Is peptide therapy a miracle cure?

Some treatments based on peptides are reasonably safe, while others are dangerous

- David Dodge

It seems as if everywhere you turn, celebrities and influencers are talking up peptides. Peptides can give you younger, brighter skin; help you build bigger muscles; let you live longer and heal faster.

Wonderful. Just one question: What exactly is a peptide?

Chemically speaking, peptides are simply short chains of amino acids that play useful roles in cells, like regulating hormones or reducing inflammation. The body naturally creates thousands of peptides; thousands more are made synthetically in laboratories.

Creatine is a peptide; so are medications like Ozempic. Hormones like insulin and oxytocin are peptides too.

But when online influencers talk about peptide therapy, they are generally referring to a vast constellation of emerging or experimental products, often in skincare, fitness or biohacking. These can be swallowed, injected or rubbed on the skin.

While some of these treatments are reasonably safe and have been studied by the United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA), others can be dangerous.

For example, the “Barbie” peptide is often promoted by influencers and online clinics as a healthier way to tan without the sun even though the FDA has warned of “serious safety risks”, and research suggests it is linked to an increased chance of cancer.

While it is impossible to list all the potential benefits and risks of every peptide, there are a few things to know about the most common uses.

SKINCARE

Over the past two years, interest in skincare peptides has skyrocketed.

Cosmetics giant Sephora now offers hundreds of topical peptide products that promise to pump collagen into skin, plump lips and depuff eyes.

But are the products effective? There certainly can be “some benefit” to peptide therapy for skincare, said Dr Adam Friedman, professor and chair of dermatology at George Washington University. “They're not a scam.”