Peptide Graded

GHK-Cu

Is GHK-Cu legal in the US?

No prescription; it is a cosmetic ingredient.

CAnimal and cell studiesNot approvedas of 2026-10-27

GHK-Cu is not approved by the FDA for any use. As copper tripeptide-1 it is sold in cosmetics, which sit outside FDA drug approval. The FDA placed the injectable form in Category 2 of its compounding list in 2023 over safety risks, and the agency now lists that nomination as withdrawn; it plans to bring GHK-Cu before its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee by the end of February 2027.

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More on GHK-Cu

Citations

  1. Pickart 2017, Brain Sciences: GHK and gene expression relevant to nervous system function doi.org
  2. Fu 2015, Journal of Orthopaedic Research: GHK-Cu in a rat ACL reconstruction model doi.org
  3. Park 2016, Oncotarget: GHK-Cu in LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice doi.org
  4. Pickart 2018, International Journal of Molecular Sciences: regenerative actions of GHK-Cu and gene data pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  5. Pickart 2015, BioMed Research International: GHK as modulator of skin regeneration pathways pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. Maquart 1988, FEBS Letters: collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  7. Maquart 1993, Journal of Clinical Investigation: connective tissue accumulation in rat wounds pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  8. Canapp 2003, Veterinary Surgery: topical tripeptide-copper complex on ischemic open wounds pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. Uno 1993, Journal of Investigative Dermatology: chemical agents and peptides affect hair growth pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. Pyo 2007, Archives of Pharmacal Research: AHK-Cu on human hair growth in vitro pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. Trachy 1991, Annals of the NY Academy of Sciences: peptide copper complexes and hair follicles in C3H mice pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  12. Cutis 2005: mechanism of action of topical retinoids pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  13. Griffiths 1995, Archives of Dermatology: two concentrations of tretinoin for photoaging, RCT pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  14. FDA Drugs@FDA: tretinoin application 021108 accessdata.fda.gov
  15. Pickart 2012, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity: GHK-Cu, oxidative stress and aging pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  16. Pickart 2014, BioMed Research International: GHK and DNA pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  17. FDA: bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A, category list fda.gov
  18. FDA: bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding fda.gov

Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the GHK-Cu article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.