NIOD's New Skincare Formula Is One Of Its Most Impressive (& Scientific) Yet

NIOD's tagline isn't "skin care for the hyper-educated" for nothing. Scroll the product page of NIOD's new CAIL 1%, and you'll encounter words you may've not read since chemistry class. The $90 formula doesn't hold back, either: It details how each key ingredient comes together, what it does, and why it's there, from the namesake copper peptides to Dihydrodiisoeugenol Complex. (Yes, that's spelled correctly.)

"Copper Amino Isolate Lipid (CAIL) 1% is a highly advanced formula that is designed to improve the appearance of skin firmness and volume redefinition, while promoting an overall plumping effect," DECIEM, NIOD's parent company, tells The Zoe Report over email. Simply put, the formula encourages collagen, lipids, and fats, specifically targeting your jawline, cheeks, and neck.

And OK, that's easy enough to understand — but this is where things get a tad complicated. CAIL 1% is inspired by NIOD's Copper Amino Isolate Serum (otherwise known as CAIS 2:1), one step in what the brand calls its "core regimen" of products. "Encompassing all the benefits of CAIS 2:1, CAIL 1% possesses the additional benefits of building and enhancing skin barrier function, elasticity, and integrity via lipophilic pathways with the inclusion of Palmitoyl-GHK-Cu, Zizanoic Vetiver, patented Dihydrodiisoeugenol Complex, Aphanizomenon Aquaflo, and plant-derived squalane," DECIEM continues.

Luckily, those ingredients are much less confusing than they first seem. You may already be using plant-based squalane in your very own skincare routine — it's a trendy hydrator that aids your skin's moisture barrier. Even the most head-turning ingredients — Tripeptide-1 (Palmitoyl) Copper (or Palmitoyl-GHK-Cu) and Dihydrodiisoeugenol Complex — play an understandable role: The first mimics the peptides naturally found in your skin, while the latter zeroes in on your skin's firmness and elasticity.

"In general, healthy-looking skin maintains a careful balance of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), extracellular proteins such as collagen and elastin, and epidermal surface lipids, corneocytes, adipocytes, and sebocytes," DECIEM further explained in an Instagram post following the skincare product's launch. "CAIL 1% is designed with a highly focused effort to target all of the aforementioned skin components in order to improve volume and resilience by elevating the skin to optimal conditions."

If that sounds like just the thing your skincare routine is missing, keep on reading. NIOD's new CAIL 1% — available on the brand's website — is ahead.