PEPTIDES 23
Next-gen anti-ageing approach via collagen renewal
Chris Valencius - Evolved By Nature
Collagen is the backbone of youthful, healthy skin. Yet with age, environmental stress, and inflammation, our natural collagen networks weaken. The result: fine lines, wrinkles, loss of firmness, and thinning skin. Current strategies to counteract this decline
focus on boosting collagen production or inhibiting collagen degradation, using treatments such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid (HA), TGF-β, and topical retinoids like retinoic acid (RA). While RA and vitamin C have shown short-
term clinical efficacy in improving signs of ageing, they are inherently unstable, penetrate the skin barrier poorly, and cannot reliably reach dermal fibroblasts, which are the cells responsible for producing collagen. Even more concerning, RA can trigger inflammation that may initially be imperceptible but can contribute to skin irritation and heightened UV sensitivity, with potential long- term effects that remain unknown. Topical application of high molecular weight
HA improves epidermal hydration but cannot penetrate the deeper dermal layers due to its large molecular size, limiting its direct impact on fibroblasts and collagen synthesis. While low molecular weight HA or advanced delivery systems can enhance dermal penetration, these approaches carry the risk of pro-inflammatory responses, creating a delicate balance between efficacy and safety. Recent research (laid out below) points to a
promising alternative: silk peptide 27P – hereafter, the bioactive peptide - derived from upcycled silk protein, developed by Evolved By Nature. Unlike traditional actives, the bioactive
peptide stimulates collagen production and supports fibroblast equilibrium, while avoiding fibrosis and inflammation, offering a safer and more effective approach to maintaining healthy, resilient skin.
Penetrating skin and targeting dermal fibroblasts For a skin care ingredient to be truly effective, it needs to reach the cells that build and maintain the skin’s structure. Research shows that the bioactive peptide can penetrate through intact 3D skin models and selectively bind to dermal fibroblasts, which synthesize collagen. Topical applications of the bioactive peptide
at 2 mg/mL and 10 mg/mL were tested on a 3D skin model for 24 hours. Both doses showed
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strong peptide presence near the basal epidermis and the papillary dermis, indicating successful penetration past the epidermal barrier (Figures 1 and 2).
When an additional dose was applied and
analysed after 72 hours, in combination with vitamin C, the higher 10 mg/mL dose showed remarkable localization: 100.1-fold in the basal epidermis, 88.8-fold in the papillary dermis, and 100.2-fold in the reticular dermis. The 2 mg/mL dose also penetrated effectively, with 11.6-fold and 5.7-fold increases in the basal epidermis and papillary dermis, though penetration into the deeper reticular dermis was minimal (Figure 1). These results suggest that the bioactive
peptide does not simply diffuse randomly through the skin but instead associates specifically with basal keratinocytes and papillary fibroblasts. Both doses formed organized structures on the stratum corneum, remaining bound even after 24 hours (Figure 2). To confirm that this localization is driven by
specific cell interactions, researchers tested the bioactive peptide in 2D fibroblast cultures. The peptides bound selectively within just one hour, with binding found to increase linearly until saturation at 98% of cells at concentrations above 1 mg/mL.
The significant and dose-dependent increase
in peptide intensity compared to non-specific binding suggests that the bioactive peptide
interacts directly with cell surface proteins, targeting the fibroblasts responsible for collagen production. This ability to penetrate the skin and
selectively bind to fibroblasts makes the bioactive peptide a promising ingredient for promoting long-term skin health and collagen support.
Supporting the long-term secretion of collagen Collagen production is essential for healthy, resilient skin, and new research shows that the bioactive peptide can significantly boost this process. Studies reveal that the bioactive peptide stimulates the long-term secretion of pro-collagen 1 (pro-C1) by dermal fibroblasts, the cells responsible for building the skin’s collagen network. In 3D culture experiments, topical application
of 2 mg/mL bioactive peptide increased pro-C1 secretion by 1.3-fold within the first 24 hours. Over the next 72 hours, this effect rose to 3.3-fold when combined with vitamin C, highlighting the potential of combination treatments to amplify collagen production (Figure 3). Similar results were observed with a higher
topical dose of 10 mg/mL bioactive peptide. Interestingly, a 24-hour treatment with 10 ng/mL TGFβ, a well-known collagen-inducing molecule, resulted in a slight decrease in pro-C1 secretion, underscoring the bioactive peptide’s unique
January 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE
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