PEP TALK

The powerhouse ingredient, peptide, could be your ticket to luscious lips.

- NAMRATA KEDAR

As a 30-something-year-old, my skincare ingredients list reads a lot like this—retinol, collagen, ceramides, and peptides being the latest addition. A powerhouse ingredient commonly used in skincare and haircare, I was piqued by the impressive anti-ageing properties of peptides. The ingredient has become ubiquitous in lip balms since the launch of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Peptide Lip Treatment. Hailey turns everything she touches into gold for social media, and the lip treatment is no exception—the viral product is perpetually sold out. Peptides may have quietly been a part of lip formulations before, but Rhode has undoubtedly created a buzz around it. 

Peptides are essentially short chains of amino acids that act as building blocks of proteins. “The specific arrangement of amino acids determines the type of protein they form, whether it’s keratin, collagen, or elastin,” explains Dr Rashmi Shetty, cosmetic dermatologist and founder of Ra Aesthetics & Dermatology. These proteins are the foundation of your skin and play a crucial role in its well-being. When applied topically, peptides are small enough to penetrate the skin and trigger skin cells to build elastin and collagen for younger-looking, firm, and healthy skin. “Peptides can benefit our skin by promoting collagen production and enhancing skin health and texture,” says Dr Geetika Mittal Gupta, the medical director and founder of ISAAC Luxe.