What peptide percentages on serum labels actually tell you
Learn the difference between a peptide, a commercial blend and a finished serum, with examples and a clearly hypothetical concentration calculation.
Label-reading and arithmetic explainer. Examples of brand disclosures are not independent concentration measurements.
Updated . Source consultation dates are listed below.
The short answer
A percentage is useful only when you know what it measures. It may describe a named solution or commercial ingredient system rather than pure peptide. Compare disclosures on the same basis; when individual amounts are not given, mark them as unknown instead of ranking products by the largest number.[1][2]
At a glance
On narrow screens, scroll within the table to read all columns.
| Statement | What is recorded | What remains unknown |
|---|---|---|
| A percentage of a named commercial system[3][1] | The brand’s stated amount for that system. | The separate pure amount of each peptide, unless explicitly disclosed. |
| 10% in a product name[4][5] | The exact wording of the named product. | A separately measured 10% of every listed peptide. |
| A peptide appears in the INCI[4][6] | The manufacturer lists that ingredient. | Its exact concentration if no individual amount is disclosed. |
Three layers: peptide, ingredient system, serum
A peptide is one named ingredient. A commercial system can combine that ingredient with water, glycerin or other components. A serum is the complete formula that uses ingredients and systems. Croda’s supplier listings make this distinction visible: their INCI lists contain more than the peptide names. A percentage at one layer does not automatically describe the amount at another layer.[1][2]
Ask what the number refers to
Read the full product name and the brand’s explanation together. Look for wording such as solution, complex or blend. Then ask whether an individual peptide amount is disclosed, whether the percentage refers to a finished formula, and whether the same basis is used by the other product. If the page does not answer those questions, record the uncertainty. Ingredient presence is still a useful fact; its amount may remain unknown.[5][4][3]
A hypothetical example: 5% of a blend is not 5% pure peptide
Illustrative arithmetic only, not a disclosure about any product: suppose a serum contains 5% of a blend, and that blend contains 2% of one peptide. If both percentages use the same mass basis, the peptide would be 0.05 × 0.02 = 0.001 of the serum, or 0.1%. The numbers here are invented solely to explain the calculation. Do not use this example to estimate an undisclosed amount in a real serum.
How this applies to the products we record
Power Peptides discloses percentages for named commercial systems. Matrixyl 10% + HA and Argireline Solution 10% include numbers in their product names. Our records preserve these disclosures without turning them into separately assayed pure-peptide amounts. These are different pieces of information; comparing the largest printed numbers would ignore their meaning. Consult the original page and your purchased package for current details.[3][4][5]
Separate quantity, cost and expected results
A verified price and exact bottle volume let us calculate cost per mL. That is an arithmetic comparison of cost, not an effectiveness test. An undisclosed peptide amount cannot be reconstructed from the bottle price or from another product’s percentage. Use our table to inspect dates and missing values, then follow the manufacturer’s current directions rather than using a percentage as personalized advice.[6][4][5]
A study is about a specific treatment, not a headline number
Wang and colleagues studied Argireline versus placebo in 60 Chinese participants over four weeks and reported improvements in eye-area wrinkle measures. This is ingredient research with a defined setting; the abstract does not identify our catalog products as the tested treatment. It cannot validate the concentration or results of every serum using a related name.[7]
Common questions
Does a bigger percentage mean a stronger serum?
Not from these labels alone. First check what each percentage measures. Even comparable concentrations would not be an independent test of two complete formulas.[4][5][3]
Can I calculate pure-peptide content from an undisclosed blend?
No. The worked example requires both the blend amount and its internal peptide amount on the same basis. If either value is unknown, the calculation cannot establish the actual concentration.[1][2]
Does an unknown amount mean the product is bad?
No. It means this catalog cannot compare that amount reliably. The label fact and its limitation should both remain visible, without inventing a positive or negative product score.[6][4]
Your label-reading checklist
Editorial guidance- Identify what each percentage describes before comparing numbers.
- Do not fill missing concentrations with estimates from price or ingredient names.
- Compare dated unit costs separately from ingredient evidence and product claims.
