For those of you new here, my name is Jackie and I'm the CEO and Chief Product Obsessor at Maelove. Today, I'm going to share essential insights into peptides — the same insights we used to formulate our own Peptide Squad collagen renewal serum.
Let's unravel the so-called "magic" of peptides. This is a quick guide. For those of you who want to go deeper, we also have a "deep science" newsletter that does just that.
Peptide products can be hydrating and anti-aging
Peptides are good humectants which means they are good at attracting water and holding onto it. A subset of peptides also help reduce wrinkles. Depending on the peptides included, a peptide serum can either be hydrating or both hydrating and anti-aging.
If you want anti-aging benefits, then look for peptides that fight wrinkles in one of four ways.
Signal peptides, neurotransmitter inhibiting peptides, carrier peptides, and enzyme inhibitor peptides are the four classes of anti-aging peptides. Our Peptide Squad serum is unique in that it combines all four classes into one serum.
Peptides are mini-proteins. Some are much more validated than others
The word "peptide" basically means mini-protein. If you chop up a protein into smaller pieces, you get peptides.
Now imagine if you asked someone what they were having for dinner and they answered back "proteins." That would be pretty uninformative right? The same is true for peptide serums. It's not an informative moniker.
So unless you look at the specifics, you won't know much about a peptide serum. In addition to hydrating peptides, there are more than 50 different anti-aging peptides found in various products on the market today.
That's where we come in. We researched every single one of them so you don't have to.
The vast majority of peptides have no scientific backing except for a few studies conducted by the company that sells that particular peptide. Stick with the peptides that are the most validated — those with a long history of unbiased scientific study by hospitals and universities. The best-studied peptides are also likely the ones naturally found in the skin, and so are less likely to have unknown negative effects.
Stick with the most validated peptides within each class
In each class, there are standout peptides that are the most validated. For more detail on all the scientific studies, check out the deep guide.
Avoid encapsulated copper peptides (also known as Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14). Not all copper is good copper. With the wrong carrier, copper can cause damage to cells and inflammation. In your skin, the safe delivery of copper is trusted to GHK-Cu. Think of GHK-Cu as riding with a chauffeur you have trusted all the years of your life — whereas other copper peptides are like hitchhiking with a stranger. The risk isn't worth it.
Tried and true peptides can be anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
Signal and carrier peptides in particular take advantage of natural wound healing mechanisms. Some fear this may lead to inflammation.
As long as you stick to the well-studied peptides mentioned earlier, the exact opposite is true.
Both signal peptide GHK and carrier peptide GHK-Cu have been found to be anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Further, GHK-Cu activates genes associated with further antioxidant activity — meaning it doesn't just fight inflammation directly, it helps your skin fight it on its own.
Four is better than one
Many of the serums on the market contain only one or two classes of anti-aging peptides. In contrast, Peptide Squad combines all four in one bottle. Does it matter?
Here is our view. Serums and creams are not magic. They aren't plastic surgery. They aren't injections. They require consistent and prolonged usage to see results from small effects that build up over time. The greater the effect of each application, the faster you will see results and the greater that result will be.
At Maelove, we are known for products that work. The way we achieve that is through synergies. That is when 1 + 1 = 3.
The best way to get synergies is to combine ingredients that help a problem but in different ways. Combining all four classes does just that. It would be like trying to get healthier — maybe you go to yoga class twice a week and get good results. But what if you also ate more vegetables, lifted weights, and skipped dessert? Which gets you the better result faster? Just the yoga, or the yoga combined with all the other actions?
It's a no brainer. If you want to get results you can see, you want to attack the problem from many directions.
How should I use peptides in my routine?
Your other best friends in the fight against wrinkles are the Vitamin ABCs of anti-aging: Vitamin A (retinoids), Vitamin B3 (Niacinamide), and Vitamin C.
Both peptides and Vitamins ABC are scientifically proven anti-aging ingredients that help build collagen and fight wrinkles. Additionally, Vitamin C will protect against UV damage, Niacinamide will strengthen the skin barrier, and retinoids thicken skin and increase blood flow. Any one of these is a good addition to your routine, and the best is to use all of the above.
In general, the more you can tackle aging skin from different angles, the better an overall result you will get.
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