How to use copper peptides: order, timing and routine
Apply a copper peptide serum to clean, dry skin before moisturiser, morning or evening. Three or four drops is enough for the whole face. Moisturiser goes on last. For hair, the shampoo and conditioner simply replace what you already use, and a scalp serum goes on and stays in.
Where does it go in the routine?
The rule is thinnest to thickest. Cleanse, then serum, then moisturiser, then SPF in the morning.
A copper peptide serum is a thin, watery texture, so it goes on early, straight after cleansing, while skin is still slightly damp but not wet.
Morning or evening?
Either works. Copper peptides are not associated with sun sensitivity, so there is no reason they have to be an evening product.
Most people end up using them in the evening simply because vitamin C occupies the morning slot. If you use neither, pick whichever you are more likely to do without thinking about it.
How much should you use?
Three or four drops for the whole face. More is not better, it just runs out faster.
For the scalp, a few drops parted through the hair and massaged in, left to absorb rather than rinsed.
How do you build the full routine?
Skin: cleanse, copper peptide serum, moisturiser. Add the sheet mask once a week if you want a reset.
Hair: copper peptide shampoo, then conditioner left in for three to five minutes, then the scalp serum on towel dried hair.
That is genuinely the whole thing. A routine you keep for eight weeks beats an elaborate one you abandon by week three.
Common questions
Do you rinse copper peptide serum off?
No. A facial serum is left on and moisturiser goes over the top. A scalp serum is also left in rather than rinsed. Only the shampoo and conditioner are rinsed, as normal.
Can you put copper peptides under makeup?
Yes. Let the serum absorb and apply moisturiser before makeup, as you would with any serum.
How long before you see anything?
Give it eight weeks for skin and eight to twelve for hair. Hair grows roughly a centimetre a month, so there is a limit to how quickly any cosmetic can change how it looks.
Shop the copper peptide routine
Related guides
- Can you use copper peptides with vitamin C?
- Can you use copper peptides with niacinamide?
- A simple men's skincare routine with peptides
Cosmetic products for external use only. Copper peptide products support the appearance of skin and hair. They are cosmetics, not medicines.