Peptide · Copper-binding tripeptide
GHK-Cu (copper peptide)
A copper-binding tripeptide (glycyl-histidyl-lysine) used in topical skincare.
Cosmetic ingredientRegulated as a cosmetic; effect not assessed by a regulator.
- Legal status · US
- Cosmetic ingredient
- Evidence in people
- Molecule
- 3 amino acids
- In sport
- Not named on the WADA list
- Status checked
Regulatory status · United States
This describes the position in the United States. Rules in European Union differ; an approved peptide medicine there is in its national register.
Regulated as a cosmetic ingredient when applied to the skin, which means no regulator has assessed whether it works. Injectable use has no authorisation. The FDA removed GHK-Cu from its compounding Category 2 list in April 2026; it is not on the Bulks List.
What changed, and when
Removed from 503A Category 2. Not added to the Bulks List.
What to be careful about
A cosmetic claim is not a medical one. Topical and injectable use are entirely different regulatory questions and should not be conflated.
Why there is no dosing information here
There is no authorised human dose to report. Any figure printed here would come from a vendor or a forum, and would look exactly like one taken from an approved label — which is the specific confusion that makes this category dangerous.
Sources
Regulatory positions change. This page states the date it describes, and nothing on it is legal or medical advice.