PepTrackevidence-graded reference
GHK-Cu
fig.1 — stylized molecular motif
Cosmetic / skin

GHK-Cu

Copper Tripeptide-1 · GHK copper

Fastest-growing peptide search term of 2026 (+1,016% YoY); mass-market topical (skin/hair) audience; core of GLOW/KLOW blends.

Evidence
Bhuman trials
Status
Removed from Cat 2 · pending PCACas of 2026-06
Approval
Not approved
Category
Cosmetic / skin
Route
Topical · Subcutaneous · Microneedling
Demand rank
#5 most-searched
01Dosing & Protocol
Typical · reference only
Topical 0.2-2% (evidence-based cosmetic); injectable SC 1-2 mg/day (community/anecdotal only)
Titration
Topical: start <=0.05% if sensitive, advance nightly; avoid layering with L-ascorbic acid (degrades complex)
Reconstitution — illustrative, not a recommendation
50 mg vial + 2 mL BAC = 25 mg/mL; 1 mg = 4 U, 2 mg = 8 U on U-100.
Units are not milligrams. mg-vs-mcg confusion drives documented 5–1000× overdoses — always recompute for your own vial.
02Regulatory Status
Removal from Category 2 ≠ legal to compound ≠ FDA-approved. Injectable GHK-Cu remains gray-market RUO; removal != legal/approved.
Status
Removed from Cat 2 · pending PCAC
503A bulks
Not on the bulks list
Category 2
Removed from Category 2 Apr 2026
PCAC review
~2027-02 (NOT the Jul 2026 meeting)
WADA
Not listed
03Evidence — the honest read
What the evidence actually shows

Modest topical cosmetic evidence (small, often industry-funded); injectable/systemic = animal/mechanistic. A 511-patient Phase III (Iamin, 1994) FAILED; FDA Class I device clearance as wound dressing (1996, no healing claims). Two widely-cited 'recent studies' appear fabricated.

04Safety
Contraindications
  • Wilson disease / copper-overload disordershard stop
  • Copper allergy
  • Concurrent copper chelation (penicillamine/trientine)
  • Active malignancy (systemic; precautionary)
  • Pregnancyhard stop
Key interactions
  • L-ascorbic acid (topical stability incompatibility)
  • Copper/zinc antagonism with chronic systemic use
Serious signals
  • Systemic copper overload risk (IOM elemental copper ceiling 10 mg/day)
  • Injectable: no evidence-based max
Monitoring
Systemic use: serum copper, ceruloplasmin, zinc (clinic-extrapolated).
05Related in Cosmetic / skin
Melanotan II
human trials
grade B →
06Sources
1peptidex.app GHK-Cu 2026
＋PepTrack research dossier — iterations 1–4, 584 de-duplicated sources, adversarially verified.
Not medical or legal advice. Educational / harm-reduction reference. Regulatory and dosing claims in this field move monthly — re-verify against primary sources (FDA docket FDA-2025-N-6895, DailyMed, ClinicalTrials.gov) before acting.
Last reviewed — 2026-06-13 · confidence: moderate
← All peptides
Cosmetic / skin

GHK-Cu

Copper Tripeptide-1 · GHK copper

Fastest-growing peptide search term of 2026 (+1,016% YoY); mass-market topical (skin/hair) audience; core of GLOW/KLOW blends.

Evidence
B
human trials
Status
Removed from Cat 2 · pending PCAC
as of 2026-06
FDA approval
Not approved
off-label / gray
Route
Topical · Subcutaneous · Microneedling
Clinic protocol
Demand
#5
most-searched
WADA
Not listed
sport-legal
01

Dosing & protocol

Clinic protocol. Clinic-protocol / off-label extrapolation — not an FDA-approved regimen.
Typical — reference only

Topical 0.2-2% (evidence-based cosmetic); injectable SC 1-2 mg/day (community/anecdotal only)

Worked reconstitution example

50 mg vial + 2 mL BAC = 25 mg/mL; 1 mg = 4 U, 2 mg = 8 U on U-100.

Titration

Topical: start <=0.05% if sensitive, advance nightly; avoid layering with L-ascorbic acid (degrades complex)

Units are not milligrams. mg-vs-mcg confusion drives documented 5–1000× overdoses — always recompute for your own vial (use the calculator →).
02

Regulatory status

Removal from Category 2 ≠ legal to compound ≠ FDA-approved. Injectable GHK-Cu remains gray-market RUO; removal != legal/approved.
StatusRemoved from Cat 2 · pending PCAC
503A bulksNot on the bulks list
Category 2 (2026)Removed from Category 2 Apr 2026
PCAC review~2027-02 (NOT the Jul 2026 meeting)
WADANot listed
03

Evidence — the honest read

Bhuman trials

Modest topical cosmetic evidence (small, often industry-funded); injectable/systemic = animal/mechanistic. A 511-patient Phase III (Iamin, 1994) FAILED; FDA Class I device clearance as wound dressing (1996, no healing claims). Two widely-cited 'recent studies' appear fabricated.

04

Safety

Contraindications
  • Wilson disease / copper-overload disordershard stop
  • Copper allergy
  • Concurrent copper chelation (penicillamine/trientine)
  • Active malignancy (systemic; precautionary)
  • Pregnancyhard stop
Key interactions
  • L-ascorbic acid (topical stability incompatibility)
  • Copper/zinc antagonism with chronic systemic use
Serious signals
  • Systemic copper overload risk (IOM elemental copper ceiling 10 mg/day)
  • Injectable: no evidence-based max
Monitoring

Systemic use: serum copper, ceruloplasmin, zinc (clinic-extrapolated).

06

Sources

01peptidex.app GHK-Cu 2026
＋PepTrack research dossier — iterations 1–4, 584 de-duplicated sources, adversarially verified.
Not medical or legal advice. Educational / harm-reduction reference. Regulatory and dosing claims in this field move monthly — re-verify against primary sources (FDA docket FDA-2025-N-6895, DailyMed, ClinicalTrials.gov) before acting.
Last reviewed — 2026-06-13 · confidence: moderate