A:

I wanted to take the time at the start of this blog to bring up something incredibly important. That is the Black Lives Matter movement - and the issues of systemic racism which have been brought with full force into the spotlight (and not for the first time).

I am not here to preach, nor try to overpower the voices of those at the heart of this movement. But in the Q+A spirit we've linked the charities we're currently supporting below, to help you in your research. 

As a company situated in a county with exceptionally low diversity, we are constantly reevaluating the ways we can make a positive impact, from donating to causes we believe in, to using our platform to support a diverse range of content creators. Exploitation of the disadvantaged either at home or in overseas factories is a major issue for retail-focused brands. We want to assure you that every effort has been put into sourcing our ingredients and packaging from ethical, sustainable places since our conception, and this will continue to be our policy in the future.

Our promise to you is that we are committed to be a part of this movement until there is justice. We want to listen, learn and change. We welcome any suggestions on how we can do better, and would also like to take the time to thank the people who have already made these suggestions, given us advice, and most importantly spoken from their heart on the matter.

For those of us in the Q+A community who have never experienced the fear, marginalisation and disadvantages countless men, women and non-binary people do every day, please join me in becoming wholly committed to better understand and serve those in our communities and overseas that suffer as a result of our inherent privilege. And for those who have suffered, we see you, and we support you wholeheartedly.  

Please take some time to learn more about these amazing charities and their resources:
https://www.theredcard.org/ 
https://southallblacksisters.org.uk/ 
https://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/ 

This week we’re tackling another buzzy group of skincare ingredients which you have probably heard of, but might not know exactly how they work for your skin. Please bear with me, we’re going to get a little science-y.  

Let’s start with collagen. We know that collagen is a primary concern when thinking about ageing skin; the depletion of collagen production over time means we loose moisture and elasticity from our skin from as early as our 20’s (yikes!). Not only is it present in our skin however, it is a main component of connective tissue from our bones, to tendons, to ligaments, to cartilage to muscle. It’s really no surprise ‘collagen’ is derived from the Greek words for ‘glue’ and ‘producing’.

Collagen is made up of amino acids which are bound together into a helix. This helix resembles the shape of a spring but on a molecular scale! Amino acids, briefly, are required for the synthesis of several compounds in your body, including protein. So where do Peptides come in? Right at this exact point. When amino acids are bound together, they form a peptide. There are 21 amino acids, all of which react differently depending on what they’re bound to, so having the right peptide is very important. In turn, when collagen naturally breaks down, you are left with these peptides, which signal to your body that more collagen needs to be produced.

If you were to look on the INCI of our Peptide Facial Serum, you wouldn’t be able to spot the word ‘peptide’. Instead, what’s included is Tripeptide-29. This refers to a specific trio of amino acids (glycine, proline and hydroxyproline), which (not so) incidentally happen to be the three most common in collagen. So the idea behind applying peptides to your skin is simple, you’re asking your skin to kick into gear and make you some new collagen. You could say, you were encouraging your skin cells to exercise a little more… pep.

If you’re looking for an effective anti-ager without the potential for irritation that a product with retinol might contain, our Peptide Facial Serum is the perfect choice. We pair peptides with Hyaluronic Acid, which as we know from our blog on anti-ageing, also starts depleting in our skin around the same time as collagen, making this duo a regeneration power couple. Then we come to Magnesium PCA, the skin energiser, and Betaine, which smooths, brightens and calms.

Or, maybe, you want a product to work those peptides on the down low… You may not be able to get the anti age benefits you desire from collagen, but we’ve made sure you can from our Collagen Cream. (Because as you may have read in our 5-HTP vs Collagen Cream blog, applying collagen does more for you skin by moisturising it, rather than adding collagen supplies to your skin – that’s where the peptides come in!)

And there we are, another buzzy skincare definition to go in the belt!

That’s all for me this week, and just a reminder to keep reading up and researching, and looking for ways to have a positive impact on our world. 

Amy @ Team Q+A