PRODUCT REVIEW: NIOD COPPER AMINO ISOLATE SERUM 2:1 (CAIS2) - BEST ANTI-AGING SERUM, BEST PEPTIDE SERUM
NIOD | COPPER AMINO ISOLATE SERUM 2:1 (CAIS2)
This review was originally part of my blog article titled, Brands I Love: Niod High-Science Skincare - Best Hyaluronic Acid Serum, Best Peptide Serum. You can catch the full piece here.
—
Deciem’s deep-science brand NIOD has been a longtime favorite. In fact, it’s perhaps the most scientific skincare brand I’ve come across — with product names and descriptions seemingly written by the scientists and chemists behind the brand’s formulations.
There’s always been something exceptionally intriguing about NIOD — the nerdier sister brand of the more popular The Ordinary. First and foremost, it’s a smart, hard science brand — not for the casual skincare user. The products are more scientific, more potent and more costly than the democratically priced, simple, one-note products offered by The Ordinary.
NIOD requires somewhat of a commitment to learning what ingredients work for your skin; it’s definitely not for beginners or anyone uninterested in much beyond the basics of cleansing and moisturizing.
I have always strongly aligned with the brand’s overall formulation philosophy. A brand's formulation philosophy matters to the end result, whether the product is genuinely good for your skin — and not just marketing fluff. And while most skincare brands offer some well-made products, which of their products are actually doing right by your skin comes down to who exactly is formulating the company’s skin care — and whether the formulator (often a chemist or someone who works closely with a chemist) follows a solid formulation philosophy. Does the chemist follow strict guidelines about ingredient no-no’s like denatured alcohol, parabens and fragrant plant (essential) oils that can compromise skin health and can actually be pro-aging?
NIOD seems exceptional to me, or as Deciem would describe it, abnormal!
So, what exactly is NIOD? The brand name is an acronym that stands for Non Invasive Options in Dermal-Science. This is how they describe themselves:
“Ahead is not further than behind.
True learning is a form of love — it is humble. It respects that to look forward, it must look backward. The few observers of NIOD’s childhood know that NIOD isn’t a brand. It is a force and it has a soul. While NIOD’s genetics are committed to science, its soul is ultimately rooted in learning. Perhaps the only flaw of modern science is that it grows proud and loses respect for our deserving past — but learning stays humble and looks back.
NIOD’s journey will offer respect to our past with a series of formulations informally called yešti. NIOD’s caretakers live with exhausting standards in science. The journey of NIOD’s yešti formulations is not one of a lower standard — it is instead one that allows our collective past an overdue chance to speak.”— http://niod.com
I love the spirit and intent behind the NIOD brand! Let’s take a look at some of my favorite NIOD products…
NIOD | Copper Amino Isolate Serum 2:1
As I said, NIOD isn’t for beginners or casual skincare users. And there’s perhaps no better example of this than the brand’s iconic Copper Amino Isolate Serum 2:1 — or CAIS2. What is it? An anti-aging peptide powerhouse — and one of the best peptide serums available.
Of course the NIOD scientists don’t describe it in as quite a simplistic fashion.
According to the NIOD team, CAIS2 is described this way: “As a highly-focused effort to maintain healthy-looking skin, this pro-repair, pro-collagen serum offers a novel approach to target all signs of skin aging indirectly. This indirect approach departs from the traditional thinking of addressing visible aspects of skin aging individually and instead forms a foundation to respect skin health.”
The Copper Amino Isolate Serum contains multiple forms of peptides and amino acids, notably a 1% concentration of pure, undiluted Copper Tripeptide-1 — from which the serum gets its name and its exceptional age-fighting efficacy.
And here’s where the wonky science experience kicks in. CAIS2 is a freshly activated treatment, requiring mixing the contents of two separate bottles into one to activate the copper peptides, something that apparently has a shorter shelf life. The self-activation process assures maximum anti-aging efficacy.
What are copper peptides (and what makes them special)?
I found an insightful piece on peptides, and specifically copper peptides, on the Byrdie website titled, Copper Peptides Are Like Nature's Botox, Here's How to Use Them.
Over the past few years, we've noticed a major trend gaining ground within the beauty industry and among skincare enthusiasts like ourselves: From 24 karat gold–infused facial oils to diamond dust–encrusted setting powders to colloidal silver eye masks, metallics are taking over.
And most recently, copper—specifically copper peptides—has repeatedly caught our eye as we peruse the ingredient lists of our favorite serums. And apparently, we aren't alone. We spoke to experts Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, MD, founder of Mudgil Dermatology in NYC; Joanna Vargas, celebrity facialist and founder of Joanna Vargas Salons and Skin Care; Marie Hayag, MD, Board Certified Dermatologist and Founder of 5th Avenue Aesthetics; and Nancy Pellegrino, NP and co-founder of THE ROUTE.
“Copper peptides are well known in the skincare world with decades of data as a skin restoring ingredient causing skin improvement including skin firmness, smoothness, reduction of fine lines and wrinkles, by promoting collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycan (think HAs) and improved antioxidant activity,” says Pellegrino. They're increasingly popular—for instance, in just one month, ‘copper peptides serums’ was searched more than 1000 times on Google. And considering the acclaimed benefits of this particular kind of peptide (like the collagen-increasing and wrinkle-reducing), we're not all that surprised by the apparent fascination.
Fascination indeed! Spock would certainly be intrigued.
With the proliferation of more advanced skincare products that put consumers in the driver’s seat, what’s often lost is the expertise of a dermatologist or the chemists themselves. As effective as peptide serums like CAIS2 are, it’s important to do your research and learn how to use them.
