Growth factors are buzzy ingredients in the skincare industry as of late—and if you ask us, the attention is well-deserved.
But what are growth factors for skin, how do they work, and are they worth it? Here's everything you need to know about growth factors in skincare, including the benefits, how they support skin health, and how to incorporate growth factors into your anti-aging skincare routine.
What Are Growth Factors?
Growth factors are proteins naturally produced by the skin that improve skin electricity, skin firmness, and overall health. In terms of topical skincare products, like a growth factor serum, growth factors can refer to polypeptides that support collagen production, wound-healing, and skin-cell regeneration. It’s already well known that there are many benefits of peptides for the skin, as these ingredients help repair the barrier and provide the complexion with a youthful glow.
Understanding Growth Factors in Skincare
When it comes to skincare, growth factors primarily act as wound-healing agents. This means they repair damaged skin and help it generate new cells to replace dead skin cells. By stimulating collagen synthesis, they can also help strengthen the skin barrier to reduce and prevent fine lines and deeper wrinkles.
Types of Growth Factors Relevant to Skincare
A couple of different types of growth factors are used in skincare formulations, including epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor.
- Epidermal growth factor (EGF). This protein contains 53 amino acids. When applied topically, it's been shown to help with wound healing while addressing common signs of aging like wrinkles, loss of skin elasticity, uneven skin texture, and hyperpigmentation (dark spots and age spots).
- Transforming growth factor (TGF). This type of growth factor supports the production of collagen, minimizes various signs of photoaging (sun damage), and may help reduce the appearance of scars.
How Growth Factors Benefit the Skin
Using topical growth factors can help revitalize your skin and create a more youthful appearance. But how? They do this by:
- Promoting cellular regeneration
- Enhancing collagen and elastin production
- Improving skin texture and tone
- Reducing fine lines and wrinkles
Keep scrolling for details.
Promoting Cellular Regeneration
Growth factors in skincare have been touted for their ability to regenerate skin cells. This means damaged skin is healed and repaired, and new cells are created to replace dead ones.
Enhancing Collagen and Elastin Production
A major culprit of skin aging is that the body makes less collagen and elastin over time. This leads to volume loss, sagging skin, crepiness (having a texture similar to crepe paper), and reduced skin elasticity. By helping skin generate more of these essential proteins, growth factors can curb some of the most common signs of aging.
Improving Skin Texture and Tone
Growth factors have been shown to improve skin texture, meaning fewer rough patches, less visible pores, and an all-around smoother complexion. These skincare powerhouses can also minimize and prevent hyperpigmentation, leaving you with brighter, more even-toned skin.
Reducing Fine Lines and Wrinkles
Another reason to reach for growth factors? They do amazing work improving the appearance of fine lines and making deeper wrinkles less severe. Regularly using products containing growth factors might help keep future wrinkles at bay.
Sources of Growth Factors in Skincare Products
The growth factors in skincare products can be sourced from bone marrow stem cells, fat stem cells, or human-derived skin cells. They can also be extracted from the platelet-rich plasma in blood, as well as animal sources like snails and certain plants.
Natural vs. Synthetic Growth Factors
Synthetic growth factors are known as micro-peptides. They're genetically engineered to behave just like the natural variety that comes from humans or animals. Synthetic growth factors can be more affordable skincare ingredients, more stable in cosmetic formulas, and, of course, are vegan.
How to Incorporate Growth Factors Into Your Skincare Routine
Incorporating growth factors into your skincare routine is as easy as finding a product with high-quality, trusted ingredients that your skin tolerates well. For the most part, growth factors work well for mature skin with minimal irritation—but pay attention to other ingredients that may cause sensitivity.
Some skincare experts recommend using growth factors as part of your nighttime skincare routine. Why? Your skin does most of its reparative work to mend skin cells while you doze. Beauty sleep is real!
How CLEARSTEM Can Help You Elevate Your Skincare Routine
CLEARSTEM's thoughtfully formulated products are designed to address multiple signs of aging and give you your best skin ever–without any pore-clogging ingredients, parabens, or phthalates. If you're interested in growth factors, CELLRENEW® Acne Scar & Calming Serum might be a good place to start. It contains collagen growth factors to promote cell turnover, plus reishi, allantoin, aloe vera, and green tea to calm and replenish the skin.
When you browse the collections, you'll also find acne and aging skincare products for mature skin facing breakouts, anti-aging skincare products that battle fine lines and wrinkles, and non-comedogenic products that won't leave you with clogged pores or a greasy T-zone.
Sources:
Miller-Kobisher B, et al. (2021). Epidermal Growth Factor in Aesthetics and Regenerative Medicine: Systematic Review. Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery, 14(2), 137–146.
Pamela RD. (2018). Topical Growth Factors for the Treatment of Facial Photoaging: A Clinical Experience of Eight Cases. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 11(12), 28–29.
Quinlan DJ, et al. (2023). Topical growth factor preparations for facial skin rejuvenation: A systematic review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.
El-Domyati M, et al. (2015). Expression of transforming growth factor-β after different non-invasive facial rejuvenation modalities. International Journal of Dermatology, 54(4), 396–404.
Mitchell AC, et al. (2016). Engineering growth factors for regenerative medicine applications. Acta Biomaterialia, 30, 1–12.
Lyons AB, et al. (2019). Circadian Rhythm and the Skin: A Review of the Literature. The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 12(9), 42–45.
