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GHK-Cu for hair: what it is, what the studies show, how it is sold.

Peptide Chooser editorial team. Checked 2 Nov 2026.

Short answer

GHK-Cu is a small copper peptide that the body makes, sold in scalp serums and in research-use vials.1 Serums are cosmetics: legal to sell without FDA approval, and nobody has to show that they grow hair.2 The hair evidence is one lab study on follicles, done with a close relative, AHK-Cu.3 Injectable GHK-Cu is not approved: its nomination for pharmacy compounding was withdrawn.4

What is GHK-Cu?

GHK is a peptide of three amino acids (glycine, histidine and lysine). GHK-Cu is the same peptide carrying copper. The body makes it, and lab studies link it to skin repair and collagen.1

Most of that work is in cells and animals. A 2026 review of the GHK-Cu research called the studies in people thin: most trials were small and tested face creams.7

Is GHK-Cu FDA approved?

No product with GHK-Cu is FDA approved for hair loss, or for anything else.8 How it may be sold depends on what it is sold as.

As a serum or shampoo, it is a cosmetic. Cosmetics do not need FDA approval before they are sold, and the maker does not have to show that they work.2

As a powder or vial, it is sold by research-use shops. Our database records it as not approved: its nomination for pharmacy compounding was withdrawn.4 A research-use label means the product is not meant for people.

What do the studies show for hair?

The study that hair pages quote, ours included, is from 2007. Researchers kept human hair follicles alive in a dish and added a copper peptide; the follicles grew longer and the cells at their base grew more.3

Two things to know about it. The peptide was AHK-Cu, a close relative of GHK-Cu, not GHK-Cu itself.3 And a follicle in a dish is not a person: it tells you a peptide does something to cells, not that a serum on your scalp grows hair. We found no large trial of GHK-Cu for hair loss in people.

Serum or injection: what is the difference?

A serum goes on the scalp. It is a cosmetic, so its maker may sell it without proving any effect.2

An injection is a vial of powder from a research-use shop, meant to be mixed and injected. It is not a medicine: no maker has sent the FDA the trial data that approval needs.9 We found no study in people that shows injected GHK-Cu grows hair. Our guide on injectable peptides for hair growth has more.

What should you look for on a serum label?

On a cosmetic label, the ingredients are listed from the largest amount to the smallest. Ingredients at 1% or less may follow in any order.10 So a copper peptide near the end of the list tells you little about how much is in the bottle.

  • Look for the name: GHK-Cu often appears as copper tripeptide-1.11
  • If the label or the maker states the amount, note it, so you can compare two serums.
  • A product meant to treat a disease or change how the body works is a drug under the law, even when it is sold as a cosmetic.2 So a serum that promises to treat hair loss is making a drug claim.
  • Before and after photos and "clinically tested" are marketing until you see the study.

What does GHK-Cu cost?

A scalp serum with copper peptides costs about $48 for 30 mL (Divi Scalp Serum).5

76 shops we track list GHK-Cu; the middle price across their listings is $0.65 per mg.6 The cheapest listing in our GHK-Cu window is $0.03 per mg, for 1,000 mg at $28.6 Those are research-use vials and powders, not serums. Our hair page lists them with each shop's five checks; we never link to the shops.

A low price per mg is not a sign of quality. Our guide on how to read a COA shows what a lab report can and cannot tell you.

None of this is medical advice. A doctor or dermatologist can tell you which option fits your hair loss.

What to do next

Compare hair optionsPeptides for hair loss guide

Sources

  1. Pickart L, Margolina A, Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data, Int J Mol Sci 19(7), 2018, PubMed 29986520: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29986520/
  2. FDA, FDA Authority Over Cosmetics: How Cosmetics Are Not FDA-Approved, but Are FDA-Regulated: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/laws-regulations/fda-authority-over-cosmetics-how-cosmetics-are-not-fda-approved-are-fda-regulated
  3. Pyo HK et al., The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro, Arch Pharm Res 30(7), 2007, PubMed 17703734: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17703734/
  4. FDA, Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks, current as of 22 Apr 2026: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
  5. Divi, Scalp Serum product page, price checked 30 Oct 2026: https://diviofficial.com/products/scalp-serum
  6. Peptide Chooser database: the research-use and cosmetic peptide shops we check, 2 Nov 2026. Their prices and checks are in the seller windows on our goal pages
  7. Najafi N et al., A systematic review of the mechanisms and therapeutic applications of GHK-Cu in topical microneedle delivery, Arch Intern Med Res 9(3), 2026, PubMed 42787770: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42787770/
  8. Drugs@FDA, searched through openFDA for BPC-157, GHK-Cu (also as copper tripeptide and prezatide) and TB-500 (also as thymosin beta-4): no approved product, 2 Nov 2026: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm
  9. FDA, Development and Approval Process: Drugs: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-approval-process-drugs
  10. FDA, Cosmetics Labeling Guide: https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling-regulations/cosmetics-labeling-guide
  11. Skin Res Technol 32(8), 2026: a study naming the ingredient "copper tripeptide-1 GHK-Cu", PubMed 42573538: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42573538/