Confession time: although I write about beauty for a living, I’d never known much about copper peptides in skincare until my esthetician recommended I try the ingredient after a laser treatment left my skin too pink for comfort (spoiler alert: they worked). If you’re in the same boat, allow me to share the TL;DR: copper peptides are small, naturally occurring protein fragments that consist of amino acids bound to copper ions, an essential mineral for healthy skin function.
According to Los Angeles-based aesthetic nurse practitioner and master injector Melanie Abeyta, copper peptides work by serving as messengers for the skin, letting it know that it's time to repair itself. “When the copper ion is delivered into the skin, it signals fibroblasts—the cells responsible for producing collagen and elastin—to ramp up their activity,” Abeyta explains. “They also have antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals (which contribute to aging) and assist in removing damaged collagen so that new, healthy fibers can form. The result is stronger, smoother, more resilient skin over time.”
