PRODUCT REVIEW: LION POSE PEP TALK BIO-PEPTIDE BARRIER CREAM - What are skin lipids? How do lipids affect the skin? Are lipids and ceramides the same?
LION POSE PEP TALK BIO-PEPTIDE BARRIER CREAM
Nothing gives me greater pleasure than discovering a new skincare product that’s so well-formulated I look forward to using it.
Correction: The joy I feel when my cat, Musaeus, loves a new flavor of cat food ranks a bit higher.
There's no doubt in my mind that there's more really well made skincare than ever. I've been at this a long time — dating back to the 1980s. Innovation has come a long way! Here's the clincher though: there's also more mediocre skincare and outright shitty skincare than ever, too.
The consumer marketplace for skincare products is in a way its own reality show — with dramatic plot lines, diverse players and ever-changing dynamics. Breaking through the noise to demystify skincare was actually my impetus for starting the Skincarma blog eight years ago.
And highlighting the most outstanding products each year is the best part. The annual Skincarma Product of the Year is the cherry on top! You may know that this past year’s winner was a truly innovative and wildly effecting brightening serum for dark spots – the Lion Pose Unspotted 4X Acid Jelly Night Serum. Not only has it become a part of my skincare routine, but it’s the one product I recommend to the friends, family and followers who ask me for the best dark spot serum for flaws in their complexions.
You can read my review of the Lion Pose Unspotted 4X Acid Jelly Night Serum on the blog here – or catch the deep-dive on the Skincarma Pod podcast here.
Lion Pose burst onto the scene about two years ago with that one product. I'm excited to feature their latest innovation, the Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream on the blog. My detailed review of it is just below.
THE SKINCARMA PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
As I write this, it's 30 degrees here in Brooklyn, NY. It was even colder overnight. I know I'm not alone in saying that winter nights are really tough on my skin. We’re all in a constant battle to prevent extreme dryness and dehydration in the cold, low-humidity months.
I never want to wake up looking like death. Who does?!
I've come a long way in understanding what my skin needs in winter – to optimize my skin health. I've talked quite a bit about my "lock and block" strategy on the blog. That is, lock moisture in with humectants like Ectoin and block the escape of moisture through trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL) with a lipid-rich moisturizer.
Lipid replenishment is one piece of the skin health puzzle. And it’s even more essential in the cold. How do you keep your skin from drying out? Skin lipids like ceramides and fatty acids, course!
Three of my go-to lipid-rich moisturizers just happen to be among the best face creams for dry skin. They include the OG Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream, the Untoxicated Moisture Boost Hydrating Cream and The INKEY List’s Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturizer.
I’m delighted to add the new Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream to the mix…
2024 | SKINCARMA PRODUCT OF THE YEAR: LION POSE UNSPOTTED 4X ACID JELLY NIGHT SERUM
Before I get to my detailed Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream product review just below, I wanted to explore some of the most frequently asked questions about skin lipids and the pro-skin health technologies powering the Lion Pose’s new replenishing moisturizer.
1. What are skin lipids?
Well, quite simply, skin lipids are the good fats found in the upper layer of your skin – the epidermis. Lipids like ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids are essential to healthy functioning skin and to optimizing your skin barrier.
These naturally occurring fats are crucial for maintaining moisture levels in the skin and preventing trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), the leading cause of dehydration.
Notably ceramides, which compose 50% of total lipids in the stratum corneum, are key components of the skin barrier that help it retain moisture, protect against environmental stressors and irritants, and maintain equilibrium to optimize healthy skin functions.
Explore my picks of the best face creams for dry skin on the blog here.
