Every single beauty brand on the planet is screaming at us about peptides right now. Some are even calling them “Botox in a bottle.” FFS! That’s my pet hate. No product will ever work like Botox.
But that being said, as much as I can be skeptical about every new skincare trend and fad (that’s what over 25 years working in the beauty industry will do to you), some are genuinely worth talking about. And peptides definitely fall into that category.
But peptides are not a new ingredient in skincare. I remember writing about them when I was running the beauty desk at InStyle magazine in the mid-noughties, and I presented a trend report about them when I worked as Beauty Director at Boots back in 2015.
Cut to 2026, and all the skincare brands are jumping back on the peptide bandwagon. Why? Because they are such a hot topic in the wellness industry right now. GLP-1s are a form of peptides after all…
So to cut right through all of the headlines and new product launches, I asked my brilliant friend and top consultant dermatologist, Dr. Justine Kluk to explain what peptides actually do, and whether they are worth the space in your skincare routine.
📸 WATCH: CLICK BELOW TO WATCH A CLIP FROM MY LATEST EPISODE OF MY PODCAST, SMILING GIVES YOU WRINKLES®
Listen to the full episode with Dr. Justine Kluk here
How Do Peptides Work? Cellular Messengers vs. Marketing Fluff
Justine definitely helps us strip away the marketing jargon in this clip, right? As she says, simply put, peptides are like the building blocks of proteins like collagen, elastin, and keratin. All the naturally forming parts of your skin. We have them in abundance when we are born.
And so when we apply a peptide serum to our skin, they act like tiny, microscopic cellular soldiers that basically tell your skin that it’s falling apart (to put it frankly) and it needs to make more of those proteins that we are born with.
The Beauty Ed® Edit: 3 Tried-and-Tested Peptide Serums I Swear By
So now, you might think that you need to introduce a peptide product into you routine. I think it’s a good idea. They are proven to help skin strength, softness and glow. But before you go out and buy a new product, you might be surprised to find that your existing routine may contain peptides in some shape or form already.
Here are some peptide-rich products that I already have in my routine…
1. Beauty Pie Youthbomb™ 360° Radiance Concentrate
I’ve used this on-and-off for three years and have written about it in my editorials like this one for HELLO!
Beauty Pie is well known for making luxury grade, hi-tech formulas at affordable prices, and this is a perfect example of that. It is rich in their own patented peptide complex which packs a massive punch of 18 different skin-strengthening peptides that focus on giving skin a a lovely softness and glow.
2. No7 Future Renew Damage Reversal UV Defence Shield SPF50
No7 is a brand that I have huge respect for - when I worked at Boots UK I saw how much research and development went into all of their products. And I love this SPF. It’s so lightweight and makes for a gorgeous makeup base. No thick white cast that you can sometimes get with high SPFs. And bonus: it also contains lots of gorgeous peptides too.
3. Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair
It’s no secret that this iconic brown bottle does wonders for your skin. And it’s no secret that I love it. I’ve been using and writing about it for years. I wrote about it a couple of years ago here for HELLO! and the article went viral. It’s the one product that I always recommend to my friends and followers to buy if they just don’t know where to start with their skincare routine. But did you know that it contains super special peptide technology, which basically keeps your skin safe during the day from all the environmental aggressors (pollution etc) and then shifts gears at night so skin renews itself while you sleep. No wonder it’s one of my faves.
2 New Peptide Serum Launches Worth Your Attention
1. Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP
Medik8 is a brand that I have trusted for a long time - it’s well respected in the industry and I swear by their Retinal. This serum uses a fancy 30% multi-peptide complex that works differently to regular peptides, which are rigid. These fold into nimble shapes that easily lock onto skin receptors. The marketing jargon says that it softens lines within ten minutes - extremely debatable! But I did notice how my skin appeared a little smoother in general once I reached the bottom of the bottle. I really like this.
2. SkinCeuticals P-TIOX Neuro-Peptide Serum
Dr. Justine Kluk actually made me try this! She was skeptical about it’s benefits at first - as it was being marketed as Botox In A Bottle - but once she tried it, she was pretty impressed: "I had a big cynicism because they said it has these peptides in it that reduce muscle movement and can mimic Botox. I was like, here we go again, Botox in a bottle... but then I got sent one and I was like, you know, just the curiosity massively overcame me and I started using it." Justine loved it as she just felt like while it didn’t freeze her muscles like Botox, it definitely gave her skin that ‘glassy glow’ that so many serums promise. And after testing it out myself for a few weeks, I tend to agree.
I want to know your thoughts. Have you found a peptide formula that actually gave your skin that bouncy, healthy glow?