If you've been anywhere near skincare in the last couple of years, you've seen copper peptides turn up. Usually in a blue bottle, usually with a lot of confident language around it. Here's what's actually going on.
What GHK-Cu actually is
GHK is a short chain of three amino acids — glycine, histidine, lysine. It occurs naturally in human plasma. When it binds to copper, you get GHK-Cu, or copper tripeptide-1. That copper is also why the serum is blue. If a copper peptide product is clear, that's worth asking about.
Levels of GHK in the body decline with age. That's the basis of the interest: it's not a foreign compound being introduced, it's one your skin already recognises.
What the research suggests
GHK-Cu has been studied since the 1970s, originally in the context of wound healing rather than cosmetics. That's where most of the interesting findings come from — researchers noticed it appeared to influence a wide range of skin processes, including collagen and elastin production.
In cosmetic use, the reported effects are around skin firmness, texture, and the appearance of fine lines. We want to be careful with language here: topical cosmetic use and the clinical wound-healing literature are not the same thing, and anyone telling you a serum does exactly what an injectable does is overselling it.
How long it takes
Longer than you want. Peptides are a slow build — most people report noticing something around the four to six week mark, and the research that exists generally runs over months, not days. If you're after an overnight change, this is the wrong ingredient.
How to use it
Apply to clean skin before heavier products. A few drops is enough — more doesn't work faster.
One practical note: copper peptides and direct-acid vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) are generally recommended to be used at different times of day rather than layered together, as the combination can affect the stability of both. Morning vitamin C, evening copper peptides is a common way to run it.
Who it suits
It's generally well tolerated, including by people who find retinoids too harsh. If your skin is reactive, start two or three times a week and build up rather than going daily from day one.
Our GHK-Cu & SNAP-8 Peptide Serum pairs copper tripeptide-1 with acetyl octapeptide-3. Full ingredient list is on the product page, including the preservative system. If you prefer a richer texture, our GHK-Cu Copper Peptide Cream puts copper peptide into a cushioned night cream.