Growth Factors

Growth factors are intriguing substances gaining steam in the world of skin care after their studied application in medical settings. Simply put, growth factors are polypeptides (chains of amino acids, or proteins) that regulate certain processes in the body at a cellular level.

For the purposes of this definition, we’re focusing on epidermal growth factors (EGF), though there are other growth factors, including fibroblast growth factors, keratinocyte growth factors and platelet-derived growth factors, just to name a few. EGF in particular regulates cell growth and proliferation, binding to proteins found in certain cells that impact their survival.

While research is still emerging regarding exactly how growth factors can be applied in cosmetic settings as opposed to its use in medical procedures, early studies show some promising results. One found that the use of EGF helped improve blemishes, dermatitis, skin ageing and even some forms of hyperpigmentation.

One of the biggest challenges at this point is that EGF tend to be unstable, so methods of stabilizing them enough to make them viable for cosmetic applications are underway. Growth factors also tend to be too large* to penetrate skin, making their delivery an issue. Interestingly, several signal peptides, which are much smaller, have growth factor-like activity on skin, leading to reduced signs of ageing and a visible difference in skin’s firmness.

It’s an exciting area of study when it comes to new skin care ingredients, and one we will be following closely!

*Growth factors tend to have an average molecular weight of 15,000 Daltons. Ingredients whose molecular weight is 500 Daltons or less can easily penetrate skin.