胶原蛋白之后，弹性蛋白会是护肤的下一个主角吗

Collagen has had main character status in beauty for years. We’ve applied it in serums, drunk it in shots, injected, lasered and used radiofrequency to stimulate it. But as consumers get savvier about the science of aging, the spotlight is shifting to other players in the skin architecture. Enter elastin, the overlooked protein that works in tandem with collagen, which experts predict could be next in line for an industry takeover.

“Collagen has certainly been the hot topic of the last three to four years,” says Dr. Ash Soni, founder of UK-based The Soni Clinic, who has started to advise patients on products and treatments to reduce elastin loss. “Elastin is equally as important as collagen in my opinion as a plastic surgeon and an aesthetic doctor. Elastin hasn’t been talked about enough in the consumer space. They both play different roles in the skin, and are both important for different reasons to maintain the youthfulness and health of our skin quality.”

The word ‘elastin’ often follows the word ‘collagen’ in beauty and aesthetic circles, because together they’re known for forming the underlying structure of the skin, says Suzanne Scott, global associate beauty director at Seen Group. The two proteins have different functions with collagen providing structural support, acting almost like a scaffold for the skin, while elastin allows it to stretch and spring back into place.

Skin elasticity matters more than ever. As GLP-1 medications fuel rapid weight loss, often accompanied by changes in facial volume and increased laxity, interest in elastin is growing as people look to address concerns around skin firmness and sagging.

Why has elastin been left out of the conversation?

Part of the answer lies in biology. “Collagen makes up roughly 70-80% of the dry weight of the dermis, whereas elastin accounts for only 2-4%,” says Hannah Biggerstaff, head of product futures at luxury skincare label Medik8. “Naturally, early cosmetic marketing gravitated toward the sheer abundance of collagen. From a formulation and biological perspective, the industry focused on collagen first, because collagen was simply easier to study, easier to claim, and far easier to stimulate.”

Unlike collagen, which is more abundant in the skin and can be stimulated as its levels decline with age, elastin is harder to replenish. That complexity has also made elastin a more difficult proposition for aesthetic medicine. “Part of collagen’s commercial success, in my view, is that it offers a straightforward message: supporting collagen helps support firmer skin,” says industry leading expert in skin health and laser treatments Jasmina Vico. “Elastin is harder to explain, because simply producing more of the protein does not necessarily restore elasticity.”

The challenge begins at a molecular level. The skin must first produce tropoelastin, the building block of elastin, before assembling it into a functional network of elastic fibers. As skin ages, these fibers become damaged, and the body’s ability to rebuild them diminishes. “Stimulating its production is one thing, but restoring the skin’s natural elasticity and ability to bounce back is something far more complex,” says Vico.

For the beauty industry, however, that scientific complexity could also present an opportunity. As consumers become more discerning about the mechanisms of aging, elastin offers brands and aesthetic practitioners another potentially lucrative route beyond the familiar promise of collagen stimulation - with some brands already spotlighting it across marketing and product claims. The question is whether emerging science can translate into measurable improvements in skin elasticity and whether those results can be communicated clearly, without turning a complex biological process into the next anti-aging buzzword.

Why is elastin on the rise?

“This new interest in elastin feels more culturally driven than scientifically,” says Scott. “‘Collagen’ as a key word is a reliable traffic driver across editorial platforms, social, and brand-owned channels. It’s also a convincing key word for consumers when it comes to purchase.” As awareness of collagen reaches a more mature stage, attention is naturally beginning to shift to the next protein in the conversation, she argues, driven also by consumers’ ongoing appetite for newness and innovation in skincare.

But cultural momentum is only part of the story, clinical developments are also bringing skin structure into sharper focus. “Historically, [brands] didn’t have such innovative formulations and delivery systems [when it came to elastin]. Science is changing all of that,” says Dr. Soni, noting the rise of skincare formulations seeking to address this hard to target protein.

Meanwhile, the popularity of injectables and other in-clinic treatments like lasers and microneedling is changing how consumers understand what lies beneath the surface. “Consumers have long been interested in claims around structural integrity, it was just communicated differently,” says Scott, pointing to decades of marketing language around firming and lifting. What has changed is consumers’ growing awareness of the skin’s underlying architecture, partly shaped by the experience of aesthetic treatments. “The very act of having to put a needle into skin to impact layers that topicals can’t reach signals to the consumer that you have to work with the skin’s scaffolding to have a big impact at the surface.”

