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Tissue peptides

GHK-Cu (copper tripeptide-1)

Also known as GHK-Cu, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II), copper peptide, copper tripeptide-1

Preclinical onlyRoute-scoped. For the injectable route covered by the practice section, the tier is D_preclinical_only: no human injectable trial exists, no human dose-finding exists for any route, and a community protocol page states that GHK-Cu is not approved for injection in any jurisdiction. FDA lists injectable GHK-Cu among substances that may present significant safety risks. Topical cosmetic use would be C_human_limited, but human topical data are small, partly meeting-abstract only, and include null controlled trials.

Endogenous copper-binding tripeptide; investigational and cosmetic ingredient (no approved drug product)

Not FDA-approved. On FDA's 503A list (May 14, 2026): Category 1 for non-injectable routes only, under evaluation. Source, May 14, 2026

Identity. GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the natural tripeptide Gly-His-Lys. It is distinct from GHK without copper and from other copper peptides such as AHK-Cu and palmitoyl-GHK-Cu, which are used in cosmetics. The partner pharmacy lists a 50 mg GHK-Cu vial, presumed to be injectable lyophilized GHK-Cu. Its route, mg per vial, and mg basis were not confirmed. The pharmacy also lists GHK-Cu in a blend whose composition and route were not confirmed. Syringe 'units' are U-100 graduations (0.01 mL), not units of drug. The dose basis is mg of GHK-Cu complex as labeled, so follow the pharmacy label. About 16% of the complex mass is copper (calculated from the formula C14H22CuN6O4, about 402 Da).

At a glance

These dosages are a helpful guide, not a prescription. Every clinician is expected to do their own due diligence before prescribing.

  1. Typical

    0.4% topical cream; no better than placebo (venous ulcer trial)1

    Human study
Frequency
Twice daily (facial cream, women aged 50 to 59)2
Route
Topical (facial, eye, thigh cream)2
Course
12 weeks (facial and eye cream studies)2
Topical data only; no injectable human trial was found. FDA flags compounded injectable GHK-Cu for immunogenicity risk (aggregation, impurities).
Calculate this dose

Dosing detail

Human studies

Human study

  • Women with mild to advanced photoaging, GHK-Cu facial cream

    not stated in source not stated in source2

    Route
    topical (facial cream)
    Frequency
    not stated in source
    Duration
    12 weeks
    n
    71 women
    Design
    Placebo-controlled study as summarized in a secondary review; original reported only as a 2002 meeting abstract per Najafi 2026
    Source quote
    A GHK-Cu facial cream reduced visible signs of aging after 12 weeks of application to the facial skin of 71 women with mild to advanced signs of photoaging. The cream improved skin laxity, clarity, and appearance, reduced fine lines and the depth of wrinkles, and increased skin density and thickness

    Finding. Improved skin laxity, clarity, and appearance; reduced fine lines and wrinkle depth; increased skin density and thickness, as reported in a review.

  • Women with mild to advanced photodamage, GHK-Cu eye cream vs placebo vs vitamin K eye cream

    not stated in source not stated in source2

    Route
    topical (eye cream)
    Frequency
    not stated in source
    Duration
    12 weeks
    n
    41 women
    Design
    Controlled comparison as summarized in a secondary review; original reported only as a 2002 meeting abstract per Najafi 2026
    Source quote
    A GHK-Cu eye cream, tested on 41 women for twelve weeks with mild to advanced photodamage, was compared to a placebo control and an eye cream containing vitamin K. The GHK-Cu cream performed better than both controls

    Finding. GHK-Cu eye cream outperformed both controls on lines, wrinkles, overall appearance, skin density, and thickness, as reported in a review.

  • Women aged 50 to 59 with mild to advanced photodamage, GHK-Cu facial cream

    not stated in source not stated in source2

    Route
    topical (facial cream)
    Frequency
    twice daily
    Duration
    12 weeks
    n
    67 women
    Design
    Placebo-controlled study as summarized in a secondary review
    Source quote
    In another 12-week facial study of 67 women between 50 and 59 years with mild to advanced photodamage, a GHK-Cu cream was applied twice daily and improved skin laxity, clarity, firmness and appearance, reduced fine lines, coarse wrinkles and mottled pigmentation

    Finding. Improved laxity, clarity, and firmness; reduced fine lines, coarse wrinkles, and mottled pigmentation; increased density and thickness, as reported in a review.

  • Women (around age 50), creams applied to thighs; GHK-Cu vs vitamin C cream vs retinoic acid

    not stated in source not stated in source2

    Route
    topical (thigh cream)
    Frequency
    not stated in source
    Duration
    1 month
    n
    not stated in source
    Design
    Biopsy-based collagen study as summarized in a secondary review
    Source quote
    after applying creams to the thighs for one month, GHK-peptides had a significant effect on collagen production. Increases were found in 70% of the women treated with GHK-Cu, in contrast to 50% treated with the vitamin C cream, and 40% treated with retinoic acid

    Finding. Collagen production increased in 70% of GHK-Cu-treated women, versus 50% with vitamin C cream and 40% with retinoic acid, as reported in a review.

