Ingredient Library
Pea Peptide
Pisum sativum
Pea peptide is a plant-derived peptide that signals skin to support its own collagen for a firmer, smoother look. Gentle, it suits mature, thinning skin.
A natural history
The garden pea is one of the oldest and gentlest of foods, among the very first plants people learned to farm at the dawn of agriculture some ten thousand years ago. It is also one of the most quietly famous plants in science: it was rows of ordinary garden peas that the monk Gregor Mendel tended, plant by plant, to discover the laws of heredity and found the science of genetics.
Today the humble pea has a refined second life on the dressing table. From its proteins come peptides, short chains of amino acids that act a little like gentle messages to the skin, encouraging it to look firmer and smoother. Plant based and kind to skin, pea peptides have become a clean, modern alternative to firming ingredients of the past.
What it does for your skin
Peptides drawn from the pea are studied for their ability to support the skin's own firmness. In laboratory testing on human skin cells, a natural pea peptide encouraged the renewed production of collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep skin looking taut, with an early human trial suggesting a smoother, less lined look.[1] In an eight week study, a formula built around a pea peptide improved skin elasticity, hydration, and smoothness.[2] In a formula it is a gentle, plant based way to support firmer looking skin.
References
[1] Kennedy K, et al. The anti-ageing effects of a natural peptide discovered by artificial intelligence. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2020;42(4):388-398. doi:10.1111/ics.12635
[2] Lephart ED. Effects of retinol, natural pea peptide and antioxidant blend in a topical formulation: in vitro and clinical evidence. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2025;15(1):189-200. doi:10.1007/s13555-024-01332-8
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a plant-based peptide studied for encouraging the skin's own collagen and elastin, helping skin look firmer and smoother.
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids that works like a gentle message to skin cells, here drawn from the humble garden pea.