Futureproof Skin’s Longevity with the Next Generation of Peptides

Standards in the beauty industry aren’t just getting higher they are changing scope. Concerns for the planet have prompted stricter health and environmental regulations for cosmetic products and ingredients, and for today’s conscious consumers, transparency and sustainable sourcing and production are non-negotiable. But with the world of science becoming more popular and influential in broader society, expectations are rising in other ways too.

More people are embracing medicalized approaches to beauty, opting for clinical procedures for instant results. At the same time, there is a growing demand for products that support skin’s natural processes and promote skin health by targeting the root causes of common concerns. There is also an increasing interest in the science behind ingredients and how they act. Whatever their preferred solution, knowledgeable consumers now require tangible proof of efficacy for the products they choose, supported by reliable scientific data.

Changing Skin Care Priorities

The heightened focus on skin health is also reshaping approaches to skincare at different life stages. For more mature consumers, the priority has moved away from reducing wrinkles to slow-aging and keeping skin looking healthy. Younger consumers meanwhile are taking a proactive approach and seeking out products that can help protect their skin’s longevity and prevent visible signs of skin aging caused by external factors.

To help brands meet these new “industry standards” and take advantage of new opportunities in the widening market for well-aging solutions, dsm-firmenich has launched SYN^®-COLL CB – a new, clean beauty version of its proven, collagen-boosting patented tripeptide (Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5).

Activate Your Collagen for Lifelong Slow-aging

Collagen is one of the cornerstones of a healthy-looking complexion, keeping our skin firm and supple. However, with time, our collagen levels decrease naturally, causing skin to lose its radiance and signs of aging to appear. This decline begins gradually in our 20s and intensifies after the age of 40, but it can also be accelerated by environmental stressors like sun exposure (Figure 1, below).

SYN^®-COLL CB acts on TGF-β to boost and protect skin’s collagen reserves and slow down the aging process from within. Previously, it has been shown to improve skin firmness and texture in subjects aged 40+, across different ethnicities, in just 4 weeks. Now, with new studies and new collagen mapping technology, we can show how it can deliver targeted benefits to younger and older consumers at different concentrations, from age 25 upwards.

For these studies, our female volunteers were allocated to different age group panels: young (25-35), middle-aged (36-50) and mature (51-65). Each panel had 25 volunteers of mixed ethnicities and skin phototypes II-V. There was also a placebo group of 30 volunteers across the entire age range.

Participants applied a formulation with SYN^®-COLL CB twice daily to the full face and neck for 28 days. Concentrations of the peptide varied according to the age group with the young panel applying a formulation with 1% SYN^®-COLL CB, the middle-age panel applying 2.5% and the mature skin panel using 5%. On days 0, 14 and 28, collagen density was measured by ultrasound at three test sites for the first two panels and seven test sites for the mature skin panel.

In all three age groups, the change in collagen reserves over time was significant compared to the placebo for that specific age group. It was already noticeable in the young group, where at a concentration of 1%, SYN^®-COLL CB boosted collagen reserves by more than 7%, and especially in the mature group, where SYN^®-COLL CB boosted collagen reserves by more than 26% (Figure 2, below).

This increase in collagen density can be visualized by facial colour mapping (Figure 3, below).

In a self-evaluation, 100% of volunteers in the middle-aged and mature skin panels also reported that their skin felt visibly smoother and firmer.

To assess the peptide’s potential to boost collagen density to protect younger skin from the effects of photo-aging, a panel of volunteers aged 25-35 took part in a further study. The 25 female subjects applied a formulation containing 1% SYN^®-COLL CB and a placebo formulation to the inner forearm twice daily for four days. On days 0-3, they also received a dose of UVA at 10 J/cm2 at the same site. The thickness of the dermis was measured on days 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4.

As the graph/image below shows, whereas UV-irradiation led to a time-dependent decrease in dermis thickness and intensity, the active formulation with 1% SYN^®-COLL CB protected against UV induced collagen degradation (Figure 4, below).

Higher Performance, Cleaner Beauty

In the past five years, skincare peptides have grown in popularity due to their abilities to mimic and enhance skin’s biological processes and to deliver targeted effects, quickly. Consumers are also more accepting of lab-grown, natural-origin peptides, recognizing that these can reduce strain on the planet’s resources.

As a pharma-inspired peptide, identified through rational design for optimum efficacy, SYN^®-COLL CB takes skin health to the next level. It also raises the bar for cleaner, more sustainable beauty ingredients:

• Produced in Europe with 100% purchased renewable electricity
• Natural-origin peptide suitable for sustainable formulations, produced through green chemistry science with optimized synthesis
• Free from trifluoroacetic acid (TFA)* and no use of CMR solvents or reagents
• High performance active with low carbon footprint contribution
• An ISO 16128 naturality index of 99.9%, making it suitable for clean beauty formulations

*non-intentionally added TFA

Skin is for life – so at dsm-firmenich, we create groundbreaking sustainable solutions that support skin health and empower individuals to maximize their own skin potential, at every stage in their life journey. SYN^®-COLL CB provides a science-backed, personalized and cleaner solution for consumers young and old who want to maintain their skin’s vitality, whether building their collagen reserves to protect against future effects of the exposome or keeping their skin looking firm and healthy through the years. It is just one of the ways we support brands in adapting their formulations to today’s more informed, health-conscious, and planet-conscious consumer expectations.

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