KEYWORDS: Peptide characteristics, personal care products, legislation, cosmeceuticals, anti-ageing treatments.

Given the obvious fact that probability calculation is not a matter of chance but based on precise mathematical operations, there are almost infinite combinations of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids that can lead to creating proteins and peptides. If we add the possibility of modifying the amino acid chains by binding functional groups o to them, well then the ability to create molecules that are different in composition, structure and function is expanded much further (see box). With peptides, a specific “shape” will very well match a certain function, that is the chemical-physical structure defined by the amino acid sequence and any bonds with other functional groups determines the effect that that particular peptide will have on biological structures. Such effects can be applied to a number of fields, for instance to the medical, pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors.
The potential peptide exploitation in cosmetics is related a number of factors, one being for instance the fact that peptides can exert the ...