Latest / Blush / Peptides, Propolis, & Pearl Powder

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Peptides, Propolis, & Pearl Powder · Blush

0:00
Hello and welcome to Blush, the world's first Wellness show
0:02
that's actually entertaining. I'm Heva and I quit law so I can
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help you look and feel your best.
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Together we got into food, nutrition, all the latest
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Wellness trends. But we also laugh, get silly,
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drop a few F OPS and go on a million tangents.
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So if that sounds like your vibe, we're about to be best
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friends. Hello, happy fucking December.
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Can you believe it? Fucking December.
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How many times can I say fuck in the 1st 30 seconds of this
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episode? Let's go.
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So it is the last hotter not episode of this year.
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How exciting is that? And we start a hotter not at the
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top of the year, right? January was our first episode I
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believe. What a fun time.
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I am going to go over my favorite Wellness trends that we
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talked about this year at the end of the episode.
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First, we have 3 phenomenal trends to talk about, which
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obviously you already know what they are because you read the
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title of the episode before you clicked on it and started
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listening probably, presumably, I don't know, you could be the
1:05
type of listener who's just you just listen no matter what.
1:10
And if that is you, I fucking love you.
1:13
Thank you so much. And I'm also so sorry because
1:16
there are episodes here and there where I'm like, that could
1:18
be better. That could have been better.
1:21
In fact, the past two weeks, I would say it was very low
1:23
energy. It's not my fault I am sick, but
1:29
I think it's more mental than physical.
1:31
Nevertheless, what are we even doing here?
1:35
Why? Why are we on here?
1:37
Anyway? I have an appointment to get my
1:39
face threaded not too long from now.
1:42
Is that relevant to anything we're talking about here today,
1:45
in this very moment? No, it's not.
1:46
Also, I'm really itching to redo this room.
1:50
It's just it's a fucking hazard getting in and out of it.
1:54
And it's just because there's so much equipment, there's so many
1:58
lights and light related things everywhere.
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It's just, it's just a fucking hassle.
2:05
Anyway, none of this fucking matters.
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Our Co host isn't here. She has on 2 sweaters and she's
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currently eating some chicken meal that I made for her.
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So. And by made I mean I heated it
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up. This wasn't something I coached
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OK? There's literally no point to
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this. I don't even know what I'm
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saying anymore. Let's just dive straight into
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things, OK? Oh, where are my notes?
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Let's see, where are my notes? OK, let's start with Pearl
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powder. Now, I have used Pearl powder in
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the past. In fact, when I first moved to
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New York in 2019, I got really into, you know, that brand Sun
2:45
Potion. Was it Sun Potion?
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Yeah, it was Sun Potion they make.
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And are they still around? What a cool name for a brand.
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Like, there's nothing I align with more than the sun.
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I don't know if you know this about me.
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I'm obsessed with the sun, which my, I mean, who is it right?
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Like who's out here being like, Nah, fuck that sun bitch.
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Like literally we'd be dead without it.
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I think we all like the sun, but I would say for me it's a step
3:14
further where it's to the point of being a sun worshipper.
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I so much of how I my existence really revolves around the sun.
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I really, really fuck with the sun.
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And you know, the sci-fi novel that I'm currently reading that
3:30
I won't shut up about, I say I won't shut up about it.
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I've never even said the name of the novel.
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I just keep talking about how I'm reading a sci-fi novel and
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it's really, really good. A lot of it is about the sun.
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It's actually, I would say the whole plot point really is about
3:45
the sun and it's taking place on a different sun.
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You know, spoiler alert. I mean, you would find that out.
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You don't even know what the title the book is, so it
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actually doesn't matter that I think about it.
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I was going to say, well, you would find that out in the first
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one eighth of the novel or so, but literally you don't even
4:04
know the title of the book, So what do you care?
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Anyway? I love this watch so much.
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I got this vintage Cartier watch.
4:14
So pretty, so vintage though. I mean, I think it came from the
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1800s, you know? OK, Anyway, remember that brand
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Sun Potion? So they, they.
4:25
Yeah. Are they still around?
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I feel like I don't see anything about them ever anymore.
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But they were a big mover and shaker in the adaptogens and
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herb space. And I got their Pearl powder and
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I was using it for a while, and then I found out it wasn't
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vegan. I guess I didn't realize that
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Pearl powder was a literal pearls, which we're going to got
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into. So I don't know wasn't vegan.
