Interesting research
Copper Tripeptide-1
INCI: Copper Tripeptide-1 · also GHK-Cu, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper, copper peptides
A three amino acid peptide that binds copper, occurs naturally in human plasma, and declines steeply with age. It is also what makes the serum blue.
Why it is here
A naturally occurring copper complex that declines with age and resets a startling number of genes toward a regenerative state in laboratory models. The blue in the bottle. The reason the serum is named what it is.
GHK binds copper with high affinity and appears to act as a carrier and a signal rather than a simple nutrient. In cell and tissue models it stimulates collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis and supports dermal fibroblast function, and gene profiling work reports it shifting a large number of human genes toward a repair-associated pattern. The work is preclinical and unusually deep, which is why a peptide isolated in 1973 is still turning up new genes.
The receipt
The review reports that GHK stimulates collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis and supports dermal fibroblast function, and that recent genetic data identify multiple biochemical pathways regulated by GHK across skin, lung, bone, liver and stomach models.
Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2018. review. PMID 29986520
What the study actually did
- Study
- Pickart L, Margolina A. Regenerative and protective actions of the GHK-Cu peptide in the light of the new gene data. 2018.
- Journal
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences 19:1987
- Design
- Peer-reviewed review of gene expression and preclinical studies
- Subjects
- Human cell and tissue models, small clinical studies
- Concentration
- Varies by study
- Duration
- Varies by study
- Outcome
- Broad regenerative gene expression signature; collagen stimulation in models
In practice
- Typical use
- Commonly 0.05 to 2 percent in leave-on serums, depending on whether the supplier sells the pure peptide or a dilute trade solution. There is no consensus studied topical level, which is one reason this sits in the interesting tier.
- Pairs with
- Niacinamide, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4, Squalane
- Keep apart from
- l-ascorbic-acid: copper ions catalyze the oxidation of ascorbic acid in solution, established chemistry since at least 1969 (PMID 5347591). No study has tested whether it matters on skin at cosmetic concentrations, so the evidence level here is chemical plausibility, not clinical proof. Splitting them across morning and night costs you nothing.. Strong direct acids and high-percentage exfoliants in the same layer: peptides are pH sensitive and a very low pH environment is not where a copper complex is most stable.
- Cautions
- Copper peptides are blue and will tint a formula. Some people report irritation at higher levels. There is no evidence of systemic copper loading from cosmetic topical use. If you have Wilson disease or another copper metabolism disorder, ask your doctor rather than the internet.
Questions people ask
Do copper peptides actually work?
In laboratory models, convincingly: collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis go up and gene expression shifts toward repair. The human trials are smaller and newer than the cell work, which is why it files under interesting research rather than good evidence. Interesting on this site means the mechanism is published and the human data is still catching up, and it is exactly the kind of ingredient Mixed Signals was built to carry.
Can I use copper peptides and vitamin C together?
We would not layer them in the same step. Copper catalyzes ascorbate oxidation in solution, which is settled chemistry, though nobody has run the study on skin at cosmetic levels. The concern is theoretical and cheap to avoid: vitamin C in the morning, copper peptides at night. You lose nothing by separating them.
Why is the serum blue?
Copper. The GHK-copper complex absorbs in the red part of the spectrum and reflects blue, so the color is the ingredient rather than a dye. It is one of the few times in skincare where what you see in the bottle is a direct readout of what is in it. It will also faintly tint everything it touches.