The Four Kinds of Skincare Peptides, and What Each Can Do

Skincare peptides come in four main kinds, sorted by what they are designed to do: signal peptides prompt skin to keep up its collagen, neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides soften the small muscle movements behind expression lines, carrier peptides deliver trace minerals such as copper, and enzyme-inhibiting peptides slow the breakdown of what skin already has. The first two have the strongest evidence on human faces, which is why they are the two kinds in our Wrinkle Reducing Ultra Peptide Intensive Face Serum and night cream. Here is what each kind does, and how sure anyone can be about it.

Why sort peptides at all

"Contains peptides" tells you very little. A peptide is any short chain of amino acids, and the sequence decides what it does. Two serums can both say "peptide" on the front and work in completely different ways, or one of them may not reach the skin in a useful amount at all. Knowing the four kinds lets you read a label for what it actually promises, and judge whether the promise matches the evidence.

Signal peptides: a message to keep up the collagen

Signal peptides are the most studied kind. Skin constantly renews its collagen, and the small fragments released along the way tell it to make more. Signal peptides are designed to resemble those fragments. The classic example is palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, sold as Matrixyl; its successor, Matrixyl 3000, is a pair of peptides that works on the same idea.

The supplier's own testing of Matrixyl 3000 reported that after 56 days skin was 14% less rough and the area of deep wrinkles was 44% smaller. Independent work points the same way, more modestly: in a 12-week, double-blind split-face study, the side that got a peptide moisturizer showed fewer visible lines than the side that got the same moisturizer without it.

How sure: fairly. The direction is consistent across studies, though many are small and some are paid for by the makers. Expect softer-looking fine lines over two to three months, not a new face.

Neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides: softer expression lines

Some lines come from movement: the crease between the brows, the fan at the corner of the eye. Every time a facial muscle contracts, it folds the skin above it. Neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides are designed to dial down the chemical message that tells those small muscles to contract, so the fold is a little shallower.

Argireline, a hexapeptide, is the best-known example. In one study, a cream with 10% Argireline used twice a day for 28 days reduced the depth of lines around the eyes by about 30%. Snap-8 is a longer relative of Argireline that works the same way.

How sure: moderately. Because these peptides act on movement rather than on the structure of skin, people often notice them sooner, within two to four weeks. The effect is gentle and lasts only while you keep using them. Comparisons with injections overstate it.

Carrier peptides: delivering a mineral

Carrier peptides bind a trace element and carry it into the skin. The famous one is GHK-Cu, a copper peptide, and copper plays a part in how skin builds collagen. Copper peptides have a following, and some human studies show smoother, firmer-looking skin.

How sure: mixed. Much of the excitement about GHK-Cu comes from laboratory work rather than from faces. It is a reasonable ingredient, but it is not one we use.

Enzyme-inhibiting peptides: protecting what is already there

Skin produces enzymes that break collagen down as part of its normal turnover. Enzyme-inhibiting peptides are designed to slow that process, so more of the existing collagen stays in place. Some also target the enzyme involved in pigment, with the aim of a more even-looking tone.

How sure: least sure of the four. Most of the evidence comes from cells grown in a dish, and results there do not always carry over to skin on a face.

The two kinds in our Ultra Peptide formulas

Our two peptide formulas use one signal peptide and two neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides: Matrixyl 3000, Argireline and Snap-8. The idea is to cover both kinds of line. Matrixyl 3000 addresses the fine lines that come with time; Argireline and Snap-8 address the lines that come from expression.

The serum carries them in a light rosehip seed oil base with centella asiatica and sodium hyaluronate, to be pressed in at night, two to four drops. The Wrinkle Reducing Ultra Peptide Intensive Night Cream carries the same three in a velvety cream that goes on last, over face, neck and décolletage. They are the only products we do not make by hand in Williamsburg; a specialist cosmetic lab makes them for us.

What to expect, kind by kind

• Within days: skin feels softer and more hydrated, mostly thanks to the base around the peptides.
• Two to four weeks: expression lines may start to look a little gentler, the work of the neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides.
• Eight to twelve weeks: fine lines look softer and skin looks smoother overall, the timeline signal peptides need.

All of it is cumulative, and all of it depends on using the formula most nights. If you also use retinol, our product pages suggest giving it its own nights and returning to the peptides the next evening.

Questions about the kinds of peptides

Which kinds of peptide are in your Ultra Peptide formulas?

Two kinds: a signal peptide, Matrixyl 3000, and two neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides, Argireline and Snap-8. Both the serum and the night cream contain all three.

Which kind of peptide works fastest?

The neurotransmitter-inhibiting kind, such as Argireline, because it acts on movement. Studies have shown changes around the eyes within four weeks; signal peptides usually need eight to twelve.

Do I need all four kinds?

No. Signal and neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides have the strongest evidence on faces, and a formula that combines them covers both fine lines and expression lines.

Do you use copper peptides?

No. Our peptide formulas use Matrixyl 3000, Argireline and Snap-8.