GHK-Cu (copper peptide): what it is, how it is supplied, and how to choose a research supplier

GHK-Cu is a small peptide of three amino acids (glycine, histidine and lysine (Gly-His-Lys)) bound to one copper(II) ion.

The free tripeptide (GHK) has a molecular weight of about 340 Da; the copper complex is about 404 Da. It was first described by Loren Pickart in 1973 and is the most studied of the so-called copper peptides.

Two things make it easy to recognize on a laboratory bench:

• The color. The copper(II) ion gives the lyophilized powder a blue-to-violet tint. A white or gray "GHK-Cu" powder is either the copper-free tripeptide or something else entirely.
• The identity. On a certificate of analysis, the laboratory names GHK-Cu as the compound found and gives the quantity in mg; the copper content is sometimes reported separately.

In the catalog, GHK-Cu is sold as a research reagent: a sealed, labeled vial of lyophilized powder; the 100 mg has its published Janoshik analysis report.

It is not a serum, not a cream, and not a product for personal use. Research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.

Searches for "GHK copper peptide", "GHK Cu", "GHK-Cu" and "copper tripeptide" all point to the same compound: the tripeptide GHK carrying one copper(II) ion.

Suppliers and papers write it differently; the certificate of analysis settles it with the mass. Two labels do describe different objects:

• GHK (no copper): the free tripeptide, a white powder of about 340 Da. Some listings sell this and call it "copper peptide"; the COA mass tells them apart.
• GHK-Cu: the copper complex, blue-violet, about 404 Da. This is what the catalog lists.

When a listing says "GHK copper peptide" without a mass on the COA, ask which of the two it is.

Further reading: KLOW peptide blend, GLOW blend and KPV peptide data sheet.

Most of what Google returns for "copper peptide" is cosmetics: serums and creams that contain GHK-Cu at a fraction of a percent, mixed with water, glycerin and preservatives.

That is a different object from what a laboratory orders.

If a listing calls itself "GHK-Cu" but gives no mg quantity, no lot number and no COA, it is a cosmetic or a reseller: not a research supply.

Research GHK-Cu comes as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder in a glass vial closed with a rubber septum and an aluminum crimp cap. The label states the compound, the net quantity in milligrams and the words "research use only".

The catalog offers GHK-Cu in a 100 mg vial, and its price per milligram is listed.

The live table at the top of this page is read directly from the catalog, so the prices shown there are the prices in force today. See GHK-Cu in the catalog for availability.

What "100 mg" means on the label

The number is the net mass of GHK-Cu powder in the vial, as filled, and it is the quantity the certificate of analysis refers to.

The vial itself is over-sized (typically 3 mL for 100 mg): the powder occupies only the bottom. That is normal for lyophilized material and is not a short fill.

Why the powder can look like a cake, a film or loose crystals

Freeze-drying leaves the peptide as a porous cake. During shipping the cake can break into a film on the glass or into loose blue-violet particles. The appearance does not change the quantity or the purity; only the COA does.

Further reading: bacteriostatic water for the lab.

The COA is the document that turns a vial of blue powder into a defined reagent. For GHK-Cu, a usable certificate carries:

• The laboratory's name and a verifiable identifier. Independent labs (Janoshik is the reference for this market) give each test a number that anyone can look up on the lab's site. A COA that cannot be looked up is a PDF, not a certificate.
• The lot number: with the task number and verification key the laboratory confirms.
• HPLC purity as a measured percentage (for example 99.2 %). "≥ 98 %" printed without a task number the lab confirms is a claim, not a measurement.
• Identity and quantity: GHK-Cu named as the compound found, with the mg measured.
• The date of the test. A certificate older than a few months describes a lot that has probably sold through.
• A photograph of the tested vial wearing the supplier's own label. A COA showing an unlabeled vial was issued to someone else (usually the manufacturer) and says nothing about what this supplier bottled.

The full checklist, with examples of what a doctored certificate looks like, is in how to read a peptide COA.

Further reading: how to verify report #217016.

GHK-Cu is stable as a lyophilized powder when it is kept cold, dark and dry. The catalog's storage line for the sealed vial:

• Temperature: −20 °C for long-term storage, in the sealed vial, away from light and moisture.
• Light: keep the vial in its box or in an opaque container. The copper complex is light-sensitive.
• Moisture: the powder is hygroscopic. Let a cold vial reach room temperature before removing it from its bag, so no condensation forms on the glass.
• Shelf life: 24 months from the fill date for a sealed vial stored as above.

Shipping at ambient temperature for a few days does not degrade the sealed powder; that is why research peptides ship without cold packs. The general rules, size by size, are in lyophilized peptides: storage and shelf life.

Further reading: bacteriostatic water for peptides.

"Buy GHK-Cu" returns a mix of cosmetic brands, clinics and research suppliers. To sort them, ask six questions of the product page: not of the marketing.

1. Is there a batch COA from a named independent lab, and can it be verified on the lab's site? No verifiable COA = no purchase.
2. Does the COA show the supplier's own label? A manufacturer's certificate, re-used by a reseller, does not cover what was re-bottled or re-labeled.
3. Is the quantity stated in mg, with a certificate for the lot?
4. Does the supplier ship from EU stock, tracked, in a few days?
5. Does the page describe the product only (composition, purity, storage) with "research use only" stated plainly? A supplier that publishes usage content is a supplier that is easy to shut down; that risk becomes yours when your order is in transit.
6. Is the price at or above the market, not far below it? Third-party testing costs several hundred dollars per lot. A price far under the market is a price that did not pay for testing.

The wider checklist (payment, packaging, what to do if a parcel is stopped) is in where to buy research peptides in Europe. The two copper tripeptides are compared line by line in GHK-Cu vs AHK-Cu.

GHK-Cu vs AHK-Cu

AHK-Cu is the other copper tripeptide in the catalog (alanine instead of glycine at the N-terminus). It is supplied in smaller sizes (50, 100, 150 mg) and has a thinner literature. Both are described in the AHK-Cu buying guide.

GHK-Cu is ordered in one size: the sealed 100 mg vial. The price per milligram is the vial price divided by 100. The table is read from the catalog and shows the current price, next to the Janoshik report of the lot.

Buy GHK-Cu 100 mg →

What the price includes at OXpeptides: a sealed, labeled vial and its Janoshik analysis report (100 mg published). Ships from the EU · tracked: €9.90, free from €120.