GHK-Cu — identity, handling and published literature

Presentation and physical properties

Reconstitution arithmetic for this vial

The arithmetic is a single division:

concentration (mg/mL) = vial mass (mg) ÷ diluent volume (mL)

Worked below for the 100 mg fill at three common diluent volumes. The third column restates the same concentration against a U-100 graduation, on which 100 units correspond to 1 mL, so one unit is 0.01 mL. It is a unit conversion of the concentration and nothing more.

The reconstitution calculator will run the same arithmetic for any diluent volume, with this vial strength pre-selected: reconstitution calculator, GHK-Cu 100 mg. It fills the vial strength only. It does not carry, suggest or accept a target amount, and neither does this page.

Storage and stability

The 28-day figure, and where it actually comes from

A 28-day in-use period is commonly applied to preserved multi-use containers. That convention derives from the antimicrobial preservative in the diluent — benzyl alcohol in bacteriostatic water — and not from the stability of the peptide. Reconstituted in unpreserved sterile water there is no preservative, so the convention does not transfer. Chemical stability of the compound is a separate question from microbiological hold time, and the two are frequently conflated.

Analytical identity and certificate literacy

What follows is how to read a certificate of analysis for this compound: which methods establish identity and purity, what each number does and does not measure, and where a certificate can be true and still not describe the material in front of you.

Expected analytical values

What a purity figure does and does not measure

• Area-percent purity is the proportion of the detected chromatographic signal attributable to the main peak. It measures the relation of the main component to other UV-absorbing components. It is not a measure of how much peptide is in the vial.
• Net peptide content is that second question: the proportion of the vial mass that is peptide rather than counter-ion, residual water or bulking agent. A material can report 99% by area and still be substantially less than 99% peptide by mass. The two figures answer different questions and a certificate quoting only the first has answered only one of them.
• For this compound there is a third question that RP-HPLC does not answer at all. Chromatographic purity of the peptide says nothing about copper stoichiometry or copper content. Establishing that the material is the copper complex, in the proportion claimed, requires a separate elemental or spectroscopic determination. A certificate reporting peptide purity alone has not characterised the complex.
• Lot-to-certificate traceability means the certificate names a lot identifier that can be matched to the container in hand. A certificate that cannot be tied to a specific lot documents some material, not this material.

What the published literature investigated

Entries below are reports of what individual studies examined and what their authors stated. They are grouped by model class. No synthesis across studies is offered, and none should be inferred from their appearing together.

In vitro

1. Pickart and Thaler (1973) investigated a tripeptide fraction isolated from human serum and its effect on cultured liver cells, in hepatic cell culture, and reported that the isolated tripeptide extended survival of normal hepatic cells in culture and stimulated growth of neoplastic liver tissue. This is the original identification paper for GHK. PMID 4349963
2. Chen et al. (2026) investigated the laccase-like catalytic property of GHK-Cu and its analytical applications, in an in vitro analytical-chemistry setting, and reported characterisation of a laccase-like oxidative catalytic activity of the copper complex, describing biosensing applications built on it. PMID 42041438

Rodent models

No study in this class appears in the verified reference list for this entry.

Non-rodent animal models

3. Cangul et al. (2006) investigated a topical tripeptide-copper complex against zinc oxide on measures of open-wound healing, in rabbits with standardised open wounds, and reported that the tripeptide-copper complex compared favourably with zinc oxide on the wound-healing measures used in that rabbit model. PMID 17083573
4. Wen et al. (2026) investigated effects of GHK-Cu on lifespan and ageing markers, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and reported effects on the ageing-related endpoints measured in that invertebrate model. PMID 42084774

Human studies

No study in this class appears in the verified reference list for this entry.

Model class not stated in the verified record

5. Hu et al. (2026) investigated glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu²⁺ in relation to inflammation induced by copper sulfate or by lipopolysaccharide, in a zebrafish larvae model, and reported attenuation of the inflammatory markers measured under both induction conditions. PMID 41997403

Reviews and secondary sources

6. Pickart and Margolina (2018) reviewed GHK-Cu in the light of gene-expression data, drawing on in vitro, animal and gene-expression datasets, and reported gene-expression modulation, anti-inflammatory actions and effects on fibroblasts as described in the prior published record. As a narrative review co-authored by the peptide’s original discoverer it is a secondary source and not independent replication. PMID 29986520
7. Pickart, Vasquez-Soltero and Margolina (2012) reviewed GHK-Cu in relation to oxidative stress and age-related degenerative processes, in a review of the prior literature, and summarised antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and wound-healing findings reported by earlier authors. PMID 22666519

Evidence gaps and limitations

These are the limitations of the published record. They are stated here because they are the most decision-relevant facts on this page.

• Concentration of authorship. A significant caveat applies to the collated evidence: much of it is gathered in reviews by the peptide’s discoverer, who has long-standing commercial involvement with GHK-Cu skincare. The 2018 review declares no conflict of interest, which understates that relationship.
• Independent replication is limited. Primary reports are largely not independently replicated.
• No human trials outside the cosmetic-science literature. There are no published human trials of any phase for GHK-Cu other than in that setting. Statements circulating about systemic effects rest entirely on rodent, invertebrate and in vitro data.
• Reviews are not evidence of the same weight as the studies they cite. Two of the seven references on this page are narrative reviews. A review adds interpretation; it does not add data.
• Effect sizes are not established for any endpoint, in any model, on the basis of this reference list.
• No toxicology to regulatory standard is available to NovoVita for this material.
• The species question is unresolved. As Identification sets out, the registries hold several GHK–copper species. Where a study does not state which was prepared or supplied, its results cannot be attached with confidence to a particular molecular entity.