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That being said, I'm literally wearing Pearl earrings right
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now. I'm I feel like I can't use the
4:55
title vegan anymore. You know, I should definitely
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use the title plant based because I'm definitely not vegan
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in my lifestyle things. I do my best where I can, but I
5:07
also, I was actually having a conversation with someone in my
5:12
DMS who's also vegan and she her the her and I philosophy is very
5:17
similar. She was saying that she will buy
5:19
leather because she just finds the environmental impact of
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recycled leather to be so much less than synthetically made
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vegan leather. I, I, I think that there's a lot
5:29
of nuance to these conversations anyway, so I try my very best to
5:34
not really buy leather, but instead, I mean, I have leather
5:41
things from before I was vegan. And then sometimes I get gifts
5:45
that are leather, but you know, I bought a leather bag this
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year. I don't know, whatever.
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I'm, I'm not perfect, but I, I do my best where I can.
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So that being said, I feel like if I'm wearing Pearl earrings, I
6:00
should be able to have Pearl powder, right?
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Like what? Why, Why?
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It's the same thing, whereas I don't think it's the same thing.
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As far as leather and eating meat, for example, we're killing
6:15
far more animals for meat than we are for leather.
6:20
Like, I would imagine we're just using the leather from the cows
6:25
that we're killing for eating to make you know what?
6:29
Let's ask Chachi BT about this. Hey, I have an unrelated
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question. So I consider myself to be
6:40
vegan, but I'm not necessarily vegan in all of my lifestyle
6:45
things. And one thing specifically is I
6:47
do own some leather. And part of how I've justified
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it in my mind, which quite frankly might be bullshit.
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I I I'm open to you telling me it's bullshit, is that we are
6:58
killing so many cows every year for the meat.
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And I feel like we're probably just using a small fraction of
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that for leather. So it's not like for killing
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extra cows to make leather. Is that correct or no?
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Talk to me. All right, Let's see what he
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says. And yeah, I do call Chat he
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because he's kind of been dog shit lately.
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That's a really thoughtful question.
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I love how chat will always do that.
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Just tries to gas you up so you don't get mad.
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OK, the short version. It's partly true that most
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leather comes from cows already killed for meat, but it's not
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the full story. Leather isn't just a byproduct
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of the meat industry. In many cases it's a Co product
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that has its own economic value and can help drive demand for
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cattle. OK, well that's not ideally what
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I wanted to hear. So the majority of leather, it's
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not what we came here for, but whatever.
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The majority of leather, especially in the US and Europe,
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does come from cattle slaughtered for primarily for
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beef. Beef or dairy.
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Yay. However, hides are not worthless
8:04
leftovers. OK?
8:05
I didn't say it was a worthless leftover.
8:15
OK, Yeah. What is that sound?
8:29
Yeah, OK, interesting. Yeah, apparently a lot of people
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actually do believe. Do kind of almost they.
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I'm not the only one who has this belief.
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Basically a lot the, you know, it's not a very purist vegan
8:55
view, but a lot of people do have this belief.
8:57
And it does seem to be rooted in a little bit of logic.
9:00
So. Yeah.
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Oh, also, hold on. Were there statistics here?
9:08
Yeah. OK, whatever.
9:10
Anyway, Oh back to Pearl see, I did stop taking it and recently
9:16
I've been seeing this one. It's a specific collagen
9:20
supplement it's by a brand hold on, I'll tell you what it's
9:23
called. I'm sure you've seen it Par
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olive is the brand it's a very chicly packaged supplement and
9:30
it says marine collagen super powder.
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And by the way, you know, I was starting a herb line in 2019.
9:39
I was working so hard on it. And then when everything kind of
9:42
got fucked in 2020 with supply chain, I just abandoned it by
9:46
that point. Already at the podcast.
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But but what was I going to say? Wow I'm really losing my train
9:54
of thought today. Oh my God, am I OK?
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I just got so faint so quick. Oh and I was going to call them
9:59
super powders. So I'm glad someone else is
10:02
using the term because mine never made it to market.
10:04
So now this par olive collagen super powder, it has a few
10:09
ingredients in it. It has marine collagen in it,
10:12
which I would not take. You know, it has coconut milk
10:15
powder, which why it has Australian Kakadu plum, which is
10:22
something I'm going to have to do a lot of research into.
10:25
And then the Pearl extract. So because of the supplement and
10:29
I guess I think Victoria Beckham said that she takes a
10:33
supplement. I just have been seeing it more
10:35
places and we, you know, we've talked about collagen and shit
10:38
like that, but I feel like we need to talk about Pearl powder.
10:41
So Pearl powder is literally finely ground pearls.
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They're it can be either freshwater or saltwater and
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they're often made from pearls that are below jewelry grade.
