Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides – Encapsulated Copper? | Doctors Review

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When Geek and Gorgeous releases a peptide serum, you can bet I need to get my hands on it. The Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides is different to others I have tried both in texture and in price and after using it every day since it was released I am ready to share my thoughts.

 

A bottle of Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides, dark glass with a white label and a white dropper cap, standing in front of a dark background with white flowers
Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides

 

Just as a reminder, peptides are an extra step in your skincare routine once you reached a certain age and have the basics down – sunscreen, antioxidant and if possible a retinoid. You don‘t really need them in your 20s. Not that they will do harm at that age, but it is an extra step you can skip. (More info: The best skincare routine for your 20s)

Back to the Power Peptides though. What did iI think?

 

 

What the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum claims

Made with a powerful blend of four advanced collagen & extracellular matrix boosting technologies, this gorgeous, milky peptide serum firms the skin & gives its bounce back.

 

Facts about the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum

Prize and size

One bottle, the typical dark glass with a dropper, contains 30 ml and is available for 15,80 € on the website here. It is vegan and has a pH of between 5 and 6.

 

Texture and smell

Unlike other serums using copper peptides, the serum isn‘t blue, but has a milky color – I will explain why in a bit. It is runny, but with more body than water and feels silky when applied to the skin. My main issue with other peptide serums is the perceived oiliness on the skin, which was absolutely no issue here. I didn‘t notice any scent.

 

Close up of the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides, a white milky substance, in a glass dropper
Close up of the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides

 

How to use the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum

Peptides play well with anything, so you can use it either in our morning or evening skincare routine. You could even use it twice a day if you want to, but I wouldn‘t expect that to increase the effect. I personally preferred using it at night as I found it to leave behind some tackiness after application and could cause pilling when paired with silicone based sunscreens.

 

Is the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides really safe to be used in the same routine as retinoids or acids?

Yes, it is.

The notion that you shouldn‘t combine peptides with acidic products stems from two different considerations:

1) That peptides are most effective in a near neutral environment pHwise, meaning acids would reduce their efficacy – technically true, but applying an acidic product to your skin will not have a lasting impact on your general skin pH, so as long as you do‘t mix them in the palm of your hand, I doubt that will have a strong impact.

2) That the copper in copper peptides will react negatively to strong retinoids. Now while there are copper peptides present in here, more on them in a bit, they are encapsulated and at a very low concentration, so not likely to be affected. Oh, and according to Stephen Ko from kindofstephen the copper in copper peptides is bound so well anyway that even if they weren’t encapsulated, they wouldn‘t react the same way unbound copper would. He has an Instagram video explaining the papers and how he would interpret them and that sounded pretty convincing for me, so even using copper peptides at a higher concentration and not encapsulated with your retinoid would probably be safe.

 

Ingredients of the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum

Aqua (Water) solv, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Butylene Glycol h|solv 0 1, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Polyglyceryl-6 Stearate emo|emu, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Panthenol so|h 0 0, Dicaprylyl Carbonate emo, Dicaprylyl Ether emo|solv, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate emu|surf, Polyglyceryl-6 Behenate, Tetrapeptide-21 cci, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 cci, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 cci, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 cci, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14 cci, Heptapeptide-15 Palmitate cci, Saccharide Isomerate h, Allantoin so 0 0, Cetearyl Alcohol emo|vc|emu|surf 1 2, Glyceryl Stearate SE emu 2 3, Tapioca Starch vc, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer vc, Carbomer vc 0 1, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer, Polyvinyl Alcohol vc, Citric Acid buff, Sodium Citrate chel|buff, Sodium Hydroxide buff, Phenoxyethanol pres, Ethylhexylglycerin pres

Hover the mouse over an ingredient for short explanation. Read more on INCIDecoder.

