A plain-English guide to peptides

A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. Proteins are long chains; peptides are short ones. That is the whole definition, and it is why the word covers so much ground that on its own it tells you almost nothing.

Three quite different things called peptides

• Collagen peptides. Hydrolysed collagen, broken into short chains. This is what most oral peptide supplements contain, and it is the same material sold as collagen powder.
• Specific studied fragments. Certain short sequences have been studied in their own right and are named on labels that intend to be precise.
• Topical skincare peptides. Applied to skin rather than swallowed, and a separate subject with its own evidence. An oral product borrowing the language of topical peptide research is worth noticing.

What a good peptide label looks like

It names the peptide rather than describing a complex. It gives an amount in milligrams. It says where the peptide comes from — marine, bovine, or synthesised. If those three things are present, you can compare the product against published research and against other products. If they are absent, you are buying a word.

Setting expectations

Studies on oral collagen peptides and skin measures have generally used daily amounts over eight to twelve weeks, and where changes are reported they tend to be modest rather than transformative. Individual responses differ, and skin is influenced by sleep, sun exposure, hydration and a good many other things at the same time.

A peptide supplement is a reasonable thing to try if the label is specific and the cost per serving works for you. It is not a substitute for the rest of it.