The Copper Peptide Guide

Sixty-eight pieces on copper peptides, organised by what you are actually trying to find out. Written by a brand that sells them, which you should weigh accordingly. Everything here says what the product will not do alongside what it will.

Two things worth reading before anything else. We counted every clinical trial on this molecule: there are three, and one is in rabbits. And we checked what 23 brands actually disclose, ourselves included, finding concentrations from 5 ppm to 4%.

Start here

• GHK-Cu, explained. What the molecule is and what signal it carries.
• Do copper peptides actually work? Including where the evidence is thin.
• We audited every clinical trial. There are three.
• How to use copper peptides. Order, timing, frequency, and the four mistakes.

Deciding whether to buy at all

• Is it worth it? A framework including the cases where the answer is no.
• Before and after photos are mostly useless. Why, and how to shoot ones that are not.
• How to tell if it is working. Nothing you feel tells you anything.
• How long results take.

What is actually in the products on the market

Concentration is not part of the INCI standard, so unless a brand volunteers a number there is no way to get it from packaging, and no ingredient database carries it. Each of these was checked against the brand’s own page and independently re-verified.

• The Disclosure Index. All 23 products in one table.
• The Ordinary. States 1%, referent ambiguous. Publishes pH, which most do not.
• NIOD CAIS. The most detailed disclosure in the category, better than ours.
• Skin Biology. Founded the field. No concentration on any of four products.
• Good Molecules. 5 ppm, disclosed to four decimal places.
• Asterwood. 0.10%, stated inside the ingredient list.
• Aseir Custom. 3% at $149.99.
• Biossance. Not disclosed.
• COSRX 6 Peptide. Not disclosed. 150ml for $25.
• Divi and PURA D’OR scalp serums. Neither discloses.

Choosing between them

• The six specs that decide a copper peptide serum. Use it on us too.
• Ranked by what they disclose.
• Ranked by price per ml.
• Every 1% GHK-Cu serum compared.
• Is 4% better than 1%?
• Is there a dupe? Why overlap-based dupe finders fail here.
• Alternatives to The Ordinary.
• The Ordinary vs NIOD, a comparison that does not involve us.
• GHK-Cu vs The Ordinary vs NIOD.

Against other ingredients

• vs retinol. Retinol has the better evidence. Different jobs.
• vs Matrixyl 3000.
• vs growth factors.
• vs exosomes.
• vs exosomes vs polynucleotides, where molecular size decides it.
• vs snail mucin.
• vs bakuchiol.

The science

• Does GHK-Cu actually penetrate skin? The 500 Dalton rule.
• What percentage actually matters. Why 4% is not four times better.

How to actually run it

• The 30/30 protocol. The off block does the work.
• Morning or night?
• Before or after moisturiser?
• How long to wait between layers.
• Around the eyes.

What to mix, and what not to

Almost every conflict comes down to pH. The full conflict list is the overview.

• Vitamin C. The hard no.
• Benzoyl peroxide. The one spacing will not fix.
• Retinol and tretinoin and adapalene.
• Niacinamide. The chelation warning is a lab artifact.
• Hyaluronic acid.
• Azelaic acid and salicylic and glycolic.
• Sunscreen and zinc.

When something goes wrong

• Copper uglies. Worked for six weeks then got worse. A dosing problem, and it reverses.
• Purging or a reaction?
• Why does it sting?
• Dryness and flaking.
• Using too much, and when to stop.
• On a damaged barrier.
• Side effects, honestly.
• It changed colour.

Specific skin

• Acne-prone skin. Not an acne treatment, and the benzoyl peroxide conflict.
• Sensitive or reactive skin. No purge, no adjustment period.

Hair, scalp and beard

Being direct first: a topical copper peptide is a cosmetic scalp product. It does not treat pattern hair loss and is not a substitute for anything prescribed. If you are losing hair at any speed, see a dermatologist rather than waiting on a serum.

• Copper peptides for hair and scalp.
• Alongside minoxidil.
• Beard density.
• On TRT and hormone protocols.
• What the scalp serums disclose.

Procedures

• Microneedling. Do not apply into fresh channels. Wait 24 hours.

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What we sell

Disclosed 1% GHK-Cu, formulated at pH 6.0, aqueous and silicone free, in amber glass. All three numbers published, because those are the three that decide whether a copper peptide product does anything.

• Dermal Recovery Serum, 30ml, face, twice daily.
• Follicle Protocol Serum, 30ml spray, scalp, once daily.
• Face + Hair Bundle, both protocols on one cycle.

If the evidence audit put you off buying, that is a reasonable response to it, and we would rather you read it than not.