Copper peptides turning my skin slightly green-blue, anyone else?

Posted by casey613 in Safety & Side Effects - 5 points, 8 comments.

So I started using a GHK-Cu serum about three weeks in, once in the morning and once at night, and around day 10 I noticed a faint greyish tint along my jawline and the side of my nose, almost like a bruise that never goes away. Thought I was imagining it lah but my partner pointed it out and now I cannot unsee it.

I have been applying maybe 2 percent concentration, standard routine, nothing crazy. I read that overuse or layering it under occlusion can cause that green-blue copper buildup in the skin, but I am not even doing that. Just two thin layers on dry skin, no other actives in the AM.

Has anyone here dealt with this before? Did it fade after stopping, or did you have to wait it out? I am considering dropping to once daily and making sure I am not mixing it with anything acidic that could be driving the reaction. Also curious if topical vitamin C or a niacinamide serum changes anything when used in the same routine. Steady with the responses, just want to know what worked for others before I mess with the schedule.

Comments

• grinder265: Ngl that grey tint sounds like classic copper deposition, ive seen it pop up more when people use it twice daily long term at 2%. The molecules just sit in the stratum corneum and oxidize. Dropping to once daily at night is probably your best first move, and yeah id skip vitamin C in the same routine since the pH shift can mess with how the copper complexes sit in the skin. Niacinamide is usually fine to layer though. In my own experience it faded within a couple weeks of cutting back, no lasti
• quiet_ironman: Yeah that tracks for me too, mine faded once I dropped to once a day at night and stopped layering anything acidic under it, took maybe 10 days to fully clear. I usually run it for about 6 weeks on, then a few weeks off, just to give my skin a break. If it sticks around after cutting back though probably worth checking with a derm just to rule out anything else going on 🔬
• runner_aaron: Yeah sounds about right tbh. I got a similar grey tint around week 2 when I was running it twice daily and layering it under moisturiser. Cut back to once at night on bare skin and it cleared in like 10 days. How long you planning to stay on it total?
• casey613: Steady, that is reassuring to hear it cleared up for you. I was thinking maybe three more weeks at once daily then reassess, but if it still looks off by week 6 I will probably pull it entirely. Did you keep the same concentration or drop it down as well when you cut back?
• casey613: Good to hear yours cleared up, mine is still hanging around on the jawline even after cutting back to once at night. Did you also stop your vitamin C in the AM around the same time, or were you already not using one? Wondering if that was a bigger driver than I thought.
• casey613: Appreciate that, sounds about right based on what I read. I was planning to run it for another 4 weeks or until the area calms down, then reassess whether to keep it at once daily or stop altogether. Did yours fully clear up or did you end up with any faint patchiness left behind?
• tiredmira: That is actually my main worry right now, whether it clears fully or leaves any residual patchiness. Mine is still kinda fading after I stopped, it has been like 2 weeks off and the jawline area is basically back to normal but the side of my nose still has a very faint grey tint if I look hard 😅. Going to give it another month before I decide if I try again at a lower frequency.
• casey613: Two weeks off and the jawline already cleared, that is actually reassuring to hear. Mine is only day 10 so I figured I am in for a longer haul. I will probably drop to once daily for now and see if it settles, then maybe try again later at a lower frequency like you mentioned. Did you find anything that sped up the fading, or was it just patience?

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.