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So this is interesting. Chemically, pearls are
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predominantly calcium carbonate with some organic matrix and
11:05
trace minerals. And it's been used in TCM
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traditional Chinese medicine for many, many years.
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And Ayurveda, they say. I didn't know about Ayurveda,
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but I knew that it's been used in TCM for a long time.
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And when I took it, I was told that it's a beauty supplement,
11:22
It's good for your skin. So it is marketed as being
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helpful for skin rejuvenation, smoother skin, more even tone,
11:32
reduction of fine lines, improved radiance.
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Yeah, I think I'd heard the radiance claims back in the day.
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It can also be used topically and apparently the claim is that
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when used topically, it stimulates.
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It stimulates fibroblasts, which are skin cells in skin that
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produce collagen, improve wound healing and skin cell growth.
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And as an internal supplement, it's supposed to provide trace
11:59
minerals, amino acids, calcium, etcetera, and therefore it
12:03
supports the skin from within. So yeah, a lot of the claims
12:08
that we see now on the Internet is supporting bone health ulcers
12:15
in TCM. They say it calms Shen, which is
12:18
the spirit and mind, clears the liver and can benefit the eyes.
12:22
And it's supposed to have people say it as antioxidant and
12:25
anti-inflammatory properties. So as far as whether it actually
12:31
works, the truth is there really is not enough evidence.
12:34
The evidence is preliminary. It's mainly animal and in vitro
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studies to really small studies, not strong human clinical
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trials. That being said, there is some
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interesting research, you just kind of have to be careful with
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it. So in 2021 there was a review
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that labeled Pearl powder as quote UN quote, an emerging
12:58
material for biomedical applications and it summarized a
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bunch of animal and in vitro studies that did show
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antioxidant properties. It did show anti-inflammatory
13:09
properties. It did show bone growth
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promoting effects and tissue repair effects.
13:15
So that is interesting. But again, they're animal and in
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vitro studies, so take it with a grain of salt.
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There was a 2018 human study that I'm guessing wasn't that
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big, and it found that administration of Pearl powder
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increased antioxidant capacity. Total thiols.
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I don't know. I I don't even begin to know
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what the fuck a thiol is. Glutathione content, enzymatic
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antioxidant activity. And there was a 2022 study on
13:45
rats, which I think is actually one of the most interesting ones
13:48
I've seen that showed that Pearl powder improved cognitive
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decline induced by sleep deprivation.
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So that's really interesting. And it that's because it seems
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to have some kind of effect on hippocampal proteins.
14:02
Again, this is on rats that we purposely sleep deprived.
14:06
So take that with the crane of skull salt.
14:09
So listen, there are no large scale rigorous, rigorous human
14:13
clinical trials. Anecdotally, people say that it
14:19
really, really works. Do I think it's a catch all?
14:21
Not necessarily. There seems to be more evidence
14:25
for using it topically like as a mask or something like that.
14:29
It seems to have some kind of mild benefits using internally.
14:34
There seem to be some trace benefits.
14:37
Overall though, it is important to note that all of the benefits
14:41
that you potentially are seeing is because Pearl powder is
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really rich in minerals, especially in calcium.
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So I don't know that it provides any sort of benefit that would
14:55
exceed or be different from just ingesting a lot of minerals.
15:01
That seems to be the case. Also, there is a bit of like
15:06
caution around the calcium intake, especially if you're
15:12
taking other calcium supplements.
15:14
So do keep that in mind. But part of me wants to buy this
15:17
for my mom who has a bit of osteoporosis or like early
15:23
osteoporosis or something like that.
15:25
OK, so the next trend as again, you know, because you presumably
15:28
have read the title of the episode, is propless.
15:32
Now this shocked me. What I found here shocked me.
15:37
I thought this was going to be the outcome is going to be
15:39
completely different. But before we get into it, let's
15:42
get into what propolis is. It's a resinous, waxy mixture
15:47
that honey bees produce by combining saliva and beeswax
15:52
with botanical resins collected from plant buds, SAP, flower
15:56
flows, or other botanical exudates.
16:01
The fuck is that? I don't know.
16:02
It's sometimes called bee glue. My understanding is that bees
16:05
use. Oh, yeah, here it's in the next
16:07
line. Bees use propolis in their hives
16:10
to seal cracks. So it's kind of like cock.
16:17
Cock. That's what it's called, right?
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You've seen that video of the lady who's explaining the
16:27
difference, the different types of cock and whether you need.
16:30
By the way, when I say cock, I'm not saying COCK, I'm saying I
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think it's CAULK. You know, the stuff like in your
16:39
bathtub, the stuff that's in between the tiles cock.
