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 tripeptide-1
Cupratec primary owner
This is the primary portfolio page for buyers who need to qualify GHK-Cu as a copper coordination complex, not just as a cosmetic SKU. The page should answer whether the released lot proves 1:1 copper binding, visible-spectrum identity, color drift control, and pH stability before a formulator or ingredient house builds a master specification around it.
Overview
At its core, GHK-Cu is a coordination compound — a Gly-His-Lys ligand wrapped around a single Cu(II) center, written in shorthand as the 1:1 complex of the tripeptide first reported in Pickart's 1973 plasma-fractionation work (CAS 89030-95-5, MW 401.9 for the copper complex; 340.4 for the free peptide). Cupratec treats it as a chemistry problem first and a SKU second. The blue you see in the lyophilized cake is not pigment; it is the d-d band of square-planar Cu(II) sitting near 606 nm in the UV-Vis spectrum, and every lot that leaves the atelier is read against a master reference before it is allowed near a vial. What we ship to ingredient houses and formulators doing copper-chemistry validation is a release file, not just a powder. Each lot carries a measured Cu²⁺:peptide molar ratio (target 1:1, tolerance reported), a UV-Vis trace with the 606 nm absorbance noted, a color ΔE figure against the standing master lot, and reconstitution-stability points at pH 5, 6, and 7 so the customer's downstream base development starts from data, not assumption. Real-time and accelerated stability — 25 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C out to six months — is held on file and can be requested under NDA. Pack sizes follow the work: gram-scale lots for chemistry-validation runs, kilo-scale campaigns for ingredient houses building a private monograph around copper-peptide actives. Documentation reproduces CAS, INCI, and the coordination-chemistry parameters that determine whether the molecule on the COA is the molecule that arrives. The longer-form notes on lot release live in our Cu²⁺ : peptide ratio field note.
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, regional distributors and re-sellers, and academic and contract research laboratories.
Applications & buyer fit
Where formulators put GHK-Cu, and the buyers who source it. Cosmetic contexts only — drawn from this active's own characterisation and the Field Notes, with finished-product claims left to the brand under its market's cosmetic rules.
Anti-aging face serums & ampoules
The cosmetic context GHK-Cu (Copper Tripeptide-1) is most associated with — a hero active in leave-on serums and concentrated ampoules formulated in its pH 5–6.5 coordination window.
Brightening & barrier-support creams
Co-formulated with niacinamide and hyaluronic acid, both documented as compatible base companions for the copper-peptide complex.
Eye and targeted-zone treatments
Low-use-level, high-care formats where lot-to-lot colour and coordination consistency keep a premium finished product visually and chemically stable.
Scalp-care cosmetic serums & tonics
Used as a cosmetic active in leave-on and rinse-off scalp formats — described as cosmetic care, with no medical or hair-growth claim on our side.
Specifications
Documentation available on request
Regulatory note
GHK-Cu is supplied as a cosmetic-grade INCI ingredient (Copper Tripeptide-1), not for compounded human-use preparations, it is not on the FDA July 2026 PCAC 503A-bulks agenda. Cosmetic-grade material available for med-spa, beauty private-label brands, and finished-product formulators worldwide; INCI name supplied on SDS for cosmetic-notification workflows (CPNP in EU, equivalent registries elsewhere).
Frequently asked questions
We hold a copper-saturated GHK reference and run two orthogonal measurements against every release batch: atomic absorption for total copper mass on the peptide, and reversed-phase HPLC with diode-array detection to verify a single coordinated peak rather than free peptide plus separate copper salt. Pure 1:1 stoichiometry is the target; the COA reports the measured ratio and the deviation from 1:1 so an ingredient-house QC group can decide whether the lot fits the spec they hold internally. Lots that drift outside our internal control band are rejected before they ever cross into commercial inventory.
Every lot is reconstituted to a defined concentration in copper-clean water and scanned across the visible region. The diagnostic feature is the broad d-d band near 606 nm — for GHK-Cu it is the molecular fingerprint of square-planar Cu(II) sitting in its His/N-terminus pocket. We log the peak λmax and the absorbance height, then compare the powder against a Pantone-anchored master swatch under D65 illumination and report a CIELAB ΔE figure. ΔE drift above an agreed threshold triggers a copper-content re-test and a hold, because the colour shift is upstream of any other QC signal a customer will run.
Real-time stability runs at 25 °C are maintained out to 24 months on the dry powder under refrigerated, light-protected conditions; accelerated work at 40 °C and 60 °C is held to six months with periodic copper-content, HPLC purity, and absorbance pulls. Reconstituted-solution stability is tracked at pH 5, 6, and 7 in unbuffered and citrate-buffered systems so customers developing their own carrier chemistry have a baseline before they extrapolate. Full stability dossiers, including chromatograms and UV-Vis overlays, are shared under NDA when a buyer is qualifying the lot for an internal master-spec.
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