Skin science article
Mad About Skin Copper Peptide Serum Versus Neurogan Health GHK-Cu Copper Peptide
Mad About Skin Copper Peptide Serum Versus Neurogan Health GHK-Cu Copper Peptide This anti-aging serum is formulated around Matrixyl 3000 and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles. This anti-aging serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf
Mad About Skin Copper Peptide Serum Versus Neurogan Health GHK-Cu Copper Peptide
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Matrixyl 3000 and Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 to soften the look of wrinkles.
This anti-aging serum is formulated around Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice and Copper Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles and fade the look of dark spots.
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Butylene Glycol
Glycerin
Matrixyl 3000
Acetyl Hexapeptide-8
Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14
Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Sodium Hyaluronate
Copper Gluconate
1,2-Hexanediol
T-Butyl Alcohol
Carbomer
Chlorphenesin
Pentylene Glycol
Polysorbate 20
Phenoxyethanol
Water, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Matrixyl 3000, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14, Scutellaria Baicalensis Root Extract, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Hyaluronate, Copper Gluconate, 1,2-Hexanediol, T-Butyl Alcohol, Carbomer, Chlorphenesin, Pentylene Glycol, Polysorbate 20, Phenoxyethanol
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Copper Tripeptide-1 4%
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Kojic Acid
Carica Papaya Seed Oil
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil
Ethylhexylglycerin
Tocopherol
Niacinamide
Oryza Sativa Bran Oil
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Copper Tripeptide-1 4%, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Kojic Acid, Carica Papaya Seed Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopherol, Niacinamide, Oryza Sativa Bran Oil, Citrus Limon Peel Oil
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Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Phenoxyethanol is one of the most widely used preservatives in skincare (and for good reason!).
It has a large spectrum of antimicrobial activity and especially effective bacteria, yeast, and mold while only having a weak effect on your skin's natural microbiome.
On a cellular level, it disrupts the cell membranes of microbes by poking holes that make the cell leak. This shuts down the chemical reactions the microbe needs to make energy so it can no longer survive.
Another perk of this ingredient is that it stays functional across a wide pH range (3-10).
You'll often see it paired with boosters like Ethylhexylglycerin; one study showed that a 1:9 ratio of Ethylhexylglycerin to Phenoxyethanol damages bacterial membranes as effectively as doubling the Phenoxyethanol concentration on its own.
Typical use concentrations range from 0.3-1% depending on the formula, and this ingredient is capped at 1% int the EU.
Safety-wise, the fear mongering does not hold up to the evidence. The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety and FDA consider it safe as a preservative at up to 1%, including for children of all ages.
Adverse systemic effects only showed up in animal studies at exposures roughly 200x higher than what people get from cosmetics. And despite its very widespread use, this ingredient is a rare sensitizer and allergic reactions are uncommon.