Can research-grade GHK-CU be turned into a topical serum?

GortBong

GortBong

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What I've read up to now indicates research grade ghk-cu shouldn't be applied to the skin, and that cosmetic grade is the only kind meant for topical application.

What do you all think?

And does anyone have a serum formula that could be put on the scalp to encourage thicker hair? My guess is that facial serum recipes would be too heavy for the scalp.

Appreciate any help!!
 
GortBong said:

What I've read up to now indicates research grade ghk-cu shouldn't be applied to the skin, and that cosmetic grade is the only kind meant for topical application.

What do you all think?

And does anyone have a serum formula that could be put on the scalp to encourage thicker hair? My guess is that facial serum recipes would be too heavy for the scalp.

Appreciate any help!!
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Lyophilized powders are something I'd avoid putting on my skin. The fillers in them might trigger irritation or acne. Instead, look for products marked cosmetic or raw.

For hair purposes, AHk-CU is worth looking into. Personally, I'd mix it into a ready-made serum designed for the scalp.

The serum I apply to my face is quite runny, but I doubt the scalp really needs ceramides and similar ingredients.
 
CandyCap said:

GortBong said:

What I've read up to now indicates research grade ghk-cu shouldn't be applied to the skin, and that cosmetic grade is the only kind meant for topical application.

What do you all think?

And does anyone have a serum formula that could be put on the scalp to encourage thicker hair? My guess is that facial serum recipes would be too heavy for the scalp.

Appreciate any help!!
Click to expand...

Lyophilized powders are something I'd avoid putting on my skin. The fillers in them might trigger irritation or acne. Instead, look for products marked cosmetic or raw.

For hair purposes, AHk-CU is worth looking into. Personally, I'd mix it into a ready-made serum designed for the scalp.

The serum I apply to my face is quite runny, but I doubt the scalp really needs ceramides and similar ingredients.
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That is nonsense

How the GHK-Cu forms differ:

  • GHK-Cu powder that has been lyophilized (freeze-dried):
    • Purity and stability: Extremely stable and potent, keeping biological activity across an extended shelf life

      .
      • How it is used: Frequently chosen by formulators, or blended right before use, to get the greatest effectiveness.
      • What it is for: Best suited to making specialized anti-aging skincare products or for research.
    • Cosmetic GHK-Cu (serums/creams):
      • Purity and stability: Creams or serums that are ready to use, with a lower peptide concentration than the raw powder.
      • How it is used: Handy for everyday skincare routines.
      • What it is for: Addresses fine lines, wrinkles, and skin
 
CNCCurrency said:

CandyCap said:

GortBong said:

What I've read up to now indicates research grade ghk-cu shouldn't be applied to the skin, and that cosmetic grade is the only kind meant for topical application.

What do you all think?

And does anyone have a serum formula that could be put on the scalp to encourage thicker hair? My guess is that facial serum recipes would be too heavy for the scalp.

Appreciate any help!!
Click to expand...

Lyophilized powders are something I'd avoid putting on my skin. The fillers in them might trigger irritation or acne. Instead, look for products marked cosmetic or raw.

For hair purposes, AHk-CU is worth looking into. Personally, I'd mix it into a ready-made serum designed for the scalp.

The serum I apply to my face is quite runny, but I doubt the scalp really needs ceramides and similar ingredients.
Click to expand...
That is nonsense

How the GHK-Cu forms differ:

  • GHK-Cu powder that has been lyophilized (freeze-dried):
    • Purity and stability: Extremely stable and potent, keeping biological activity across an extended shelf life

      .
      • How it is used: Frequently chosen by formulators, or blended right before use, to get the greatest effectiveness.
      • What it is for: Best suited to making specialized anti-aging skincare products or for research.
    • Cosmetic GHK-Cu (serums/creams):
      • Purity and stability: Creams or serums that are ready to use, with a lower peptide concentration than the raw powder.
      • How it is used: Handy for everyday skincare routines.
      • What it is for: Addresses fine lines, wrinkles, and skin
Click to expand...
When it comes to my face — or my hair in this situation — I'd rather not put my trust in AI. Appreciate the response anyway.

There's a reason cosmetic-grade versions exist, and they're easy to get. On top of that, fillers are capable of breaking an emulsion, and I don't want that junk anywhere near my face.

I don't know a single professional formulator (and I follow quite a few) who would suggest going with lyophilized instead of cosmetic grade. There are simply too many variables that could go wrong.
 
I've got a spare GHK-Cu kit and have been putting it on my skin topically. No breakouts or odd reactions so far. Into a bottle of The Ordinary HA serum, I mixed 2 vials of 100 mg each, and the result is a really pleasant blue color. Doing it this way definitely costs more, and the strength ends up low, but the alternative was throwing it away, given that I have 2 KLOW kits.

My face and neck in particular look better and are quite clear now. Whether that comes from the Ordinary serum on its own, I can't say, but I haven't seen any negative effects. Next time I may add a larger amount.
 
I've been applying my 100mg research grade ghkcu to my skin. After removing the cap, I grabbed a long object to reach in and crush the contents, then dumped the powder straight into 'The Ordinary Hydraloric serum'. I combined 9 vials into a single bottle of The Ordinary so the total would match the 1gram strength of the topical version.
 
CandyCap said:


I prefer to not trust my face (or in this case hair) with AI, but thanks.

They make cosmetic versions for a reason, which are readily available. Fillers can cause emulsion to break as well. I dont want that crap on my face.

I know of no professional formulator (I follow many) that would recommend using lyophilized as opposed to cosmetic. Too many variables to cause problems.

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Still say hog wash:

Peptides that have been freeze-dried often contain fillers like mannitol and trehalose. These are inactive compounds mixed in prior to lyophilization to safeguard the peptide's structure and stability.

