Copper peptides: GHK-Cu and copper tripeptide-1 explained

What a copper peptide is

A copper peptide is a short peptide holding a copper ion. Certain amino acids, histidine above all, grip metal ions tightly, and a peptide with the right sequence will bind copper so firmly that the two behave as one compound. Chemists call that a complex.

Several peptides can do this. One dominates the research and the market: GHK-Cu, the copper complex of the tripeptide glycine-histidine-lysine.

One compound, several names

NameWhere you see it

GHK-CuResearch literature and research suppliers

Copper tripeptide-1Cosmetic ingredient lists. It is the official ingredient name

Copper peptideGeneral use, and most product marketing

GHKThe peptide on its own, without the copper

GHK-Cu and copper tripeptide-1 are the same molecule. A serum listing copper tripeptide-1 and a vial labelled GHK-Cu contain the same compound, in very different amounts and for very different purposes.

Why it is blue

Copper(II) complexes absorb red and orange light, which leaves blue. A solution of GHK-Cu is a clear, vivid blue, and the depth of the colour follows the concentration. A colourless solution sold as GHK-Cu contains the peptide without its copper, or not much of either.

A copper peptide serum and a research vial

Cosmetic serumResearch vial

What it isA finished skincare productA single defined compound in solution

Amount of GHK-CuA small percentage of the formulaA stated mass, such as 50mg

Other ingredientsMany: solvents, humectants, preservativesNone beyond the solution itself

DocumentationAn ingredient listA batch certificate of analysis

Supplied forUse on skin, as a cosmeticLaboratory research only

Neither is a version of the other. If you are looking for a skincare product, a research vial is the wrong thing to buy, and we do not sell one for that purpose.

Where the research interest comes from

GHK was isolated from human plasma in 1973, and the laboratory work since has centred on copper transport, on collagen production by cells in culture and on gene expression. What is GHK-Cu? sets out the compound and the published lines of enquiry.

Copper peptides in our range

GHK-Cu 50mg, pre-mixed in a 3ml vial at 16.67mg per ml.
The glow stack, which holds GHK-Cu 50mg with BPC-157 and TB-500.
The klow stack, which holds the same three and adds KPV.

See GHK-Cu, the glow stack and the klow stack. Each batch is assayed by an independent laboratory and ships with its certificate.

Storing a copper peptide

In solution, GHK-Cu should be refrigerated at 2–8°C, kept out of the light and never frozen. Storing peptides has the detail.

Research use onlyOur GHK-Cu is supplied for in-vitro laboratory research. It is not a cosmetic and is not for human or animal use.

Research use onlyProducts are supplied for laboratory research and are not for human or animal consumption, diagnosis or treatment. Questions about a batch? Contact the lab with the batch number.