Skin, hair & aesthetics · Skin remodelling and wound healing (mostly topical literature)
GHK-Cu
Copper tripeptide-1, Glycyl-histidyl-lysine copper
A copper-binding tripeptide isolated from plasma in 1973. Its 85/100 literature score is almost entirely topical: collagen, ECM, wound models. Injected use adds copper-load risk that the cream data do not cover.
- Collagen
- Wound healing
- Anti-inflammatory
- Hair models
- Catalog fill
- 50 mg
- Typical water
- 5 mL
- Route
- Subcutaneous or topical after reconstitution
- Cycle
- 4–8 weeks.
- Approval
- Cosmetic use. Systemic injection is a different, thinner file.
- Status
- Research chemical / cosmetic use. Not a systemic drug approval.
- Evidence
- Extensive skin-remodelling and wound literature.
- Research score
- 85 / 100
Mechanism
Copper-dependent MMP/TIMP balance, collagen I/III/IV, elastin, fibroblast TGF-β/SMAD.
Safety file
Topical: mild irritation. Systemic: copper toxicity (nausea, metallic taste, organ stress) if unsupervised. Avoid in Wilson’s disease and active cancer.
- Skin irritation
- Redness
- Contact dermatitis
Reconstitution
5 mL bacteriostatic water into a 50 mg vial gives 10 mg/mL. A 1.5 mg amount is 15 units. A 100 mg vial at the same concentration needs 10 mL.
Research amounts
Once daily or five days on, two off.
| Step | Amount | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common subcutaneous amount | 1.0–2.0 mg | Once daily | 10–20 units at 10 mg/mL |
Storage
- Lyophilized
- −20 °C freezer preferred; a refrigerator is also acceptable. Do not open a cold vial — wait 15–30 minutes so it does not sweat. Avoid freeze–thaw cycling.
- After water
- 2–8 °C, dark, up to 45 days when mixed with bacteriostatic water. Mixed vials stay in their box. Sterile water (no preservative) is single-use. Solution is blue-green; that is the copper complex, not contamination.
Worksheet notes
- KLOW already contains 50 mg GHK-Cu per 80 mg vial. Do not double it blindly.
- Discard if the blue colour is gone or the solution precipitates.
- Bacteriostatic water: 20–25 °C. Do not refrigerate the diluent.
- Amounts on this sheet are reconstitution math for the vial, not a recommendation.
Full protocol
Titration, schedule, and handling
The complete protocol for GHK-Cu. Where it differs from the worksheet amounts above, the worksheet reflects the NovaEvum vial.
Reconstitution
| Vial | 2 mL water | 3 mL water |
|---|---|---|
| 50 mg | 25 mg/mL | 16.67 mg/mL |
| 100 mg | 50 mg/mL | 33.33 mg/mL |
GHK-Cu is naturally acidic and can sting going in. Filling to the full 3 mL dilutes it as much as the vial allows, which noticeably reduces the burn, so the larger fill is usually preferred. Some co-mix it with BPC-157 to buffer the sting further.
- Use bacteriostatic water as the diluent.
- Add the water slowly, letting it run down the inside wall of the vial rather than onto the powder.
- Swirl gently to mix, then leave it to dissolve. Do not shake.
- Give it a few minutes. The finished solution should be clear and colourless.
- The finished solution will have a faint blue tint. That is the copper and is completely normal.
- Once fully mixed it should be clear, not cloudy.
Protocol
Route: Subcutaneous
Standard protocol (subcutaneous)
- 1 mg to 2 mg per day, once daily or split morning and evening
- At a 3 mL fill on the 50 mg vial (about 16.7 mg/mL), 1 mg is a 0.06 mL draw (6 units) and 2 mg is 0.12 mL (12 units)
- The 100 mg vial at 3 mL is twice as concentrated, so halve those draws
- A 5 days on, 2 off pattern is common
Be patient and inject slowly
- GHK-Cu works through gene expression, so visible skin and hair changes take weeks
- Commit to a 30-day cycle (then 14 days off), ideally 8 to 12 weeks total, before judging it
- It is acidic and can sting, so dilute more and push slowly
Dosing detail
- Injectable use commonly lands around 1 mg to 2 mg per day.
- A 5 days on, 2 days off pattern is popular.
- Many run a topical version alongside for skin and hair.
Duration
- Run in 30-day blocks, then take a short break before the next round.
Notes
- Copper peptides sting because the solution is acidic. More bac water and a slow push both help.
- Popular for skin firmness, fine lines, wound healing and hair quality.
- Do not mix in the same syringe as other peptides unless you mean to, since copper can react. BPC-157 is the common deliberate exception.
- Inject into a well-rotated subcutaneous site.
Storage and handling
- Keep the powdered (lyophilized) vial in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate it for longer-term storage before mixing.
- Once reconstituted and refrigerated at 2–8 °C away from light, use the vial within 90 days.
- Do not freeze a reconstituted vial, and keep it away from heat and sunlight.
- If the solution turns cloudy, develops floating particles, or shows any other sign of degradation, stop using that vial.
- A faint blue tint is normal for copper peptides. That colour is the copper itself, not degradation.