RESEARCH REVIEW / COPPER TRIPEPTIDE-1
GHK-Cu is a copper peptide, reviewed here for what the skin, collagen, and hair research actually reports.
A scannable readout of the published GHK-Cu literature — the strongest skin and collagen findings forward, every quantitative claim cited, and the honest gaps shipped alongside as gaps.
What this review covers
GHK-Cu raised procollagen synthesis in 70% of treated subjects, against 50% for vitamin C and 40% for retinoic acid in the same comparison [3]. In fibroblast cultures it switched on collagen synthesis at concentrations as low as 10^-12 M, peaking near 10^-9 M, with no change in cell number [1]. Those two numbers frame the whole GHK-Cu file: a small endogenous tripeptide with a documented, dose-specific effect on the skin's matrix machinery.
This is a review of the published research, not a product page. GHK-Cu — the GHK copper peptide, labeled Copper Tripeptide-1 on a skincare ingredient list — is glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine bound to copper(II), molecular weight 402.92 Da [6]. The site reads the literature the way a product readout presents a feature set: the established findings forward, each one tied to a specific study, and the places where the data stops marked plainly rather than papered over.
The research record is unusually numeric for a research peptide, which is why a readout format fits it. Copper coordination is required for most documented activity — the free peptide alone does not reproduce the copper form's matrix effects in fibroblast cultures [6]. From there the file branches into copper peptide skin research, documented copper peptide benefits, and the GHK-Cu research findings on hair, wound repair, and gene expression. Every figure on this site resolves to a numbered citation; nothing here is sold, prescribed, or dispensed.
GHK-Cu, the GHK Copper Peptide: What It Is
GHK-Cu is the glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II) complex — a naturally occurring tripeptide that chelates a single copper ion and acts as both a copper carrier and a signaling molecule [6]. It is present in human plasma, saliva, and urine, and was first isolated by Loren Pickart in 1973 as a plasma factor that prompted aged human liver tissue to synthesize protein like younger tissue [3]. Plasma GHK declines with age, from roughly 200 ng/mL near age 20 to about 80 ng/mL by age 60 [3].
The GHK sequence is not synthetic in origin: it occurs endogenously within the alpha-2(I) chain of type I collagen, so injured tissue that breaks down collagen liberates GHK locally [1]. In research models the copper complex directly stimulates dermal fibroblasts to synthesize collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans, supports angiogenic wound repair, and acts as a copper chaperone with antioxidant activity [6]. The structure is a 1:1 chelate with a very high copper stability constant, log K around 16.4, which limits release of free, reactive copper.
What Is a Copper Peptide?
A copper peptide is a short amino-acid chain bound to a copper ion that carries the metal in a stabilized, lower-reactivity form. GHK-Cu is the most-studied example: three amino acids (glycine-histidine-lysine) chelating copper(II) at a 1:1 ratio [6]. On a cosmetic ingredient list the same molecule appears as Copper Tripeptide-1. The copper is not incidental — it enables the matrix-remodeling and antioxidant chemistry the peptide is studied for.
Copper Tripeptide-1 (the INCI Name for GHK-Cu)
Copper Tripeptide-1 is the INCI (cosmetic-ingredient) name for GHK-Cu — the label form a reader sees on a serum or cream [6]. It denotes the same glycyl-histidyl-lysine copper(II) complex that the dermatology and biochemistry literature calls GHK-Cu. Topical Copper Tripeptide-1 is a long-marketed cosmetic ingredient; the research reviewed here studies that same compound across skin, hair, and wound-repair models.
What Is the Difference Between GHK and GHK-Cu?
GHK is the free tripeptide, molecular weight 340.38 Da; GHK-Cu is its copper(II) chelate at 402.92 Da [6]. Copper coordination is required for most documented tissue-repair activity — the free peptide does not reproduce the copper form's matrix-metalloproteinase stimulation in fibroblast cultures [6]. Many studies dose free GHK and report systemic or gene-level effects, so the form a given study used matters when reading its results [3].
What Does a GHK-Cu Peptide Do?
In research models GHK-Cu signals dermal fibroblasts to synthesize collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans, supports angiogenic wound repair, and acts as a copper chaperone with antioxidant and gene-modulating activity [6]. Collagen stimulation in fibroblast cultures begins at picomolar concentrations and is independent of cell number, indicating a specific metabolic effect rather than a growth effect [1].
What Is GHK-Cu and How Does It Work?
GHK-Cu is the glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II) complex — a naturally occurring tripeptide that chelates copper and acts as both a copper chaperone and a signaling molecule [6]. It stimulates matrix synthesis in fibroblasts at picomolar-to-nanomolar concentrations [1] and, in gene-expression analyses, modulates a large share of human genes toward repair, antioxidant, and protein-quality-control programs [2].