The Green Beauty Guide

To me, copper will always be something that makes some of the most gorgeous (and ridiculously expensive) pots and pans. It appears, though, that copper bound with proteins, can become a mighty anti-aging agent. Copper peptides, which are made of copper atoms bound together with proteins, can literally turn back the aging process. 

First reports about copper peptides and their rejuvenating abilities date back to the 1970s when Dr. Loren Pickart found that copper peptides were particularly effective in healing wounds when applied topically.  FDA even approved a copper peptide gel for the treatment of acute and chronic wounds and ulcers.

What copper peptide does?

It promotes the synthesis of elastin and other building blocks of skin matrix. Different studies point out that copper peptides have anti-inflammatory action and prevent the formation of scars - definitely a plus when it comes to battling post-acne or healing the delicate skin after the dermabrasion or a chemical peel.

 I found a really interesting notion about the benefits of copper peptides for everyday age prevention.

 To a significant degree, skin aging is caused by the accumulation of minor day-to-day damage from sun, wind, detergents, acne, abrasions and so forth. As these minute lesions heal, they leave microscopic imperfections, which, eventually, accumulate to become visible signs of aging. While it remain to be further researched, it appears that copper peptide can help minimize the damage from daily wear and tear of the skin. For instance, one study demonstrated that copper peptides helped recover skin integrity after exposure to SLS, a common detergent found in many shampoos, cleansers, and dishwashing/laundry products.

www.smartskincare.com

 So what can we use copper peptides for?

• To increase collagen formation
• To preserve collagen and elastin integrity in skin
• To help heal the superficial wounds
• To avoid scar formation and to flatter existing scars

Not too bad!

Where can you find it?

Today, several skin care companies offer copper peptides in face, body, and eye products. Unfortunately, most often these are conventional beauty products loaded with petrochemicals, parabens, artificial dyes and fragrances. For example, the bulk of $80-worth Neova serum with copper peptides is paraffin, polyacrylamide (suspected carcinogen), silicones, toluene (another carcinogen), parabens, phenoxyethanol, and just 2% of copper acetate.

At the same time, you can buy a premeasured copper peptide (GHK) at skinactives.com and make yourself 120 ml (4 oz) of organic skin cream. You will save money and you’ll know exactly how much of the active ingredient goes into your skincare.

That’s why I prefer to buy my copper peptides separately, in a tiny vial, and add them to my homemade moisturizers and sunscreens.  

After a year of use I haven’t had a single bout of irritation, and the skin around my eyes tends to tolerate a cream heavily loaded with copper peptides quite well. I noticed that my skin, especially around eyes, became firmer and tiny wrinkles are far less pronounced.  When I happened to get a mild sunburn this summer, copper peptide cream quelled the redness virtually overnight.

Warning:

If you buy a ready-to-use purified copper peptide, make sure you maintain the concentration of no more than 2%. A little bit too much, and it can liquefy the base cream. Always use water-based lotions to mix with copper peptide.