The glycation process is known to be one of the critical parameters that accelerate signs of skin aging, especially in skin exposed to environmental factors like ultraviolet radiation. Despite previous studies indicating the anti-inflammatory and antiaging properties of the hydrolyzed collagen tripeptide (CTP), its exact mechanism remains unclear. 

The present study thus investigated the effect of a topical CTP on facial skin. It included 22 Asian women who applied topical CTP and observed significant improvements in skin wrinkles, elasticity and density with a reduction in skin accumulation of advanced glycated end products (AGEs) at week 4 without any adverse effects.

It found a preventive effect of the topical CTP on the assemblage of AGEs, denatured collagen production and reactive oxygen species in dermal fibroblasts in the in vitro study. Moreover, CTP treatment decreased the induction of matrix metalloproteinases while increasing the collagen 1 level. 

These results suggest that applying a topical CTP might improve clinical aging phenotypes via the inhibition of glycation and oxidative stress, causing a delay in cellular aging.

Source: Lee YI, Lee SG, Jung I, et al. Effect of a topical collagen tripeptide on antiaging and inhibition of glycation of the skin: a pilot study. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(3):1101.