16:45
You've seen that video where the ladies describe describing the
16:48
difference between white cock and black cock and whether you
16:52
should when you should use white cock and when you should use
16:54
Black Hawk. If not, look it up.
16:56
Just look up those words. You'll find the video.
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It's fucking hilarious. You should definitely watch it.
17:01
Even if you think you know where the joke is going, it's still
17:04
worth watching. So my understanding is that
17:07
propolis is a little bit like cock for the bees.
17:09
They use it to seal cracks in their hive.
17:13
Chemically, the composition of propolis varies widely depending
17:21
on the region, the season, and what type of flower the bees
17:25
were on. Which is really really
17:26
interesting. But usually it includes resin.
17:29
It's 30 to 60% resin, waxes, essential oils, pollen and other
17:35
bio active compounds like flavonoids, phenolinic acids,
17:40
esters. Now, do you want to know
17:43
something? I don't actually know what resin
17:47
means. Like I know it's kind of a
17:49
sticky substance, but I don't technically know what resin
17:55
means. Let's ask.
17:56
Try GBT. Hold on.
17:59
Hi, weird question, but literally what is resin?
18:10
Let's see, he's working on it. Resin, He he said.
18:14
Not weird at all. Resin is one of those words
18:16
everyone throws around, but it's super broad, the simplest
18:20
definition. OK, we really have to get
18:22
through this. I can't just stick around here
18:23
all day. Resin is a thick, sticky
18:26
substance that can either come from plants or be made.
18:29
OK, So I kind of knew that already.
18:32
OK, let's go back to our prop list talk.
18:37
Oh my God. OK, it's going to be like 15
18:39
minutes before I get there. OK, So you may have seen
18:46
propolis in immunity type things, right?
18:51
Like the Beekeepers Naturals Propolis throat spray, things
18:55
like that, immune boosting things.
18:57
And a lot of the claims around propolis are around immunity.
19:02
So it's said to be antimicrobial.
19:05
It said to fight bacteria, viruses, fungi.
19:10
It's meant to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
19:13
wound healing, tissue repair, topical propolis, especially as
19:17
a claim to accelerate wound closure, which I guess makes
19:20
sense when you think about it. If bees are using it to seal
19:23
their hives, then why can't we use it to seal our skin?
19:28
Yeah, a lot of immunity claims. And then it has been used in
19:31
skin care a bit now. I haven't.
19:34
Oh, actually, that's not true. Oh, by the way, Speaking of how
19:37
vegan I am, one thing I do make exception for our bee products.
19:42
I just have talked to a lot of bee farmers and a lot of what
19:45
PETA claims about bee farmers doesn't seem to be true.
19:50
I've talked to so many of them and pretty much all of them will
19:54
say, yes, some bee farmers might do some of these things, but the
19:59
vast majority would not, in part because your bees would riot.
20:03
Like they wouldn't even have it. Like it's just not.
20:06
It's not in keeping with the nature of bee dumb.
20:09
A lot of the thing bee dumb, a lot of the things that PETA
20:13
says. So I do use some well sourced
20:15
bee products. I do have one Corsax, I think
20:19
that's how the brand is pronounced.
20:21
It's CORSX, it's AK beauty brand.
20:25
I do have one product that has propless in it but I actually
20:27
haven't used it in so fucking long.
20:29
I should start using it again. But I love other bee products
20:32
topically on my skin. Royal Jelly.
20:35
Just like a thin layer as a little mask.
20:38
I think there's nothing quite like it anyway and I recently
20:43
started taking some propolis. I started taking the beekeepers
20:48
vitamin C and propolis sachets and then also the little brain
20:52
fuel thing that has propolis in it.
20:55
I started taking those for my fucking sinuses and just how
20:58
rundown I am and I'm I have so much brain fog and I'm just
21:02
having a hard time kind of formulating sentences and stuff.
21:05
So I started taking those but it's only been a couple of days
21:07
so I can't really speak to it. I will say I've used a lot of
21:10
those propolis throat sprays and I've never thought that they
21:13
work, but I do buy a propolis tincture from the farmers market
21:20
that I do think really helps when I get sick.
21:23
Anyway, this shocked me. I 100% thought that propolis was
21:31
like slam dunk fully proven for immune support.
21:35
That does not seem to be the case.
21:38
There is some interesting data, especially in vitro type studies
21:42
and animal studies and some small human trials, but the
21:47
claims are very preliminary. There actually isn't that much
21:51
research so there are several reviews that note that apropos
21:56
has brought potential to be antimicrobial and
22:00
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
22:02
There is more evidence for the wound healing, especially
22:05
topically which again makes sense.
22:09
There is a systematic systematic, right?
