# GHK-Cu

copper peptide · copper tripeptide-1

https://graded.pl/en/substances/ghk-cu · Checked: Not yet

Preliminary version. The editors have not finished checking this card, and grades may change.

A short peptide carrying copper, used in skin care. No injectable medicine in the EU or US.

> This site is for information and education only. It does not promote or encourage the use or purchase of the substances described and is not medical advice. Many are not authorised as medicines and their safety has not been established. We sell nothing and have no ties to sellers. For health decisions, consult a doctor.

## Short answers

### Does GHK-Cu work?

A short peptide carrying copper, used in skin care. No injectable medicine in the EU or US. Recovery and injury: grade C, no effect in studies. A study of 13 people after a laser skin treatment found no clear improvement in measurements. It tested use on the skin, not injections.

### Is GHK-Cu legal?

PL: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. This covers medicines, not cosmetics. EU: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). This covers medicines, not cosmetics. US: No approval. The FDA drug register has no such medicine.

### Is GHK-Cu banned in sport?

May be banned, WADA 2026. It is not on the WADA list, but WADA also bans substances that no health authority has approved, so it may be banned.

### Is GHK-Cu safe?

Not known. Skin-care data do not describe injections. A 2026 review says very little is known about the safety of peptides like this one in people.

## What studies show

| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery and injury | C | No effect in studies | A study of 13 people after a laser skin treatment found no clear improvement in measurements. It tested use on the skin, not injections. |

## Studies we have read

- Effects of topical copper tripeptide complex on CO2 laser-resurfaced skin. (Archives of facial plastic surgery 2006; Random groups, n=13) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16847171/

## Is it legal

- PL: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. This covers medicines, not cosmetics. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/other/article-57-product-data_en.xlsx (Checked: Not yet)
- EU: No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). This covers medicines, not cosmetics. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/other/article-57-product-data_en.xlsx (Checked: Not yet)
- US: No approval. The FDA drug register has no such medicine. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/ (Checked: Not yet)

## Doping

May be banned, WADA 2026. https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/trb-2026-25.html

## How much research exists

- Scientific papers: 103
- Studies with random groups: 1
- Registered studies in people: 25
- These are search results. A count shows how much exists, not how good the studies are. 1 Nov 2026.

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Open data: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/