Sources: NIH, National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central - Skin Lipid Barrier: Structure, Function and Metabolism; Dermstore - The Role of Lipids—Cholesterol, Ceramides and Fatty Acids—in the Aging Process; NIH, National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central - Ceramides and skin function
2. How do lipids affect the skin?
Without ample quantities of lipids like ceramides and fatty acids in your skin, you’re very likely to experience some level of dryness and dehydration. Lipids are essential components of the skin barrier, also known as the moisture barrier or lipid barrier. They play a vital role in moisture retention and are key to preventing trans-epidermal water loss – the leading cause of skin dehydration.
In addition to controlling the escape of moisture, they are essential for preventing the penetration of substances into the skin from the outside. These substances can include harmful bacteria as well as helpful ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid – a molecule which is unable to get past the skin’s lipid barrier.
A well-formulated lipid-replenishing moisturizer like the Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream or the Untoxicated Moisture Boost Hydrating Cream is all it takes to restore depleted lipids and optimize your skin health.
Explore my picks of the best face creams for dry skin on the blog here.
Sources: NIH, National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central - Skin Lipid Barrier: Structure, Function and Metabolism; Dermstore - The Role of Lipids—Cholesterol, Ceramides and Fatty Acids—in the Aging Process; NIH, National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central - Ceramides and skin function
3. Are lipids and ceramides the same?
No. While lipids and ceramides are related, they’re not the same. Simply, ceramides are lipids; but lipids are not ceramides.
Lipids are fatty substances that perform several important functions in the skin barrier – also referred to as the moisture barrier, or lipid barrier. Skin lipids, including ceramides, fatty acids and carbohydrates, are essential for moisture retention and for preventing trans-epidermal water loss – the leading cause of skin dehydration.
Ceramides are the most abundant of the lipids found in human skin. They’re classified as sphingolipids and are composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid. Ceramides compose 50% of the total lipids in the stratum corneum – the uppermost layer of the skin.
Explore my picks of the best face creams for dry skin on the blog here.
Sources: NIH, National Library of Medicine, PubMed Central - Ceramides and skin function; WebMD - What to Know About Ceramides for Skin
4. What is the difference between hyaluronic acid and ceramides?
While both Hyaluronic Acid and ceramides are naturally occurring substances found in human skin, they perform different roles. Both are essential to healthy skin functions. They are located in different areas of the skin; Hyaluronic Acid is primarily located in the dermis, while ceramides are found in the uppermost layer of the skin, the epidermis or stratum corneum.
Hyaluronic Acid is a glycosaminoglycan and a key humectant that helps the skin retain water. Simply, it locks onto water molecules to hold them in the skin and prevent dehydration.
Ceramides are fatty compounds which form the “mortar” between skin cells and effectively block the escape of moisture through the skin barrier. Optimal levels of ceramides are necessary for preventing dryness.
Combined, Hyaluronic Acid and ceramides regulate skin’s moisture levels to optimize skin health.
Explore my picks of the best face creams for dry skin on the blog here.
Sources: Healthline - Why Science Says Hyaluronic Acid Is the Holy Grail to Wrinkle-Free, Youthful Hydration; Spandidos Publications - Intercellular and intracellular functions of ceramides and their metabolites in skin
5. Product Review
As I said above, lipid replenishment is essential for skin to perform the functions required for it to be healthy and, ultimately, youthful looking. And lipid replenishment is the most important function of every good moisturizer. Anything else is an added benefit.
All human skin is composed of lipids. And all human skin needs replenishment of depleted lipids. Based on your skin needs and your skin type, you should choose a moisturizer that replenishes the level of lipids your own skin is lacking. If your skin is oily, choose a lighter face cream. If you’re dry, choose a richer one.
The new Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream is a terrific face cream for those of us in middle – not too oily, not too dry.
Catch my products reviews of the best face creams for oily skin here and best face creams for dry skin here.
Lion Pose’s Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream is a superb lipid-replenishing moisturizer infused with what the brand describes as a “triple lipid complex” – the basic triad of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids.
If it did just that – restore skin lipids – I would be perfectly happy. After all, that’s all the Untoxicated Moisture Boost Hydrating Cream does. But of course Lion Pose’s Pep Talk is $54, twice the cost of Untoxicated’s Moisture Boost.
