Dietary intervention effects of food-derived bioactive peptides on skin photoaging: current advances and future perspectives.

Skin photoaging is a process of skin damage caused by chronic exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and exploring effective intervention strategies has become an important research direction in skin health. In recent years, food-derived anti-photoaging peptides (FDAPs) have attracted considerable attention due to their natural origin, good biocompatibility, and multitarget regulatory activities. Proteins derived from plant, animal, and microbial sources can be converted into bioactive peptides with anti-photoaging potential through enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation. Structure-activity relationship analyses indicate that the bioactivity of FDAPs is closely associated with molecular weight, amino acid composition, and residue distribution. The functional mechanisms of FDAPs involve the regulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory responses, collagen metabolism, and melanogenesis. Moreover, FDAPs may be digested and absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, subsequently modulating the gut microbiota and influencing skin photoaging through the gut-skin axis. As novel anti-photoaging bioactive ingredients, FDAPs hold substantial promise for skin health management. Future research should focus on developing intelligent preparation strategies, establishing robust evaluation models, optimizing delivery systems, and standardizing clinical assessment frameworks to facilitate mechanistic studies and promote the translational applications of FDAPs. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.