pharmaceuticals Review Usage of Synthetic Peptides in Cosmetics for Sensitive Skin Diana I. S. P. Resende 1,2,† , Marta Salvador Ferreira 3,4,† , José Manuel Sousa-Lobo 3,4 , Emília Sousa 1,2,* and Isabel Filipa Almeida 3,4,* 1 CIIMAR–Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Avenida General Norton de Matos, S/N, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal;
[email protected] 2 Laboratory of Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal 3 Associate Laboratory i4HB-Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal;
[email protected] (M.S.F.);
[email protected] (J.M.S.-L.) 4 UCIBIO–Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, MedTech, Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal * Correspondence:
[email protected] (E.S.);
[email protected] (I.F.A.); Tel.: +351-220-428-621 (I.F.A.) † These authors equally contributed to this work. Abstract: Sensitive skin is characterized by symptoms of discomfort when exposed to environmental factors. Peptides are used in cosmetics for sensitive skin and stand out as active ingredients for their ability to interact with skin cells by multiple mechanisms, high potency at low dosage and the ability to penetrate the stratum corneum. This study aimed to analyze the composition of 88 facial cosmetics for sensitive skin from multinational brands regarding usage of peptides, reviewing their synthetic pathways and the scientific evidence that supports their efficacy. Peptides were found in 17% of the products analyzed, namely: acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester, palmitoyl tripeptide-8, acetyl tetrapeptide-15, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, acetyl hexapeptide-49, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 and palmitoyl oligopeptide.