What Is Actually in It
Protini's ingredient list names nine peptides and polypeptides — sh-oligopeptide-1 and -2, sh-polypeptide-1, -9 and -11, copper palmitoyl heptapeptide-14, heptapeptide-15 palmitate, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl tripeptide-1 — followed by a run of amino acids. Around them sit marula seed oil, white water lily root extract, a folic acid ferment, glycerin and emollients.
| Ingredient group | Examples | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Peptides and polypeptides | sh-oligopeptide-1, palmitoyl tripeptide-1, copper palmitoyl heptapeptide-14 | Signaling molecules — the headline of the formula |
| Amino acids | Alanine, arginine, glycine, proline and others | Protein building blocks that also help skin hold water |
| Oils and emollients | Marula seed oil, dicaprylyl carbonate | Soften and moisturize |
| Botanicals and ferments | White water lily root extract, a folic acid ferment | Supporting extras |
It is, in other words, a genuinely peptide-dense moisturizer. Ingredient lists do not show percentages, so how much of each peptide is present cannot be read from the label — but the number of them is unusual.
What Peptides Can and Cannot Do
Peptides in skincare are short chains of amino acids meant to act as signals — for example, to prompt the skin to make more of its structural proteins. A 2017 review of topical peptides as cosmeceuticals lists real advantages, including their involvement in many skin functions and their selectivity. It also lists the drawbacks plainly: clinical evidence for efficacy is often weak, absorption may be poor because many peptides are large molecules, and prices can be high.
That does not make Protini a bad product. It makes it a well-formulated moisturizer whose extras are plausible rather than proven. The things with the strongest evidence for aging skin remain a retinoid, daily sunscreen and a moisturizer you use consistently. For the ingredient itself, see peptides and ceramides vs peptides.
