Deciem loves a big product reveal. True to form CAIL, aka Copper Amino Isolate Lipid 1%, was sneaked on Instagram with pics of a juicy looking blue gel. As standard, all us skincare fanatics were super excited and couldn’t wait to part with our cash. CAIL could be described as the older sister of CAIS 2:1. Copper Amino Isolate Serum has been around for a while and has a strong following. We’re not sure what exactly copper peptides do, but we know we like them, so a new copper product is most welcome.

NIOD is famous for it’s esoteric claims (link for the difference between NIOD and TO) and fresh from the lab ingredients, cue much confusion in the buying public, CAIL fits right in. Here, I’m going to help you figure out if you want to drop £70 on a tiny tube of CAIL and if you do how to fit it into your routine. 

What is CAIL?

Deciem describe CAIL’s function as-

CAIL 1% is designed with a highly focused effort to target glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), extracellular proteins such as collagen and elastin, and epidermal surface lipids, corneocytes, adipocytes, and sebocytes, improving volume and resilience by elevating the skin to optimal conditions.

So they’re in effect saying it can act on all cells and layers of the skin and skin supporting tissues, so your face will be living it’s best life, woohoo! CAIL is £70 for 15mls so pretty pricey. I calculated that works out at around 52p per face application if you’re very careful with it. One tube should last around 2-3 months if you use it every night. I did some calculations- if a pea is 6mm across, it’s volume is 0.113mls, which equates to 132 applications. 0.113mls is a very tiny amount, so you have to be really stingy with dispensing it.

Let’s take a look at the ingredients-

Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Aqua (Water), Glycerin, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Glycolipids, Sucrose Laurate, Propanediol, Tripeptide-1 (Palmitoyl) Copper, Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Propylmethylmethoxybenzofuran, Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Extract, Aphanizomenon Flos-aquae Extract, Sucrose Stearate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Phenoxyethanol.

The Moisturising Ingredients of CAIL

Squalane– The saturated hydrocarbon we know and love. It is derived from olives and feels the same as an oil. Different to most plant oils is squalane’s ability to withstand oxidation (so it won’t go off). Also has antioxidant and anti microbial properties.

Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides–  These are fatty acids that allow the product to spread and help provide a barrier for water loss.

Glycerin– A humectant and part of the skin’s own moisture barrier.

Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate– A hydrator/moisturising compound.

Glycolipids– A molecule commonly found in the human body. Glycolipids are excellent moisturisers as they have the ability to trap both water and oil.

Sucrose Laurate– This is for hydration and emulsification. Emulsification is necessary in a product like this that contains both water and oil.

Propanediol– This helps ingredients dissolve and serves as a moisturiser.

Sucrose Stearate– A hydrating emollient.

So far, CAIL sounds like a lovely moisturiser with a nice mix of hydrators and emoillients.

Active Ingredients

1% Tripeptide-1 (Palmitoyl) Copper– This is a modified version of Copper Tripeptide-1 aka GHK-Cu, the active ingredient in NIOD’s famous CAIS. They have added a palmitoyl group so that it dissolves in oil. This should help the active absorb through the layers of skin. I fell down a hole reading studies about peptides and how they what they do. I could bore you for hours. I’ll sum it up though- copper is used by skin cells to repair itself. The peptide part of the molecule transports the copper into the skin. Copper tripeptide aka GHK-Cu is also believed to increase collagen, reduce collagen breakdown and increase elastin, glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans (the stuff that gives skin it’s bounce), healing, also reduces inflammation and acts as an antioxidant. GHK-Cu is produced naturally in skin but as we age we lose our ability to do so. Pretty exciting as anti aging ingredients go. 

A lot of the research done on Cu-GHK was done by a guy named Loren Pickart, who has a line of skincare based on copper peptides called Skin Biology. So this makes a lot of the research rather biased. At least there is some research about this ingredient.

Zizanoic Vetiver– I can find no information about this apart from what Deciem have to say- “Zizanoic Vetiver promotes the improved appearance of skin volume redefinition and firmness while promoting an overall plumping effect”. This is a pretty big claim and pretty much what we’re aiming for when we do fillers. I can’t find any studies, so how Deciem know what this stuff does is a mystery. Hopefully they will reveal their wisdom, because they have sort of downplayed the copper peptide and there’s quite a bit of research about that one. What I do know is that Vetiver, aside from smelling nice, contains cool chemicals called sesquiterpenes. Terpenes and sesquiterpenes are beneficial molecules found in various plant oils, it is unknown how much effect they have when applied to the skin.

Hydroxymethoxyphenyl Propylmethylmethoxybenzofuran– Well if that’s not a mouthful I don’t know what is. Whatever it’s called, it’s also known as Sym3D- a lip plumping ingredient. I have no idea about this one, I can’t see any research. 

Aphanizomenon Flos-aquae Extract– Aka Klamin, A blue algae extract with promising qualities in vitro (which means in the lab, not on actual faces). It is meant to reduce wrinkles, environmental damage, and inflammation. 

As is the way with NIOD, CAIL has some pretty avant garde ingredients that have very little scientific evidence to their names. The copper tripeptide does show promise and is known to be effective in aiding wound healing. There have been studies on rats showing that copper tripeptide is capable of inducing collagen and elastic formation and prevent it’s breakdown. The other ingredients, I don’t know where NIOD is getting their info on these, probably the manufacturer.

What is CAIL Like?

It comes in a metal tube much like other NIOD products. There is an issue with packaging I think, NIOD either comes in a tube or a jar. Jars aren’t great because they let air in, leading to degradation if the product and contamination. Metal tubes are problematic because it’s difficult to get the product out. There are also reports of air bubbles forcing large blobs of product out, which is not ideal when a product costs nearly £5 a gram.