  • Venous stasis ulcers: tripeptide copper complex 0.4% cream vs silver sulfadiazine 1% cream vs inert vehicle placebo (null result for copper tripeptide)

    0.4 % cream1

    Route
    topical (cream)
    Frequency
    not stated in abstract
    Duration
    not stated in abstract
    n
    86 evaluable patients
    Design
    Prospective, randomized, evaluator-blinded trial
    Source quote
    Silver sulfadiazine 1% in a cream proved to statistically reduce the ulcer size compared with a biologically active tripeptide copper complex 0.4% cream formulation or the placebo. There was no difference between the latter two treatments.

    Finding. Silver sulfadiazine reduced ulcer size versus the copper tripeptide cream and placebo. The copper tripeptide cream did not differ from placebo.

  • Circumoral CO2 laser skin resurfacing, regimens with or without GHK-Cu skin care products (null objective result)

    not stated in source not stated in source3

    Route
    topical (skin care products)
    Frequency
    not stated in source
    Duration
    12 weeks
    n
    13 patients completed
    Design
    Randomized, blinded evaluators
    Source quote
    Objective evaluation found no significant improvement in wrinkles or overall skin quality. However, patient satisfaction was significantly higher for those who used GHK-Cu skin care products after CO2 laser skin resurfacing.

    Finding. No significant difference in erythema resolution, and no significant objective improvement in wrinkles or overall skin quality. A patient questionnaire favored GHK-Cu (P = .04).

What clinics and vendors publish

These ranges come from clinic and vendor publications, not studies.

Clinic-reportedCommunity-reported

Practice numbers come from one aesthetic-medicine clinic blog, which cites no dosing study, and an unreferenced community protocol page that states 'No official clinical dosing guidelines exist for therapeutic use.' The community page also states that no formal human dose-finding studies exist for any route and that GHK-Cu is not approved for injection in any jurisdiction. No label, trial, peer-reviewed review, or pharmacy monograph supports the injectable dose. 1 to 2 mg/day is clinic convention only. The Pickart 2015 review (authors affiliated with a GHK-Cu supplier) offers an animal-scaled human estimate of 'about 100-200 mgs of GHK' per dose. That is 50 to 200 times the clinic range and is not a human regimen. Do not escalate beyond 2 mg/day on the basis of any published extrapolation, and do not reuse that review's 'very safe' framing as a safety claim. Topical concentrations (0.01 to 0.1% cosmetic; 0.5 to 2% preclinical wound use) appear only on the community page and are not recommended for use here.

StartClinic-reported
1 mg/day for days 1 to 15 (clinic protocol)
TitrationClinic-reported
Step to 2 mg/day on day 16; clinic states not to move to the higher dose before day 16
TypicalClinic-reported
1 to 2 mg once daily (mg of GHK-Cu as supplied on the pharmacy label)
CeilingClinic-reported
2 mg per injection per clinic protocol (0.08 mL at 25 mg/mL). The clinic's 'Do not exceed 8 units per injection' holds ONLY at 25 mg/mL; at 50 mg/mL (50 mg in 1 mL) 8 units delivers 4 mg, twice the ceiling.
FrequencyClinic-reported
Once daily (clinic protocol); a community compilation separately describes 3 to 5 injections per week. These are separate patterns, not to be averaged.
RouteClinic-reported
Subcutaneous injection
TimingClinic-reported
Nightly before bed, at least 2 hours after last meal (clinic protocol)
CycleClinic-reported
Clinic protocol: 30 days on, 30 days off. Worked example: 15 days x 1 mg + 15 days x 2 mg = 45 mg per 30-day cycle from one 50 mg vial (about 5 mg left), which requires a 30-day in-use window; confirm against the dispensing pharmacy's beyond-use date and dispense smaller vials if it is shorter. Community compilation (separate, unsourced pattern): 4 to 8 weeks on, 2 to 4 weeks off; 8 weeks at 2 mg/day would be 112 mg, more than two 50 mg vials.
  • Clinic-reportedPharmacy or clinic protocol4
    4 units (1 mg) nightly for days 1 to 15, then 8 units (2 mg) nightly for days 16 to 30
  • Clinic-reportedPharmacy or clinic protocol4
    Do not exceed 8 units per injection, and do not move to phase 2 before day 16
  • Clinic-reportedPharmacy or clinic protocol4
    The cycle is 30 days on, 30 days off.
  • Community-reportedOther web source5
    Practitioner protocols and community use typically describe doses of 1-2 mg administered once daily via subcutaneous injection.