22:13
I I just wanted to make sure it's not systemic because those
22:16
are two words that you know, just at first glance you can
22:19
read wrong. There was a systematic review
22:21
slash meta analysis that found promising results for wound
22:25
healing and skin ulcers. Again, that makes a lot of
22:27
sense. I'm shocked at how limited the
22:32
data is for immunity. Again, I really thought that
22:35
this was going to be like garlic, for example, like I
22:39
thought it was so slam dunk and well proven.
22:43
And I do think part of the problem is that it's a just kind
22:46
of a newer thing that we've been doing.
22:49
Like people haven't really been talking about this nearly as
22:51
long as we've been talking about things like garlic and honey,
22:54
etcetera. And the other thing is propolis
22:57
has so much variability propless as we talked about from
23:01
different plants, bees, regions, etcetera.
23:04
The makeup is so inconsistent that it actually makes it
23:07
really, really hard to study. So yeah, there is a lot of
23:14
traditional evidence around it and there is some emerging
23:18
scientific evidence. Do I think it could help?
23:25
Yeah, I think it could. And I kind of want to get more
23:28
propolis skin care. You know, I think that there
23:31
isn't nearly enough. Like if I were to start a beauty
23:34
brand today, I would maybe do a very B powered beauty brand.
23:38
I don't think we have enough B product beauty stuff out there.
23:44
And the ones that are are just kind of weird, not, I don't
23:51
know, kind of gives sketchy is what I'll say.
23:56
Like you just don't see a lot of like really well made chic
24:01
packaging, kind of the corsacks. Their propolis line is kind of
24:05
the only thing I can really think of that even exist.
24:07
I would love a propolis and royal Jelly eye cream.
24:14
That sounds so good to me. I don't know why I'm suddenly
24:17
craving that so much. Yeah.
24:23
So, yeah, there are some human trials that show reduced
24:26
incidents of upper respiratory issues when using propolis, but
24:31
that's usually in combination with other supplements like
24:34
vitamin C and echinacea. So like how much of that is the
24:38
propolis and how much of that is the vitamin C and echinacea?
24:41
We don't fucking know. So it, it seems like it could be
24:45
helpful, but it, we really don't know that well at the end of the
24:53
day. And that brings us to our last
24:56
trend that we're going to analyze today and also this
25:01
year, and that is peptides, but specifically peptides for skin.
25:06
But before we talk about peptides and skin care, I do
25:09
want to kind of talk about peptides because I feel like
25:12
peptide is a word that we've been hearing a lot.
25:15
But I think the vast majority of us don't actually know what the
25:20
fuck a peptide literally is. And I really, really, really
25:24
have been searching high and low to get someone who's really well
25:28
versed in this to come speak to us.
25:30
My brother actually has a clean beauty manufacturing facility
25:33
and he manufacturers a lot of the kind of big clean beauty
25:38
brands that you see. So I did call him one day and I
25:41
said, hey, do you know anyone who can speak confidently and
25:45
well about what the fuck peptides are and peptides and
25:49
skin care? And he was like, yeah, yeah, I
25:51
can have one of my lab techs call you.
25:52
And I said, oh, what about someone who's entertaining and
25:55
engaging? And he was like, no, no, I do
25:58
not. Is this for the podcast?
26:00
And I said, yeah, he goes, yeah, I really don't, sorry.
26:03
So that's cool. Also, if you are a said lab
26:08
tech, I'm so sorry because apparently you were neither
26:11
entertaining nor engaging so that's fun for you.
26:16
Anyway, my peptide is a short chain of amino acids so I had a
26:24
lot of questions about this. But basically amino acids are
26:27
the building blocks of protein right?
26:29
And we I think we're familiar with the amino acids.
26:33
I believe there are 9 essential or so and there are some non
26:36
essential. The non essential ones our body
26:38
can make using the essential ones.
26:40
With the essential ones we have to ingest on our diet.
26:43
I think we all were kind of familiar and comfortable with
26:45
that concept. So again, I because I'm someone
26:49
who really has to understand things, I was like, OK, I need a
26:53
lot like when is the like, what is it like 3 amino acids
26:59
together become a peptide? And then when does a peptide
27:02
become a protein? Like, I just don't really
27:06
understand the differentiation. And so this was the analogy that
27:13
ended up helping me the most. So imagine Lego bricks.
27:19
One Lego brick is an amino acid. When we have a few bricks
27:25
snapped together, that's a peptide.
27:29
And then a whole fucking Lego castle would be a protein.
27:34
I don't know if that helps. And then with a peptide, what's
27:36
important is that they are snapped together.
27:40
Because my next question was, is creatine A peptide?
