Protease
Protease gently breaks down proteins to deliver rich moisture, defend against daily damage, and help skin cells renew with remarkable ease. It suits nearly all skin types well, often arriving in lightweight serums that absorb smoothly. When building a routine, users should keep this ingredient apart from bio-placenta peptides, hexapeptide, and acetyl hexapeptide-3.
This page shows protease products with a Lovi page. For every product, and a routine built for your skin, use the Lovi app.
What to combine protease with
| Ingredient | Together | How to use them |
|---|---|---|
 Bio-placenta peptides |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the protease first and the bio-placenta peptides later, because they clash and neutralize each other. Protease and bio-placenta peptides |
 Hexapeptide |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the peptide product in the morning and the protease at night, because they cancel each other out. Protease and hexapeptide |
 Acetyl hexapeptide-3 |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying acetyl hexapeptide-3 in the morning and protease at night, because they clash when mixed. Protease and acetyl hexapeptide-3 |
 Collagen peptide |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the protease first and the peptide second, because they cancel each other out. Protease and collagen peptide |
 Copper peptide |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day with copper peptides in the morning and protease at night, because they break each other down. Protease and copper peptide |
 Hexapeptide-9 |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the hexapeptide-9 first and the protease later, because they cancel each other out. Protease and hexapeptide-9 |
 Peptide-rich plasma |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the peptide serum in the morning and the protease product at night, because they cancel each other out. Protease and peptide-rich plasma |
 Triple peptide blend |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the peptide blend in the morning and the protease at night, because enzymes break down peptides. Protease and triple peptide blend |
 Palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the protease first and the peptide later, because they cancel each other out. Protease and palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 |
 Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 |
Keep apart | Use them at different times of day, applying the protease first and the peptide later, because they cancel each other out. Protease and palmitoyl tripeptide-1 |
From the ingredient rules behind the "Works well with" and "Don't mix with" notes on every product in the Lovi app.
Questions and answers
What does protease do for the skin?
Protease helps gently break down proteins on the skin's surface to smooth texture and improve overall appearance. It may also support moisture-retention and skin cell health when used in targeted routines.
How do you use protease?
Use protease at night while applying peptide products in the morning, because enzymes break down peptides.
Should you use protease in the morning or at night?
You should use protease at night when pairing it with peptides, because enzymes can break them down.
Can you use protease every day?
Yes, you can use protease every day, but you should use it at a different time of day than your peptide products because they can cancel each other out.
Does protease cause purging or irritation?
Protease is unlikely to cause irritation, as studies show it is nonirritating to the skin. It also helps promote skin cell viability and moisture retention.
Which skin types is protease best for?
Protease helps provide moisture-retention and antioxidant activity, and it may promote human dermal fibroblast cell viability while proving to be nontoxic and nonirritating.
Can you use protease with bio-placenta peptides?
You can use protease with bio-placenta peptides by keeping them apart at different times of day, applying the protease first and the bio-placenta peptides later because they clash and neutralize each other.
Research on protease
Behind this ingredient guide
Lovi checks every ingredient with brand-independent rules our dermatologists and cosmetic chemists build and review, and personalizes every pick with AI trained on the real results of millions of users. Lovi trains its fit score models on a proprietary dataset built from more than 10,000 expert-labeled products and more than 100,000 simulated examples, following an internally consistent methodology presented at Cosmoprof, AMWC, and Skin of Color Update.
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Co-founder, Medical Director
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetologist, aesthetic products developer
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Co-founder, CEO and CTO
PhD in computer science, 3x US patent holder, ex-Google, ex-Yandex
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Dr. Sof铆a Perea P茅rez, MD, MSc
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Aesthetic medicine practitioner, MSc in Longevity and Anti-Aging Medicine
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Medical Board
Specialist dermatologist, MBBS, MD, IFAAD
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Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, SCS, IFSCC member
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Medical Board, Medical Advisor
Dermatology MD
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Elina Nazarenko, MD
Medical Board
Dermatology and diagnostic consultant
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Victoria Derkova, MS
Medical Board
Cosmetic chemist, cosmetic development technologist
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