Have you heard? Niod CAIS and The Ordinary Buffet had a baby: The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%.
I’m a total NIOD CAIS fan girl. It makes my skin a little firmer and keeps it working as it should.
I’ve never cared about TO Buffet. I’m not convinced most of its peptides work. #sorrynotsorry
Still, I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to try their baby. I love me some copper peptides so if everything else works, that’s just a bonus.
If they don’t work, you’ve still got a steal. A 30ml bottle of CAIS is £60.00. The same amount of The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% “only” £28.99.
Yes, it’s way more expensive than your ordinary The Ordinary product (see what I did there? 😉 ) but those peptides are expensive. If you can’t justify it, don’t worry: peptides are NOT a must for skin.
If you can justify it, read on:
Key Ingredients In The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%
Copper Tripeptide-1
This is the copper peptide in The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%. It’s a peptide found in human plasma that activates a lot of functions in the body, including wound healing, collagen production and anti-inflammatory responses.
In other words, it makes sure that your skin stays healthy and does all its jobs properly even as it gets older.
Most of the studies on copper peptides aren’t reliable. They’re done in vitro, on cells in a dish. But I’ve found a study done on real skin.
71 women applied a copper peptide cream on their sun-damaged skin. After 12 weeks, the cream “improved skin laxity, clarity, and appearance, reduced fine lines and the depth of wrinkles, and increased skin density and thickness.”
To sum it up, copper peptides do 3 things really well:
- Soothe irritations
- Help wounds heal faster
- Stimulate collagen production, firming skin
FYI, too much copper in the skin may have the opposite effect and cause free radicals. Don’t use copper peptides every day. Two or three times a week is enough.
Related: Are Copper Peptides Better Than Retinoids For Sun-Damaged Skin?
“Buffet” Peptides
I.e. all the other peptides in The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%:
- Argirelox Peptide Complex: made up of Argireline + Pentapeptide-18 (Leuphasyl), it relaxes the muscles so they can’t move as well and, overtime, leave wrinkles behind. It’s said to reduce wrinkles depth by up 30%, but works only on thin skin. I don’t care for it: if it were a real alternative to Botox, no one would use the needle anymore. Save your money on this one.
- Palmitoyl tripeptide-1: it may boost collagen production. I haven’t found much proof it works on human skin yet.
- Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7: the company that makes it swears it makes skin firmer and smoother. I’m still waiting for independent studies that confirm this.
- Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38: the manufacturer says it increases the production of hyaluronic acid in the skin. Again, I couldn’t find any evidence supporting this.
- Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate: you probably know this as Syn™-Ake, a peptide that relaxes muscles. As you know by now, I think these relaxing peptides are just a waste of your money and time.
- Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine: known as Restilase, it’s supposed to boost collagen production. Again, the only studies are from the company that makes it.
I know this part of the review sounds very negative and I don’t mean to say they’re useless but…
Peptides are kinda new in skincare. If a manufacturer has studies that a peptide boosts collagen/fights wrinkles/relaxes muscles on a few cells in a Petri dish, a brand is gonna run with it.
They’ll put it in their serums and moisturisers and use the manufacturer’s studies in their marketing copies. They’re in the business of making money, I get it.
I’m in the business of reviewing products so I’ll tell you this: if a serum or moisturiser has antioxidants/hyaluronic acid/AHAs/anything-really-proven-to-work + peptides, go for it.
If peptides turn out to work as the manufacturer claims, that’s a bonus. If not, no harm done. You’re still getting a product that works. But don’t waste $100+ on a peptide serum alone. Not yet anyway.
Related: What Type Of Peptides Work Best To Repair Skin?
Humectants
Humectants is a fancy way of calling ingredients that attract moisture from the air into the skin.
Hyaluronic acid is king here. It holds up to 1000 times its weight in water. The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% uses TWO forms of hyaluronic acid + glycerin so it packs a super hydrating punch.
When skin has all the moisture it needs, it just looks and works better:
- Plumping: moisture plumps up your skin, making your fine lines and wrinkles look smaller
- Glowing: well-hydrated skin has a natural dewy glow to it
- Softening: moisture makes skin soft and smooth
Forget about peptides. Plenty of extra moisture is enough to make your skin look younger and healthier.
Related: What The Heck Are Humectants And Why Are They In My Skincare Products?
Let’s Put It To The Test: Personal Use & Opinion
Blue in colour, The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% has a lightweight, gel-like texture that takes a few minutes to absorb. Until it does, it feels a little tacky.
Texture-wise, NIOD CAIS wins hands down. It’s lightweight to the point of runny, but absorbs immediately. I don’t have to wait to do the rest of my skincare routine.
Remember when I told you I saw a difference with NIOD CAIS after I stopped using it? Copper peptides keep skin in a constant state of repair. They’re like supervisors who make sure every skin cell works as it should.
If your skin is still young and doesn’t have a lot of damage, it’s unlikely you’ll see any visible results. It’s when you stop using it that you’re like, “mmm, I swear my skin looked better last week?”
What I’ve noticed straight away is that The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% hydrates skin, helps any blemish heal faster and soothes irritations. I don’t get blemishes often – I know what works for my skin by now.
But, as a skincare blogger, I try lots of different products. Sometimes, one of them leaves an unwanted present behind. When that happens, I can rely on this serum to make it go away faster.
It also helps skin tolerate harsh ingredients better. If you’re ready to go prescription with retinoids but are scared of the side effects, adding The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% helps reduce the irritation.
The serum is also hydrating. If you’re skin is on the dry side and needs all the hylauronic acid it can get, you’ll appreciate this.
Instead, I didn’t really see any reduction in fine lines. But hey, you win some, you lose some.
Just one more thing: it smells. Bad. That’s the ingredients. The Ordinary didn’t add any extra fragrance.
Related: NIOD Copper Amino Isolate 2:1 Full Review
The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1% VS NIOD CAIS 2:1: Which One Is Best?
For me, NIOD CAIS wins hands down. Out of the two serums, it works faster and makes my skin look better. I didn’t see much of an improvement with The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%.
I’m not saying it doesn’t work. I’m saying it doesn’t work as well for ME. Still, there are a few reasons why YOU may prefer The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%:
- You’re already loving The Ordinary Buffet and want the added benefits of copper peptides
- You have dry skin and need something more hydrating than NIOD CAIS
- You’re looking for a cheaper version of NIOD CAIS
- You don’t want to mix your skincare (NIOD CAIS comes in two bottles you need to mix together)
Available at: £28.99 at Asos, Beauty Bay and Cult Beauty
SHOP THE POST
Have you tried The Ordinary Buffet + Copper Peptides 1%? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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2 comments
I used the whole bottle, didn’t see any improvement on my skin. I’ll try CAIS and see how it works for me.
Tatiana, sadly it’s hard to tell if peptides work. If your skin is in good condition to begin with, copper peptides just maintain the status quo. It’s when you stop using them that you realise your skin was behaving better when you were using them. Even then, I saw better results on CAIS than this. As for the other peptides here, there really isn’t much proof they do anything for you. 🙁