B tier · viable
It is the only compound in this group with genuinely randomised, evaluator-blinded human wound-healing trials and decades of regulated cosmetic use, but the trials are small, decades old, and mixed - one clearly positive in diabetic ulcers, one clearly negative in venous ulcers.
ghk-cu
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring human plasma tripeptide complexed with copper(II), first isolated in 1973, and is a long-established cosmetic ingredient with an INCI designation. Randomised human wound-healing trials exist and are genuinely mixed, with a positive result in diabetic plantar ulcers and a negative result against silver sulfadiazine in venous stasis ulcers.
// we supply this one
available as a research reagent
≥ 99% HPLC · lyophilised powder · batch certificate published. Grade B above is our own and is not adjusted because we stock it.
the explanation
GHK-Cu is a tiny natural molecule found in human blood that carries copper into cells, and it has been used in skin creams for decades. Real human trials exist, which is unusual for this class, but they are old and small and the results go both ways depending on the wound type.
regulatory status
not FDA-approved as a drug; widely used cosmetic ingredient
Marketed globally in cosmetics under the INCI name copper tripeptide-1 without drug approval, and the prezatide copper acetate drug programme did not reach approval. GHK-Cu was listed by FDA under two routes and lost both in April 2026 when the nominations were withdrawn: the injectable route was removed from category 2, and the non-injectable route was removed from category 1, the under-evaluation list on which FDA had been exercising enforcement discretion. Removal from category 1 is the loss of a safe harbour, not an approval, and leaves GHK-Cu an unapproved new drug. FDA has scheduled a Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting before the end of February 2027 to consider whether GHK-Cu should be added to the section 503A bulks list.
how it works · proposed mechanism
GHK-Cu is best understood as a copper-delivery peptide whose downstream effects follow from controlled metal transfer into cells.
Copper shuttle into cells
The glycine residue drives copper binding and the complex transfers Cu(II) across membranes in a controlled way. Copper is an obligatory cofactor for lysyl oxidase and superoxide dismutase, linking the peptide to matrix crosslinking and redox handling.
Extracellular matrix synthesis
Fibroblast studies report increased messenger RNA for collagen, elastin, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. This is the most direct proposed route for the skin-firming and wound-closure observations.
Chemoattraction and angiogenesis
GHK-Cu attracts inflammatory and endothelial cells to wound sites and supports new vessel and nerve outgrowth in animal models. In a rat model it reduced wound size by 64.5% over 13 days versus 45.6% for vehicle.
Broad transcriptional modulation
Gene-expression analyses report that GHK can up- and downregulate several thousand human genes. This breadth is frequently cited but makes it difficult to attribute any clinical effect to a specific pathway.
what’s reported
evidence shape
6 sourcesThe composition of the cited literature by study type. This describes the shape of the evidence, not its quality — and it does not by itself set the grade.
⚠ the catch
The strongest human trials are from 1992 and 1994 and were never replicated with modern methodology, larger samples or registered protocols. The much-repeated cosmetic anti-wrinkle claims rest on small, short, often industry-run facial studies rather than on independent randomised trials.
key published findings
- Multicentre randomised evaluator-blinded placebo-controlled trial in diabetic patients (Wound Repair and Regeneration, 1994) reported 98.5% median area closure of plantar ulcers with GHK-Cu gel versus 60.8% for vehicle (p<0.05), with closure roughly three times faster than standard care.
- Prospective randomised evaluator-blinded trial in venous stasis ulcers (Journal of Vascular Surgery, 1992, n=86 evaluable) found 1% silver sulfadiazine cream statistically superior to both 0.4% copper tripeptide complex cream and placebo - a negative result for GHK-Cu.
- Randomised controlled trial of topical copper tripeptide complex after CO2 laser resurfacing (Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, 2006, n=13 completers) found no significant objective difference in erythema resolution or wrinkle improvement, though patient satisfaction was significantly higher (P=0.04).
- Rat wound model reported 64.5% wound size reduction over 13 days with GHK-Cu versus 45.6% for vehicle control and 28.2% untreated.
- Plasma GHK concentration falls from approximately 200 ng/mL at age 20 to approximately 80 ng/mL at age 60, the observation underpinning most age-related mechanistic hypotheses.
limitations of the evidence
- The pivotal randomised trials are three decades old, small, and have not been independently replicated with contemporary standards.
- No study cleanly separates the biological contribution of the GHK peptide from that of the copper ion it delivers.
- Cosmetic efficacy claims derive largely from small, short-duration facial studies with limited independent oversight.
- Eight ClinicalTrials.gov records naming research peptides — including BPC-157, TB-500, MOTS-c, GHK-Cu and melanotan II — share one sponsor, Hudson Biotech, and one site. A July 2026 investigation established that all eight are fabricated: at least two declare themselves fictional or mock in their own text, and two reproduce an Eli Lilly protocol design and compound code that Eli Lilly states it never authorised. The records were still listed as recruiting after the investigation was published. A registry entry is a form submission, not peer review, and this index does not treat one as evidence.
identity
| full name | Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II) complex |
| category | Healing & Repair |
| modality | peptide |
| formula | C14H22CuN6O4 |
| molar mass | 401.91 g/mol |
| cas | 89030-95-5 |
| sequence | GHK (glycyl-histidyl-lysine), copper(II)-complexed |
laboratory handling
| storage | Lyophilised powder is typically stored at -20 °C, protected from light and moisture; reconstituted solutions are handled refrigerated at 2-8 °C for short-term laboratory use, with the blue complex sensitive to pH shifts and oxidation. |
| solubility | Freely water-soluble in laboratory settings; commonly prepared in sterile water or aqueous buffer, and formulated into aqueous cosmetic bases. |
| co-studied with | In cosmetic research it is most often studied alongside retinoids, vitamin C and peptide blends, and it is frequently compared head-to-head with tretinoin in photoaging studies. |
Handling information describes laboratory practice for a research reagent. It is not a preparation guide for use in humans.
the receipts
9 citedWound Repair and Regeneration · 1994 · peer-reviewed
Journal of Vascular Surgery · 1992 · peer-reviewed
Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery · 2006 · peer-reviewed
BioMed Research International · 2015 · review
International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2018 · review
Dr Noc (Morgan McSweeney PhD) · 2026 · investigation
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2026 · regulatory
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2026 · regulatory
Wikipedia · 2026 · tertiary
Sources marked tertiary or press release are the weakest citations on this page.
others in Healing & Repair