Full stated quantity, and nothing rounded up — purity by HPLC and the Cu : peptide molar ratio by ICP-MS, measured and transcribed on a lot-numbered COA for every batch.
Full stated quantity; HPLC purity and Cu : peptide ratio by ICP-MS — measured, not rounded; per-lot COA.
Full quantity; purity + Cu : ratio, not rounded.
Why Cu²⁺ : Peptide Ratio Matters — A 90-Second Quality Check for Formulators. Read our briefing →
Why Cu²⁺ Ratio Matters — a field guide. Read →
On the Cu²⁺ ratio. Read →
Copper peptide AHK
Cupratec primary owner
This is the primary portfolio page for AHK-Cu buyers who need to prove copper coordination before moving into scalp-serum or ingredient-house development. It focuses on the Ala-His-Lys copper complex, single coordinated peak evidence, Cu2+:peptide ratio, UV-Vis comparison, and carrier-risk questions that must be answered before formulation claims are built.
Overview
AHK-Cu is the Ala-His-Lys variant of the Pickart copper-tripeptide motif: a histidine-anchored Cu(II) coordination compound in which a single alanine sits where GHK-Cu carries an N-terminal glycine. The change is one methyl group, but at the level of metal binding it is not trivial — the alanyl α-amino donor reshapes the geometry around the copper and shifts the formation constant relative to GHK-Cu. The published cosmetic literature associates AHK-Cu most often with the hair-and-scalp category, and for the chemistry-led ingredient houses Cupratec works with, that distinct coordination behaviour is why AHK-Cu earns its own monograph rather than being filed under GHK-Cu. Cupratec supplies it strictly as a cosmetic active; efficacy and any cosmetic claim a finished product makes are the brand's responsibility under its destination-market rules. Cupratec releases AHK-Cu at ≥99.0% HPLC and treats the release file, not the powder, as the deliverable. Every atelier-scale lot carries a quantified Cu²⁺:peptide molar ratio (target 1:1, deviation reported), reversed-phase HPLC with diode-array detection to prove a single coordinated peak, copper cross-check by atomic absorption, and a UV-Vis trace through the visible region — the d-d signature shifts modestly relative to GHK-Cu and λmax is logged against an internal AHK-Cu master. A Pantone-anchored CIELAB ΔE reading sits beside the spectrum so an ingredient-house QC group has the colour data before any in-house dye-binding work. Fills are 20 mg and 50 mg lyophilized vials, with gram-scale lots on the same documentation pack for contract-monograph development. Accelerated stability points are held on the lot record under NDA.
Who buys this, and why
Cosmetic-peptide buyers fall into two groups: established beauty / med-aesthetic brands extending an existing line, and private-label clients building a catalog from scratch. The first group usually wants lyophilized peptide material plus stability data in their existing carrier matrix; the second usually wants a finished formulation under their label. Both need INCI naming verified, regulator-specific safety files (CPNP for EU, FDA OTC monograph for US where relevant), and packaging-compatibility data.
Primary buyer fit: medical aesthetic clinics and med spas.
Applications & buyer fit
Where formulators put AHK-Cu, and the buyers who source it. The published cosmetic literature associates AHK-Cu most often with the hair-and-scalp category; we frame it strictly as a cosmetic active and leave finished-product claims to the brand.
Scalp-care cosmetic serums & tonics
The format AHK-Cu is most associated with in the cosmetic literature — leave-on scalp serums and tonics, formulated chelator-free in the near-neutral pH window the coordination prefers.
Rinse-off hair & scalp treatments
Used as a cosmetic active where brief contact time and surfactant load make coordination stability the formulation question, not the raw material.
Combined skin-plus-scalp regimens
Compatible with GHK-Cu in shared carrier systems, so an ingredient house can specify both actives for a combined cosmetic line without coordination conflict.
Specifications
Documentation available on request
Regulatory note
Sold as a cosmetic ingredient for use in finished products where the receiving formulator's regulatory framework permits. Finished-product safety, INCI compliance, claims substantiation, and notification (CPNP, FDA, etc.) remain the responsibility of the brand owner. SDS and INCI documentation supplied with each shipment.
Frequently asked questions
Both ligands wrap a single Cu(II) through the histidine imidazole and a deprotonated peptide-bond nitrogen, but the N-terminal residue (alanine versus glycine) sits inside the coordination pocket and alters the donor geometry. The downstream consequence is a different formation constant and a slightly different d-d signature in the visible spectrum. The published cosmetic literature associates AHK-Cu most often with the hair-and-scalp category and GHK-Cu with broader skin work, though we frame both strictly as cosmetic actives and leave finished-product claims to the brand. The two are mutually compatible in shared carrier systems, so an ingredient house building a combined scalp-plus-skin monograph can specify both actives without coordination-chemistry conflict, provided the chelator and pH guardrails are honoured uniformly across the carrier.
Cosmetic formulation literature lands AHK-Cu in scalp and hair-care finished products at roughly 0.1–1.0% on a finished-mass basis; the right figure for a given formula depends on the carrier and the brand's own development work, and the use level is a formulation choice rather than a claim we would make. What matters for the active is the coordination chemistry: keep the carrier chelator-free, near-neutral (broadly pH 5–6.5), and on copper-clean process water, and keep reductive antioxidants on a separate phase or downstream of the copper-peptide addition. Ingredient houses qualifying a finished scalp serum can request the lot-specific copper-content figure to anchor their internal release spec, and in-house dye-binding or UV-Vis checks through shelf life are a sensible parallel readout to confirm the coordination has held through the carrier.
Scalp formats — leave-on tonics, rinse-off treatments, and alcohol- or humectant-heavy vehicles — each present a different chemical environment, and Cu(II) coordination responds to all of them. The traps are the same ones that govern any copper-peptide formulation: strong chelators (EDTA, DTPA) compete for the copper and must be left out; reductants can reduce Cu(II) to Cu(I) and should sit on a separate phase; and a working pH that drifts below ~4.5 or above ~7.4 over shelf life puts the complex at risk. A formulator should plan compatibility runs in the proposed carrier with copper-content and colour readouts at t-zero, four weeks, and twelve weeks under both refrigerated and 40 °C conditions before committing to a production base. The release-file and stability principles documented in our Cu²⁺ : peptide ratio field note carry over directly.
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