GHK-Cu and Melanotan II Together: What Is Known

GHK-Cu and Melanotan II taken together: what each one is, how each is regulated, and what is known about combining them.

Medically reviewed by Juan Pablo Frías, MD · 3 Oct 2026 · DisclosureUpdated 3 Oct 2026

Copper tripeptideInjectable off Category 2 (Apr 2026)GHK-CuCopper tripeptide with mostly topical or cosmetic human data; a small randomized laser-resurfacing study found no statistically significant differences between groups for earlier resolution of erythema.^[3]Skin & hairMelanocortin agonistOff FDA Category 2 (Apr 2026)Melanotan IIUnlicensed melanocortin agonist with no FDA-approved product; controlled data are small, such as penile erection in 17 of 20 men without sexual stimulation.^[13]Sexual & hormonal health

Interaction notes

Timing, interactions and safety

Evidence for the combination

No studies tested these together (PubMed search: 0 results, 2 Oct 2026).

Neither is FDA approved for use in people, and we have no sourced data on combining them.

Each component

Side by side

Showing 8 of 12 fields where the two differ. PCAC vote, Jul 2026, WADA, Half-life, Evidence strength are the same or both unknown.

Field	GHK-Cu	Melanotan II
Class	Copper tripeptide	Melanocortin agonist
Also called	copper peptide, copper tripeptide-1, GHK	MT2, MT-II
Category	Skin & hair	Sexual & hormonal health
FDA status	Injectable off Category 2 (Apr 2026)	Off FDA Category 2 (Apr 2026)
PCAC vote, Jul 2026	Not on the Jul 2026 agenda	Not on the Jul 2026 agenda
WADA	WADA status unclearGHK-Cu: This is not named on the 2026 list. The catch-all class S0 prohibits any drug with no approval anywhere for human use, so it would be banned if no health authority has approved it, but we have not verified that for this substance.	WADA status unclearMelanotan II: This is not named on the 2026 list. The catch-all class S0 prohibits any drug with no approval anywhere for human use, so it would be banned if no health authority has approved it, but we have not verified that for this substance.
Half-life	No published half-life foundPubMed search, 2 Oct 2026	No published half-life foundPubMed search, 2 Oct 2026
Evidence strength	Human RCT evidence, 4 of 4Strongest: Archives of facial plastic surgery 2006, PMID 16847171	Human RCT evidence, 4 of 4Strongest: International journal of impotence research 2000, PMID 11035391
Human studies we summarised	4 human (2 randomized or controlled) of 14 summarised	12 human (2 randomized or controlled) of 14 summarised
Typical study doses	0.3 or 3 mg/ml, once a weekAnimal · rat · Journal of orthopaedic research 2015, PMID 25731775	0.025 mg/kg (dose with severe nausea reported)International journal of impotence research 2000, PMID 11035391 0.01 mg/kg start, escalated to 0.025-0.03 mg/kg, daily Monday to FridayLife sciences 1996, PMID 8637402 6 mgClinical toxicology 2012, PMID 23121206
Vial sizes sold	50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg	10 mg
US searches per month	234,100 · +340% searches	54,200 · +124% searches

What people search

ghk cu and mt240/mo
mt2 and ghk cu20/mo
ghk cu mt220/mo
mt2 ghkcu10/mo
ghk cu and melanotan10/mo

US monthly searches, Google Keyword Planner, Oct 2026. Shown so you can see which questions this page answers.

Sources

1FDA gives notice that 12 peptides will be removed from Category 2 (nominations withdrawn)FDA · 2026fda.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
2World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency · 2026wada-ama.orgAccessed 2 Oct 2026
3Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin.Archives of facial plastic surgery · 2006PMID 16847171Accessed 2 Oct 2026
4Tripeptide-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
5PubMed 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
6PubMed 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
7PubMed 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
8PubMed 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
9PubMed 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
10PubMed 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
11PubMed 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
12PubMed 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
13Melanocortin receptor agonists, penile erection, and sexual motivation: human studies with Melanotan II.International journal of impotence research · 2000PMID 11035391Accessed 2 Oct 2026
14Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study.Life sciences · 1996PMID 8637402Accessed 2 Oct 2026
15Melanotan II injection resulting in systemic toxicity and rhabdomyolysis.Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2012PMID 23121206Accessed 2 Oct 2026
16PubMed search: "melanotan II"[tiab] OR "melanotan 2"[tiab] (198 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
17PubMed search: ("melanotan II"[tiab] OR melanotan[tiab]) AND humans[mh] (82 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
18PubMed search: ("melanotan II"[tiab] OR "melanotan 2"[tiab] OR melanotan[ti]) AND (case[tiab] OR naevi[tiab] OR nevi[tiab] OR melanoma[tiab] OR adverse[tiab] OR priapism[tiab] OR tanning[tiab] OR sunless[tiab]) AND humans[mh] (25 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
19PubMed search: ("melanotan II"[tiab] OR "melanotan 2"[tiab]) AND (half-life[tiab] OR pharmacokinetic*[tiab]) (3 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
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 ("melanotan II"[tiab] OR "melanotan 2"[tiab])PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026

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