27:43
Because isn't creatine just three amino acids together?
27:48
And it is not. So creatine is indeed Or hold
27:55
on. Creatine is a small molecule
27:58
that's derived from amino acids, specifically argonine, glycine,
28:03
and methionine. And they then form a new
28:09
compound that's called creatine, which has a totally different
28:12
structure. Whereas peptides are chains of
28:15
amino acids that are like beads on a string, so they have to be
28:19
chained together. Now I'm not a chemist so I don't
28:23
really get it far deeper than that, but basically a peptide is
28:28
somewhere in between an amino acid in a full fucking protein.
28:33
I think the Lego analysis is actually really really helpful.
28:37
So in your skin, proteins like collagen and elastin are the
28:42
structural support proteins that keep keep firm skin.
28:46
Oh my God, keep skin firm. The problem is something like
28:50
collagen is actually too big to penetrate the skin.
28:54
There's like really no evidence that topical application of
28:58
collagen does anything for your skin.
29:01
Whereas peptides are smaller than full proteins and depending
29:07
on the formula, they can potentially actually penetrate
29:10
the skin. And then they act like
29:12
messengers to signal to those collagen and elastin cells to
29:18
like, hey, let's make more of you.
29:21
That's my understanding. So the claims for peptides and
29:26
topical skin care is that they can stimulate collagen and
29:29
elastin production, which means improved firmness, reduced fine
29:33
lines, wrinkles, improved skin texture and thickness.
29:37
So skin becomes plumper support barrier and hydration, which you
29:42
know, just makes you more glowy and shiny and makes skin appear
29:46
more firm. It can reduce the signs of aging
29:49
and dullness and potentially protect against some
29:53
environmental stressors. And there are different types of
29:58
peptides, but I don't think we need to get into all that.
30:01
So basically my question is, does do they work like is there
30:07
any there there or is this just a marketing buzzword that we're
30:11
using? And there does appear some to be
30:13
some there. There especially for increased
30:16
collagen production and improved like lessening the appearance of
30:24
wrinkles. There is some actual like
30:27
several human studies that show that certain pop peptides when
30:32
well formulated can help with skin repair in that way.
30:36
Experts also say that peptides can help with inflammation and
30:41
support for aging skin. I don't know how well studied
30:44
that is, but there are some things to be cautious about
30:48
specifically around penetration. So remember how I was saying
30:53
that proteins like collagen are too big to penetrate the skin?
30:56
There's like literally no evidence we've ever seen the
30:59
topical collagen application actually penetrates the skin.
31:04
Will peptides have a wide range of how big they can be?
31:08
Because I think that starting with hold on, I looked at this
31:12
up. Di peptide is the smallest
31:15
peptide which would be two amino acids linked.
31:18
Tri peptide is 3 amino acids linked.
31:21
Oligo peptide is 2 to 20 amino acids linked.
31:25
Polypeptide is 20 to 50 amino acids linked.
31:29
And then a protein is usually 50 or more amino acids and it's
31:34
often hundreds or thousands. So basically a bigger peptide
31:38
starts to look a lot like a protein, and it's just unclear
31:43
if it would actually even penetrate the skin.
31:46
And then, you know, some have more rigorous data, others are
31:49
more speculative. I think there is a lot about the
31:52
formulation and whether it actually, you know, is
31:56
formulated well, yadda, yadda yadda.
31:59
Now here's something I heard once in passing and it kind of
32:04
stuck in my brain and I decided to do some research into it.
32:08
I heard someone, I think it was on a podcast, I really cannot
32:12
remember, but I heard someone say somewhere could have been a
32:15
fucking TikTok, I don't know. But it was some kind of expert
32:18
who said we've been using peptides in skin care for a
32:22
really long time. It's just that we haven't used
32:24
the word peptide. Like peptides are nothing new.
32:28
It's just using the word that's really buzzy and trendy right
32:32
now. So I did ask Chachi BT about
32:35
this and chat said that that is actually true.
32:39
So the biochemical concept of peptides is very old.
32:44
Like our bodies have been using peptides for a really long time.
32:47
By the way, just for the person who's listening, who this whole
32:51
time has been like, wait, wait, wait.
32:53
Where have I heard of peptides in a practical thing?
32:57
GLP ones are peptides like so something like Ozempic.
33:04
GLP is Glucagon like peptide so it's a peptide that looks like
33:10
Glucagon is would be my assumption based on that name.
33:17
Anyway. So peptides have been around for
33:19
a really, really long time. And in skin care, derivatives
33:23
and modified peptides have been around for literally decades.
33:29
What is newer is the marketing, the explosion of different
33:33
formulations of peptides and just like the use of the word.
