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GHK-Cu

GHK-Cu is a small peptide of three amino acids (glycine, histidine and lysine) bound to a copper ion. GHK occurs naturally in human blood, and its level falls with age. GHK-Cu is used in skin care cosmetics, where it is listed as copper tripeptide-1. Most evidence comes from lab and animal studies. Human studies are few and small, and they tested products applied to the skin, not injections.

Not approved · research onlyChecked October 2026
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Approval status

Not approved as a medicine anywhere. In the EU it is a listed cosmetic ingredient, copper tripeptide-1, used for skin conditioning. FDA had listed injectable GHK-Cu among compounding substances that may pose significant safety risks; that listing ended in April 2026, but injectable GHK-Cu is still not a substance pharmacies may compound with. For non-injected uses, FDA is evaluating it and does not intend to act against licensed pharmacies that compound it under set conditions. FDA plans to ask its advisory committee about it by February 2027.45678

What it’s used or studied for

  • Human studies

    Diabetic foot ulcers: in one 1994 randomized trial, a GHK-Cu gel closed more ulcers than a placebo gel.9

  • Human studies

    Skin aging: a few small trials of skin products. One reported shallower wrinkles than controls; another, after laser resurfacing, found no objective benefit.10113

  • Human studies

    Eyebrow hair: a 2026 split-face study in 18 people reported more and thicker eyebrow hairs with a GHK-Cu serum.3

  • Animal & lab only

    Wound healing and tissue repair: lab and animal studies consistently report effects on collagen, inflammation and blood vessel growth.311

  • No studies

    Injections for skin, healing or anti-aging are widely promoted, but there are no published human studies of injected GHK-Cu.35

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

Human safety data are limited to small studies of skin products, which reported no serious side effects. There are no published human safety data for injected GHK-Cu.35

Cautions

  • FDA warns that injected GHK-Cu may trigger immune reactions because of clumping (aggregation) and impurities, and notes limited human data.5
  • No human safety limit has been set for GHK-Cu or for the copper it can release.3
  • Injectable copper-peptide products sold outside approved channels are not held to defined quality standards.3

Sources

  1. PubChem: Prezatide copper, copper tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu) (CID 71587328)
  2. PubChem: Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (GHK) (CID 73587)
  3. Mateescu et al. (2026). GHK-Cu as a bioactive metallopeptide and drug-delivery cargo: therapeutic evidence and a translational roadmap. Pharmaceutics
  4. European Commission CosIng database: Copper tripeptide-1 (cosmetic ingredient 55687)
  5. FDA: Bulk drug substances used in compounding that may present significant safety risks (current as of April 2026)
  6. FDA: Bulk drug substances nominated for compounding under section 503A, categories 1 to 3 (updated May 14, 2026)
  7. FDA guidance: Interim policy on compounding using bulk drug substances under section 503A (January 2025)
  8. FDA: Upcoming Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, before the end of February 2027
  9. Mulder et al. (1994). Enhanced healing of ulcers in patients with diabetes by topical treatment with glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper. Wound Repair Regen
  10. Miller et al. (2006). Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin. Arch Facial Plast Surg
  11. Mokhtar et al. (2026). The regenerative potential of GHK-Cu in aesthetic medicine: a systematic review. Aesthet Surg J

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