The actual product is an azure blue gel. You only need a pea sized amount according to Deciem, I’m tending to lean petit pois as opposed to marrowfat. I take my petit pois of CAIL and dot it around my face to evenly distribute, paying particular attention to my under eye where I’m crinkliest. It feels really lovely, the gelness dissolves to an oil like texture with the warmth of my fingers. I can’t detect any scent as such. CAIL takes a while to absorb and it leaves the skin feeling well hydrated and moisturised. It spreads really well, you really don’t need much.

Results

In terms of what happens to the skin when using CAIL, I’m pleased to report that it’s good, really good. This might be in my imagination, but I think I can tell whether my skin likes something the minute I put it on and this really does give me a good skin feeling from the word go.

The morning after I apply CAIL my skin feels hydrated and looks plump, even and glowy. I will need to use it for much longer than I have been to fully asses it’s ability to “improve volume” but certainly appears to be doing me favours in that department. I popped some CAIL on a nasty chin spot that I had bothered, the sort that stays around town for ages, and blow me down, the next day it had dried up and started healing.

CAIL 1% VS CAIS 2:1

In comparison, CAIL has a lot more body and substance to it, whereas CAIS is very peptide focused with a water feel. Cost wise, CAIL is a lot more expensive than CAIS £70 vs £38 but it’s a complete skincare routine in a tube. The lipid has so much more to give, like that chewing gum Willy Wonka gave to Violet Beauregarde, it’s a one step routine. It functions as an active, a moisturiser and an occlusive.

Strength wise CAIS has 1% copper tripeptide and 1% plain tripeptide plus other peptides, so the serum is stronger than the lipid in terms of peptides. CAIS relies on the peptides to do their good work and must be used with other things with best effect, whereas CAIL can stand alone.

How to Put CAIL into a Routine

One of the controversies of this product, as well as the price and the packaging is the fact that Deciem recommends that it should be used alone. With no acids or retinoids or anything. So I guess it’s easy to put it into a routine, you just take everything else out.

For some of us the simplicity will be a blessing but, realistically if you’re into skincare using only one product is going to feel jarring. It’s not like people who have gone through the trouble of getting themselves used to tretinoin aren’t likely to just drop it. The other issue with only using CAIL is that it isn’t going to effective for all skin conditions like melasma and acne so it might be worth the fine tuning necessary to include everything your skin needs.

Deciem recommend using CAIL at night, I can see no reason for not using it in the day, personally. You can, therefore, pop your other actives at the other end of the day. E.g. you could have CAIL in the morning and tretinoin in the evening. If alpha hydroxy acids are your thing then FYI acids can go in the morning routine. Alpha hydroxy acids like glycolic do sensitise to the sun for sure, but that is an ongoing effect. You need to use sunscreen whether you use AHAs in the evening or the morning.

According to Deciem (I messaged them and asked for clarification on this) you can use copper peptides with the vitamin C derivatives, Arbutin and Niacinamide. I don’t know about you but I quite like the simplicity of a one product routine. Maybe just one hydrator. A little drop of niacinamide perhaps. Keeping it simple around the copper peptide is the safest way to go, to maximise effect.

Here is a handy graphic of all the things peptides do and don’t get on with-

From my point of view, I think it’s fine to use CAIL after a plain hydrating toner. So that your skin is well hydrated to allow the lipid to spread evenly and the peptide to absorb. (Nice toners for this purpose- Hada Labo, Klairs, Benton). I’ve been alternating CAIL nightly with tretinoin and this seems to be working fine. You could use CAIL as a fallback option, so if your skin is feeling fragile or dry from retinoids and acids you can take a copper peptide break to get things back on track.

Another option could be to add another skincare session if you’re really feeling the need to get it all on there. Like cleanse, exfoliate with an acid, leave it a couple of hours, then CAIL. I did a little experiment to see how long it took for my skin pH to return to normal after using Glycolic Acid Toner by The Ordinary-

It actually takes quite a while for the pH to come up to normal. You will certainly want to separate the copper peptides from the acids, retinoids and anti oxidants by more than an hour. Even if they just might spoil those expensive peptide molecule, it’s not worth the hypothetical risk when you’ve splashed £70 on the stuff. Copper peptides are known to breakdown easily in acidic pHs, they’re sensitive little souls.

In Summary

• Copper peptides are sensitive, it’s best to separate them from strong actives
• Try and put acne or melasma treatments in the morning and CAIL in the evening, or vice versa
• Use after a bland hydrator to help absorbtion
• Alternate with tretinoin (which definitely needs to be used at night)(acids can be used in the morning- goes without saying- ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN)

Who Should Use CAIL

Everyone can use it. I would describe CAIL as a rich anti aging treatment balm that has the ability to speed up healing. The list of people who might like CAIL-

• People with money (it’s expensive)
• People with acne (because of the healing powers of copper)
• People who are getting older (so that’s everyone really but I wouldn’t imagine that realistically those under 30 will see the anti aging benefits)
• People who are time pressed (if you want a one step routine, this is your guy)

CAIL is a fab product and I’m hooked, definitely going to reorder. It’s available from Deciem for £70 per 15mls. It’s only available from Deciem at the moment and none of the other retailers stock it. If it’s out of stock and you are feeling the need for the anti aging and healing powers of copper peptides then CAIS 2 is £60 for 30mls and Buffet plus 1% Copper Peptides is £28.90 from Deciem.

Hopefully I have helped your decision making. If you need more support there’s the Ordinary Facebook Group and the Skincare with Friends Group. There is also a podcast that goes with this post, search Skincare with Friends in your preferred podcast provider (The links in this post are affiliate which means I get a tiny bit of money if you click and spend- think of it as a cheers to me for writing this).

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