Trehalose is a naturally occurring, stable disaccharide sugar (

sourced from things such as mushrooms and tapioca, and it is commonly employed as a stabilizer, sweetener, and moisturizing ingredient. Its sweetness is about 45-55% that of sucrose, it helps prevent moisture loss in foods, and it stabilizes protein-based drug formulations. Additionally, it appears in eye drops for dry eye and shows potential as a neuroprotective agent
 
CNCCurrency said:


Still say hog wash:

Lyophilized peptide fillers, such as mannitol and trehalose, are inert substances added to peptides before freeze-drying to protect their structure and stability

Trehalose is a natural, stable disaccharide sugar (

derived from sources like mushrooms and tapioca, used widely as a stabilizer, sweetener, and hydrating agent. It is roughly 45-55% as sweet as sucrose, protects against moisture loss in food, and stabilizes protein-based drug formulations. It is also used in eye drops for dry eye and holds promise as a neuroprotective agent

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I'm aware of what fillers are. Sugar in a skincare product can trigger breakouts in certain individuals. For years I produced and sold sugar scrubs.
 
CandyCap said:


I prefer to not trust my face (or in this case hair) with AI, but thanks.

They make cosmetic versions for a reason, which are readily available. Fillers can cause emulsion to break as well. I dont want that crap on my face.

I know of no professional formulator (I follow many) that would recommend using lyophilized as opposed to cosmetic. Too many variables to cause problems.

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Yet injecting carries lower risk? It strikes me as odd that there's such strong resistance to applying it on the skin, when we're already putting those same compounds under our skin via injection.
 
mtomm said:


But injecting is less risky? I find it weird to be so opposed to this being used topically yet we inject under our skin those same substances.

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That's just his personal view—plenty of people, myself included, have used it with no problems at all!
 
If your goal is a topical product, neurogan health dot com is one route to consider. Their offerings come with Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) covering purity, heavy metals, solvents and so on. I tried their Copper peptide hair and skin serum, hoping to slow hair loss. At 2400 mg/60ml per bottle (equal to 2.4 grams), the price is fairly reasonable. (Just to be clear, I have no connection to them whatsoever.) On the hair side, my personal impression is that things went better than they would have without it. YMMV, since hair loss and growth depend on so many factors.
 
But what's the point?

A Gram of the raw stuff runs 10 to 15 bucks. What does a Gram end up costing in kits?
 
FNG33 said:

But what's the point?

A Gram of the raw stuff runs 10 to 15 bucks. What does a Gram end up costing in kits?
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That's right — you could shell out $65 per gram and fight with the vial, or go with $10 per gram. If you've got a bunch sitting around and have no plans to inject it anymore, I suppose there's no harm. As long as you mix them into HA, I doubt the lyophilized excipients would trigger any real issues.
 
FNG33 said:

But what's the point?

A Gram of the raw stuff runs 10 to 15 bucks. What does a Gram end up costing in kits?
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I figure plenty of people pick some up, then either choose against injecting it or get cold feet about it, and rather than toss it out they figure they'll just apply it as a serum.
 
Lyophilized is definitely usable, though its price is far higher than what you'd pay for a topical version. When I first started, I picked up injectable GHK-CU since it seemed like everyone was raving about it. The problem: it left me with massive, painful welts without fail. So I took the remainder and mixed it into my face cream instead. No issues at all.

Should you try this with your own leftover lyophilized, my suggestion is to reconstitute with .5 ml prior to mixing it into your chosen base. Using too much bac water is more likely to ruin your cream than 50 to 100 mg of lyophilized copper would.
 
Not sure if Anela rings a bell, but her GHK-CU protocols have a big following over on reddit (she's a researcher with 25+ years of experience, focused on peptides, particularly the copper peptides)

I did a ton of digging online looking for anyone who'd whipped up a hair serum following her protocol, or at least hitting the concentrations she suggests (6-7% ghk cu, 1% ahk cu), and only 1 turned up. I'm trying it right now, it's only been about 20ish days, but so far it looks promising. Beats dropping cash on bulk raws and then being stuck with a pile of leftover powder and no clue what to do with it lol
 
Cosmetic grade is what I go for—you get far more value that way. For what a single research-grade kit costs, I was able to get 100 grams of GHKcu cosmetic.
 
CandyCap said:

GortBong said:

What I've read up to now indicates research grade ghk-cu shouldn't be applied to the skin, and that cosmetic grade is the only kind meant for topical application.

What do you all think?

And does anyone have a serum formula that could be put on the scalp to encourage thicker hair? My guess is that facial serum recipes would be too heavy for the scalp.

Appreciate any help!!
Click to expand...

Lyophilized powders are something I'd avoid putting on my skin. The fillers in them might trigger irritation or acne. Instead, look for products marked cosmetic or raw.

For hair purposes, AHk-CU is worth looking into. Personally, I'd mix it into a ready-made serum designed for the scalp.

The serum I apply to my face is quite runny, but I doubt the scalp really needs ceramides and similar ingredients.
Click to expand...
I've used GHK-CU before, though AHK-CU is still something I haven't gotten around to trying. Finding a source for it has proven difficult.
 
Gigachad said:

Not sure if Anela rings a bell, but her GHK-CU protocols have a big following over on reddit (she's a researcher with 25+ years of experience, focused on peptides, particularly the copper peptides)

I did a ton of digging online looking for anyone who'd whipped up a hair serum following her protocol, or at least hitting the concentrations she suggests (6-7% ghk cu, 1% ahk cu), and only 1 turned up. I'm trying it right now, it's only been about 20ish days, but so far it looks promising. Beats dropping cash on bulk raws and then being stuck with a pile of leftover powder and no clue what to do with it lol
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Which option did you end up choosing?
 
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