“How I am Reversing My Skin’s Aging With Peptides” — Peter H. Diamandis Moonshots EP #120

Episode summary

Carolina Reis Oliveira, co-founder and CEO of OneSkin, explains the science behind their OS-1 peptide — a 10-amino-acid senolytic peptide that reduces senescent cell load in skin by up to 40%. The conversation covers skin aging mechanisms (intrinsic aging + environmental stressors leading to senescent cell accumulation), the five-year R&D process that screened 900+ peptides using progeria-derived cells, and how topical skin treatment can reduce systemic inflammation measurable in blood biomarkers.

Key arguments / segments

• [00:04:02] Skin aging driven by two processes: intrinsic (cell division mutations, inflammation) and extrinsic (UV, pollution, smoking); both lead to senescent cell accumulation
• [00:06:01] Senescent cells secrete inflammatory molecules causing collagen breakdown, melanin dysregulation, sagging, wrinkles, dark spots; young bodies clear them via immune system but capacity diminishes with age
• [00:10:01] OneSkin’s origin: started as a testing platform growing human skin from stem cells to evaluate anti-aging products; found most products don’t reduce skin age, some accelerate it
• [00:12:00] Peptide screening: tested 900+ peptides using progeria-derived cells (accelerated aging), found 4 hits, then used algorithmic permutations to generate 700 variants, discovering OS-1
• [00:15:01] OS-1: 10 amino acids, ~1000 Daltons, penetrates to dermal layer where fibroblasts produce collagen
• [00:19:00] Systemic effect: elderly subjects (60-85) using body lotion for 3 months showed decreased inflammatory cytokines in blood — topical skin treatment reducing systemic inflammation
• [00:24:02] Competitive landscape: retinoids promote cell turnover but don’t target senescent cells; rapamycin has narrow effective dosage window and toxicity risk; OneSkin claims to be the only product specifically targeting cellular senescence with published data
• [00:28:00] Eye area skin is 20-30 years biologically older than forehead/temple skin due to thinness and constant movement

Notable claims

• OS-1 decreases senescent cell load by up to 40% [00:14:02]
• Skin around the eyes is 20-30 biological years older than surrounding facial skin [00:28:00]
• Anti-aging skincare market is ~$80B growing to $150B by 2032 [00:03:02]
• Some commercial anti-aging products actively accelerate skin aging when tested on lab-grown skin [00:10:01]

Guests

• Carolina Reis Oliveira, PhD — Co-founder and CEO of OneSkin. Background in stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and immunology. Co-founded OneSkin in 2016 with three other PhDs to target cellular senescence in skin.

Mapping against Ray Data Co

The R&D pipeline (lab-grown human skin as testing platform, progeria cells as accelerated-aging screen, algorithmic peptide permutation) is a concrete example of how biological data platforms can drive product development. The systemic-inflammation-from-skin finding is a useful data point for longevity content. Sponsor disclosure: Diamandis is an adviser and investor — assessment should note this bias context.

Related

• senescent-cells
• longevity
• peptide-therapeutics