Dr Jart+ Peptidin Serum: Skincare for People Who Don't Like Skincare

Thursday, August 30, 2018



In February of this year, I picked up Dr.Jart+ Peptidin Blue Energy Effect Serum mostly because of the ingredient list. Glancing over the very long list, quite a few ingredients really jumped out at me. In particular, I had been reading about copper peptides and the effect it had on skin health and noted that I had only one other GHK-Cu product - my Manyo Factory Lactobacillus Bifida Mist.






It also contained borage, which produces the blue flowers shown above. Borage is a great source of antioxidants. Full disclosure, the leaf pictured is comfrey not borage, but borage leaves don't lay flat nicely for photos. Whew. I felt like such a phony without disclosing that. 



Ingredients:

Aqua, Methylpropanediol, Glycerol 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Polyglycerin-3, Borago Officinalis Extract, Algae Extract, Eclipta Prostrata (False Daisy) Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta (Chinaberry) Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta (Chinaberry) Flower Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Pteris Multifida Extract, Cynara Scolymus (Artichoke) Leaf Extract, Coccinia Indica (Ivy Gourd) Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Flower Extract, Ocimum Sanctum (Tulsi) Leaf Extract, Nymphaea Alba (Water Lily) Flower Extract, Curcuma Longa (Tumeric) Root Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Centaurea Cyanus (Cornflower) Flower Water, Nymphaea caerulea Extract (Egyptian Lotus) Hydrogenated lecithin,Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Lavandula Angustifolia Oil, Cyclohexasiloxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate,VP Copolymer, Xantham Gum, Adenosine, Carbomer, Fructo-Oligosaccharides, β-Glucans, Edetate Disodium,Tromethamine, Polyquaternium-5,Butylene Glycol, Inositol, Propanediol, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Dipropylene glycol, Sodium Palmitoyl Proline, Cholesterol,Vitamin B12, Glycine, Dipalmitoyl hydroxyproline, Sodium Cocoyl Alaninate, Acetyl, Glutamine, Serine,Glutamic Acid, Aspartic acid, Leucine, Alanine, L-Lysine, Arginine, Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, Valine, Threonine, Proline, Isoleucine, Histidine, Methionine, Cysteine, Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, GHK-Cu Tripeptide, Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-3, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3, Hexapeptide-9, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylyl Glycol
I went in and put in parenthesis the layman's term for most plants.

In addition to borage extract, there's niacinamide and algae extract, two ingredients that my skin really likes. The niacinamide brightens and algae is wonderfully moisturizing. Peptidin contains a whole host of plant extracts, most of which I am not very familiar with. I was more interested in the peptides listed at the end, which are known to increase collagen production and improve skin health. With such an extensive list of plant components, I'm surprised that my skin didn't react poorly to this serum. Many of these plants I've never tried before/didn't even know they were utilized in skincare. 


The bottle is a bright royal blue, and one of the sturdiest I've encountered in skincare. It's just so solid. 40mL of product sits inside. The cap has a twist up button/dropper that dispenses the serum, a mechanism that I'm extremely fond of. 

The serum is a translucent, barely blue liquid that is neither sticky nor oily. The scent is faint, lightly herbal/floral selling.  It's pretty moisturizing on its own and I think it's a great candidate for someone who doesn't want to put on very many skincare products. If you already have a pretty well established routine with hydrating steps and skin nourishing ingredients, you're not likely to see much of a difference, in texture or tone. However, if at the end of the day all you want to do is wash your face, dab on a serum and maybe smear on a cream (we'll see) before bed instead of some long winded routine, this is for you. It's a good maintenance serum - if you're not looking to reduce acne, deep spots, wrinkles, etc but just want something hydrating and with components that address anti-aging, this would fit the bill.   

I don't know if I would repurchase this for myself because I'm down for a multi-step skincare routine, but I think this is the sort of thing that I would buy for my mom.

In the US, this is sold as Dr Jart+ Peptidin Firming Serum. It's $48 at Sephora.

This product doesn't seem to be widely released, especially not in the US. A lot of Dr Jart+ stockists don't seem to carry this yet. Your best bet is to buy it from SweetCorea ($21),  Amazon ($32), StyleKorean ($31) or eBay ($27).

Product featured was purchased by me. Post contains affiliate links. For additional information, please refer to my Disclosure Policy. 

A Comparison of Fluffy Round Blending Brushes

Friday, August 24, 2018

I pulled out my tapered fluffy brushes today and was surprised by just how many brushes of this shape I had. They are made from all sorts of different materials, come from different brands. Truthfully, I don't think I need this many brushes of this shape, size, and roundness.


Some Things I Like A Lot

Friday, August 17, 2018






What a long winded way to say "favorites"!

Just a collection of products that I've been using a lot lately.


G9Skin Pink Blur Eye Patches

Tuesday, August 14, 2018


Today's review is of patches made by G9 Skin, an offshoot of the Korean brand Berrisom. These Pink Blur Eye Patches boasted eight different berries and are also very sparkly pink.  I bought one tub of eye gels last year and liked them enough to repurchase at the beginning of this year, which I'm just now cracking open.


Travel the World: Hangzhou, China

Sunday, August 12, 2018

We went to China last summer and unfortunately my allergies were pretty severe and kept me from doing very much. One of the things that we did manage was a trip to Hangzhou, a few hours away from coastal Shanghai by train. It's a city famous for its scenery around West Lake, as well as pagodas and temples.

The Ordinary. Serum & Coverage Foundations

Friday, August 10, 2018

I've been sitting on this review of The Ordinary foundations for a while, managed to misplace the photos in the depths of my computer.  I ordered two foundations directly from Deciem at the beginning of the year, before the implosion of weirdness from the individual formerly known as the C.E.O. I still don't know what is going on there. 

Jung Saem Mool Liners: Comparisons

Monday, August 6, 2018


I purchased my first Jung Saem Mool products last year, like the Essential Star-Cealer Foundation (reviewed here). I was so pleased that I bought some more JSM goodies, including two liners. One is from the colorful High Tinted Eye Color Pencil variety, the other is from the Refining Edge Eye Pencil lineup, which features darker, more subdued colors. 

Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star 006 UltraViolet Blue

Saturday, August 4, 2018

Around my birthday, I treated myself to the Pat McGrath Labs Dark Star set that I had been ogling for months. I had spent some time trying to find a dupe for that vivid blurple with no success. The set was on sale, and on top of that there was a 20% off code. So while regularly $130, I snagged the set of seven products for $72 and tax.

Natasha Denona Mini Lila Palette: Swatches & Looks

Thursday, August 2, 2018


I'm a full blown Natasha Denona convert. I don't know how it happened (that's a lie, I kept buying more and more ND, it's not exactly a surprise) but I've ended up with 50 of her shadows, I'm a huge fan of the glittery and metallic shades. Two of the newest releases, Tropic and Mini Sunset had some really mixed reviews, so I skipped those. Since I'm currently crushing on purple, I was really drawn to the Mini Lila Palette and ordered it the day it was released on the Sephora website.

50 Words or Less: This Stuff Has Gotta Go

Wednesday, August 1, 2018


I'm having difficulties coming to grips with how it is already August, I truly never want this summer to end. Today's installment of 50 Words or Less is a collection of products that I need to destash. A lot of these products just broke me out, I get acne very easily from skincare.