Romilly Wilde relaunches with proteomic approach to skin longevity
The British skincare brand Romilly Wilde has relaunched with a five-piece skincare system built around proteomic science, following testing on ex vivo human skin that examined how two of its formulas affect protein damage linked to UV-A and pollution exposure.
The brand has developed its new Proteomic Longevity System around the proteome, the network of proteins that supports skin’s structure, strength and elasticity. Its approach focuses on how environmental stress can cause oxidative damage to proteins, including through a process known as protein carbonylation.
"The beauty industry has traditionally focussed on what is visible, what we see on the surface. Our approach to science looks at how our biology behaves beneath the surface - the Proteome - for healthy proteins within our own biology," said Founder and CEO Susie Willis.
The relaunch marks an evolution for the brand, which originally launched with a focus on clean beauty in 2018.
Romilly Wilde has worked with OxiProteomics, a specialist in oxidative-damage proteomics, to test its Peptide Longevity Serum and Tripeptide Antioxidant Day Cream using fluorescence imaging on ex vivo human skin samples.
According to the brand, the Peptide Longevity Serum counteracted 91% of the rise in oxidatively damaged protein caused by UV-A and 91% of the loss of Collagen I. After pollution exposure, protein damage in treated samples returned to unstressed levels, while 41% of the loss of Collagen I was counteracted.
The Tripeptide Antioxidant Day Cream was tested as a protective treatment before exposure to UV-A and pollution. Romilly Wilde said it significantly protected skin proteins against oxidative damage across all layers tested and increased Collagen I preservation by 64% compared with untreated stressed skin.
The study was conducted by OxiProteomics in 2025 using skin samples from one donor, with three samples per group. The brand notes that the figures are efficacy scores showing how much of the change caused by exposure the products reversed, rather than a percentage reduction in total damage. The findings are laboratory results from ex vivo skin samples and do not demonstrate the same effects in people.
The research has informed a wider repositioning of Romilly Wilde, which was originally founded with a focus on clean beauty. The brand is now placing biotechnology and evidence-led formulation at the centre of its approach, using ingredients including biomimetic peptides, a biotech-grown Centella Asiatica active and fermentation-derived ingredients.
Willis added: “When I discovered proteomics, I became absorbed in the biology of our skin’s protein network and realised how superficially the industry has been looking at skin. Our aim is to bring a more rigorous, evidence-led perspective to skincare, while making the science relevant to give more agency to the consumer who is tired of superficiality.”
The five-piece system comprises the Balm to Milk Cleanser (£60), Peptide Longevity Serum (£120), Tripeptide Antioxidant Day Cream (£80), Bioretinol Overnight Rich Cream (£105) and Sculpting Eye Serum (£75).
The brand’s proteomic data was presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Dermatological Research in Heidelberg this month, with the abstract published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
