Yes, you can layer Glow Maker followed by Peptide Squad. The concern with using peptides and vitamin C is due to free copper ions, which can be reactive. The form of copper contained in Peptide Squad is bound to copper tripeptide-1, which is a stable compound that naturally occurs in skin. Additional tests conducted confirm a lack of reactivity between Peptide Squad and Glow Maker vitamin C serum.

Free copper (Cu2+) unbound to GHK can interact with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) (Chiou 1983). This interaction is greatly diminished by the addition of metal chelators suggesting free copper is necessary for this reaction with ascorbic acid (Chiou et al. 1985). GHK acts as a copper chelator by binding copper tightly (Freedman et al. 1982). GHK complexes with Cu2+ spontaneously and simplifies absorption (Errante 2020). Indeed, conjugated copper in the form of GHK-Cu, unlike free copper or other copper compounds, does not stimulate an inflammatory action nor cytotoxity in keratinocytes and functions as an ideal carrier for copper to be utilized as a cofactor inside cells (Li et al. 2016). Hence, GHK-Cu is unique amongst the copper peptides. GHK-Cu is naturally found in the skin along with vitamin C as both are necessary for the formation of collagen. Finally, our internal tests show Peptide Squad doesn't lead to oxidation of vitamin C in the Glow Maker serum - as would be expected if free copper was catalyzing the oxidation of vitamin C.

The most important anti-aging aspect of topical vitamin C (l-ascorbic acid) is its role as one of nature’s best antioxidants and indeed, one of the primary defenses against UV damage employed by the skin. Under normal conditions, special receptors in the skin pull vitamin C out of your bloodstream to pack your skin full of this protective antioxidant which is also the most plentiful antioxidant in the skin (Pullar et al. 2017). The number one cause of premature aging of the skin is UV damage from the sun’s rays. When your skin is exposed to UV rays, free radicals are spawned. These free radicals are like ricocheting bullets tearing up collagen and even DNA leading to photo-aged skin and skin cancers. Fine lines and wrinkles, sunspots, ruptured blood vessels, enlarged pores, and rough coarse skin are some of the features of photo-aged skin.

Unfortunately, like so many processes that occur with general aging, the vitamin C content in your skin wanes as you age irrespective of diet, as poor blood flow and nutrient delivery start to affect levels. In other words, your natural defenses against UV damage go down with aging. This is where topical supplementation can remedy the situation as the skin absorbs the vitamin C applied at the skin’s surface (Pullar et al. 2017).

A second reason vitamin C is such an excellent anti-aging ingredient is that it boosts collagen production. Collagen is the main structural protein in the skin and its decline and degradation are the main drivers of fine lines and wrinkles. The collagen content in skin decreases over time – roughly 1% per year with accelerated loss post-menopause – leading to wrinkles and sagging as we get older. vitamin C is necessary in collagen production. The ability of topical vitamin C to boost collagen production has been demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials of aged skin in postmenopausal women (Nusgens et al. 2001) and in those with photoaged skin (Traikovitch 1999). Note that the role of vitamin C in collagen production is also responsible for its beneficial role in wound healing and for the skin symptoms of scurvy which results from vitamin C deficiency (Pullar et al. 2017).

Vitamin C is necessary in collagen production and topical Vitamin C has been scientifically proven to boost collagen production in aged skin (Nusgens et al. 2001). The collagen content in skin decreases over time – roughly 1% per year with accelerated loss post-menopause – leading to wrinkles and sagging as we get older. UV damage accelerates this process in photoaged skin.The ability of topical Vitamin C to boost collagen production has been demonstrated in placebo-controlled trials of aged skin in postmenopausal women (Nusgens et al. 2001) and in those with photoaged skin (Traikovitch 1999). Note that the role of Vitamin C in collagen production is also responsible for its beneficial role in wound healing and for the skin symptoms of scurvy which results from Vitamin C deficiency (Pullar et al. 2017).

