GHK-Cu 50mg Vial | Copper Tripeptide-1

GHK-Cu is glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine bound to copper(II), supplied here as 50 mg of lyophilised powder in a sealed vial for reconstitution in the laboratory. No pre-mixed solution and no fixed concentration, so the working strength is yours to set.

What is GHK-Cu?

GHK is a tripeptide of just three residues, glycine, histidine and lysine. On its own it is an unremarkable small molecule at 340.4 g/mol. Its interest comes from the histidine and lysine side chains, which together form a binding site with unusually high affinity for copper(II).

The distinction that matters when ordering is between GHK and GHK-Cu. The first is the free tripeptide, CAS 49557-75-7. The second is the copper complex, CAS 89030-95-5, a chemically distinct entity with a different molecular formula and mass. This product is the copper complex, and the certificate of analysis identifies it as such.

Why the sequence is studied

GHK was first isolated from human plasma in 1973, where it occurs naturally. Reported plasma concentrations fall with age, from roughly 200 ng/ml in early adulthood to around 80 ng/ml by the sixth decade. That observation is what drew attention to the sequence, and copper itself is a required cofactor for lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen, and for superoxide dismutase.

Published laboratory work on the tripeptide covers copper transport, matrix protein expression in fibroblast culture, and gene expression profiling. Campbell and colleagues reported broad transcriptional effects in Genome Medicine in 2012. The topical literature is considerably larger than the parenteral literature, and there are no completed randomised human trials of injectable GHK-Cu.

Vial or pre-mixed pen

A lyophilised vial and a pre-mixed cartridge are not interchangeable formats. Lyophilised powder is stable for far longer, ships without a fixed concentration, and lets the laboratory choose its own diluent and working strength. A pre-mixed pen removes the reconstitution step but locks the concentration at manufacture. For method development where concentration is a variable, the vial is the appropriate format.

Is topical GHK-Cu the same as injectable GHK-Cu?

No, and the distinction matters more than any other point on this page.

Topical GHK-Cu has been a mainstream cosmetic ingredient for over thirty years. On an ingredients list it appears under its INCI name, Copper Tripeptide-1, and it sits in serums and creams sold openly on the high street. That use is well established and the literature behind it is comparatively large.

Injectable GHK-Cu is an entirely different proposition. There are no completed randomised human trials of injectable GHK-Cu. Literature describing topical application does not transfer, because route of administration changes distribution, concentration at the target and everything downstream.

This product is a lyophilised research reagent. It is not a cosmetic, it is not formulated as one, and the cosmetic literature should not be read across to it. If a supplier cites decades of topical evidence while selling you a vial, they are citing the wrong evidence.

Price per milligram

This vial is £26.99 for 50 mg, which is £0.54 per milligram. Comparing suppliers on price per milligram rather than headline price is the only like-for-like comparison, because vial strengths are not standardised across this market.

Does it come with a certificate of analysis?

Every batch is supplied with a certificate of analysis stating the batch reference, identity confirmation, chromatographic purity against specification, and the analytical method used. Purity is determined by reverse-phase HPLC with mass spectrometric identity confirmation. The certificate is specific to the batch you receive rather than a generic sample document, and states the laboratory that performed the work.

How is it reconstituted?

Vials arrive as a lyophilised cake under vacuum. Store sealed at −20 °C, protected from light. Allow the vial to reach room temperature before breaking the seal, which prevents condensation drawing moisture into the powder.

Reconstitute with bacteriostatic water added slowly down the vial wall rather than directly onto the cake. Swirl gently until dissolved; do not shake, as agitation shears peptide chains. GHK-Cu in solution carries a characteristic blue tint from the copper complex.

Once in solution, GHK-Cu should be kept refrigerated at 2 to 8 °C and protected from light. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles, which degrade peptides faster than steady refrigeration. Reconstituted material is not indefinitely stable and working solutions are best prepared in the volumes actually needed.

Cold chain and UK dispatch

Held at −20 °C from arrival through to dispatch. Orders ship in insulated packaging with a cold pack, tracked, so material spends as little time as possible at ambient temperature. Short transit excursions are normal for lyophilised peptides and do not compromise a sealed vial, but the powder should go back into cold storage on arrival.

Supplied strictly for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use, and not for diagnostic or therapeutic application. Purchasers must be 18 or over and are responsible for compliance with the rules applying to them.