International Specialty Products (ISP) has designed a synthetic peptide to help protect skin from UV radiation by improving barrier function. Caspaline 14 (INCI: Not Provided) is said to help fight the signs of skin aging by targeting and boosting caspase-14, a cysteine protease associated with skin softness and suppleness.
Unlike a topically applied sunscreen, the peptide does not rely on an active UV filter for protective properties. Instead, it is said to focus on the skin’s natural ability to minimize damage from UV exposure. By boosting caspase-14, which has been linked with cornifying epithelial tissue such as the skin, and influencing terminal keratinocyte differentiation and formation of the skin’s barrier function, the peptide may help limit skin damage from UV.
According to the company, studies have shown that skin deficient in caspase-14 exposed to UVB radiation experiences significantly more damage. In ex vivo examination of tissue stressed by UV radiation, skin pre-treated with the peptide produced fewer apoptotic cells and fewer cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (UVB-induced DNA damage), compared with the control.
The peptide also reportedly helps boost the expression of filaggrin, the precursor of natural moisturizing factor (NMF), an important component of supple, moisturized skin.
