What the label states, the lot delivers — net peptide mass, not gross powder weight, purity reported as measured rather than rounded up, and a Certificate of Analysis for every lot.
Net peptide mass, not powder weight; purity as measured, not rounded up; a COA per lot.
Net peptide + purity not rounded up. COA per lot.
FDA PCAC reviews 7 peptides for the 503A bulks list (BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTs-C, Emideltide, Semax, Epitalon). Read our compounder's decision tree. Read our briefing →
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Copper tripeptide-1
Vialdyne buyer fit
This Vialdyne page is intentionally positioned for compounding-pharmacy, clinic, and regulated procurement teams evaluating GHK-Cu. It is not the broad research monograph for this SKU; the page emphasizes buyer qualification, release testing, documentation depth, and whether the active fits the destination-market workflow before pricing.
Overview
GHK-Cu (INCI: Copper Tripeptide-1) is glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine coordinated to a divalent copper ion. First isolated from human plasma in 1973, it is the canonical endogenous copper-peptide complex; plasma concentrations decline with age, and that biology underwrites its use in dermal-repair work and in topical formulation. The lyophilised cake's characteristic blue colour is diagnostic for intact Cu(II) coordination, a colourless or pale reconstituted solution is the first sign the complex has dissociated and the peptide and copper are no longer functioning as the bioactive species. Our companion piece on this molecule, the [GHK-Cu topical-formulation playbook](/insights/ghk-cu-cosmetic-formulation-guide), covers the full ingredient-by-ingredient compatibility breakdown for downstream formulators. Vialdyne releases GHK-Cu against a ≥99.0% main-peak HPLC specification. Because activity tracks intact Cu(II) coordination rather than peptide mass alone, the standard batch packet pairs RP-HPLC and ESI-MS with copper-content verification, performed by atomic absorption spectroscopy or by quantitative HPLC against a copper-saturated reference, whichever the receiving formulator's QA system has historically used. Standard 50 mg and 100 mg lyophilised vials cover bench-scale and pilot use. The SDS reproduces INCI name and CAS on every shipment so the documentation drops cleanly into the cosmetic-finished-product notification workflow (CPNP in the EU, equivalent registries in other jurisdictions).
Applications & buyer fit
Cosmetic-peptide buyers fall into two groups: established beauty / med-aesthetic brands extending an existing line, and OEM clients building a private-label catalog from scratch. The first group usually wants active 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.
Sourced for
Buyer fit
Documentation that ships
Procurement note: INCI naming, SDS, and stability data in the chosen carrier ship with the active; finished-product safety remains the brand owner's responsibility.
Primary buyer fit: medical aesthetic clinics and med spas, regional distributors and re-sellers, and academic and contract research laboratories.
Specifications
Certificate of Analysis
Published released-batch COAs for GHK-Cu, every lot HPLC-verified. These are previews — request the full high-resolution certificate for any lot.
VerifiedRequest full COA →GHK-Cu
VD260428-CU100078 · 99.22%
VerifiedRequest full COA →GHK-Cu
VD260428-CU50077 · 98.97%
Regulatory note
Offered as a cosmetic-grade INCI ingredient, namely Copper Tripeptide-1, GHK-Cu is not intended for compounded human-use preparations, and it does not appear on the FDA July 2026 PCAC 503A-bulks agenda. This cosmetic-grade material serves med-spa, beauty OEMs, and finished-product formulators worldwide; for cosmetic-notification workflows such as CPNP in the EU and equivalent registries elsewhere, the INCI name is provided on the SDS.
Selected literature
Frequently asked questions
The visible blue comes from the d-d electronic transitions of Cu(II) when properly coordinated by the GHK peptide ligand. Without that coordination the colour fades to colourless or pale blue; the peptide and the copper are both still in the vial, but the bioactive complex itself has dissociated. As a receiving-inspection check, this is the single most informative visual QC step for GHK-Cu integrity, the lyophilised cake should be uniformly blue, and the reconstituted solution should retain visible colour. A pale solution warrants a hold pending re-confirmation of the released-batch identity.
Anything that sequesters or chemically alters the bound copper. The usual culprits are: chelators like EDTA (which pull Cu(II) away from the GHK ligand), high-concentration AHA/BHA acid systems (which protonate the histidine and lysine donor atoms and disrupt coordination), and reductive antioxidants (which can convert Cu(II) to Cu(I) and shift the coordination preference). Practical guidance for formulators: use chelator-free water for the aqueous phase, target a near-neutral pH (5.5-7.0 working range), and add the copper peptide downstream of any reductive antioxidants in the formulation order. Compatibility data for the more common topical-base systems is available on request to support qualification work.
There is no two-tier material. The catalogue release sits at a single ≥99.0% HPLC specification that already clears cosmetic-grade requirements in essentially every jurisdiction, so the same lot serves both topical-formulation and laboratory use. What changes is the documentation packet attached to the shipment: topical-formulation orders include INCI name, CAS, and the cosmetic-grade specification sheet for notification submissions; laboratory orders that involve parenteral use typically add LAL endotoxin per USP <85> and microbial limits per USP <61>/<62> on the same lot. The peptide itself is identical across the two.
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