Apply this to a real comparison
- The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA vs. Copper Peptides · Editorial draft
- The Ordinary Matrixyl vs. Multi-Peptide + HA · Editorial draft
- The Ordinary Argireline vs. Multi-Peptide + HA · Editorial draft
- Geek & Gorgeous Power Peptides vs. The Ordinary Multi-Peptide + HA · Editorial draft
Product labels used in this guide
Compare your own prices per mLSources and their limits
Supplier and manufacturer references establish label facts. Academic references, where included, are identified separately with their scope. No source here establishes a winner between our finished serums.
- Supplier informationMatrixyl 3000: supplier description and ingredient names
Evidence and limitations for reference 1
- What this supports here
- Identifies the peptide names and other components in the supplier’s Matrixyl 3000 system.
- What it cannot establish
- Commercial supplier information. It does not identify the grade or amount in every serum and is not an independent comparison of finished products.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- Published by the ingredient supplier.
- What we inspected
- Public supplier page
- Supplier informationMatrixyl synthe’6 — supplier INCI and ingredient-system description
Evidence and limitations for reference 2
- What this supports here
- Identifies Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 alongside other components in the supplier system.
- What it cannot establish
- The system’s name and INCI do not establish the pure-peptide concentration in a finished serum or prove superiority over another formula.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- Published by the ingredient supplier.
- What we inspected
- Public supplier page
- Manufacturer labelPower Peptides — US manufacturer label and 30 mL offer
Evidence and limitations for reference 3
- What this supports here
- Supports the named commercial systems and their disclosed percentages in Power Peptides.
- What it cannot establish
- Commercial-system percentages do not establish the separate pure amount of each peptide or comparative product performance.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- Published by the seller and manufacturer.
- What we inspected
- Public US product page
- Manufacturer labelMatrixyl 10% + HA — US manufacturer label and 30 mL offer
Evidence and limitations for reference 4
- What this supports here
- Supports the product name, selected ingredient identities and brand disclosures used here.
- What it cannot establish
- A label and a headline percentage are not an independent assay or a comparative clinical trial.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- Published by the seller and manufacturer.
- What we inspected
- Public US product page
- Manufacturer labelArgireline Solution 10% — US manufacturer label and 30 mL offer
Evidence and limitations for reference 5
- What this supports here
- Supports the wording Argireline Solution 10% and the brand’s ingredient disclosure.
- What it cannot establish
- This product name is not evidence that the product is the formulation used in a particular academic study.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- Published by the seller and manufacturer.
- What we inspected
- Public US product page
- Manufacturer labelMulti-Peptide + HA Serum — US manufacturer label and 30 mL offer
Evidence and limitations for reference 6
- What this supports here
- Supports the selected ingredient names and identity of Multi-Peptide + HA.
- What it cannot establish
- The checked label does not supply a separate amount for every peptide or independent comparative outcomes.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- Published by the seller and manufacturer.
- What we inspected
- Public US product page
- Human ingredient study
Wang Y, Wang M, Xiao S, Pan P, Li P, Huo J. 2013. American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 14(2), 147–153.
The Anti-Wrinkle Efficacy of Argireline, a Synthetic Hexapeptide, in Chinese Subjects: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled StudyDOI: 10.1007/s40257-013-0009-9
Evidence and limitations for reference 7
- What was studied
- Randomized, placebo-controlled; 60 Chinese participants, 3:1 allocation, four weeks.
- What was reported
- The abstract reports improved eye-area wrinkle measures with Argireline relative to placebo.
- What this supports here
- An example of ingredient research with a defined population and duration, rather than a test of either compared copper serum.
- What it cannot establish
- Four weeks in one population. Neither CAIS3 nor The Ordinary’s copper serum is the tested product identified in the abstract. No product winner or long-term safety conclusion follows.
- Commercial context and disclosures
- The publisher reports no funding and no declared conflicts. These are author declarations, not an independent audit.
- What we inspected
- Publisher abstract and acknowledgments inspected; full methods behind subscription were not reviewed.
- Publication status check
- No correction or retraction notice was seen on the inspected publisher page. This is not a comprehensive integrity clearance.