Cosmetic / healing
Prepared by the ezGLP team. Sources last checked . Profile reviewed .
Also known as Copper peptide
Routes represented in the knowledgebase: Subcutaneous (SubQ).
GHK-Cu is listed in the ezGLP knowledgebase under Cosmetic / healing. Evidence and regulatory status can vary by formulation, route, and jurisdiction.
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine. GHK occurs naturally in human plasma, saliva, and urine, and its concentration in plasma declines with age. It was identified in 1973 by Loren Pickart as a plasma factor that altered the behavior of aged liver tissue in culture. It is classed as a signaling or matrix-remodeling peptide rather than a hormone. In cell and animal work it binds copper with high affinity, stimulates collagen, glycosaminoglycan, and decorin synthesis by fibroblasts, modulates matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, attracts immune and endothelial cells to wounds, and shifts expression of a large number of genes in microarray analyses.
The evidence is mostly in vitro, animal, and cosmetic. Rat wound studies in the 1990s reported increased collagen and matrix accumulation around GHK-Cu-treated implants and faster closure of experimental wounds. Gene-expression analyses by Pickart and colleagues, published in 2018, found GHK altered thousands of human genes in database screens, which is hypothesis-generating rather than clinical evidence. Human data consist of small, mostly industry-sponsored studies of topical creams reporting improved skin firmness, wrinkle depth, and photodamage in older women, along with hair-growth observations. No controlled human trial of injected GHK-Cu has been published, and much of the literature comes from the peptide's original discoverer.
GHK-Cu is legal and widely sold as a cosmetic ingredient in creams and serums, where it is regulated as a cosmetic rather than a drug in most jurisdictions. Injectable GHK-Cu has no approval anywhere. In 2023 the FDA placed GHK-Cu for injectable routes on its list of bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks when compounded, citing immunogenicity, aggregation, peptide-related impurities, and limited human data, which excludes it from routine compounding under section 503A. Injectable products are therefore research-grade material or unapproved compounded preparations. GHK-Cu is not named on the WADA Prohibited List, although the S0 category applies to non-approved substances generally.
For injection, GHK-Cu is supplied as a blue lyophilized powder in a vial and reconstituted before subcutaneous use; the color comes from the copper complex and fading can indicate copper loss or degradation. No human pharmacokinetic study exists, so the library carries no half-life estimate and storage or beyond-use time follow the product or pharmacy label. Topical products follow their cosmetic labeling. A dose log for injected GHK-Cu commonly records vial lot, reconstitution date, concentration, injection site, and any local reaction, since injection-site irritation is the most commonly described effect. An inventory record tied to lot numbers matters because identity, copper content, and purity of research-grade material are not verified.
No verified PubMed or DOI link is available for this entry.
Serious or important: potential immunogenicity, aggregation, impurity, or product-quality risks.
A dependable route-specific human interaction and side-effect profile is not established; this is not evidence of no risk.
Safety evidence sourceThese are general, pairwise evidence notes. Green identifies the potential-synergy category, while Lv3/Lv2/Lv1 communicates evidence strength; it does not guarantee benefit or cancel a safety warning.
The pair is proposed as complementary from separate preclinical findings involving tendon repair, angiogenic signaling, collagen, and extracellular-matrix accumulation.
Interaction evidence sourceGHK-Cu wound studyFDA peptide safety overviewThe pair is proposed as complementary from separate evidence involving thymosin-beta-4-related cell migration and GHK-Cu-associated matrix accumulation.
Interaction evidence sourceGHK-Cu wound studyFDA TB-500 assessmentThe pair is proposed as complementary from separate preclinical findings involving extracellular-matrix deposition and reduced inflammatory signaling.
Interaction evidence sourceKPV preclinical studyFDA KPV assessmentYes. The copper peptide in cosmetic serums and creams is GHK-Cu, the copper complex of glycyl-histidyl-lysine, usually at low concentrations. The topical products are regulated as cosmetics and supported by small studies of skin appearance. Injectable GHK-Cu is a separate, unapproved product using the same molecule at far higher exposure, and evidence from topical use does not transfer to injection.
No. GHK-Cu has no drug approval for any route. As a cosmetic ingredient it does not require approval. For injection, the FDA listed it in 2023 among bulk substances that may present significant safety risks when compounded, noting limited human safety data and immunogenicity concerns. That removes injectable GHK-Cu from routine pharmacy compounding, so injectable products sold in the United States are unapproved.
In rat models from the 1990s, GHK-Cu increased collagen and glycosaminoglycan accumulation in wound chambers and accelerated closure of experimental wounds. Proposed mechanisms include copper delivery to enzymes such as lysyl oxidase, stimulation of fibroblast matrix synthesis, regulation of metalloproteinases, and recruitment of repair cells. Human wound-healing evidence is limited to small topical studies, and injected GHK-Cu has not been tested in a controlled human trial.
No controlled human trial of injected GHK-Cu has been published. Human data are confined to topical cosmetic studies, several of them industry-funded, measuring skin firmness, wrinkles, and photodamage in older adults. The FDA's 2023 safety assessment for the injectable route noted limited data in humans to inform safety. Claims about systemic effects rest on cell-culture gene-expression screens and animal work.
Summarised from published literature for reference only, with citations to the source. Evidence is graded as reported and is not a recommendation to combine, dose, or use any compound.
For personal tracking and education only. Not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and not a medical device. Peptides may be prescription-only or unapproved where you live. Consult a licensed healthcare professional.
