It's Blue, It's In A Tube And It's Great For Anti-Ageing...
Jo is a former Adore Beauty staffer and qualified dermal therapist with over decade of experience in the beauty industry.
She co-hosted our award-winning podcast Beauty IQ Uncensored for 4 years, interviewing names like Caroline Hirons, Katie Jane Hughes and Chris Appleton to name a few.
If you've ever tried to navigate NIOD's range before and found yourself scrolling aimlessly trying to work out which product is right for your skin - you're not alone.
We aren't all scientific experts in skincare formulation, and deciphering which products are right for you can be challenging. That's why today we're gonna do a deep dive. Are you ready for this?
The product I want to talk about today is the newest additional to the range, and a product I've been trialing for a few months. It's the Copper Amino Isolate Lipid 1% (CAIL) - an extension of the popular Copper Amino Isolate Serum (CAIS 2:1), but with a few added benefits.
What's The Difference Between CAIL & CAIS?
Firstly, the most noticeable difference is the consistency of the products; CAIL has a unique gel-like texture which melts into a comforting oil upon application and smells like coconut, while CAIS is a very thin, watery texture that absorbs instantly into the skin with more of an acidic smell.
Both formulas are blue thanks to the copper peptide component in both products, which promotes healthy skin function while encouraging collagen production and supporting the skin’s defense against environmental stressors.
CAIL also features a variety of different ingredients to CAIS - so how do you know which one is right for your skin?
"If someone is concerned with ageing, loss of volume, loss of elasticity and wants to help enhance their skin barrier, Copper Amino Isolate Lipid is a great option for someone with dehydrated skin," says Minh Lawton, Education Associate of DECIEM.
"If someone is concerned with ageing and texture and they want a water-based formulation, I'd go with the Copper Amino Isolate Serum," Minh explains.
How Does CAIL Benefit The Skin?
Designed to target almost everything, this treatment offers an advanced approach to anti-ageing and achieving healthier skin in the long term. We're talking improved barrier function, maintaining elasticity and reducing moisture loss in the skin.
But what exactly is healthy skin, you might be wondering?
"Healthy-looking skin maintains a careful balance of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), extracellular proteins such as collagen and elastin, and epidermal surface lipids, corneocytes, adipocytes, and sebocytes," explains NIOD.
To break that down for you, CAIL 1% is designed to target all of the above, resulting in improved volume and resilience by elevating the skin to optimal conditions.
"Copper peptides are found naturally in the human plasma and have a wide array of functionsincluding immune responses and repairing skin tissue," Minh tells us.
"Topical applications of copper peptides can stimulate collagen production and have a positive effect on the appearance of textural irregularities, fine lines, and wrinkles."
What Ingredients Are In It?
Tripeptide-1 (Palmitoyl) Copper: the part of the formulation that gives the gel its bright blue colour, this ingredient (at a 1% concentration) has enhanced lipophilic properties - meaning it reduces trans epidermal water loss, protecting the skin against dehydration - and helps to maintain a more youthful appearance.
Plant-derived Squalane maintains our moisture barrier and hydration levels, gives suppleness to the skin, and provides antioxidant protection to neutralise environmental damage which can cause accelerated ageing.Now for the ones that may sound like complete gibberish, we've got Zizanoic Vetiver and Dihydrodiisoeugenol Complex to support even skin tone, elasticity, volume and firmness, as well as minimise fat degradation which causes a sunken appearance.
The we've got Aphanizomenon Aquaflo - what a mouthful! This blue-green algae is rich in vitamins, amino acids and minerals which help to restore the skin’s natural barrier, as well as smoothing the surface of the skin.
How To Use CAIL:
This is the easy part - using CAIL 1% is very straightforward. This product is designed to be used on its own after cleansing. If you want to add the Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex afterwards, you can - but this formula is ultra-hydrating.
I've been using this product as part of my extensive routine for a number of months, and I always notice a visible difference and improvement in my skin tone and texture the day after using it. The texture is very unique, and it certainly does feel rich and hydrating on the skin, so I'd recommend it for dry and dehydrated skin types, and if you're oilier, I suspect you may prefer the texture of CAIS.
