sh-Polypeptide-9

SH-Polypeptide-9 belongs to the group of growth factors and is called the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor.

It can be found naturally in the skin, where it stimulates the formation of new blood vessels and improves the microcirculation and delivery of nutrients to the skin. This may result in more youthful-looking skin.

In research, scientists have been interested in its use in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis or skin damage after radiation therapy. With regards to its applications in skincare, there is a single study that used a cream containing multiple growth factors and found that it was effective at treating post-laser therapy redness, crusting, edema, and wrinkles.

It is also important to mention that this ingredient is a big polypeptide and so has problems absorbing into the skin. Therefore, either careful formulation or modification of the structure is necessary to ensure that it gets where it needs to.

There is of course some controversy surrounding the use of growth factors in skincare. These growth factors are produced by genetically modified organisms or by human stem cell lines, which raises some eyebrows.

The bigger problem is the doubts about their involvement in skin cancer development (a.k.a. “If it stimulates the growth of skin cells, will it also stimulate the growth of skin cancer?”). The answer is still unclear, but so far there has been no proof of this, and so it should be safe.