For Dr. Alan Widgerow, chief scientific officer at Galderma and Alastin, a medical-grade skincare brand with a special focus on targeting elastin, this presents an opportunity to move beyond the beauty industry’s familiar focus on individual ingredients and toward a more holistic understanding of how things work. “Collagen has benefited from decades of simple consumer messaging, while elastin and the wider extracellular matrix (ECM) are less familiar and more complex,” he says. The ECM is the network of proteins and other molecules that gives skin its structure and support, including collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.

The next step, Widgerow argues, is helping consumers understand how these components work together, rather than treating them as separate targets. It’s why Alastin partners with clinics to translate complex skin physiology into credible, relevant education and informed product recommendations.

The innovations

Skincare

“Typically, when brands talk about elastin, it’s from the perspective of helping to maintain existing elastin in the skin with effective antioxidants,” says Seen Group’s Scott. She points to Vaseline’s Gluta-Hya Serum Burst Lotions, which use GlutaGlow antioxidant technology and are positioned around protecting existing elastin from free-radical damage.

Simply adding elastin to a formula is unlikely to be the answer, either. Its molecules are too large to penetrate the skin and stimulate new production, Scott explains; applied topically, the protein acts more like a humectant (water-attracting substance), helping to retain moisture.

That’s beginning to change as brands explore formulations designed to support the wider ECM. Dr. Soni points to Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP, which combines 13 peptides with the brand’s proprietary MiniProtein technology to address elastin and collagen loss. And Alastin Restorative Skin Complex, which contains peptides that the brand says target collagen and elastin production. Alastin’s wider approach, TriHex Technology, is designed to support the removal of damaged matrix material, while stimulating the production of new collagen and elastin.

The brand is also investigating how topical products can complement in-clinic procedures: according to Dr. Widgerow, at Galderma and Alastin, patients using Restorative Skin Complex alongside Sculptra improved post-treatment results, versus those not using the product.

“This triple-action approach of removing, rebuilding, and regenerating is foundational to Alastin’s regenerative skincare philosophy and differentiates our technology from products that focus on stimulation alone,” Dr. Widgerow says.

Medik8 treats elastin not as an isolated marketing buzzword, but as an essential mechanical component of long-term skin architecture, says Medik8’s Biggerstaff. This comprises a three-pronged approach: protecting elastin from UV exposure and environmental stress using sunscreen and antioxidant vitamin C; supporting cellular renewal with retinaldehyde; and using Growth Factor MiniProtein designed to stimulate the cellular signals involved in producing collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. Medik8 also uses carnosine, an ingredient intended to help protect these structural proteins from damage caused by sugars binding to them, which can contribute to skin stiffness over time.

But protecting existing fibers and stimulating new protein production are not the same as rebuilding a functional elastic network. For Scott, a breakthrough that genuinely enables new elastin synthesis — and ensures it is properly organized within the skin — is more likely to emerge from aesthetic medicine than conventional skincare. “[The pharmaceutical group behind Botox and Juvederm] Allergan buying Elastagen is an indicator that innovation is on its way, and where aesthetics leads, topicals tend to follow,” Scott adds.

In-clinic treatments

In the last few years, the aesthetic clinic menu has expanded well beyond the traditional facial, with treatments ranging from fractional laser resurfacing and radiofrequency microneedling, to ultrasound lifting, collagen-stimulating injectables such as Sculptra and energy-based skin tightening. These technologies promise firmer, smoother skin, but there is a difference between improving the appearance of aging and rebuilding the structures that help skin behave more youthfully.

“There is some encouraging evidence that these treatments can influence elastin, although I think it’s important to distinguish between improving skin elasticity and actually regenerating healthy elastic fibers,” says Vico.

Studies examining human skin have shown changes in the density and organization of elastic fibers following radiofrequency and RF microneedling. Fractional lasers have also shown promise, with research suggesting improvements in fiber organization and the appearance of finer, healthier fiber, Vico says.

Another emerging area of interest is injectable tropoelastin, the precursor from which elastin is formed. Vico points to ELAPR00F2f, an injectable tropoelastin gel designed to introduce this building block directly into the dermis, with the aim of supporting the formation of new elastic fibers. The approach seeks to address the structures responsible for elasticity, rather than simply improving the appearance of the skin. Gene therapies, like KB304, and regenerative biomaterials are also being explored as potential ways to rebuild structures damaged by aging.

“The biggest opportunity lies in regenerative medicine,” she says. “However, it is important to remember that stimulating a particular protein in a laboratory is very different from demonstrating a meaningful improvement in the elasticity of human skin.”

For Vico, it’s imperative to get this right. “I can absolutely see elastin becoming the next big focus in beauty, just as collagen has been for so many years,” she continues. “But for me, what really matters is developing products and treatments that genuinely improve how the skin functions, not just how it looks. We need to see real, measurable improvements in elasticity and resilience, backed by strong clinical evidence.”