Sensitive skin is characterized by symptoms of discomfort when exposed to environmental factors. Peptides are used in cosmetics for sensitive skin and stand out as active ingredients for their ability to interact with skin cells by multiple mechanisms, high potency at low dosage and the ability to penetrate the stratum corneum. This study aimed to analyze the composition of 88 facial cosmetics for sensitive skin from multinational brands regarding usage of peptides, reviewing their synthetic pathways and the scientific evidence that supports their efficacy. Peptides were found in 17% of the products analyzed, namely: acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester, palmitoyl tripeptide-8, acetyl tetrapeptide-15, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, acetyl hexapeptide-49, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl oligopeptide. Three out of seven peptides have a neurotransmitter-inhibiting mechanism of action, while another three are signal peptides. Only five peptides present evidence supporting their use in sensitive skin, with only one clinical study including volunteers having this condition. Noteworthy, the available data is mostly found in patents and supplier brochures, and not in randomized placebo-controlled studies. Peptides are useful active ingredients in cosmetics for sensitive skin. Knowing their efficacy and synthetic pathways provides meaningful insight for the development of new and more effective ingredients.
Sensitive skin is a condition characterized by the occurrence of symptoms such as tightness, stinging, burning or pruritus, which are triggered by stimuli that do not normally produce unpleasant sensations, such as cold, heat, sun, pollution, cosmetics or moisture. The skin may also present erythema, dryness and desquamation, but these signs are typically absent. Sensitive skin is thought to affect 71% of the general adult population, and the epidemiological studies have also shown that the symptoms are more frequent on the face. The causes for this condition are unknown, but genetics, poor mental health, and microbiome imbalance have been proposed as contributing factors. The pathophysiological mechanisms involved in sensitive skin remain unknown, but three hypotheses have been pointed in scientific literature: increased stratum corneum permeability, an exacerbated immune response and a hyperactivity from the somatosensory and vascular systems. While the two former hypotheses have been questioned and remain poorly understood, there is growing evidence linking sensitive skin to abnormal responses from the somatosensory system. The lower sensitivity threshold in individuals with sensitive skin may be due to a dysfunction in the communication with central nervous system, leading to pain sensations and neurosensory defects, namely the hyperactivation of endothelin receptors and transient receptor potential channels (TRP), which are present in cutaneous nerve fibers such as unmyelinated C fibers and keratinocytes. The activation of cutaneous nerve fibers by physical and chemical stimuli, such as heat, low pH solutions, or known irritants such as capsaicin, results in the release of neuropeptides, such as substance P or calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP), which activate keratinocytes, mast cells, and antigen-presenting cells and T cells nearby, causing a burning pain sensation. A lower density of unmyelinated C-fibers was detected in individuals with sensitive skin, which may be due to degeneration following the contact with the environmental factors, which are thought to be responsible for the occurrence of skin sensitivity. Paradoxically, the lower density of unmyelinated C-fibers may generate hyperreactivity of the existing ones. On the other hand, the inflammatory responses associated to itching sensations are initiated by the activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1), which is stimulated by heat, capsaicin, and cations, therefore promoting the release of IL-23 by dendritic cells. Individuals with sensitive skin are thought to present an overexpression TRPV1, thus increasing neuronal excitability. Overall, these mechanisms may be exacerbated by an impairment in the skin barrier, which fails to protect nerve endings adequately.
The synthesis of glutathione in the 1930′s and the isolation of oxytocin in the 1950′s promoted an increase in the research on peptide synthesis, isolation, as well as their chemical, biochemical, and biological characterization. After the surge of conformational/topographic-biological activity relationships, which allowed to determine the affinity and specificity for target receptors, peptide leads emerged, offering several advantages over small molecules (increased specificity) and antibodies (small size). Peptide ligands may act as agonists or antagonists at cell receptors and acceptors modulating cell function and animal behavior. This area encompasses approximately 50% of current drugs, and it is likely to keep evolving in the future. In the cosmetic industry, peptides have been used since the late 1980s, with growing notoriety during the first decade of the XXI century. Peptides used in cosmetic products present a molecular weight lower than 500 Da and hydrophilic properties, thus achieving a moderate penetration through the stratum corneum. Focusing on this challenge, chemical modifications such as esterification with alkyl chains, are usually required. Peptide leads typically derived from three sources: isolated from nature (also known as bioactive peptides); from chemical libraries, or by genetic/recombinant libraries. According to Gorouhi and Maibach, peptides used in cosmetics may be classified as enzyme inhibitory, carrier, neurotransmitter-inhibitory, and signal peptides. Neurotransmitter-inhibitory peptides are able to mimic amino acid sequences involved in neuron excitability, thus modulating the nervous response, while signal peptides stimulate cells’ activity and growth. Accordingly, these peptides may be useful for modulating the neurogenic symptoms associated with sensitive skin, as well as the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines.
We have previously characterized the trends in the use of peptides in anti-aging cosmetics. As the usage of these ingredients in the sensitive skin care segment remains unknown, the present study aims to fill this gap.
The composition of a pool of skin care facial cosmetic products from multinational manufacturers, marketed in Portuguese parapharmacies and pharmacies was collected in 2019, in order to access the most used active ingredients for sensitive skin. Skin care products were included in the study if they exhibited in the label one of the following expressions: “sensitive skin” OR “reactive skin” OR “intolerant skin”. All the information available in the product’s label was collected, along with the information available on the manufacturers’ websites.
The products ingredient lists were analyzed by visual inspection in order to find peptides, and they were listed according to the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI). Data were analyzed with respect to the following parameters:
The relative amount of cosmetic products for sensitive skin containing peptides were evaluated and expressed in percentage.
The peptides were identified from INCI lists and ranked in descending order of occurrence to disclose the top.
The efficacy data of each peptide were searched on the on-line databases PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, KOSMET, and SciFinder. Due to the lack of studies regarding the applicability of active ingredients in cosmetics for sensitive skin, a broader search was performed, using the keywords (“INCI name” OR “synonyms”, when applicable).
Following these criteria, 88 skin care facial products were selected from 19 multinational brands. Fifteen cosmetic products contained one or more peptides in their composition, making up about 17% of products analyzed. Noteworthy, only two products contained more than one peptide in their composition.
The peptides were identified and ranked in descending order according to their relative usage.
Overall, acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester was the most used ingredient in cosmetic products for sensitive skin, being present in more than 5% of all products. Palmitoyl tripeptide-8 achieved the second place, followed by acetyl tetrapeptide-15 and palmitoyl tripeptide-5. Acetyl hexapeptide-49, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, and palmitoyl oligopeptide were only found in the composition of one cosmetic product.
The search results are summarized below:
Acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester is the INCI name for the peptide N-acetyl-L-tyrosyl-L-arginine hexadecyl ester. This compound was based on the bioactive dipeptide Tyr-Arg, for its alleviating and decontracting properties of muscle fibers, and is obtained by chemical synthesis, through initial esterification of L-arginine×HCl (1) with palmitol (2) to give hexadecyl ether of L-arginine (3). Activation of N-acetyl-L-tyrosine (4)
