Peptides vs Growth Factors: Which is Best for Your Skin? - OneSkin

Skincare is going through some big changes! We’re no longer just talking about moisturizing and SPF – we’ve entered the age of high-tech skincare with a whole arsenal of powerful actives, each promising to turn back the clock on aging skin.

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Some of the most promising developments in recent years have been growth factors and peptides. But what are these ingredients, and how do they work?

What Are Growth Factors?

Growth factors (GFs) are proteins found naturally in the body. Think of them as chemical messengers that facilitate communication between cells. They help mediate cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation.[1]

In the context of skincare, growth factors are pivotal for wound healing and tissue repair. When your skin is wounded, growth factors accumulate at the injury site to initiate and coordinate the healing process. They can reverse the effects of collagenases, increase collagen levels, and decrease tissue inflammation.[1]

As you age, the production and levels of growth factors in your skin decline. This reduction can lead to slower wound healing and increased visible signs of aging. This has made growth factors promising candidates for anti-aging treatments.[2] However, not all growth factors are delivered in the same way. Growth factors can, therefore, be broken into two main categories:

Topical Growth Factors

Topical growth factor products sound pretty exciting, right? But here’s the thing: to work their magic, they have to get through the skin’s outer layer, called the stratum corneum. Unfortunately, most growth factors are on the larger side and are hydrophilic, which means they don’t easily penetrate the skin.[1,3]

While topical growth factor products have shown some improvement in collagen levels, skin tone, and texture in clinical studies, these results are often observed in individuals with compromised skin barriers or after skin treatments like laser therapy, microneedling, or chemical peels.[1] However, for those with healthy, intact skin barriers, these products might not deliver as much of a noticeable change since the growth factors can’t reach the dermis and beyond, where they will have an impact.

Injectable Growth Factors

In contrast, injected growth factors, such as those delivered through Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, bypass the epidermal barrier, offering direct delivery to the deeper layers of skin. When injected directly into the dermis, these growth factors can accelerate collagen and elastin production, producing firmer, more youthful-looking skin.[1,4] This method can deliver the active ingredients exactly where needed, ensuring that the growth factors have maximum impact.

Injectable growth factors aren't just great for your skin; they can also help treat hair loss. Your hair’s health reflects your skin’s regenerative capacity, and PRP therapy has been shown to improve both the health of your scalp and the hair follicles within. The growth factors within PRP can prevent apoptosis and enhance the survival rate of hair follicle cells. This enhances follicular regeneration, improves vascularization, and extends the anagen phase of hair growth, stimulating thicker, healthier hair growth.

These treatments can have varying results and effects because of the variety of growth factors available.

Challenges with Growth Factors

A big challenge with growth factors is that they’re pretty fragile. These proteins are sensitive molecules that can degrade under various conditions, including exposure to temperature fluctuations and changes in pH. Many growth factors need to be stored at cooler temperatures to maintain their efficacy outside of their natural environment, and their degradation can occur quickly when stored at room temperature.[5]

In practical terms, this means that growth factors in topical products may lose their potency before you even apply them. Therefore, it's crucial to research the stability of the growth factors used in your skincare products and treatments, ensuring that they are stored and delivered correctly to provide optimal results.

Growth factors can work wonders for your skin, but to see results, it’s best to get them through in-office treatments like PRP. This way, they bypass the skin barrier and are less likely to denature since they are isolated in the office.

What Are Peptides?

Peptides are tiny chains of amino acids, typically composed of fewer than 40. Like growth factors, peptides can act as chemical messengers within the body. They can also be precursors for larger proteins like collagen and elastin, vital to maintaining skin structure. In skincare, peptides are celebrated for their diverse roles and potential benefits. They can regulate and boost various bodily functions, regulating homeostasis, stress, immunity, defense, growth, wound healing, DNA repair, and cellular reproduction. Because of their benefits, certain peptides can even have longevity-boosting properties.[6]

Categories of Peptides

But peptides aren’t just about building stuff—they have many other jobs, too. Peptides can be categorized into several types based on their functions:

• Signal peptides: Like growth factors, these peptides act as chemical messengers to send signals within the body, helping stimulate and regulate specific biological processes. Some promote collagen and elastin synthesis while boosting epidermal cell proliferation, while others modulate melanin production, enhancing skin tone and texture.[6]
• Carrier peptides: Acting as transporters, these peptides deliver essential trace elements (like copper) to target areas. They play a crucial role in skin health by stimulating collagen synthesis and improving skin elasticity.[6]
• Neurotransmitter-inhibitor peptide: Mimicking the effects of Botox, peptides like argireline can prevent muscle contractions, leading to a smoother appearance. Others can help moisturize the skin and inhibit melanin synthesis.[6]
• Enzyme-inhibitor peptides: By inhibiting enzymes that break down collagen and other proteins, these peptides can reduce skin aging and promote moisture retention.[6]

