Best seller
Copper tripeptide-1 · 2% · 30 mL
The blue serum.Copper, in the form skin recognizes.
GHK-Cu is a copper peptide your body makes on its own and makes less of every decade. Covell puts it back at 2%, in a water-light serum with nothing to hide behind: no fragrance, no dye. The blue is the copper.
- 2.0%GHK-Cu
- pH 5.5skin-matched
- 30 mLabout 60 days
- 0fragrance, dyes
- Vegancruelty-free
- USmade and shipped
The lineup
One peptide. Five places it matters.
The same copper tripeptide-1 in every one. The base changes for where it goes: a serum and a cream for the face, a serum for the eye, and a serum and a shampoo for the scalp.
Best seller
New
Cu2+ · GHK complex · no dye added
Why copper
Found in your blood in 1973. Down by half by sixty.
GHK-Cu (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine bound to copper) was isolated from human plasma by Loren Pickart. Levels fall steeply with age. Applied to skin, it has one of the longest cosmetic research records of any peptide.
- 01
Visibly firmer-looking skin in 12 weeks
In a 12-week facial study of 67 women, a GHK-Cu cream improved the appearance of fine lines, skin firmness and clarity against placebo.
Leyden et al., 2002 · 12 wk · n=67 - 02
Supports the look of collagen-rich skin
In a 1998 comparison on 20 women, a copper peptide cream outperformed vitamin C and retinoic acid on collagen markers measured by skin biopsy.
Abdulghani et al., 1998 · n=20 · biopsy - 03
Skin's own molecule, at a level skin has seen before
Plasma GHK-Cu falls from about 200 ng/mL at 20 to about 80 ng/mL at 60. Covell uses the same complex, not a copper salt.
Pickart, 1973; Pickart & Margolina, 2018 (review)
What's in the bottle
Eleven ingredients. Every one with a reason.
The full list, in order, with concentrations where they matter. Nothing is in here to make it smell, look, or feel like something it isn't.
Not in itFragranceEssential oilsDyesAlcohol denat.SiliconesRetinolVitamin C
| Ingredient | Conc. | Why it's here |
|---|---|---|
| Water Aqua | — | Base |
| Glycerin | 4% | Humectant, keeps water in the skin |
| Copper tripeptide-1 GHK-Cu | 2.0% | The active. The blue. |
| Panthenol Pro-vitamin B5 | 2% | Soothes, supports the skin barrier |
| Betaine | 2% | Osmolyte, softens the feel |
| Sodium hyaluronate low + high MW | 1% | Surface and deeper hydration |
| Sodium PCA | 0.5% | Part of skin's natural moisturizing factor |
| Allantoin | 0.3% | Calms |
| 1,2-Hexanediol | — | Preservation, gentle |
| Hydroxyacetophenone | — | Preservation booster, antioxidant |
| Citric acid | — | Sets pH to 5.5 |
The ritual
Morning or night. Four drops. Thirty seconds.
Copper peptides are easy to use and easy to use wrong. Here is the whole method.
- Step one
Clean, damp skin
Cleanse, then leave the skin slightly damp. Peptides travel better into hydrated skin.
- Step two
Four drops, pressed in
Dispense into your palm and press over the face and neck. Don't rub. Let it sink for thirty seconds; it dries clear.
- Step three
Moisturizer, then SPF by day
Seal with your moisturizer. In the morning, finish with sunscreen as usual.
Pairs well withHyaluronic acid, niacinamide, ceramides, peptides, sunscreen. Retinol is fine on alternate nights.
Keep apart fromDirect acids (glycolic, lactic, salicylic) and vitamin C in the same application. Low pH and ascorbic acid can pull the copper off the peptide. Use them at the other end of the day.
Reviews
From people on their second bottle.
Sample copy, swapped for verified reviews at launch
I've used The Ordinary's copper and NIOD's. This is the first one that doesn't smell like a penny and doesn't pill under moisturizer.
Dana R.★★★★★
Eight weeks. My forehead lines are softer in the morning and makeup sits flatter. That's all I wanted.
Marisol T.★★★★★
The ingredient list with percentages is why I bought it. The results are why I bought it again.
Kevin O.★★★★☆
Questions
Asked often.
Why is it blue?
Copper bound to the GHK peptide forms a blue complex, the same way copper sulfate is blue. We add no dye. A paler blue would mean less copper, which is why we don't dilute it.
Will it turn my skin or hair blue?
No. At 2% the serum dries clear. Very light hair can pick up a faint tint from heavy, repeated use of copper products; the scalp serum is formulated and dosed to avoid that.
Can I use it with retinol?
Yes, on alternate nights, or retinol first and Covell in the morning. Keep it away from vitamin C and exfoliating acids in the same routine.
How long until I see something?
Hydration and a smoother surface within days. Changes in the look of fine lines and firmness take weeks; the published facial study ran 12 weeks. One bottle is about 60 days at four drops a day.
Is it safe during pregnancy?
GHK-Cu is a cosmetic ingredient with no known pregnancy restriction, but we are not your doctor. Ask yours; bring the ingredient list on this page.
Where is it made?
Formulated and filled in the United States in a cGMP cosmetic facility, batch-tested for copper content, pH and microbes. Batch number and test date are on every box.
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