Safety

Serious warnings

  • FDA: 'Compounded injectable drugs containing GHK-Cu may pose risk for immunogenicity' due to potential for aggregation and peptide-related impurities; 'There are limited data in humans to inform safety-related considerations.' No boxed warning exists because there is no approved label.6
  • Copper load (calculated from the formula, not from a source): about 16% of GHK-Cu mass is copper, so 2 mg is about 0.3 mg copper and a full 50 mg vial is about 8 mg copper. The National Academies tolerable upper intake for adults is 10 mg/day total copper, set on liver damage. That is an oral-intake benchmark, not a parenteral limit. The point is that a unit or decimal error that injects a whole vial approaches it. Never inject more than the labeled single dose.7

Contraindications

  • Clinic protocol: 'contraindicated in patients with active malignancies.' The mechanistic rationale was not confirmed.4
  • Clinic protocol: 'Pregnancy and breastfeeding are also contraindications due to insufficient safety data.'4
  • Community protocol page: 'Avoid SC injection in Wilson's disease or copper overload disorders.'5

Adverse effects

  • Clinic protocol reports 'minor injection site redness' as the most common reaction. No trial data support this.4
  • An in vitro keratinocyte model reported 'GHK-Cu has a low potential of inducing skin irritation'. This is not human clinical data.8

Monitoring

  • A community protocol page lists baseline CMP, CBC, and serum copper with ceruloplasmin for injection use, then serum copper and CMP again at about 4 weeks, and stopping injections if copper rises above range. This guidance is unsourced. Serum copper alone cannot screen for Wilson disease or copper overload. Consider 24-hour urinary copper if there is hepatic, neurologic, or family history, and stop if liver tests rise. These last two points are recommendations without a GHK-Cu source.5

Interactions

  • No interaction studies were found. Check concurrent copper, zinc, or copper-chelating agents with the prescriber.5

Handling

Reconstitution

Clinic and community protocol pages both use a 50 mg vial with 2 mL bacteriostatic water (25 mg/mL). At that dilution, 2 mg is 0.08 mL (8 units on a U-100 syringe). All unit counts here assume 25 mg/mL. At other concentrations, derive units from mg/mL. The clinic directs the water toward the inner wall of the vial and says to roll gently until dissolved.

Storage before mixing

Sources differ. The community page's summary gives -20 to 4 C, while its body gives -20 C long term and 2 to 8 C for shorter periods. Follow the pharmacy's beyond-use labeling.

Storage after mixing

Refrigerate (2 to 8 C). The clinic page says to use a reconstituted vial within 30 days. The community page says within 2 weeks. This conflict is not resolved. The 30-day clinic schedule needs a 30-day in-use window, so follow the partner pharmacy's beyond-use date.45

Evidence

No FDA-approved product or labeling exists. No human trial of injectable GHK-Cu was found. A community protocol page states that no human dose-finding (Phase I/II) study exists for any route. Human data are small topical studies. Cosmetic cream studies (n=41 to 71) are summarized in a supplier-affiliated review. A 2026 systematic review reports they were originally published only as meeting abstracts, with cream concentrations not stated. Two controlled topical trials were null or negative: 0.4% tripeptide-copper cream was no better than placebo in 86 patients with venous stasis ulcers, and there was no objective benefit in a 13-patient CO2-laser trial. Injectable practice dosing (1 to 2 mg/day SC) rests on clinic and community protocols without trial support.

Mechanism

Gly-His-Lys is an endogenous tripeptide that binds Cu(2+). It is proposed to modulate collagen and glycosaminoglycan synthesis, metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, to attract immune and endothelial cells, and to shift gene expression. Support is cellular and animal. A 2026 systematic review describes the human literature as thin.29

Availability

Amounts offered

  • 50 mg

Custom strengths on request.

Blends that include GHK-Cu (copper tripeptide-1)

References

According to PubMed

  1. 1A prospective randomized evaluator-blinded trial of two potential wound healing agents for the treatment of venous stasis ulcersJournal of Vascular Surgery, 1992
  2. 2GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin RegenerationBioMed Research International (authors affiliated with Skin Biology, a GHK-Cu supplier), 2015
  3. 3Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skinArchives of Facial Plastic Surgery, 2006
  4. 4GHK-Cu Dosage and Protocol: A Medical Provider's Guide to the 30-Day Cycle (Perfect B Aesthetic Medicine, Doral FL; V. Marulanda, APRN; page dated Oct 13, 2026)Perfect B Aesthetic Medicine blog, 2026
  5. 5GHK-Cu: Dosing Protocols (Peptide Protocol Wiki; empty references section)Peptide Protocol Wiki, 2026
  6. 6Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (GHK-Cu entry, content current as of 04/22/2026)FDA, 2026
  7. 7Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc: Copper chapter (UL 10 mg/day, liver damage endpoint)National Academies Press, 2001
  8. 8Selected Biomarkers Revealed Potential Skin Toxicity Caused by Certain Copper CompoundsScientific Reports (in vitro keratinocyte model), 2016
  9. 9A Systematic Review of the Mechanisms and Therapeutic Applications of GHK-Cu (Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine-Copper Complex) in Topical Microneedle Delivery: A Case for Expanded Clinical TrialsArchives of Internal Medicine Research, 2026

Last reviewed 2026-10-14. 41 figures checked against their sources. How this works