Peptides' Role in Skin Health

Peptides are superstars when it comes to skin health. Due to their size, they can often penetrate the skin barrier more effectively than growth factors, allowing their active benefits to be delivered more directly to the skin’s deeper layers.[6,7]

Unlike growth factors, peptides represent an extremely broad range of molecules. Not all peptides are equal, and their activity within the skin, stability, and ability to penetrate the skin depends on the individual peptide used. It’s essential to make sure that the peptide:

• Reaches the right skin layer to do its job. Look for penetration studies to ensure the peptide is penetrating to the dermis layer of skin.
• Stays stable in its packaging. Look for stability testing on the peptide, especially at various temperatures.
• Delivers the results you’re expecting. Look for lab and clinical studies exploring the peptide's impact on skin cells.

And yes, we’ve ensured these boxes are checked through lab and clinical tests before adding any of these peptides to our products:

Plant-Derived Bioactive Peptides

Extracted from the seeds of the moringa tree, these peptides help purify the skin, protecting it against environmental pollution. Particulate matter containing heavy metals like mercury and cadmium, found in atmospheric pollution, can accelerate skin aging, hyperpigmentation, eczema, psoriasis, acne, and even skin cancer.[8]

Moringa Oleifera Seed Extract has long been used in traditional medicine and Ayurvedic practices. Now, it can be found in OS-01 EYE, helping to protect the thinner, delicate skin around the eyes from environmental pollutants that can trigger skin aging.

Argireline

Argireline, or Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, is a neurotransmitter-inhibitor peptide designed to reduce muscle activity in targeted areas of the face. By relaxing facial muscles, Argireline significantly reduces the appearance of expression lines and wrinkles, particularly when used around thinner skin like that around the eyes. This peptide is a non-invasive alternative to injectable treatments like Botox, offering visible results for dynamic wrinkles without the associated risks.[9,10]

With Argireline included in OS-01 EYE, those expression wrinkles don’t stand a chance.

Link to NUPTEC

Biomimetic Vegan Collagen Peptide

While most topical collagen products fail to penetrate the skin barrier due to their large size, this bio-designed vegan collagen peptide goes deeper. What makes this peptide particularly unique is its ability to replicate the benefits of type 21 collagen—a rare but powerful form of collagen that accounts for less than 1% of the body’s collagen by adulthood. Despite its scarcity, type 21 plays a significant role as a signaling molecule, boosting essential components of the extracellular matrix, including elastin, laminin, collagen, and fibronectin.[11]

We include this biomimetic vegan collagen peptide in OS-01 EYE as it helps signal your skin to produce those essential proteins that keep the skin around your eyes looking youthful. Plus, it’s vegan and cruelty-free!

OS-01 Peptide

Developed and tested in the OneSkin lab, our OS-01 peptide represents a step forward in peptide technology.

Built for skin longevity, the OS-01 peptide actively reduces the accumulation of senescent cells in the skin.[12,13] Senescent, or zombie cells, stop dividing but remain metabolically active, releasing harmful pro-inflammatory signals known as senescence-associated secretory phenotypes (SASP). These signals can induce neighboring healthy cells into senescence, accelerating skin aging. OS-01 works by promoting cellular repair, blocking SASP secretion from senescent cells, and reducing the overall senescent cell load in skin.[12]

By preventing the buildup of senescent cells, OS-01 helps promote collagen production, reduces melanin production for reduced visible hyperpigmentation, and increases epidermal thickness, making your skin look, feel, and act like younger skin. [12, 13, 14] Put simply, the OS-01 peptide is the first peptide proven to reverse the biological age of skin.[13]

Key Takeaways

• Growth factors are potent proteins responsible for skin healing and collagen stimulation.
• Due to their size, topical growth factors face penetration challenges, offering limited benefits without supplementary treatments.
• By circumventing the epidermal barrier, injectable growth factors directly stimulate collagen and elastin production within the dermis.
• The often small molecular size of peptides enables epidermal penetration, making them more effective for topical anti-aging therapies.
• Peptides can stimulate collagen production, enhance skin elasticity, and can mimic Botox-like effects by inhibiting muscle contraction.
• Not all peptides are created equal. Peptides represent a broad class of molecules, and consumers should, therefore, ensure that their penetration, stability, and efficacy have been thoroughly researched.

