Hyaluronic acid, collagen, peptide….these are all terms and ingredients that are prevalent in today’s beauty industry jargon.
But what are these ingredients, how do they aid in skincare and who should use them? If you aren’t proficient in chemistry (like me!), trying to find that answers to these questions can be a bit daunting. Glycosaminoglycan… huh? Oligomers… what? Have no fear – Peach & Lily is here! I will try to answer these questions (and more!) in the most basic terms.
WHAT ARE THESE INGREDIENTS AND HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?
In general, all three compounds are all naturally formed in the human body and play an important role in keeping our skin looking youthful and healthy.
COLLAGEN
Collagen is a protein that your body produces to support the skin’s structure and keep it firm and elastic. Since collagen production decreases fairly rapidly as we age, our skin ultimately starts to sag (read: less collagen = less structure = more wrinkles)
HYALURONIC ACID
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is described as “nature’s moisturizer” because its main function in the body is to bind with water. 50% of the body’s HA is found in the skin tissue, so it is a vital ingredient in keeping skin healthy!
Young skin is smooth and highly elastic because it contains a high concentration of both collagen and HA. The HA acts as a space filler by binding to water and helps keep the collagen moist and elastic (read: more moisture = healthy, plump skin). Unfortunately, as we get older, the body isn’t able to maintain this same level of concentration, which results in the skin becoming drier and prone to wrinkles.
PEPTIDE
Peptides are an entirely different beast. They are short chains of amino acids that are formed when collagen and skin tissue break down. The peptides essentially signal to cells that skin has been damaged and that it needs to produce more collagen to heal it (read: more peptides = cells produce more collagen & HA = healthy, young skin).
WHICH ONE SHOULD I USE?
Obviously, all three compounds are very important in our skin care regimen. I firmly believe that you are never too young or too old to protect and care for your skin.
20’s and 30’s - We recommend investing in some form of Hyaluronic Acid and/or collagen boosters
Mature skin (late 30’s onwards) - Make sure that peptide is a major ingredient in your skin care products
Peach and Lily carries highly-concentrated HA, collagen, and peptide serums from Mizon. Note - Mizon doesn’t put just a little bit of the ingredient in there like most beauty brands, they put in A LOT. The collagen serum has 90% marine collagen. The HA serum has a 50% HA concentration, and the peptide has a 45% peptide concentration. Major ingredients = major results.
-Cindy and Alicia-