33:39
OK, All that being said, I will say there is one peptide product
33:45
that I fucking love. It's by Paula's Choice.
33:47
It comes in a pink thing. It's called.
33:51
Hold on, let me find it. I'll just open Amazon here now.
33:56
By the way, I like that brand Paula's Choice a lot.
34:03
OK? It's called Pro Collagen Peptide
34:07
Plumping Moisturizer Daily Gel cream for deep, lightweight
34:12
hydration. It is so fucking good.
34:18
I I like I just, I don't even know what else to say.
34:21
Like it is literally one of my favorite products I've ever
34:24
used. Every time I use it I notice
34:26
such an instant difference in my skin.
34:29
I really really really like it. It's in a pink tube and I very
34:33
acne prone skin and it never makes me break out.
34:36
I also use the Haley Bieber Bieber Bieber lip peptide, the
34:42
road lip peptide a lot and I really really like that.
34:45
I like the texture, it's very different from anything I've
34:48
ever used. OK so I I just want to shout out
34:52
that product now. One thing I want to highlight,
34:57
this was an exact quote from chat TBT and I think it's an
35:02
important quote. It's had many dermatologists say
35:05
peptides are a nice addition, not the cornerstone of skin
35:10
care. The base sun protection, barrier
35:13
repair, hydration, retinoids still matter.
35:17
And the reason I want to highlight this quote is because
35:19
I think that this is true for all of the Wellness trends that
35:23
we discuss. I think most of them, not all of
35:26
them, some of them are just like pure bullshit or actually can
35:29
cause a lot of harm, like beef tallow on skin, for example.
35:32
But most of the trends that we've discussed are ones that
35:36
potentially are helpful. They can be nice additions, but
35:39
they're not the base. It's like sprinkles on a Sunday.
35:43
Like certainly a nice addition. Look at those colors.
35:46
Oh my God, the texture. But like, it's not going to be
35:50
the substitute for the whipped cream or the hot fudge or the
35:55
maraschino cherry, which, gross, but whatever.
35:58
If that's your thing, go off. Or the fucking ice cream itself.
36:02
If someone handed you a bowl of fucking sprinkles, you wouldn't
36:04
be like, what a beautiful sundae You'd be like, no, this is
36:07
weird, I'm not going to eat this.
36:08
Give me some ice cream and then put the sprinkles on top.
36:11
Also where I come up with analogies of things that
36:14
literally do not relate to my life in any way shape or form.
36:17
I literally don't remember the last this time I had a sundae.
36:20
Like I don't. I probably had one sundae in my
36:23
entire life. I actually don't like whipped
36:25
cream. Fun fact about me.
36:26
So even before I was vegan, it's not really my thing.
36:29
It's too sweet. I like the texture, phenomenal
36:33
texture. They need to work on the flavor.
36:36
It's too sweet. It's not good.
36:38
Anyway, I have had, I guess it's a banana split, a sundae.
36:44
I have had a couple of banana splits, but literally in the 6th
36:47
grade. And the reason I remember is
36:49
because it was the year we moved to America.
36:51
I'd never heard of a banana split before.
36:54
And then I had one and I was like, oh, this is delicious.
36:56
This is genius. I love it.
36:58
And I probably have three in my life.
37:00
So is a banana split technically a sundae?
37:02
I kind of think so. I don't know.
37:06
Let's just chat what the That's just what the podcast has turned
37:10
into. OK, weird sharp left, but is a
37:15
banana split a sundae? Let's see what it says.
37:24
Not a weird question. Oh, God.
37:26
I Yes. A banana split is a type of
37:29
sundae. Here's why.
37:30
A sundae is just ice cream served with toppings, typically
37:34
sauce, whipped cream, nuts, and a cherry.
37:37
The key idea is ice cream plus toppings served in a dish.
37:41
So a banana split fits perfectly into that definition.
37:44
See, I love it. I knew I was right.
37:46
So yeah, I haven't had a sundae in a very long time.
37:48
Where are we talking about this? Who the fuck knows.
37:50
Anyway, what I was saying is it's like the sprinkles on top
37:53
of the sundae. It's not the sundae itself.
37:55
And I think that that's true for almost every single Wellness
37:59
trend we've talked about this year.
38:01
A lot of them can be nice additions, but they're not going
38:03
to be substitutes for doing the basics.
38:06
And these nice additions can be really, really fun, right?
38:09
Especially if you have the time and the money and the energy,
38:13
why not go off? But if you're trying to feed a
38:16
family of six kids a an ice cream sundae and you can only
38:22
afford so much, you wouldn't buy the sprinkles and leave out the
38:26
ice cream, would you know you'd buy the fucking ice cream.
