GHK-Cu
Research highlights
- ✓Naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide (Gly-His-Lys-Cu)
- ✓May promote collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis
- ✓Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and tissue remodelling properties
What is GHK-Cu?
GHK-Cu is a naturally occurring copper peptide found in human plasma. It is one of the most extensively studied peptides in wound healing, skin regeneration and anti-ageing biology.
What purity is guaranteed?
Where we hold an independent Janoshik report for a compound we publish it in full - batch number, purity and a verification key you can check against the lab yourself. Where we do not hold one the product is marked research grade and we say so, rather than claim a report we cannot produce.
GHK-Cu, explained
The short version: GHK-Cu is a three-amino-acid peptide holding a copper ion. Your body makes it, levels drop as you age, and it is one of the most studied peptides in skin and wound research. The copper is also why it is genuinely blue.
What it is
GHK stands for its three amino acids: glycine, histidine and lysine. On its own it grabs copper very tightly, and the GHK-copper pair (GHK-Cu) is the form that does the work in the research. It was first isolated from human blood in 1973 by the researcher Loren Pickart.
Why it gets studied
Blood levels are around 200 micrograms per litre in your early twenties and fall to about 80 by 60 to 80. That decline, plus early lab results, kicked off decades of research into what the peptide does.
In cell and animal studies, GHK-Cu has been linked to wound healing, collagen production in skin cells, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, and new blood vessel growth. It is also a common ingredient in cosmetic serums, which is a different use from research-grade powder.
| GHK-Cu | AHK-Cu | |
|---|---|---|
| Amino acids | Glycine, histidine, lysine | Alanine, histidine, lysine |
| Made by the body | Yes, found in blood | No |
| How much research | Decades, across skin, wounds and more | One 2007 lab study on hair cells |
Where the evidence stops
Most of the deep mechanism work is in cells and animals, and a good share of the human data comes from cosmetic products used on the skin. That is a long way from saying what research-grade material will do in any other setting, and we do not make that leap.
Handling and storage
It arrives as a freeze-dried powder. Once bacteriostatic water goes in, it belongs in the fridge. Our reconstitution and storage guide covers the details, and the calculator does the maths.
A peptide your body already makes, with fifty years of research behind it. The blue is the copper, not a dye.
Sources (checked 7 October 2026)
For research use only. Not for human consumption. Nothing on this page is medical advice.
Reviews from people who ordered GHK-Cu
2 reviews from orders that included GHK-Cu. Reviews are of the whole order: service, delivery and what arrived.
★★★★★
Great service as always
Nico V. · 6 Oct 2026
★★★★★
Left a rating, no comment.
Yolande G. · 28 Sep 2026
★ 4.8 across all 16 JP Research reviews, good and bad. See them. Every reviewer gets R100 store credit, whatever they rate.
