Beauty, minus the wishful thinking
The glow is real. So is the science behind it.
Copper peptides, hair-growth actives, the famous glow stack — we test the products, read the studies, and tell you what earns a place on your shelf.
peptides, decoded
growth, tested
the stack, explained
Opening the journal
Review standard: 6 weeks on real skin · evidence checked
Skin boosters (P-024) — Sunekos (10-12 row 25)
Sunekos: Hyaluronic Acid Plus Amino Acids, Four Unreported Trials and One Name in PubMed
Sunekos is an Italian injectable of hyaluronic acid and free amino acids sold as a skin booster. Its maker cites a cell study and a small open trial; four registered trials posted no results; PubMed names the brand once. Here is what is in it and what has been measured.
Collagen stimulators (P-027) — Sculptra under eyes and temples (10-12 row 17)
Sculptra Under the Eyes and in the Temples: What the FDA Label Says, and What the Studies Add
Sculptra's US label says injection around the eyes 'has not been studied' and lists blindness after temple and periorbital injection among post-market reports. Here is the label text, the 32 published papers on poly-L-lactic acid near the eye, and the temple trial.
Collagen stimulators (P-027) — Sculptra neck, chest and hands (10-12 row 18)
Sculptra on the Neck, Chest and Hands: Off-Label Sites and the Studies Behind Them
Sculptra's FDA approvals cover the face only. On the neck, the chest and the backs of the hands it is used off-label. Here is what the label covers, which body sites have published studies, how large they are, and who paid for them.
Lash and brow — eyebrow growth serum (10-12 row 15, brow axis)
Eyebrow Growth Serums: The One Large Brow Trial, Its 43% Placebo Response, and the Missing Peptide Studies
Brow serums sell on lash science. The largest eyebrow trial ever run — 357 people, bimatoprost against a plain vehicle — found real growth and a 43% response on the vehicle. No peptide brow serum has a published trial. Here is the brow record, study by study.
Collagen stimulators (P-027) — Ellansé (10-12 row 16)
Ellansé: The Polycaprolactone Filler, Its US Trial Against Radiesse, and What 21 Papers Report
Ellansé is a polycaprolactone microsphere filler sold outside the US since 2009. Its maker is now running a US split-face trial against Radiesse. Here is what is in the syringe, where it is approved, what the trials measured and what the harm reports describe.
Collagen stimulators (P-027) — Sculptra side effects (10-12 row 6)
Sculptra Side Effects: Nodules, Papules and What Has Been Reported Since 2023
Sculptra side effects as the trials and FDA's device reports record them: how often lumps appeared over five years, what reports since the 2023 cheek approval describe, and what the record cannot tell anyone.