GHK-Cu

aka Copper tripeptide-1, GHK, Cu-GHK, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine:copper(II)

Tissue RepairSkin RepairHair GrowthWound ClosureTissue RepairCollagenAnti-inflammatoryTopical

Last reviewed April 27, 2026 by Doserr editorial team · 13 references on this page

Information on this page is sourced from published research and is for educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice.

TL;DR

What it is: A copper peptide complex found naturally in human plasma, studied topically for skin repair.
What it's used for: Topical skin repair and scalp application, injectable use is community-only with no clinical trial data.
Evidence level:limitedLimited -- small controlled skin studies, no replicated independent trials.

Dose at a glance

	Beginner	Common	Higher end
Per dose	Topical: 1% serum once daily. Injectable: 0.5 mg SC	Topical: 1-2% serum once or twice daily. Injectable: 1-2 mg SC	Topical: 3% serum. Injectable: 2-3 mg SC (GLOW blend: 2 mg GHK-Cu + 400 mcg BPC-157 + 400 mcg TB-500)
Daily total	Topical: once daily application. Injectable: 0.5 mg/day	Topical: once or twice daily. Injectable: 1-2 mg/day	Topical: twice daily. Injectable: 2-3 mg/day
Schedule	Once daily (topical) / once daily (injectable)	1-2x daily (topical) / once daily (injectable)	2x daily (topical) / once daily (injectable)
Cycle length	30 days topical, injectable cycle not clearly defined at this dose	Topical: continuous or 30-60 days. Injectable: 6-8 weeks on, 3-4 weeks off	Topical: ongoing. Injectable: 6-8 weeks on, 3-4 weeks off

Synthesized from community-reported ranges. Not a recommendation. Route varies by compound — see Common route in What people report below.

Half-life: Not characterized in humans in peer-reviewed literature. GHK-Cu is sensitive to breakdown by carboxypeptidase enzymes in wounds. Stability data from a preformulation study (topical context) show the complex remains intact in aqueous solution at pH 4.5-7.4 for at least two weeks at 60 degrees C. No human pharmacokinetic study has been published.
Typical dose range: Doses below are from published research, not recommendations. Topical clinical studies used cream or gel formulations, the Procyte Iamin product was a 2% gel. The Lee et al. 2016 randomized hair trial used a combined GHK + 5-ALA spray (ALAVAX) at 50-100 mg/mL once daily for 6 months (n=45 men). Animal wound studies used topical 2% GHK-Cu gel once daily for 13 days. No dose has been studied in controlled human trials for injectable use.
Route: Topical (cream, gel, serum) in all human clinical studies. Injectable routes (subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous) have no published controlled human data -- injectable use is community-only.
Evidence tier: limited
Animal or in-vitro studies only — no published human efficacy data.

Each topic links to the studies behind it. Click a topic to expand.

No injectable human clinical data exist, all human study data involve topical application
Human pharmacokinetics (absorption, distribution, half-life) have not been characterized in peer-reviewed literature
Oral bioavailability is unknown and likely poor due to gastrointestinal proteolysis
Copper accumulation risk with chronic high-dose injectable use is unstudied
Effective topical concentration is not standardized, commercial products vary widely (1-3%+)
The foundational skin clinical studies were conducted by or associated with Procyte Corporation (conflict of interest), raw data are not available as peer-reviewed primary literature
Anti-aging as a primary endpoint is not testable by controlled trial at meaningful timescales

Reconstitution math, both directions.

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