38:29
So buy the ice cream. Fuck the sprinkles.
38:33
If you have extra money and time for sprinkles, please get the
38:36
sprinkles. Why not have fun, go off, but
38:39
always make sure you're buying the ice cream.
38:44
And this is a Wellness podcast. No, but you know what I where
38:47
I'm going with this, can I actually to take this a step
38:50
further, I think the best Wellness trends that we've
38:53
discussed are the ones that help you do the base, the ones that
38:57
help you buy the ice cream in their design rather than being
39:02
the sprinkles. And I think a really good
39:03
example of that was the dinosaur time trend that we talked about
39:08
maybe a couple of Hot or Not episodes ago.
39:11
I'm not entirely sure when that was, but the idea is it's a
39:14
TikTok trend where basically you just walk around all day
39:17
grabbing handfuls of raw leafy greens and shoving them in your
39:21
mouth. It's just a silly way to eat
39:25
more greens, you know what I mean?
39:26
It's not like selling you this crazy supplement or this like
39:30
really weird hack thing. No, it's just saying eat more
39:34
greens and it's finding a way to make it fun and silly so you do
39:38
more of it, you know what I mean?
39:40
I think those are the best fucking trends.
39:42
And on that note, I did want to go over my favorite trends from
39:46
this year. Dinosaur time was very high on
39:49
my list for that exact reason. Hypochlorous acid.
39:54
We talked about this, I want to say in the May episode, I could
39:58
be wrong. We talked about it both for
40:00
topical and for like on your skin and for household cleaning.
40:05
Now, this is something I swear by ever since I heard about it.
40:09
I both use it as a household disinfectant and we're
40:11
disinfecting constantly because Sam is peeing left, right and
40:15
center. And she also like she's at an
40:17
age. She doesn't even really know
40:19
when she's pooping. There's just a little bit of poo
40:21
that it comes out her butt all the time.
40:23
So we're constantly disinfecting things.
40:26
We use so much hypochloric acid, but I also swear by it on my
40:31
skin. It is the best kind of toner
40:33
thing I've used. And I've used a few brands now,
40:36
and I can say the one by Miracle Molecule is by far my favorite.
40:40
I don't know why, because they should all be equal, but I swear
40:44
they're not. I swear that one's better, at
40:46
least in my experience experience.
40:49
Another one while we're on skin. That was one of my favorite
40:52
Wellness trends from this year and really kind of changed my
40:54
life as double cleansing. I had no idea how fucking dirty
40:59
my skin was before I started double cleansing.
41:03
And then I would say maybe my second favorite trend that we
41:07
discussed this year, which I believe was in the very first
41:10
Hot or Not episode we did at the top of the year, I think it was
41:13
in January, is water based cooking and how that seems to
41:18
lead to slower aging. Fascinating, fascinating
41:22
subject. Definitely go back and listen to
41:24
that episode if you're interested.
41:26
And then my number one favorite trend that we've discussed this
41:30
year is creatine, which I guess is it actually is the exception
41:35
to my rule, right? Because it's not the basics.
41:37
It's like a literal supplement that you have to pay money for.
41:41
Creatine changed my life, arguably saved my life.
41:44
It really I can't put into words how valuable it's been for me in
41:50
my life. I have nothing negative to say
41:52
about it. I, I would endure the creatine
41:56
bloat over and over and over again just to let it saturate
42:01
like 10 out of 10. No notes.
42:05
Now I do want to give a quick honor, honorable mention to
42:08
adult Tummy time, which I think was the silliest Wellness trend
42:12
we discussed and also seemed to have great legs.
42:15
And I remember saying, oh, I'm going to start doing this and I
42:18
have not once done it. So that's fun.
42:21
Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this Hot or Not series this
42:25
year. It's been a really fun thing
42:27
that we did. It's been fun to, you know, stay
42:29
on top of the Wellness trends and unpack them.
42:32
Oh, you know, one that I really enjoyed talking about was the
42:34
Black Seed oil, mainly just because of my dad's contribution
42:38
to that episode. If you have not listened to that
42:40
episode, I do recommend listening to it.
42:42
I love sending my dad clips from that episode where I talk about
42:45
him because he's so fucking funny.
42:48
OK, I'm going to go. Love ya.
42:51
We will talk next week. Bye.
42:54
If you loved that episode as much as I hope you did, make
42:56
sure to hit subscribe so you don't miss a thing and check out
42:59
some past episodes while you wait for the new one to drop
43:02
next week. And until next week, make sure
43:05
to stay hunty out there.