PeptideCompareGHK Basic — EU research guide.
GHK (Tripeptide-1) is the copper-free form of the naturally occurring tripeptide better known bound to copper as GHK-Cu — the base molecule behind one of skincare's longest-studied anti-aging ingredients.
What is GHK Basic?
GHK is a three-amino-acid peptide (Gly-His-Lys) that occurs naturally in human plasma, saliva and urine, and declines with age. Its most-studied biological activity — collagen stimulation, wound healing, antioxidant signalling — is generally attributed to its strong natural affinity for copper, forming GHK-Cu in the body and in most cosmetic formulations.
What does the research show?
Decades of mostly in vitro and animal data point to effects of GHK-Cu on skin remodelling and wound healing, while controlled human data are scarce; GHK without copper is less extensively studied on its own, and is largely used as a raw-material precursor or reference compound rather than a standalone finished product.
EU legal status
Sold as a cosmetic raw material and as a research-grade peptide; not a licensed medicine.
Molecular information
Pharmacokinetics
Potency retained over time
Each line is one storage condition: it starts at 100% and declines as potency is lost. Above the dotted 80% line the material is considered reliable — hover the chart for exact values.
⚠ Estimates modelled per component from molecular properties (chain length, cyclisation, oxidation- and deamidation-sensitive residues, light sensitivity). Indicative only — not lab-measured per batch.
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References
- A review by the discoverers of the peptide, mostly of cell-culture, animal and gene-expression data, with GHK-Cu as the focus. It reports plasma GHK falling from about 200 ng/mL at age 20 to about 80 ng/mL at age 60. The authors are long-time proponents of the peptide, and the review is not a clinical trial. 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. 2018;19(7):1987. DOI
- A second review by the same authors on skin regeneration and anti-cancer ideas for copper peptides. It discusses cell-culture and animal studies only and calls for actual clinical studies; it also notes that copper-free GHK may act differently from GHK with copper. Pickart L, Margolina A. Skin Regenerative and Anti-Cancer Actions of Copper Peptides. Cosmetics. 2018;5(2):29. DOI
- The 1988 laboratory study in which the GHK-copper complex stimulated collagen production in cultured fibroblasts. It notes that the GHK sequence occurs within type I collagen. Cell culture only; it used the copper complex. Maquart FX, Pickart L, Laurent M, Gillery P, Monboisse JC, Borel JP. Stimulation of collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures by the tripeptide-copper complex glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine-Cu2+. FEBS Lett. 1988;238(2):343-346. DOIPubMed 3169264
- The Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel's 2018 safety assessment of Tripeptide-1 and related ingredients: judged safe in cosmetics at current use, with data gaps on reproductive toxicity and carcinogenicity. It concerns topical cosmetic use, not injectable or other research preparations. Johnson W Jr, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD, Liebler DC, Marks JG Jr, Shank RC, Slaga TJ, Snyder PW, Gill LJ, Heldreth B. Safety assessment of tripeptide-1, hexapeptide-12, their metal salts and fatty acyl derivatives, and palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7 as used in cosmetics. Int J Toxicol. 2018;37(3_suppl):90S-102S. DOI
- PubChem record for glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine (CID 73587), the source of the molecular formula C14H24N6O4. A chemical database entry, not a study of biological effects. National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 73587, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine. Source