strands of peptides

Peptides surely qualify for one of anti-aging skin care’s most impressive breakthroughs. These active molecules are proteins send signals to your cells. They even help hair grow, which is why I use copper peptides in Truth Vitality Advanced Complex. New peptide innovations are making them more targeted and even better at building collagen, while reducing wrinkles and sagging. I have come across bespoke peptides in the Apothederm range and three types of venom mimicking peptides in a new serum I am testing called Tritoxin. There has never been a better time for my latest Five Best with peptides.

  • Dr. Dennis Gross Triple C Peptide Firming Oil

    Dr. Dennis Gross Triple C Peptide Firming Oil ($62 in the shop). This is such a good serum that it has become a staple for me. Not only does it have three forms of vitamin C (the only vitamin that has been shown to boost collagen), but it has the same number of powerful peptides. Tetrapeptide-21 outperforms (I have heard claim) the industry standard Matrixyl when it comes to boosting collagen. It is a smallish molecule and, therefore, penetrates fairly easily. Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 interestingly not only helps collagen production, but also boosts the delivery of copper (another collagen booster). And then there’s palmitoyl tripeptide-28, which is the latest member of the Matrixyl family and known as Synth’6 because it has six mechanisms for going about the synthesization of collagen.

    Read the full review and learn about the ingredients

  • Your Best Face Control

    Your Best Face Control ($160 in the shop). YBF upgrades its already good products every few years and the last reformulation about 18 months ago assured that the Control face serum stays ahead of the peptide curve. One introduction was Syn-Hycan, which is aimed at lifting sagging skin. This peptide stimulates hyaluronan (HA) synthesis and expression of the proteoglycans, decorin and lumican. Also aimed at sagging skin is is Relistase. This is actually a tripeptide and inhibits elastase activity and boosts collagen 1 synthesis. A trusty peptide active from the original Control has been retained, collagen boosting Matrixyl 3000.

    Read the full review and learn about the ingredients

  • ExPürtise Effective Anti-Aging Face Serum

    ExPürtise Effective Anti-Aging Face Serum ($120 in the shop). This new brand has been getting some love from the Truth In Aging community, especially the face serum. The schtick is natural ingredients, effective ingredients and no nasties. The actives focus on collagen boosters Matrixyl 3000 and Matrixyl Synthe’6. A word about Matrixyl Synthe’6: this is palmitoyl tripeptide-38 and it helps all the various types of collagen. Also worth a call out in this serum – although it isn’t a peptide – is astragalus. This is a natural form of teprenone that helps telomeres, recently revealed to science as key to aging, to extend cell life.

    Read the full review and learn about the ingredients

  • BRAD Biophotonic Essential Elixir Multi-Peptide Youth Regenerating Serum

    BRAD Biophotonic Essential Elixir Multi-Peptide Youth Regenerating Serum ($95 in the shop). A peptide is basically a chain of amino acids, the proverbial building blocks of the body, accounting for the smallest molecular components of proteins. I think there about 14 amino acids in this serum, most of them from silk complex. This is a product that my skin loves and that I go back to over and again.

    Read the full review and learn about the ingredients

  • E’shee Alpha Omega Gene Therapy Eye Cream

    E’shee Alpha Omega Gene Therapy Eye Cream ($284 in the shop). The big gun in this extraordinary eye cream is trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2. This is a new peptide and is known as TT2. What is exciting is that it is claimed that this peptide can reduce “sagging and slacking”, as well as improve firmness and elasticity. Apparently it not only fights the effects of aging, but actually “regulates the biological mechanisms involved in the aging process”. TT2 works by inhibiting elastase (an enzyme that attacks structural proteins) and reducing progerin (a protein responsible for cell death) production. There’s no independent research on the peptide, but this recently launched eye cream already has its devotees.

    Read the full review and learn about the ingredients