It’s essential to understand what you can and cannot mix when you’re using potent antioxidant and peptide serums. Notably, Deciem advises against using peptide serums with Ascorbic Acid, the pure form of Vitamin C. One apparently deactivates the other.
According to Deciem,
“It is best to not use Peptides in the same routine as the following products: Direct acids, LAA (L-Ascorbic Acid) and ELAA (Ethylated Ascorbic Acid). In addition, we would recommend avoiding the use of products containing copper peptides in the same routine as strong antioxidants as well as direct acids/LAA/ELAA.”
The Copper Amino Isolate Serum contains multiple pro-skin health and anti-aging technologies, beyond its signature copper peptide complex. There are two pro-collagen amino acid complexes including a 9% concentration of pure, undiluted Tripeptide-29 and a 4% blend of Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2 and Trifluroacetyl Tripeptide-2. These combine to enhance collagen production in the skin to firm and plump skin from within, defending against sagging and loss of density — and smoothing the appearance of lines and wrinkles on the skin’s surface.
CAIS2 has always intrigued me — it’s one of the coolest skincare products, hands-down. If you’re looking for a superior peptide serum — and a treatment that is literally anti-aging, not anti-aging marketing — CAIS2 is for you.
SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 2:1 for $90 here.
FAVORITE FACE MISTS FOR KEEPING SKIN HYDRATED IN THE COLD
WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF
MY FAVORITE HUMECTANT SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE INKEY LIST, GHOST DEMOCRACY AND MORE
ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE
Orpheus loves his #solaraglow too!
The Ingredient List of the NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex:
h, Glycerin 
sii|h 0 0, Hyaluronic Acid sii|h, Sodium Hyaluronate sii|h 0 0, Sodium Butyroyl Hyaluronate h, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer sii|aox|h, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate h, Disodium Acetyl Glucosamine Phosphate h, Tetradecyl Aminobutyroylvalylaminobutyric Urea Trifluoroacetate cci, Pseudoalteromonas Exopolysaccharides h, Tamarindus Indica Seed Gum h|vc, Tremella Fuciformis Sporocarp Extract aox|h, Ceratonia Siliqua Gum emo|vc, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3 cci, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract so|aox|amic, Salvia Sclarea Extract so, Arginine sii, Aspartic Acid sii, Glycine sii, Alanine sii, Serine sii, Valine sii, Isoleucine sii, Proline sii, Threonine sii, Histidine sii|h, Phenylalanine sii, Pca sii|h, Sodium Pca sii|h 0 0, Betaine h, Sodium Lactate buff|h, Epigallocatechin Gallatyl Glucoside aox|so, Gallyl Glucoside aox|so, Algae Extract emo|h, Sodium Salicylate pres, Lecithin emo|emu, Polyglucuronic Acid h, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate chel, Sclerotium Gum vc, Pullulan, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose vc, Propanediol solv|h, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Citric Acid buff, Magnesium Chloride vc, Silica vc, Polysorbate 20 emu|surf 0 0, Ethoxydiglycol solv|h|perf 0 0, Propyl Gallate aox|perf, Dehydroacetic Acid pres, Benzyl Alcohol pres|perf|solv|vc, Potassium Sorbate pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, 1,2-Hexanediol solv, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Phenoxyethanol presThe Ingredient List of the NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Serum 2:1:
so, Isoceteth-20 emu|surf, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amic, Aqua (Water) solv, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Tripeptide-29 cci, Tripeptide-1 cci, Myristoyl Nonapeptide-3 cci, Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2 cci, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2 cci, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer sii|aox|h, Glycogen h, Propanediol solv|h, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Dextran vc, Dimethyl Isosorbide solv|vc, Ethoxydiglycol solv|h|perf 0 0, Isoceteth-20 emu|surf, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate amic|pres, Caprylyl Glycol h|emo, Ethylhexylglycerin pres, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amic
The Ingredient List of the NIOD Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate:
cci|sb|aacne|h, Propanediol solv|h, Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid) sii|h 0 0, Tilia Cordata (Linden) Flower Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea) Leaf Extract aox|so, Hibiscus Sabdariffa Flower Extract, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Phytic Acid chel, Xanthan Gum vc|emu|surf, Phenoxyethanol pres, Ethylhexylglycerin presThe Ingredient List of the NIOD Superoxide Dismutase Saccharide MIST:
aox, Malachite Extract aox, Pseudoalteromonas Exopolysaccharides h, Mirabilis Jalapa Extract, Polypodium Vulgare Rhizome Extract aox|h, Cetraria Islandica Thallus Extract h, Sphagnum Magellanicum Extract, Arginine sii, Propanediol solv|h, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Pentylene Glycol solv|h, Butylene Glycol h|solv|vc 0 1, Sodium Salicylate pres, Gellan Gum vc, Sodium Chloride vc, Ppg-26-Buteth-26, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil emu|surf, Citric Acid buff, Tromethamine buff, Phenoxyethanol pres, Chlorphenesin pres|amicThe Ingredient List of the NIOD Copper Amino Isolate Lipid 1%:
sii|emo 0 1, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride emo, Aqua (Water) solv, Glycerin sii|h 0 0, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate h, Glycolipids, Sucrose Laurate emo|emu|surf, Propanediol solv|h, Copper Tripeptide-1 (Palmitoyl) cci|so|aox, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Propylmethylmethoxybenzofuran, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Extract perf, Aphanizomenon Flos-Aquae Extract h, Sucrose Stearate emo|emu|surf 0 0, Potassium Sorbate pres, Sodium Benzoate pres, Phenoxyethanol pres
