The Research Behind Our Ingredients

Compiled by Karolina Maria Szymczyk, founder of The House of Vellura · Updated October 2026

This is the published research behind the ingredients we use. Every paper listed here has been opened and checked against what we say about it. For each one, we tell you what kind of study it is, what it found, and what it does not show.

How to read this page

Human study: tested on people. The strongest evidence for how an ingredient behaves on real skin.
Laboratory study: tested in cells or animals. Useful for understanding how an ingredient works, but not proof of what a cream does on your face.
Review: a summary of many studies by researchers in the field.
Oral, not topical: some longevity ingredients have been studied mainly as supplements. We say so clearly.

These studies are about ingredients, not about Vellura products. A study on an ingredient does not prove what a finished formula does. Results of our own testing are at the bottom of this page.

Peptides

Signal peptides (palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, palmitoyl tripeptide-5)

Schagen SK. Topical peptide treatments with effective anti-aging results. Cosmetics. 2017;4(2):16. Read the paper

Type: Review.
What it covers: the cosmetic peptides with published results, including palmitoyl tripeptide-1, palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, palmitoyl tripeptide-5 and copper tripeptide.
What it does not show: the author notes that some clinical results come from formulas with several actives, so the effect of each peptide on its own cannot always be separated. Many of the studies are small.

Acetyl hexapeptide-8 (Argireline)

Blanes-Mira C, Clemente J, Jodas G, et al. A synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) with antiwrinkle activity. International Journal of Cosmetic Science. 2002;24(5):303–310. Read the paper

Type: Laboratory study plus a small human study.
What it found: in 10 women, an emulsion containing 10% of the hexapeptide, applied twice daily for 30 days, reduced measured wrinkle depth compared with the vehicle on the other side of the face.
What it does not show: the human part was very small and measured wrinkle depth on skin replicas, without a clinical assessment of expression lines.

Copper tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu)

Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018;19(7):1987. Read the paper

Type: Review.
What it covers: research on the GHK peptide and its copper complex, including gene-expression data that may explain its range of reported effects in skin.
What it does not show: much of the work reviewed is laboratory research. It is a summary, not a trial of a finished cream.

Acetyl tetrapeptide-2

We have not yet found an independent published study on acetyl tetrapeptide-2 that we are confident to list. The information we use comes from the ingredient's supplier. We will add independent research here when we have checked it. Read about acetyl tetrapeptide-2

Longevity actives

Nicotinamide riboside (NR)

Trammell SAJ, Schmidt MS, Weidemann BJ, et al. Nicotinamide riboside is uniquely and orally bioavailable in mice and humans. Nature Communications. 2016;7:12948. Read the paper

Type: Human and animal study. Oral, not topical.
What it found: single oral doses of NR (100, 300 and 1,000 mg) raised markers of NAD+ metabolism in the blood in a dose-dependent way.

Martens CR, Denman BA, Mazzo MR, et al. Chronic nicotinamide riboside supplementation is well-tolerated and elevates NAD+ in healthy middle-aged and older adults. Nature Communications. 2018;9:1286. Read the paper

Type: Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial in people. Oral, not topical.
What it found: six weeks of oral NR was well tolerated and raised NAD+ metabolism.
What neither study shows: what NR does when applied to skin. Published human data on topical NR is still limited. Read our honest guide.

Ergothioneine

Gründemann D, Harlfinger S, Golz S, et al. Discovery of the ergothioneine transporter. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2005;102(14):5256–5261. Read the abstract

Type: Laboratory study.
What it found: human cells have a dedicated transporter (OCTN1) that takes up ergothioneine far more efficiently than other substances, and cells that express it accumulate and retain ergothioneine.
What it does not show: anything about skincare. It explains why researchers became interested in ergothioneine.

Ergothioneine and PQQ as "longevity vitamins"

Ames BN. Prolonging healthy aging: longevity vitamins and proteins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2018;115(43):10836–10844. Read the abstract

Type: Review and hypothesis paper.
What it proposes: a group of "putative longevity vitamins", nutrients that may help protect against long-term damage, including ergothioneine and PQQ.
What it does not show: it is a proposal about nutrition, not a study of skincare.

Resveratrol

Farris P, Krutmann J, Li YH, McDaniel D, Krol Y. Resveratrol: a unique antioxidant offering a multi-mechanistic approach for treating aging skin. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2013;12(12):1389–1394. Read the paper

Type: Review.
What it covers: resveratrol's antioxidant activity, both direct and through the skin's own antioxidant defences, and why it has been difficult to formulate into topical products.
What it does not show: results of a specific finished product.

Barrier and hydration

Ceramides and barrier lipids

Zettersten EM, Ghadially R, Feingold KR, Crumrine D, Elias PM. Optimal ratios of topical stratum corneum lipids improve barrier recovery in chronologically aged skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 1997;37(3):403–408. Read the paper

Type: Animal study plus a small human study.
What it found: after the barrier was disrupted, a mixture of ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids with cholesterol as the dominant lipid sped up barrier recovery in aged mice and in a small group of older people.
What it does not show: long-term cosmetic results. It is why we use ceramides together with cholesterol rather than alone.

Hyaluronic acid

Pavicic T, Gauglitz GG, Lersch P, et al. Efficacy of cream-based novel formulations of hyaluronic acid of different molecular weights in anti-wrinkle treatment. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2011;10(9):990–1000. Read the abstract

Type: Randomised, vehicle-controlled human study.
What it found: in 76 women aged 30 to 60, creams with 0.1% hyaluronic acid applied around the eyes twice daily for 60 days improved hydration and elasticity compared with a control cream. The lower molecular weights (50 and 130 kDa) also reduced measured wrinkle depth.
What it does not show: results for other areas of the face or for formulas combining hyaluronic acid with other actives.

Niacinamide with N-acetyl glucosamine

Kimball AB, Kaczvinsky JR, Li J, et al. Reduction in the appearance of facial hyperpigmentation after use of moisturizers with a combination of topical niacinamide and N-acetyl glucosamine: results of a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial. British Journal of Dermatology. 2010;162(2):435–441. Read the abstract

Type: Randomised, double-blind, vehicle-controlled human trial.
What it found: in 202 women aged 40 to 60, a morning lotion and evening cream with 4% niacinamide and 2% N-acetyl glucosamine reduced the appearance of facial spots and pigmentation over 10 weeks compared with the same products without them.
What it does not show: the morning lotion also contained SPF 15 in both groups; results apply to that regimen.

Our own testing

This section will hold the results of testing on Vellura's own formulas, published in full as each report is completed.

Test	Status
Safety assessment	In progress
Stability and packaging compatibility	In progress
Preservative efficacy (challenge test, ISO 11930)	In progress
Dermatological tolerance	In progress
VX-8™ clinical study	Results to be published when the final report is in hand

We add a paper to this page only after we have read it. If you know of a study we should consider, tell us.

Longevity Skincare, Explained · The VX-8™ platform · Ingredient Library · Glossary

Vellura products are cosmetics and are not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. The studies listed concern individual ingredients, not Vellura products.