Due to the nature of vitamin C, it is normal for your serum to change colors over time. The initial color of each production batch can vary slightly depending on the batch of ferulic acid and natural extracts used, due to natural shade variations in these ingredients.Even if your serum turns yellow, we've infused our serum with ingredients like ferulic and metabisulfite that help stabilize the vitamin C, so you're in good hands. It is time to toss and replace your Glow Maker when it starts to turn a brown color. Most bottles are good for 3-6 months after opening.One tip to help keep your serum at its freshest is to squeeze and hold the dropper top while you close the bottle to eliminate excess air. Storing the bottle in the fridge also keeps the serum at its freshest.

Yes, both are safe for both pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, it is always advisable to check with your doctor regarding skin care products and ingredients and follow their protocol.

Vitamin C is rated Category A in pregnancy by the FDA which means Vitamin C has been evaluated by clinical trials in pregnant women and deemed safe. The actives including Vitamin E, Ferulic Acid, and Hyaluronic Acid are all considered generally safe to use topically during pregnancy and lactation.

The actives in Peptide Squad including peptides, niacinamide, panthenol, hyaluronic acid, natural moisturizing factors, ceramides and jojoba and botanical extracts and actives including allantoin, aloe, green tea, turmeric and polyphenols such as madecassoside (found in CICA) and bisabolol (found in chamomile) are all considered generally safe to use topically during pregnancy and lactation.

The four classes include signal peptides (aka Matricin or Matrikine peptides), neurotransmitter inhibiting peptides, carrier peptides, and enzyme inhibiting peptides. Peptides are classified by the mechanisms by which they are known to fight wrinkles (Gorouhi and Maibach 2009, Ferreira et al. 2020, Schagen et al. 2017). By combining all four classes of peptides, this serum employs a multifactorial approach to fighting wrinkles and targeting the signs of aging from different angles. This approach can create synergies and leads to better results.

Signal peptides are also known as Matricin or Matrikine peptides and specifically refer to collagen or extracellular matrix (ECM) fragments which improve wrinkles and skin hydration by signaling fibroblasts to increase the production of collagen, elastin, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as hyaluronic acid, and other components of the ECM including proteoglycans, fibronectin and laminin (Errante et al. 2020, Gorouhi and Maibach 2009).

Matrixyl 3000 is a patented combination of two signal peptides (pal-GHK and pal-GQPR, aka palmitoyl tripeptide-7 and palmitoyl tripeptide-1) which have known synergy with one another as first demonstrated in in-vitro studies with dermal fibroblasts (fibroblasts secrete collagen, elastin, and other ECM components in the dermal layer of the skin) (US patent 2004/0132667 A1). In these studies, the combination of pal-GHK and pal-GQPR was more effective at stimulating collagen type 1, fibronectin and hyaluronic acid than either peptide alone.

Subsequent placebo controlled clinical studies in both men and women showed that a cream containing Matrixyl 3000 significantly decreased wrinkle depth and volume as well as skin roughness. In the first clinical study in older women, Matrixyl 3000 cream was applied on half the face versus placebo on the other half for crow’s feet wrinkles. With Matrixyl 3000, they found a significant 23.3% decrease in wrinkle volume, a 19.9% decrease in wrinkle depth and 16% decrease in roughness compared to baseline but no benefit with placebo. In the second clinical study in older men, Matrixyl 3000 cream gel was applied on half the face versus placebo on the other half on crow’s feet wrinkles. With Matrixyl 3000, they found a significant 17.1% decrease in wrinkle volume and 10.2% decrease in wrinkle depth and 8.4% decrease in roughness compared to baseline but no benefit with placebo (Sederma Matrixyl 3000).

A final clinical study was conducted to image changes of the papillary dermis. As described in a follow-up US patent 2012/164488, Sederma conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study in 28 women who applied Matrixyl 3000 on half the face and placebo on the other half for 2 months and found an improvement in dermal density and reduced fragmentation in the collagen fibers of the dermis with Matrixyl 3000 compared to placebo (Sederma Matrixyl 3000).

