APPLICATION OF 2D-CHROMATOGRAPHY FOR THE DETECTION OF COSMETIC PEPTIDES IN SKIN HOMOGENATES

Peptides are biologically active molecules of great interest due to their ability to interact with various biological systems. Many peptides have been developed for cosmetic applications, particularly to enhance skin firmness and reduce wrinkles by modulating collagen turnover. However, unlike the pharmaceutical sector, the cosmetic market lacks strict regulations, and no specific guidelines currently exist for assessing the dermal stability of cosmetic peptides. Given their topical administration and the limited data on peptide resistance to skin proteases, we developed an HPLC-MS/MS method to evaluate peptide stability in human skin homogenates [1]. We further refined this approach by incorporating 2D chromatography and introducing, for the first time, a novel internal standard for peptide quantification: a scrambled peptide sequence derived from the original analytes [2]. This combination significantly improved analytical performance and sensitivity, making this methodology the most accurate and reliable tool available for assessing peptide stability against dermal proteases in complex matrices such as human skin homogenates.