Peptides | Coffee, Crystals, and Collagen | TikTok Myth Busters

If you've spent more than five minutes on TikTok lately, you've probably heard someone talking about peptides.

• Collagen peptides
• GLP-1 peptides
• Anti-aging peptides
• Healing peptides.

But here's the problem:

Most people are talking about completely different things with very different purposes, and very different levels of verifiable results.

Collagen Peptides

Think Vital Proteins. Jennifer Aniston's morning routine. The powder currently sitting in half the coffee mugs in America (including my own).

Collagen peptides are simply broken-down proteins. Your body digests them into amino acids just like other dietary proteins.

Can they support overall wellness and protein intake?

Sure. I use these myself to help with my hair growth and nails! (Clinically-proven!)

But can they travel directly to your face and replace lost collagen?

Yes and no. Collagen peptides can help boost your body’s natural collagen production, which declines over time. This can possibly improve overall skin elasticity and firmness, but remember from my earlier PSA: you cannot rebuild lost collagen. So once it's lost, it's gone.

Now, what about all the other peptides?

This is where things get more complicated.

Most GLP-1 medications have strong clinical evidence behind them.

Many other peptides currently trending online do not.

Some show promise. Some are still being studied. Many lack the human research needed to support the dramatic anti-aging and healing claims circulating on social media. And I'm here screaming "Show me the research!" from every rooftop.

So, what should you do? Well, before you spend hundreds...

Focus on the things that are proven to work:

☀️ SPF daily
🍊 Quality Vitamin C
✨ Retinoids (if using correctly, or skip altogether and replace with an A-HA or retinol-like serum!)
🩹 Microneedling (for appropriate candidates only - we'll dive into this one next week!)

Because despite what TikTok may suggest, youthful-looking skin is still built on consistency—and is totally achievable without the overnight gimmicks and unproven injections.

Consistency is key with these tried and true faves!

YonKa Retinol-Like Bi-Serum
SkinCeuticals HA Intensifier
Surface Esthetics The Chill Vibe Serum