Regulatory and standards position

United Kingdom

No GHK-Cu product holds a UK marketing authorisation. The molecule is not the active ingredient of any UK-authorised medicine, so no named-medicine comparison arises for this entry.

Copper tripeptide-1 is an established INCI designation and is permitted as an ingredient in cosmetic products under the UK Cosmetics Regulation, where the only lawful claims are claims about appearance. A claim to treat, prevent or cure anything converts such a product into an unlicensed medicinal product. That listing is noted here because it is the reason the substance is widely encountered under a different name. NovoVita’s material is not a cosmetic product, is not formulated or manufactured as one, and is not supplied for cosmetic use.

United States

GHK-Cu appears among substances nominated to the FDA for bulk-substance consideration whose nominations did not proceed, with immunogenicity risk associated with aggregation cited in the evaluation. Recorded here from NovoVita’s internal compound file; the primary FDA listing is the authority and should be checked directly before this statement is relied upon.

Anti-doping

Not individually named on the WADA Prohibited List. The List is drafted partly by substance class, so absence of a name is not itself a determination. The current List is the only authority.

Export

No export restriction applies to this SKU. Delivery destinations are as published in Delivery & Returns.

Laboratory handling and safety

This material is a laboratory chemical and the notes below assume a laboratory setting.

• Classification. NovoVita does not publish a GHS or CLP classification for this material, and none should be inferred from its absence here. Consult the safety data sheet supplied with the lot and treat the substance as one of unknown hazard where the sheet is silent.
• Personal protective equipment. Nitrile gloves, safety spectacles and a laboratory coat as a minimum. Handle the dry solid so as to avoid generating dust; a fume hood or local exhaust ventilation is appropriate when weighing or transferring powder.
• Copper-specific note. Given the laccase-like oxidative catalytic property characterised by Chen et al. (2026), keep the material away from readily oxidisable substances during storage and transfer, and consider it in any co-formulation.
• Staining. Solutions are strongly coloured. Spills mark surfaces and clothing.
• Spill. Do not dry-sweep the powder. Damp-wipe, collect into a sealed container and label it.
• Disposal. Copper-containing waste is subject to local controls on metals in effluent. Do not discharge to drain; dispose of through the appropriate chemical waste stream in accordance with local regulations.

Related compounds and consumables

Same library category

This is currently the only library entry filed under the catalogue category Skin & Aesthetic, so no sibling entry is listed here.

Diluents

• Bacteriostatic water — library entry
• Sterile water — library entry

Tools

• Reconstitution calculator, GHK-Cu 100 mg pre-selected

Availability

Resolved by SKU at render time.

• SKU CU100
• Presentation 100 mg lyophilised powder, sealed vial, supplied without diluent
• Price £39.99
• Stock In stock

References and provenance

1. Pickart L, Thaler MM. Tripeptide in human serum which prolongs survival of normal liver cells and stimulates growth in neoplastic liver. Nat New Biol. 1973;243(124):85–7. Model: in vitro, hepatic cell culture. PMID 4349963
2. Chen JS, et al. Biosensors (Basel). 2026;16(4):217. Model: in vitro / analytical chemistry. PMID 42041438
3. Cangul IT, Gul NY, Topal A, Yilmaz R. Evaluation of the effects of topical tripeptide-copper complex and zinc oxide on open-wound healing in rabbits. Vet Dermatol. 2006;17(6):417–23. Model: rabbit, standardised open wounds. PMID 17083573
4. Wen H, et al. The GHK-Cu delays aging in Caenorhabditis elegans. Biogerontology. 2026;27(3):100. Model: invertebrate, Caenorhabditis elegans. PMID 42084774
5. Hu J, et al. Glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ Attenuates CuSO4 or LPS induced-inflammation in Zebrafish larvae model. Eur J Pharmacol. 2026;1023:178880. Model: zebrafish larvae. PMID 41997403
6. Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. Int J Mol Sci. 2018;19(7):1987. Narrative review; in vitro, animal and gene-expression datasets. PMID 29986520
7. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2012;2012:324832. Narrative review. PMID 22666519
8. PubChem CID 73587 (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine) and CID 165429100 (GHK-Cu), National Library of Medicine. Identity data.
9. COSMILE Europe, ingredient record: copper tripeptide-1. Cosmetic-ingredient designation.

Provenance and confidence

• Verified from PubChem: both molecular formulae, both average molecular weights, both CIDs, CAS 49557-75-7, and the five distinct GHK–copper records listed under Identification.
• Calculated from the stated formulae, not sourced: the monoisotopic masses (340.1859 and 401.0999 Da), the [M+H]⁺ value 341.193, and the 1.998 Da ⁶³Cu/⁶⁵Cu separation.
• Well attested but not confirmed against a primary registry: CAS 89030-95-5 for copper tripeptide-1, corroborated across several independent supplier databases.
• Requires confirmation against the primary source before it is relied upon: the FDA nomination statement under Regulatory and standards position, and the WADA position, which must be checked against the List current at the date of reading.
• From NovoVita’s catalogue record: fill mass, presentation, storage conditions and SKU.

Last reviewed 8 August 2026 · First publication of this entry.