Speaking of the four different peptides used, let‘s take a closer look:

The first one is 3% of Matrixyl 3000, which is actually a complex made from two different peptides, Palmitoyl Tripetide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, aiming to increase collagen production. The Matrixyl offers are among the peptide blends with the most research behind them, though most of it comes from the manufacturers. The concentration of 3% is the one most skincare products use and the one yielding good results in the studies done, but it is worth noting that The Ordinary offer a 10% Matrixyl serum, combining Matrixyl 3000 and the next one coming up, Synthe6 – if more is more here though, I don‘t know. (More info: The benefits of Peptides in skincare explained)

The second peptide is another one from the Matrixyl family, 2% Synthe6 or Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38. As the brand name Synthe6 already gives away it claims to help increase synthesis of six different important structural parts of the skin: Collagen I, III, IV, Fibronectin, Hyaluronic Acid and Laminin 5. Again, we only have manufacturer data on that and it is recommended to stay between 2 and 5% in formulas to avoid riking irritation.

The third peptide used is TEGO® PEP 4-17 (Tetrapeptide-21), a peptide I admit I hadn‘t heard of before. Apparently is also boosting production of important skin peptides like collagen at concentrations between 0.5 and 5 %, but I wasn‘t able to find more than three studies on it. In this formulation it is used at 4%.

The last one, Copper Palmitoyl Heptapeptide-14 or X50 Antiaging is new to me too. The copper peptide I know and use is usually Copper-Tripeptide-1. (More info: Copper peptides vs regular peptides) It is encapsulated which, according to the manufacturer, makes it easier to be absorbed into the skin and also more likely to go where it needs to go, which is exactly to the fibroblast. The concentration used is 0,001%, apparently the one used in studies and recommended by the manufacturer. It is more common in skincare then I knew, with Drunk Elephant, Clarins and Medik8 using it in their peptide products. The low concentration and encapsulation also explains why this serum isn‘t blue – the blue comes from the copper ion and won‘t be noticeable at that low amount.

In addition to those collagen stimulating peptides you will find Glycerin as humectant – no Hyaluronic Acid – and a few soothing ingredients like Panthenol and Allantoin. (More info: The benefits of Panthenol in skincare explained)

More info: How to read the ingredient list in your skincare products.

 

Does it live up to its claims?

As far as I can tell.

It certainly contains ingredients aiming to boost collagen and extracellular matrix, but it is hard to tell if it made any difference in the bounciness of my skin, especially given that I have been using peptides for years now, among other beneficial things.

 

How does it compare to…

 

The Ordinary Buffet
The Ordinary Buffet

 

The Ordinary Buffet

I remember when Buffet was released and revolutionized the skincare world, offering peptides without the eye watering prizes they used to come with. Out of the different versions from The Ordinary, this was my favorite compared to Matrixyl 10% due to the broader variety it offered. That paired with the low price made me overlook the fact that it had indeed a goopy texture. I used it faithfully until Buffet + Copper Peptides was released and I wanted the additional Copper Peptides, but if back then Geek and Gorgeous would have already existed, I would have picked that over Buffet as the texture is just so much more pleasant.

You can read my full review of The Ordinary Buffet here.

 

NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 Review
NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 – my preferred way to get my copper peptide fix

 

NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3

This admittedly quite pricey peptide serum from NIOD is my current go to and will stay that even after trying the version from Geek and Gorgeous, mainly because I do want the Copper Peptide with the most research. I will happily use one in the mornings and one at night, or both on alternating nights if I have them in my routine.

You can read my full review of the NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 3 here.

 

Would I repurchase and which skin types do I recommend the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides Serum to?

Despite the slight tackiness I enjoyed the Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides for night time use as the texture spreads beautiful. Regarding the four peptide complexes used the two from the Matrixyl group have the most research behind them, but the other two, also aiming to boost production of collagen and other important structural skin proteins, sound promising as well. I personally still prefer my NIOD Copper Peptides, but this is a great budget version for those that want to incorporate peptides into their routine.

 

Geek and Gorgeous Power Peptides Review
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