GHK-Cu Legal

References

Every Claim. Linked.

The full citation index — research literature on the left, primary regulator sources on the right. Every [N] marker on the site resolves here.

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How to read this index

Entries [1] through [30] are numbered in order of first use across the site. Research-literature citations carry the journal name, year, DOI where available, and a PubMed or publisher URL. Primary-source regulator references carry the agency name and the live URL — these are the documents that govern the regulatory claims on this site and should be consulted directly before any commercial, clinical, or competitive reliance. Where a regulatory status is described as moving (the FDA 503A bulks list status of injectable GHK-Cu, for instance), the live agency page is the authoritative source — not this site. The full DataTable below is sortable by year, journal, and type (research / regulatory); use the search box to find a specific citation.

  1. Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Safety Assessment of Copper Tripeptide-1 as Used in Cosmetics — Final Report. 2018. ↗
  2. European Commission. CosIng database entry for Copper Tripeptide-1, reference 55687. Regulated under Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009 on cosmetic products. ↗
  3. US Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act — interim bulks list and PCAC review materials. ↗
  4. Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide in the Light of the New Gene Data. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018;19(7):1987. ↗
  5. US Food and Drug Administration. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA) — cosmetic ingredient and drug claim framework. ↗
  6. World Anti-Doping Agency. The Prohibited List — current edition in force. ↗
  7. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. BioMed Research International. 2014;2014:151479. ↗
  8. Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP. Action in vitro of free and copper-complexed GHK tripeptide on the proliferation and biosynthetic activity of fetal calf skin fibroblasts in culture. Life Sciences. 1988. ↗
  9. Maquart FX, Bellon G, Chaqour B, Wegrowski J, et al. Stimulation of the biosynthesis of collagen and glycosaminoglycans by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu(2+). FEBS Letters. 1988. ↗
  10. Kang YA, Choi HR, Na JI, Huh CH, et al. Effect of copper-GHK on the expression of integrins and p63 in human keratinocytes. Archives of Dermatological Research. 2009. ↗
  11. Gruchlik A, Jurzak M, Chodurek E, Dzierzewicz Z. The effect of GHK-Cu on TNF-alpha induced secretion of IL-6 in normal human dermal fibroblasts. Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica - Drug Research. 2012. ↗
  12. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK-Cu may Prevent Oxidative Stress in Skin by Regulating Copper and Modifying Expression of Numerous Antioxidant Genes. Cosmetics (MDPI). 2015;2(3):236. ↗
  13. Beretta G, Artali R, Facino RM. Inhibition of the catalysis of lipid peroxidation by ferritin-bound iron by the GHK peptide. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2008. ↗
  14. Canapp SO Jr, Farese JP, Schultz GS, Gowda S, et al. Wound healing effects of topical copper tripeptide complex (Iamin Gel) in dogs. Veterinary Surgery. 2003. ↗
  15. Pollard JD, Quan S, Kang T, Koch RJ. Effects of copper tripeptide on the growth and expression of growth factors by normal and irradiated fibroblasts. Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. 2005;7(1):27. ↗
  16. Park JR, Lee H, Kim SI, Yang SR. The tripeptide GHK-Cu complex ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice. Oncotarget. 2016. ↗
  17. Campbell JD, McDonough JE, Zeskind JE, et al. Therapeutic effect of human plasma-derived peptide GHK on emphysema gene signature. Genome Medicine. 2012. ↗
  18. Hong Y, Downey T, Eu KW, Koh PK, Cheah PY. GHK peptide reverses the pathological signature of metastasis-prone colon cancer. Clinical & Experimental Metastasis. 2010. ↗
  19. Mao L, Huang Y, Li J, Sun Y, Zhang H, Cheng J, Zeng Y, Lei Z, Wang W, Yao Y. Exploring the beneficial effects of GHK-Cu on an experimental model of colitis and the underlying mechanisms. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2025. ↗
  20. Finkley MB, Appa Y, Bhandarkar S. Skin care benefits of copper peptide containing facial creams. Cosmeceuticals and Active Cosmetics (Marcel Dekker). 2005. ↗
  21. Miller TR, Wagner JD, Baack BR, Eisbach KJ. Effects of Topical Copper Tripeptide Complex on CO2 Laser-Resurfaced Skin. Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery. 2006;8(4):252. ↗
  22. Carey W, Katcher H, Pickart L (Yuvan Research). Epigenetic mechanisms activated by GHK-Cu increase skin collagen density in clinical trial. Press release / company white paper. 2023. ↗
  23. Pyo HK, Yoo HG, Won CH, Lee SH, et al. The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro. Archives of Pharmacal Research. 2007. ↗
  24. Pickart L, Margolina A. Copper tripeptide-1 protects dermal papilla cells from DHT-induced apoptosis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018. ↗
  25. Islam MA et al. Tripeptides Ghk and GhkCu-modified silver nanoparticles for enhanced antibacterial and wound-healing activities. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces. 2024. ↗
  26. Fagron Academy editorial review. Copper Peptide (GHK-Cu): Clinical Uses, Stability and Compounding Considerations. 2025. ↗
  27. International Journal of Drug Regulatory Affairs. Compliance Strategies for GHK-Cu in the Global Cosmetic Regulatory Framework. 2024. ↗
  28. Pickart L, Margolina A. GHK-Cu pharmacokinetics, stability, and routes of administration — summary in Regenerative and Protective Actions of the GHK-Cu Peptide. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2018;19(7):1987. ↗
  29. Editorial summary of FDA / industry positioning on injectable GHK-Cu safety dataset and 503A interim bulks list status — see primary source [3] for the live position. ↗
  30. US Food and Drug Administration. 503B Bulk Drug Substances List for outsourcing facilities. ↗
  31. Endo T, Miyagi M, Ujiie A. Simultaneous determination of glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine and its metabolite, L-histidyl-L-lysine, in rat plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization. Journal of Chromatography B: Biomedical Sciences and Applications. 1997;692(1):37-42. ↗
  32. Hong M, Gui Y, Xu J, Zhao X, Jiang C, Zhao J, Xin X, Liu D, Tang X, Tang R, An F. Palmitoyl copper peptide and acetyl tyrosine complex enhances melanin production in both A375 and B16 cell lines. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 2025. ↗
  33. Mortazavi SM, Mohammadi Vadoud SA, Moghimi HR. Topically applied GHK as an anti-wrinkle peptide: Advantages, problems and prospective. BioImpacts. 2025;15:30071. ↗
  34. Simeon A, Emonard H, Hornebeck W, Maquart FX. The tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+ stimulates matrix metalloproteinase-2 expression by fibroblast cultures. Life Sciences. 2000;67(18):2257-2265. ↗
  35. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. The human tripeptide GHK-Cu in prevention of oxidative stress and degenerative conditions of aging: implications for cognitive health. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2012;2012:324832. ↗
  36. Pickart L, Vasquez-Soltero JM, Margolina A. GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. BioMed Research International. 2015;2015:648108. ↗
  37. Pickart L. The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. Journal of Biomaterials Science, Polymer Edition. 2008;19(8):969-988. ↗