PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA'S CHOICE PRO-COLLAGEN ...

But I’m a skincare blogger and a beauty copywriter. My curiosity runs deep. Yes, my skin could be perfectly happy and healthy if I were just to use the Paula’s Choice 10% Niacinamide Booster and other essentials for the rest of my days on Earth. My need for knowledge and discovery of ingredients, products, and new technologies is insatiable. All that to say, I need to try new things.

In fact, I need to try everything!

And that inquisitive nature has me knee-deep in peptides over the last several weeks. It has nothing to do with me being suddenly and inexplicably obsessed with peptides. It’s everyone else’s fault! Peptides are trending and skincare marketers clearly believe they need to ride (and drive!) the trend.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve reviewed the $19 Naturium Multi-Peptide Moisturizer – one of the best anti-aging face creams under $20. That was followed two weeks later by my The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Eye Serum review. At $25, it’s one of The Ordinary’s most expensive products – ever. But the new peptide-powered dream for eyes is worth every drop. Catch my review of it on the blog here.

In fact, the latest ingredient wave centered around multiple types of peptides was supercharged when The Ordinary jettisoned their iconic “Buffet” peptide serum by renaming, repositioning and repackaging it as the Multi-Peptide + HA Serum. You see, they needed to get the trendy word into the name. Apparently, the buffet wasn’t satisfying!

And it worked. My The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA Serum review is the most popular article on the entire Skincarma Blog as I write this – with no end in sight. Feeling the #fomo? Catch my new review of it here.

So what is it about peptides that make them the hottest ingredient in skincare right now? Niacinamide is so two years ago! I think there’s a lot going into this new ingredient trend.

First is the ongoing trend toward education, and specifically the focus on individual ingredients and their benefits for the skin. Brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List are the OG’s, having pioneered that.

Today, we’re all interested in education about skincare and ingredients. We crave real answers to questions like: What are peptides? What do peptides do for the skin? Do peptides for skin really work? and Is collagen a peptide? (More on that below!)

I want to answer that earlier question: Is collagen a peptide? To do so, I sought out the experts on the Paula’s Choice research team. They’ve recently published an in-depth, well-sourced article titled, What Are Peptides and What Do They Do for Skin? You can access it here. An excerpt from the piece:

Proteins, like collagen and elastin, are the fundamental building blocks of skin. Without peptides and proteins, skin doesn’t remain intact. The result is loss of firmness, the appearance of wrinkles, textural changes and skin that doesn’t bounce back as it once did.

Recently collagen peptides have gotten a lot of attention– both in supplements and in topical skin care products. Yet there’s a bit of misunderstanding when it comes to the benefits of collagen peptides (also referred to as hydrolyzed collagen).

Unfortunately, for topical use, this specific form of peptide cannot help prompt collagen regeneration or repair within skin. Its molecule size is just too large to penetrate skin. However, this doesn’t mean that it’s not beneficial to skin. This buzzy ingredient functions as a humectant, meaning it helps attract and bind water to skin, increasing hydration. In turn, this promotes a dewy, smooth appearance.

Research shows these peptides (which can be extracted either from plant or animal collagen) have benefits when used in both topical and supplement applications.

What’s exceptional about the Paula’s Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster is that the new anti-aging serum is powered by three completely new peptide technologies with distinct benefits for your skin.

• Tridecapeptide-1 helps to smooth out surface lines and, in particular, expression lines.

• sh-Polypeptide-121 helps to increase elasticity in the skin.

• Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-72 Amide targets collagen in the skin.

None of these were found in a single skincare product before the Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster was brought to market last month. And, according to Paula’s Choice, these three innovative peptides are behind the exceptional efficacy of the new collagen serum.

In fact, the brand claims that it’s “clinically proven to visibly firm, plump & reduce wrinkles in 4 weeks.” All of it backed up by clinical testing – unlike Dr. Barbara Sturm’s $370 Super Anti-Aging Serum.

Beyond the formula’s peptides, there are multiple humectants, antioxidant botanicals and even nutrient dense substances like Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract. All good stuff for your skin!

The Ingredient List of the Paula’s Choice Pro-Collagen Multi-Peptide Booster:

Water (Aqua/Eau), Glycerin, Pentylene Glycol, Hydrolyzed Yeast Extract, Pyrus Malus (Apple) Fruit Extract, Dimethicone, Propanediol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Glyceryl Glucoside, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-72 Amide, Sh-Polypeptide-121, SYN®-TC,  Diaminobutyroyl Hydroxythreonine, Tridecapeptide-1, Polyglucuronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, C9-12 Alkane, Ammonium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Polygonum Bistorta Root Extract, Bacillus Ferment, Lecithin, Sodium Phytate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Hexylene Glycol, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate.