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Skin science article

Mary & May 6 Peptide Complex Serum Versus Good Molecules Super Peptide Serum

Mary & May 6 Peptide Complex Serum Versus Good Molecules Super Peptide Serum This anti-aging serum is formulated around Copper Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture. This anti-aging serum is formulated

Mary & May 6 Peptide Complex Serum Versus Good Molecules Super Peptide Serum

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Copper Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 to soften the look of wrinkles and refine skin texture.

This anti-aging serum is formulated around Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Acetyl Octapeptide-3 to soften the look of wrinkles and strengthen the skin barrier.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Glycereth-26

1,2-Hexanediol

Butylene Glycol

Glycerin

Arginine

Carbomer

Ethylhexylglycerin

Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate

Adenosine

Caprylyl Glycol

Copper Tripeptide-1

Hexapeptide-11

Hexapeptide-9

Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1

Tripeptide-1

Water, Glycereth-26, 1,2-Hexanediol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Arginine, Carbomer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Polyglyceryl-10 Laurate, Adenosine, Caprylyl Glycol, Copper Tripeptide-1, Hexapeptide-11, Hexapeptide-9, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tripeptide-1

Propanediol

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Diheptyl Succinate

Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer

Glycine

Xanthan Gum

Acetyl Hexapeptide-8

Acetyl Octapeptide-3

Sodium Hyaluronate

Tocopherol

Water, Propanediol, Glycerin, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, 1,2-Hexanediol, Diheptyl Succinate, Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer, Glycine, Xanthan Gum, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol, Acetyl Hexapeptide-8, Acetyl Octapeptide-3, Sodium Hyaluronate, Copper Tripeptide-1, Tocopherol

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

Caprylyl Glycol is a humectant, skin conditioner, emollient, and preservative booster derived from either caprylic acid or synthetically created.

Typical use levels vary from 0.3-1% as a preservative booster and go up to 2% to condition skin.

Because it is not a free-fatty acid, this ingredient is fungal acne safe (there's nothing for Malassezia to feed on).

Copper Tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu) is a skin repairing ingredient known for its ability to boost collagen, improve firmness, and support skin regeneration.

It is a complex made up of a naturally occurring peptide (glycine-histidine-lysine) and copper, an essential trace element.

While studying wound healing, researchers noticed GHK-Cu stimulated hair follicle enlargement and growth by keeping hair in its active growth phase longer. This has made it a promising ingredient for hair regrowth treatments.

Some people have reported increased facial hair. While GHK-Cu can make your hair follicles bigger, it usually doesn’t turn soft, barely-visible facial hairs into thick, dark ones.

Anecdotal reports suggest that overusing copper peptides might lead to premature aging due to excess free copper or enzyme imbalances. This claim isn’t backed by large-scale studies.

Unfortunately, there are limited human studies for this ingredient. While early results are promising, many studies are either small, in-vitro, or not rigorously controlled.

For example, there is a 1998 study that explored the effects of copper tripeptide, vitamin C, tretinoin, and melatonin on skin repair and collagen synthesis.

After one month, increased procollagen production was seen in 7 out of 10 participants using copper tripeptide (more than those using vitamin C, melatonin, or tretinoin.

While the study was exploratory, it offers early evidence that copper tripeptide may support collagen production. Larger, well-designed trials are still needed to confirm its potential and understand individual responses.

Read more about other common types of peptides here:

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

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.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

Similar Comparisons

The reference edit

Ingredients, questions
& further reading.

Connected source records selected through this article’s public topic index.

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Formula cabinet

Ingredients & structured notes

Ingredient index

Ingredients Explained

  1. 01These ingredients are found in both products.
  2. 02Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
  3. 031,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.
  4. 04It is a:
  5. 05Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin
  6. 06Emollient, helping to soften skin
  7. 07Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas
  8. 08Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives
  9. 09Adenosine is a purine nucleoside that your body already makes in every cell. In skincare, it acts mainly as a skin conditioning and anti-aging agent.
  10. 10The way it works is fairly well mapped out:
  11. 11Your skin has cells called fibroblasts that build collagen (the stuff that keeps skin firm and smooth). Adenosine basically flips a switch on these cells that tells them to get to work making more collagen and other proteins. These cells slow down o…
  12. 12The clinical backing is pretty solid too.
  13. 13A blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of 126 women aged 45-65 tested a 0.1% cream twice daily and found real improvements in crow's feet and frown lines using a precise 3D skin-mapping technique; these changes showed up by week 3 and held at…
  14. 14A later study using Adenosine-loaded dissolving microneedle patches reported gains in wrinkle depth, dermal density, elasticity, and hydration.
  15. 15On concentrations, South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has set 0.04% as the approved functional anti-wrinkle level. You'll typically see this ingredient used somewhere in the 0.04-0.1% range since it works at low doses.
  16. 16This ingredient has been found safe for cosmetics with the data showing no irritation or sensitization.
  17. 17Overall, this is a great ingredient for any anti-aging routine and has no photosensitizing effect, so it suits both AM and PM use.
  18. 18Arginine is a semi-essential amino acid. This just means our bodies can product a bit on its own, but sometimes needs a little boost from food sources.
  19. 19It is a part of your skin's natural moisturizing factor (NMF), or the water-loving molecules in your outermost layer of skin (stratum corneum) that keeps everything hydrated and happy.
  20. 20Here's an interesting thing about Arginine: your skin converts it into urea through the Krebs-Henseleit urea cycle. Urea is one of the most effective humectants your skin naturally produces.
Source · skinsort.com
02

Product index

Related product references

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03

Comparison edit

Read side by side