On their own, pal-GHK and pal-GQPR also represent two of the best studied signal peptides. As characteristic of signal peptides, GHK and GQPR are fragments of proteins found naturally in the human body that are involved in ECM remodeling particularly during wound healing. GHK is a fragment of the alpha 2 chain of type I collagen while GQPR is a fragment of immunoglobin G. By linking each of these peptides to a palmitoyl group (and hence the pal-), these peptides become lipophilic. In other words, being lipophilic, they can cross the stratum corneum, the waterproof outer layer of the skin barrier, and can be absorbed into the deeper layers of the skin where they have their action.

GHK was first isolated from human plasma in 1973 (Pickart and Thaler 1973) and its wound repair properties were first observed in 1985 by Maquart and colleagues who found GHK was a potent activator of ECM synthesis and remodeling (Maquart et al. 1999). GHK has been found since then to have multiple biological actions improving tissue repair in skin, lung connective tissue, boney tissue, liver, and stomach lining. It has a wide range of effects on gene expression (Pickart and Margolina 2018). When damage activates proteolytic enzymes, GHK is released into the site of injury. GHK can stimulate skin dermal fibroblasts to produce growth factors and increase collagen synthesis and epidermal basal cells increasing integrins and p63 expression (Pickart and Margolina 2018, Lintner 2002).

GHK content is highest in the young with plasma levels at about ~200ng/ml at age 20 which declines to ~80ng/ml at age 60. This natural decline with aging may in part explain why adding peptides back to the skin can reverse signs of aging. GHK has been used in anti-aging and cosmetic products in humans for decades without any adverse effects and so has an established safety record (Pickart and Margolina 2018). Even without co-formulation with pal-GQPR, pal-GHK can increase collagen and GAG synthesis as well as improve collagen repair (Sederma Matrixyl 3000).

There is some misinformation on the web that states signal peptides such as GHK that are involved in wound healing have negative effects such as increasing inflammation because they mimic wounds. This is untrue as GHK has proven anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity. GHK has anti-inflammatory benefits by reducing TNF-alpha induced secretion of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 in dermal fibroblasts, and GHK is an efficient antioxidant, inactivating damaging free radical by-products of lipid peroxidation (Pickart et al. 2015, Pickart and Margolina 2018).

Pal-GQPR has also been studied and used separately from pal-GHK for many years in both skin and eye creams. GQPR is a fragment of immunoglobin G which is immunomodulatory. As skin ages, there is an increase in inflammatory cytokine IL-6, which may contribute to chronic inflammation in the aging process. The putative mechanism by which Pal-GQPR works is by reducing IL-6 secretion by keratinocytes. However, like GHK, GQPR changes the expression of multiple genes and so it has a broad effect on fibroblast activity that goes beyond anti-inflammatory action. Studies by Sederma show that pal-GQPR and pal-GHK activate complementary genes explaining the synergy between the two peptides (Sederma Matrixyl 3000).

Neurotransmitter inhibiting peptides are sometimes informally called “botox-like” or a botox alternative, though this descriptor is disliked by dermatologists. Nonetheless, the principles behind these peptides are similar to that of botox in that they aim to act on the cholinergic neuromuscular junction to inhibit muscle activity and in this manner, limit wrinkle formation. For neurotransmitter acetylcholine to be released, a reaction cascade mediated by SNAP receptor proteins and SNARE complex formation is necessary. SNAP-25 specifically is targeted by both botulinum neurotoxin type A (botox) and the peptide included here, ArgirelineR. ArgirelineR competes with the SNARE complex by mimicking the N terminal end of SNAP-25 – hence preventing formation of the SNARE protein complex and inhibiting acetylcholine release and subsequent muscle contraction (Lipotec Argireline).

