is automatically better than a biomimetic peptide.

Nor does it necessarily mean that it will penetrate the skin more effectively.

They are different ways of working with biological signals.

And that is precisely why understanding how they may complement each other is interesting.

→ If you want to explore these structures in more detail, read Exosomes in skincare: what they are and what benefits they may offer the skin.

Why combine biomimetic peptides with peptides associated with exosomes?

Because we are not looking for them to do exactly the same thing.

With biomimetic peptides, we can select specific signals related to specific mechanisms.

With Centella Reversa™, we incorporate a much more diverse biological system containing thousands of peptides, proteins and vesicles produced by Centella asiatica cells.

One approach provides precision.

The other provides biological diversity.

The logic behind Cell Reversa is therefore not about accumulating the greatest possible number of peptides.

It is about combining different types of signals when each contributes something different to the formulation strategy.

Which peptides are found in Cell Reversa?

Cell Reversa therefore works with peptides in two main ways.

First, there are the plant-derived peptides present in Centella Reversa™, including hundreds of peptides associated with the exosomal fraction studied by Vytrus.

Second, the formula contains defined biomimetic peptides, including:

• Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, present in Matrixyl® Synthe’6™;
• Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, present in Argireline® Amplified;
• Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, present in Haloxyl®.

The logic is not simply to be able to say that the formula contains a large number of peptides.

It is to combine different signals to work through complementary mechanisms.

→ If you want to understand how all this relates to the loss of dermal structure, read Firm skin: what really determines firmness and why we lose it with age.

From peptides to Cell Reversa

All of this helps explain why Cell Reversa Firming Cream is not simply “a cream with peptides”.

Its formula combines two approaches.

On one hand, Centella Reversa™, with thousands of plant-derived peptides and an exosomal fraction in which Vytrus identified hundreds of associated peptides.

On the other, defined biomimetic peptides, selected to act on specific mechanisms related to different processes and signs of skin ageing.

They are different technologies and they are also supported by different types of evidence: studies on Centella Reversa™ assess the complete complex, while the biomimetic peptides are supported by studies carried out on the specific technologies to which they belong.

The key is not to add more signals.

It is to select which signals we want to incorporate and understand how to make them work together within the same formula.

The formulation combines both approaches within a strategy focused particularly on regeneration, the extracellular matrix and firmness, without treating efficacy and respect for the skin barrier as separate objectives.

Because for us, working on the signs of ageing should not mean constantly putting skin tolerance to the test.

Efficacy and respect for the skin barrier should form part of the same formulation strategy.

Perhaps the future of skincare is not about sending more and more messages to our skin.

Perhaps it is about understanding which messages we want to send and making them work together.

Discover Cell Reversa and explore the full formula.