Medik8 Director of Research Daniel Isaacs, knows a thing or two about peptides. Here he shares his know-how.

Why does Medik8 focus on peptides?
One of the frontrunners in cutting-edge skincare science, peptides are proven to be truly powerful in targeting many different skin concerns. At Medik8, we have harnessed the many different powers of peptides in our Peptide Family. We have designed the range to be the perfect addition to our proven CSA philosophy (vitamin C and sunscreen by day, vitamin A by night) to transform your CSA foundation into a bespoke routine made especially for you.

Why are peptides important in a skincare routine?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, linked together by peptide bonds. There are 20 different naturally-occurring amino acids which can be linked together in any order to give millions of different peptide combinations. Our skin is naturally overflowing with different kinds of proteins and peptides, including some of the most important; collagen and elastin, which are both responsible for retaining the skin’s natural strength and resilience.

What do they do? 
When applied to the skin, peptides can give your skin a specific instruction to do ‘something’, and that ‘something’ entirely depends on what order your amino acids are in. Every peptide has a unique superpower to target different skin concerns. 

Peptides might be in the spotlight for their incredible skin plumping powers, but in fact, peptides are way more than just a one-trick pony. Each peptide has a different action on the skin. Not just for skin ageing, but also for tackling skin dullness, hyperpigmentation, anti-glycation, moisturising the skin and much more. We wanted to harness as many different peptide powers as possible in our new Peptide Family. The ideal addition to your CSA routine, our full range of innovative peptide combinations can help to support many different skin concerns. 

Who are they best for?
Anyone who is looking to improve their general overall skin condition or target specific skin concerns, such as skin ageing, dullness, hyperpigmentation or just improve overall hydration. 

Do they work immediately (like in a facial) or best over time?
Consistency is key with all skincare and results take time.

How are they best delivered to the skin?
Peptides can be quite large molecules and can benefit from additional help getting where they need to be in the skin. Many of our peptides are conjugated to fatty acids to make them more oil-soluble and help them to penetrate deeper into the skin. In our Liquid Peptides formula we also use a drone-delivery system to help deliver our peptides where they need to go in the skin.

We recommend using peptides alongside a CSA skincare routine (vitamin C + sunscreen by day, vitamin A by night).

How can professionals incorporate them into treatments?
At Medik8 we utilise our best technology across our retail and professional offerings. Many of our facials include our best peptide products. For instance, our Clarity Facial contains both Clarity Peptides and Bakuchiol Peptides and depending on the clients’ needs our professional therapists have the option to use Liquid Peptides within our facials.

How do they play with other actives?
Medik8 Peptides play nicely with other all other actives and products with one exception:
Copper PCA Peptides, when used in the morning should REPLACE your vitamin C serum, as the two actives are not compatible and unfortunately cancel out each other’s anti-ageing powers. Therefore simply use Copper PCA Peptides with sunscreen in the day, and with vitamin A at night. 

What’s next for the brand and peptides?
We will continue to explore peptides and extend our peptide offering. 

However, a really interesting and innovative peptide that is in our Oxy-R Peptides, is  Tetrapeptide-30. It works to help interrupt the pathways that lead to discolourations and uneven skin tone and will help visibly brighten, improve clarity and combat all types of hyperpigmentation concerns.