Mary & May 6 Peptide Complex Serum Versus Niod Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 1:1 (CAIS3)

Mary & May 6 Peptide Complex Serum Versus Niod Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 1:1 (CAIS3)

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 Tripeptide-29 and Tripeptide-1 to soften the look of wrinkles.

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

Tripeptide-29

Bis(Tripeptide-1) Copper Acetate

Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3

Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Glycogen

Propanediol

Pentylene Glycol

Dextran

Dimethyl Isosorbide

Ethoxydiglycol

Isoceteth-20

Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate

Phenoxyethanol

Chlorphenesin

Water, Glycerin, Tripeptide-29, Bis(Tripeptide-1) Copper Acetate, Tripeptide-1, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3, Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Glycogen, Propanediol, Pentylene Glycol, Dextran, Dimethyl Isosorbide, Ethoxydiglycol, Isoceteth-20, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Chlorphenesin

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.

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).

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.

Tripeptide-1, also known as GHK), is a small, three-amino-acid peptide made up of glycine, histidine, and lysine.

This ingredient is a signal peptide and tell your skin to start producing fresh collagen, elastin, and other key structural proteins. This helps maintain firmness and reduces the look of fine-lines/wrinkles.

GHK is also unique because is also acts as a carrier peptide. It binds to and transports copper ions (forming the complex GHK-Cu). This form has been studied for decades and is known to stimulate wound healing, boost antioxidant defenses, and promote collagen/elastin synthesis.

In-vitro studies show both GHK and GHK-CU increase fibroblast activity that enhances the production of collagen, elastin, fibronectin, and other extracellular matrix components.

Both of these compounds also help balance enzymes that control collagen breakdown.

Human studies (in-vivo) using GHK-Cu creams have reported visible improvements to skin density, elasticity, and wrinkle depth after several weeks of use.

A small clinical study also found topical collagen tripeptide improved wrinkle appearance and skin elasticity in women after four weeks.

While these results are promising, most research is based on GHK-Cu or its derivatives rather than Tripeptide-1 alone (Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is a famous derivative of GHK). However, the consensus still supports GHK as a potent skin-signaling molecule that can encourage regeneration and maintain youthful looking skin.

Fun fact: GHK is a naturally occurring fragment of type 1 collagen that can be found in human plasma, saliva, and urine.

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!

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