References

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If you continually chase every so-called “miracle” ingredient (retinol, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid), you’re not alone. Beauty culture is always a few steps ahead, but even the most wellness-savvy among us are tiring of surface-level promises. Now, a new approach is cutting through the noise: regenerative skincare, powered by growth factors.

Unlike fleeting TikTok trends, growth factors (especially EGF) were first discovered by Nobel laureates, not influencers. These proteins act as cellular text messages, telling your skin when it’s time to repair and renew. Our bodies make less of them as we age...which is why, post-40, you notice more slack, dullness, and fine lines.

How Growth Factors Work (And Why They’re Different)

Let’s break down what makes growth factors, especially EGF (epidermal growth factor), so promising in anti-aging skincare. Growth factors are naturally occurring proteins that act as the body’s “repair signal,” binding to receptors on the surface of skin cells to stimulate renewal and ramp up collagen production.

What sets EGF apart from typical hydrating ingredients? Instead of just working on the outermost layer, these proteins encourage cellular repair at a deeper level, which can help offset the visible effects of aging and support firmer, more resilient skin over time. Recent studies have shown that topical EGF can enhance skin elasticity and accelerate wound healing, which is why you’ll now find it alongside other advanced actives like peptides.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, for example, is known to signal collagen renewal, while or its ability to relax expression lines. This new generation of formulas often layers growth factors with probiotic complexes to support the skin barrier and plant-based alternatives like bakuchiol, which provides the benefits of retinol without irritation or flaking.

The result: serums that are less about immediate plumping and more about long-term resilience, helping skin recover from UV exposure, pollution, or even travel-induced dehydration. While the “regenerative” category sounds clinical, there’s a reason for that. These products draw on advances in cell biology and dermatology, echoing research showing that consistent use of growth factor-rich skincare can improve firmness and texture, making it one of the most evidence-backed strategies for supporting healthy, younger-looking skin at home.

Minimalist, Science-Backed Routines for Real Life

When it comes to skincare, time is a luxury. For educated, time-strapped adults who want streamlined routines without compromising on results, brands like MUMUK are leading the charge with smarter solutions. Instead of juggling a dozen products, more people are anchoring their routines with targeted growth factor serums (especially after sun exposure or stressful weeks) to help skin recover quickly and keep that balanced, healthy glow.

It’s easy to see why these bounce-back formulas are earning loyalty, especially among those who value both performance and simplicity. As MUMUK founder Stephanie Sprayregen puts it, “Aging doesn’t have to be something to fear. When we support the skin’s natural ability to regenerate, we’re not chasing youth, we’re embracing renewal at every stage of life.”

Growth Factor Skincare: Top Picks for Smarter Anti-Aging

Curious about trying growth factors in your own routine? Here are a few science-backed serums worth trying.

Bioeffect EGF Serum: This cult-favorite from Iceland uses barley-derived EGF for deep hydration and a firmer look. Skincare minimalists and pros alike love this ultra-light formula.

Neocutis Lumière Firm Riche Extra Moisturizing Illuminating & Tightening Eye Cream: Growth factors aren’t just for your face—this dermatologist-developed eye cream features a proprietary peptide and growth factor blend to smooth, hydrate, and depuff the delicate under-eye area.
Shop Neocutis Lumière Firm Riche Eye Cream

MUMUK Regenerative Complex Cell Renewal Serum: Packed with 5% bioengineered EGF and an advanced peptide-antioxidant blend, this minimalist serum delivers collagen support and barrier repair in one daily step.

SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum: This powerhouse serum contains a growth factor cocktail along with botanicals and peptides for full-spectrum anti-aging. If you want results and don’t mind the splurge, this one is a derm-favorite.

What Growth Factors Won’t Fix

Let’s get honest about limits. Growth factors aren’t a magic wand. They can’t “lift” sagging skin like a surgeon, or erase decades in a week. If your skin barrier is badly compromised or if you’re dealing with deep, structural sagging, you may still need professional intervention. And, if you have a history of cancer or are immunocompromised, consult your dermatologist before adding EGF to your routine.

The real beauty of this new science-backed approach is that it isn’t about extremes. It’s about supporting skin as it changes, restoring what time and stress take, not fighting against nature.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of Growth Factor Proteins. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.