Argireline (also known as acetyl hexapeptide-8 or acetyl hexapeptide-3) has been shown to have an anti-wrinkle effect (Blanes-Mira et al. 2002, Draelos et al 2016). It has lower efficacy than botox itself but is a safe, non-toxic alternative (Blanes-Mira et al. 2002). Published clinical studies show its anti-wrinkle efficacy whether formulated alone (Blanes-Mira et al. 2002, Tadini et al. 2015) or in a mix of peptides (Draelos et al. 2016, Errante et al. 2020). Interestingly, a double-blind study using topical Argireline cream in patients receiving botox treatment for blepharospasm saw an extension of botox benefits to symptom control when using the cream, suggesting topical Argireline can also increase the length of botox benefits (Lungu et al. 2013). Clinical studies conducted by the manufacturer also demonstrate reduced eye wrinkle depth and volume with usage of Argireline creams (Lipotec Argireline).

Carrier peptides are believed to improve wrinkling and skin elasticity by delivering trace elements such as copper and manganese that can function as cofactors necessary for collagen and elastin production (Errante et al. 2020). In this class, the clear standout is Cu-GHK also known as copper tripeptide-1, which is by far the best studied and most established carrier peptide.

Dr. Loren Pickart in 1973 was the first to propose that signal peptide GHK could act as a carrier for copper, as GHK could complex with Cu(II) spontaneously. Cu-GHK is naturally released during wound healing to support healing after damage. Cu-GHK proposed function is as an activator of tissue remodeling. Specifically, it supports breakdown of scar tissue and promotes collagen synthesis, elastin, proteoglycan and GAG production as well as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses (Gorouhi and Maibach 2009).

Cu-GHK may serve as a natural built-in modulator of dermal repair. However, the levels decrease with age and youthful behavior of cells is restored when it is added back in. Serine proteases from bacteria can also break Cu-GHK down and so overwhelming these proteases with peptides can help overcome them. Further, Cu-GHK can cross the stratum corneum in sufficient quantities (Pickart et al. 2015).

Cu-GHK is a well-studied peptide including in vitro studies and several clinical trials with direct comparisons to control vehicles, other peptides, Vitamin C and retinoids. In in-vitro studies, even very small concentrations of Cu-GHK were found to stimulate increases in collagen and elastin and increase tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMP) which inhibit collagen and elastin breakdown by metalloproteinases (MMPs) (Badenhorst et al. 2016). Furthermore, in a clinical study, application of a cream with GHK-Cu significantly reduced wrinkle volume by 55.8% more than a vehicle alone after 8 weeks in 40-65 yo women (Badenhorst et al. 2016).

In a head-to-head comparison study with tretinoin, Vitamin C, melatonin, and Cu-GHK though no significant differences were found due to only ten subjects being enrolled, increased pro-collagen synthesis was found for 4/10, 5/10, 5/10, and 7/10 of patients respectively suggesting more patients responded to Cu-GHK than other collagen increasing compounds (Abdulghani et al 1998). In another double-blind comparison with 0.075% retinol, compatible improvements were found in wrinkling and overall photodamage with Cu-GHK cream, and significantly greater improvements for both compared to placebo (Leydon et al. 2002).

Enzyme inhibitor peptides directly or indirectly suppress enzymes that breakdown collagen, elastin, GAGs and other ECM components, and specifically, inhibit matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). These include rice and soybean peptides which can inhibit serine proteases such as MMPs (Schagen 2017, Ferreira 2020). Rice peptides inhibit MMP activity and stimulate hyaluronan synthase (hyaluronic acid is a GAG) as well as having anti-tyrosinase activity for hyperpigmentation (Schagen 2017). Rice oligos with Vitamin C in ampoules have also been tested in humans with positive findings (Escobar et al. 2020). The added benefit of rice peptides is that they are natural humectants that can help keep skin hydrated (Purnawati et al. 2017).