Overview
In plain English
GHK-Cu is a very short peptide — three amino acids — bound to copper. Your body makes it naturally, and levels drop substantially with age. That decline is what first made it interesting.
It is the best-known peptide for skin: firmness, tone, texture and scarring. It is also used for hair and general tissue repair.
- What it isA copper-bound tripeptide (Gly-His-Lys) the body produces naturally
- Mainly used forSkin firmness and tone, scarring, hair, tissue repair
- Typical protocol2mg once daily, morning, for 8–12 weeks
How it works
What it actually does
Copper is not optional for skin structure. The enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin into mature, springy fibres cannot work without it.
GHK-Cu's job is delivery. It picks copper up from blood proteins and hands it over to the cells and enzymes that need it — it does not lock it away.
That is the difference between GHK-Cu and either a copper supplement or a copper-free peptide. It also influences a wide set of genes involved in matrix turnover and antioxidant defence.
The science in detail
GHK is a tripeptide — glycine, histidine, lysine — isolated from human plasma by Pickart and colleagues in the early 1970s and later identified as a fragment released during proteolysis of collagen and other matrix proteins. Its plasma concentration falls substantially with age, the observation that first prompted interest in it as an endogenous repair signal.
The chemistry that defines it is copper coordination. The N-terminal amine, the deprotonated amide nitrogen of the first peptide bond and the imidazole nitrogen of histidine form a square-planar chelation site for Cu2+ with very high affinity — comparable to the copper-binding site of serum albumin. GHK therefore does not sequester copper inertly; it exchanges it, accepting Cu2+ from albumin and delivering it to cellular transporters and cuproenzymes. That is why the complex behaves differently from either free copper salts or a copper-free peptide.
The delivery role connects directly to matrix biology. Lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin fibrils into mature load-bearing structures, is copper-dependent; so are superoxide dismutase 1 and cytochrome c oxidase. Copper availability is therefore rate-limiting for matrix maturation rather than merely for matrix synthesis — the distinction between GHK-Cu and peptides that stimulate collagen transcription alone.
Beyond copper transport, GHK-Cu shows broad transcriptional activity. Pickart and Margolina (Int J Mol Sci, 2018), drawing on Broad Institute Connectivity Map data, reported modulation of expression across a large fraction of human genes, with the pattern favouring tissue remodelling: increased collagen I, decorin and other small proteoglycans, alongside coordinated changes in matrix metalloproteinases and their TIMP inhibitors. That combination is characteristic of controlled turnover rather than simple accumulation. Pickart, Vasquez-Soltero and Margolina (BioMed Research International, 2015) reviewed the same pathways in skin regeneration, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory gene modulation.
Among the skin-directed compounds on this site, GHK-Cu occupies the copper and matrix-maturation position. BPC-157 and TB-500, its partners in the GLOW and KLOW blends, act on angiogenesis and actin dynamics — adjacent but mechanistically separate.
Evidence
What the research shows
Your natural level falls with age
GHK is present in human plasma and declines substantially over the decades — the original reason for research interest.
Delivers copper rather than storing it
It binds copper about as tightly as your blood's main carrier protein, then releases it to cells.
Supports collagen cross-linking
The enzyme that turns new collagen and elastin into mature fibre is copper-dependent.
Broad effect on repair genes
Published gene-expression work reports it shifts a wide set of matrix and antioxidant genes toward controlled repair.
Mixing & dosage
How to mix and dose it
These are the mixing and dosage instructions supplied by Purist Peptides and the manufacturer for this product.
A 3ml vial of bacteriostatic water is included free with every peptide vial you order, so you have what you need to mix this on arrival.
GHK-Cu 100mg
Step 1 — mix your vial
- Draw up 2ml of bacteriostatic water into a syringe
- Wipe the rubber top of your vial with an alcohol swab and let it dry
- Insert the needle then slowly and carefully push the water down the inside wall of the vial — do not inject water straight onto the peptide powder
- Gently roll the vial between your palms until the powder dissolves completely
- Do not shake
- Allow to settle in the fridge for 5–10 minutes. The liquid should look clear
Step 2 — draw & inject your dose
Use a 1ml insulin syringe to draw and inject your dose. A 1ml syringe = 100 units.
With 2ml of water added, each 0.1ml (10 units) you draw = 5mg of GHK-Cu.
| Stage | Dose | On the syringe |
|---|---|---|
| Starting | 1mg daily | 2 units |
| Standard | 2mg daily | 4 units |
Vial duration at standard dose: 50 days
When to inject: Once daily, morning preferred.
Cycle length: 8 to 12 weeks, then reassess.
How to inject
- Wipe your injection site with an alcohol swab and let it dry
- Pinch a small fold of skin on your abdomen
- Insert the needle at a 45-degree angle into the pinched skin
- Slowly push the plunger down until empty
- Pull the needle out and apply gentle pressure with the swab
- Dispose of the needle safely in a sharps container — never recap or reuse
Storage
Keep refrigerated at 2 to 6 degrees Celsius at all times after mixing. Do not freeze. Protect from light and label the vial with the date you reconstituted it. Discard any solution that is hazy, discoloured or contains particles.
For informational purposes only. This is not medical advice. Speak to a qualified healthcare professional before starting any compound.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Why is the copper part significant?
Because the peptide's principal characterised function is copper transport. GHK binds Cu2+ tightly enough to accept it from albumin but reversibly enough to pass it on to cellular transporters and copper-dependent enzymes. A copper-free GHK preparation is a different research material with a different activity profile.
Why is the reconstituted solution blue?
The colour comes from d-d electronic transitions of the coordinated copper(II) ion. It is expected, and its presence is a rough indication that the complex remains intact. Loss of colour or a marked colour shift suggests dissociation or degradation.
How does GHK-Cu differ from BPC-157 and TB-500?
Different mechanisms entirely. GHK-Cu delivers copper to matrix enzymes and modulates matrix gene expression. BPC-157 is studied chiefly for angiogenic and growth factor signalling; TB-500 for actin sequestration and cell migration. They appear together in the GLOW and KLOW blends because the pathways are complementary rather than overlapping.
What is it studied for?
Published research centres on extracellular matrix remodelling, wound and tissue repair models, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory gene expression, and dermatological applications. Pickart's laboratory produced the majority of the foundational literature.
How is purity verified?
Every batch is assayed by Bioindustrial Services in Boksburg, an independent biotechnology laboratory, using HPLC. We do not self-certify. The signed certificate of analysis for each batch — lab number, method and assayed result — is published on our quality standards page.
How long does delivery take?
Orders are dispatched from within South Africa with tracking. Timelines by region and courier are set out on our delivery process page.
Can I return an order?
Because these are laboratory compounds, returns are not accepted once an order has shipped. If your parcel arrives damaged, contact us within 48 hours with photographs of the packaging and product and we will arrange a replacement. The full terms are set out in our refund policy.
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