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GHK-Cu Results: What Studies Measured and When

What published studies measured for GHK-Cu, when those outcomes were measured, and what is still unproven.

Medically reviewed by Juan Pablo Frías, MD · · DisclosureCopper tripeptideUpdated

What studies measured

Each outcome below comes from a published study, with its type and size, strongest design first. Animal and cell results are labelled as such and are not human results.

GHK-Cu outcomes in published studies
OutcomeResultStudy typeSource
Erythema resolutionNo significant difference between groups in erythema resolution on computer analysis and blinded evaluation.Human RCTn = 13Archives of facial plastic surgery 2006, PMID 16847171
Patient-reported skin qualityPatients using GHK-Cu skin care products reported significantly greater improvement in overall skin quality (P = .04), but blinded and objective evaluation found no group difference in wrinkles or skin quality.Human RCTn = 13Archives of facial plastic surgery 2006, PMID 16847171
Plantar ulcer closureMedian ulcer area closure was 98.5% with the GHK-copper gel versus 60.8% with vehicle (p < 0.05).Human RCTWound repair and regeneration 1994, PMID 17147644
Ulcer infectionUlcer infections occurred in 7% with the gel versus 34% with vehicle among ulcers treated immediately after debridement (p < 0.05).Human RCTWound repair and regeneration 1994, PMID 17147644
Hair fall (pull test)Hair fall was significantly reduced in 83% of patients on the pull test after injections of a multi-ingredient formulation that included a copper tripeptide (no control group).Human uncontrolled trialn = 1000Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy 2018, PMID 29482481
Crow's feet wrinklesIn one patient, photographs showed greatly decreased wrinkles around the treated eye after a multi-ingredient cosmetic treatment.Human case reportn = 1Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy 2016, PMID 27064823
State of the human evidenceThe review states the human literature is thin and fragmented; most randomized trials are small facial cosmetic cream studies.Systematic reviewArchives of internal medicine research 2026, PMID 42787770
Clinical evidence for wrinklesThe review reports a surprising absence of clinical studies of GHK-Cu and Pal-GHK for wrinkles.ReviewBioImpacts 2025, PMID 39963574
Colitis severity and mucosal repairGHK-Cu reduced weight loss, disease activity and colonic inflammatory damage and promoted mucosal repair in DSS colitis mice.Animal · mouse (plus mouse cell co-culture) (not a human result)Frontiers in pharmacology 2025, PMID 40672369
Lung inflammation and fibrosisGHK-Cu reduced lung inflammation and fibrosis in silicosis mice without significant systemic toxicity.Animal · mouse (plus macrophage cell line) (not a human result)Redox biology 2024, PMID 38879894
Scald wound healing timeWound healing time was shortened to 14 days with GHK-Cu liposomes in mice.Animal · mouse (plus human umbilical vein endothelial cells) (not a human result)Wound repair and regeneration 2017, PMID 28370978
Lung inflammationGHK-Cu reduced lung histological changes and inflammatory cell infiltration in mice with acute lung injury.Animal · mouse (plus macrophage cell line) (not a human result)Oncotarget 2016, PMID 27517151
Knee laxityKnee laxity was smaller with GHK-Cu at 6 weeks (p = 0.009) but not significantly different at 12 weeks.Animal · rat (not a human result)n = 72Journal of orthopaedic research 2015, PMID 25731775
Wound area reductionBy day 13 wound area had decreased by 64.5% with topical tripeptide-copper, 45.6% with vehicle and 28.2% in untreated controls.Animal · rat (not a human result)n = 24Veterinary surgery 2003, PMID 14648529
Plasma fate of GHKAfter intravenous GHK in rats, GHK was rapidly degraded to its metabolite HK, which was eliminated rapidly. No half-life value is given in the abstract.Animal · rat (not a human result)Journal of chromatography. B, Biomedical sciences and applications 1997, PMID 9187381
TGF-beta1 secretionCopper tripeptide-treated fibroblasts secreted less TGF-beta1 than controls in cell culture.In vitro (not a human result)Archives of facial plastic surgery 2001, PMID 11176716
  • Human evidence for GHK-Cu is almost entirely topical or cosmetic: a 13-patient randomized laser-resurfacing study where only patient satisfaction differed, and a 1994 randomized diabetic-ulcer gel study. A 2026 systematic review describes human trials as small, mostly facial cosmetic creams.
  • No human trial of injected GHK-Cu (the form sold as a research peptide) was found. The only injection evidence is animal (rat intra-articular) plus a multi-ingredient scalp injection formulation that cannot be attributed to GHK-Cu.
  • Two human entries (scalp injections, crow's feet case report) are combination products and are labeled as such; their results should not be read as GHK-Cu effects.
  • The animal studies cover wound healing, ligament healing after reconstruction, lung inflammation and colitis; two use liposome-encapsulated GHK-Cu or a gel formulation.
  • No half-life value was found for GHK-Cu: one rat plasma assay paper (PMID 9187381) reports rapid degradation to a metabolite without a half-life value.
  • No evidence was found for tanning, thyroid, perimenopause, women's health, hormone balance, PCOS, longevity (beyond mechanistic reviews), eyes, cellulite or skin tightening.