Fortunately, the Lion Pose moisturizer offers more than mere replenishment. It’s infused with several effective humectants to help lock water in the skin. And, of course, humectants like Hyaluronic Acid are worthless (and even detrimental) without ample levels of emollient plant oils and, yes, lipids, that block moisture loss (TEWL).
There are also two intriguing antioxidants – Glutathione and Ashwagandha – that help to soothe the skin while delivering protection from environmental damage. I assume the brand’s claim that “100% of retinol users saw improvement in skin redness” is attributable at least in part to this. Though high levels of emollients, humectants, and lipids can also calm redness.
Perhaps the most interesting feature of all is the inclusion of what Lion Pose characterizes as Vegan Bio-Placenta, “100% vegan bio-memetic Peptides which mimic growth factors of human placenta that signal skin repair.”
What is the difference between vegan peptides and non-vegan peptides? Well, vegan peptides are derived from plants, yeast, algae, or produced synthetically. Non-vegan peptides are sourced from animal-derived collagen, milk, fish scales, or keratin.
At sufficient concentrations, both classes of peptides can offer varying degrees of collagen boosting, hydration and wrinkle reduction. The peptides seem to be at a relatively low level in the formula, so I don’t know whether the Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream is an effective anti-aging cream.
What I do know is it’s an effective moisturizer for most skin types – including dry, combination, normal and, notably, sensitive skins. It has a light, fluffy texture that quickly melts into skin and layers perfectly well over serums and before sunscreen.
It’s right up there with the best of them.
6. Pros & Cons
What I like about it: The Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream is an excellent lipid-replenishing moisturizer for most skin types – with the exception of very oily or very dry. I love its light, fluffy texture! The addition of calming antioxidants is nice, especially for those with sensitive and/or sensitized skin. And, I’m sure it’s no coincidence that it makes the perfect follow-up to Lion Pose’s Unspotted 4X Acid Jelly Night Serum – the brand’s highly effective brightening and exfoliating dark spot serum.
What I don’t like about it: I find the vegan peptides intriguing, though I wish they were at higher concentrations to offer the best anti-aging benefits of peptides.
Who it’s for: All skin types except very oily.
SHOP THE BLOG: Want to try it for yourself? Purchase the Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream for $54 here.
FIND OUT WHICH SERUM PERFORMED BETTER – AND BY HOW MUCH!
The Ingredient List of the Lion Pose Pep Talk Bio-Peptide Barrier Cream:
sii|h 0 0, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate emo|emu, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter 
emo, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Coco-Caprylate emo, C12-16 Alcohols emo|vc, Palmitic Acid sii|emo|emu 0 2, Hydrogenated Lecithin emo|emu, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer vc, Hydroxyacetophenone aox, C15-23 Alkane solv, Decyl Glucoside surf, Glyceryl Caprylate pres, Sodium Lauroyl Lactylate emu, Allantoin so 0 0, C13-14 Alkane solv, Lecithin emo|emu, Propanediol solv|h, Chondrus Crispus Extract h|vc, Xanthan Gum vc, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour so|aox|emo, Acetyl Glutamine, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Ceramide NP sii, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Ceramide AP sii, Cholesterol sii|emo 0 0, Phytosphingosine sii|cci|aacne|amic, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil emo 0 0-2, Squalane sii|emo 0 1, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil aox|emo|h, Carbomer vc 0 1, Bacillus/Folic Acid Ferment Filtrate Extract aox|h, SH- Oligopeptide-1 cci, SH- Oligopeptide-2 cci, SH- Polypeptide-1 cci, SH- Polypeptide-11 cci, SH- Polypeptide-9 cci, Tocopherol aox 0-3 0-3, Withania Somnifera Root Extract, Glutathione, Ceramide EOP sii
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