The 411 on Ceramides & Peptides

If you’ve been doing any research on anti-aging lately, two words you’ve probably seen a lot are ceramides and peptides. These two power house ingredients are so important when it comes to maintaining youthful skin.

To understand the importance of these two ingredients, we need to understand their role in our skin. Ceramides and peptides both occur naturally in the skin. But as with most things, the aging process slows down the production of these. Ceramides and peptides are so important when it comes to keeping your skin structure and barrier healthy and intact.

Peptides are made up of amino acids. There are hundreds of types of peptides and when they are formed in a specific way, they make proteins. Proteins are the vital building blocks of skin. If you are lacking in peptides, skin will become changed in texture and will lose its bounciness. Peptides are incredibly smart. They essentially tell the skin what it needs and each one works to target that need.

Pro Tip: Use peptides along with other ingredients such as Vitamin C. These two work together well because Vitamin C is an antioxidant which helps fight free radical damage and protecting the skin. While Vitamin C helps “defend” your skin structure, peptides work hard to create proteins to rebuild the skin!

Ceramides are a moisturizing ingredient. Ceramides are lipids that make up about 50% of the lipids that form your skins barrier. This barrier needs to remain intact for the skin to stay healthy. It is said to be the glue that keeps your skin intact and healthy but also keeps in hydration and keeps out pollution and other elements. Ceramides are also essential in keeping your skin hydrated, plump and soft. They appear in skincare under many different names such as ceramide AP.

Pro Tip: Ceramides are important in keeping your skin hydrated and prepared to receive active ingredients. If your skin barrier is not hydrated and healthy, it can become compromised and sensitive to certain ingredients. Therefore, it is a good idea to use hyaluronic acid and even niacinamide to keep the skin hydrated and inflammation down!