Typical timeline

When measurable changes appeared in studies of GHK-Cu: not reported in study abstracts (PubMed search, 2 Oct 2026).

Before-and-after photos

We don't publish before-and-after photos. They can't be verified, rarely show dose, diet or other drugs, and only the most dramatic results get posted.

Common questions

How long does GHK-Cu take to work?

The study abstracts we summarised for GHK-Cu do not report when outcomes were measured (PubMed search, 2 Oct 2026).

Do you show GHK-Cu before and after photos?

No. Photos can't be verified, rarely show dose, diet or other drugs, and only the most dramatic ones get posted. We summarize measured outcomes instead.

More on GHK-Cu

DosageDoses used in published studies, with the source for each.CalculatorVial, water and dose to syringe units.Side effectsWhat labels and studies report, and what is unknown.PricePrice per mg and per week from dated listings. No vendor links.Legal statusFDA, compounding and WADA status with dates.How to injectSites, syringe types and hygiene, step by step.

Sources

  1. 1Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin.Archives of facial plastic surgery · 2006PMID 16847171Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  2. 2Enhanced healing of ulcers in patients with diabetes by topical treatment with glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine copper.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society · 1994PMID 17147644Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  3. 3Intradermal injections of a hair growth factor formulation for enhancement of human hair regrowth - safety and efficacy evaluation in a first-in-man pilot clinical study.Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy : official publication of the European Society for Laser Dermatology · 2018PMID 29482481Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  4. 4Significant improvement in crow's feet after treatment with Jet-M and a mixed solution of copper-GHK, oligo-hyaluronic acid, rhodiolar extract, tranexamic acid, and β-glucan (GHR formulation).Journal of cosmetic and laser therapy : official publication of the European Society for Laser Dermatology · 2016PMID 27064823Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  5. 5A Systematic Review of the Mechanisms and Therapeutic Applications of GHK-Cu (Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine-Copper Complex) in Topical Microneedle Delivery: A Case for Expanded Clinical Trials.Archives of internal medicine research · 2026PMID 42787770Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  6. 6Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective.BioImpacts : BI · 2025PMID 39963574Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  7. 7Exploring the beneficial effects of GHK-Cu on an experimental model of colitis and the underlying mechanisms.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025PMID 40672369Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  8. 8The glycyl-l-histidyl-l-lysine-Cu2+ tripeptide complex attenuates lung inflammation and fibrosis in silicosis by targeting peroxiredoxin 6.Redox biology · 2024PMID 38879894Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  9. 9GHK-Cu-liposomes accelerate scald wound healing in mice by promoting cell proliferation and angiogenesis.Wound repair and regeneration : official publication of the Wound Healing Society [and] the European Tissue Repair Society · 2017PMID 28370978Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  10. 10The tri-peptide GHK-Cu complex ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice.Oncotarget · 2016PMID 27517151Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  11. 11Tripeptide-copper complex GHK-Cu (II) transiently improved healing outcome in a rat model of ACL reconstruction.Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society · 2015PMID 25731775Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  12. 12The effect of topical tripeptide-copper complex on healing of ischemic open wounds.Veterinary surgery : VS · 2003PMID 14648529Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  13. 13Simultaneous determination of glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine and its metabolite, L-histidyl-L-lysine, in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization.Journal of chromatography. B, Biomedical sciences and applications · 1997PMID 9187381Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  14. 14The effect of copper tripeptide and tretinoin on growth factor production in a serum-free fibroblast model.Archives of facial plastic surgery · 2001PMID 11176716Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  15. 15PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR GHK[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) (431 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  16. 16PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR GHK[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (humans[mh] OR patients[tiab] OR volunteers[tiab]) (150 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  17. 17PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR GHK[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (randomized[tiab] OR clinical trial[pt] OR split-face[tiab]) (8 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  18. 18PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR GHK[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (wound[tiab] OR hair[tiab] OR skin[tiab] OR wrinkle*[tiab]) (123 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  19. 19PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR GHK[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (half-life[tiab] OR pharmacokinetic*[tiab]) (2 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  20. 20PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR GHK[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (rat[tiab] OR mice[tiab] OR rats[tiab] OR animal[tiab]) (80 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  21. 21PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (facial[tiab] OR cream[tiab] OR photodamage[tiab] OR volunteers[tiab] OR women[tiab]) (6 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  22. 22PubMed search: ("GHK-Cu"[tiab] OR "copper tripeptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptide"[tiab] OR "copper peptides"[tiab] OR "glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine"[tiab] OR "glycyl-histidyl-lysine"[tiab] OR "Gly-His-Lys"[tiab]) AND (hair[tiab] OR alopecia[tiab]) (16 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026

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