What Do Peptides Do for Skincare: The Ultimate Guide
Beauty editors and TikTokers are crazy for copper peptides, one of the key ingredients in our award-winning Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum. But what’s behind all that buzz? For those of us who love to know what goes into our food, hair care, household cleaners, detergents, and skincare, we NEED to know. The story of copper peptides in skincare is more nuanced then a simplr Google search might reveal, so let's explore what do peptides do for skin and specifically, the role of copper peptides.
What are Copper Peptides in Skincare?
Copper peptides, also known as GHK-Cu, are a naturally occurring complex made within the human body during times of repair. As we age, our body produces less copper peptides and your skin and hair cells spend less time in a state of continuous healing. These little wonders were first identified to help heal wounds and eventually made their way into the skin and hair care segment as a way to repair cells and fight signs of aging.
Copper peptides for skin have gained popularity for their reparative affects, which help improve elasticity, firmness, and reduce visible fine lines. Copper peptides bring a unique skill set to your skincare products: they act as antioxidants while also visibly improving fine lines and wrinkles.
Their antioxidant properties enable copper peptides to fight free radicals, protecting skin from damaging UV rays and pollution, which can cause more signs of aging. So, what are copper peptides, and why are they valued in skincare? These compounds are small, skin-loving molecules that signal collagen production and repair. They improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles you already have, but they also help prevent more from forming.
What do Copper Peptides do for Your Skin?
The simple answer: Copper peptides in skincare make your skin appear plump and bouncy with visibly diminished fine lines.
Our natural collagen production decreases year by year as we age, leaving our skin cells less full, which creates fine lines and wrinkles over time. Copper peptides help fill those skin cells back up for bouncy, healthy, youthful-looking skin.
How are Copper Peptides Made?
As a biotech beauty brand, we use innovative technology to create the best, most effective, and sustainable ingredients. Our copper peptides are made from a synthetic tripeptide using glycine, L-histidine, and L-lysine — also known as Gly-HIS-Lys — joined in sequence and complexed with copper. It’s the copper that gives our serum its brilliant blue color.
Joining copper with a tripeptide creates a peptide ingredient with special superpowers. Copper is a critical component involved in the formation of enzymes. It’s also an anti-inflammatory antioxidant, which makes it a great ingredient for addressing redness and sensitivity.
How are Copper Peptides in Skincare Different from Hyaluronic Acid?
Hyaluronic acid is a humectant or a moisturizing agent used for hydration. Its profound fame comes from its ability to supply skin cells with hydration by binding to water molecules from the air and pulling them into the skin for increased hydration.
Copper peptides, on the other hand, are known mostly for their anti-aging benefits. When these two ingredients combine, they help increase the effectiveness of the other within the skin, resulting in hydrated, plump, bouncy skin with a visible reduction in fine lines and wrinkles.
Can I Use Copper Peptides with Vitamin C?
Yes! In fact, we recommend it! Copper peptides work synergistically with vitamin C to trap moisture and improve the skin’s texture.
Try combining them with moisturizing products that are rich in a gentle form of vitamin C, such as our Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer or Vitamin C Rose Oil.
How do you Layer Copper Peptides into Your Skincare Routine?
Copper peptides are great for all skin types, especially for those who are dry to mature and noticing increased fine lines and wrinkles and a loss in firmness. Looking to add copper peptides to your skincare routine? Here’s a copper peptide layering guide to inspire you:
Step 1:
Cleanse with Antioxidant Cleansing Oil to gently dissolve dirt and makeup, including stubborn waterproof mascara.
Step 2:
Spritz with Hyaluronic Acid Facial Mist. Pro tip: Hyaluronic Acid bonds with water. If you spray your face while it’s still a little damp, the HA in our toning mist will pull those water molecules into your skin to hydrate even more deeply.
Step 3:
Using your ring finger, apply our award-winning Marine Algae Eye Cream to your orbital bone. Our bestselling eye cream reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as dark circles and puffiness while delivering deep, all-day hydration.
Step 4:
Apply Copper Peptide Rapid Plumping Serum to powerfully hydrate, plump, and add bounce. Our bestselling serum uses copper peptides alongside hyaluronic, polyglutamic, and sugarcane-derived squalane to visibly improve the look of fine lines and wrinkles.
Step 5:
Hydrate with Vitamin C Rose Moisturizer to work in tandem with the copper peptides in the previous step of your routine while deeply moisturizing and improving the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone.
Step 6:
Instantly brighten while locking in moisture with our award-winning Vitamin C Rose Oil. Our bestselling facial oil uses a unique, oil-soluble version of vitamin C to deeply penetrate and visibly improve the look of discoloration.
Conclusion: for best results include copper peptides for skin in your daily skincare regimen, as they work to replenish and visibly plump the skin, you can significantly enhance your skin's health and appearance, achieving a visibly younger and more radiant complexion.
As a lifestyle writer and journalist, I love sharing my passion for ocean conservation and obsession with clean beauty. I’ve tried almost every trend and ingredient, and Biossance’s science-backed formulas are the only ones that consistently calm my reactive skin and make it smoother, clearer, and healthier. I’m so excited to be on this journey of skincare innovation with Biossance, and to share it with you!