Tissue Repair & Regeneration

GHK (Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine)

GHK is the copper-free form of the same three-amino-acid peptide — glycine, histidine, lysine — that circulates in human blood plasma. The result that made it interesting was not a skin result at all: a gene-expression study of lung tissue from people with emphysema reported that adding GHK reversed part of the damage signature. It is sold topically as Tripeptide-1 or Kollaren for skin repair and hair. The human record is thin and indirect — that gene-expression work rather than a treatment trial, plus an open-label hair study of a modified version in 48 people — and the wound evidence behind it is a study in diabetic rats.

Last updated 12 August 2026

Studied forTissue repair research · Collagen remodelling research · Lung and skin repair context

Evidence on file1 human observational study · 1 animal study · 3 citations not yet graded

Strongest sourceA gene expression signature of emphysema-related lung destruction and its reversal by the tripeptide GHK. (human observational study)

Mechanism

Binds copper and shifts fibroblast gene expression towards TGF-beta signalling, collagen remodelling, and integrin-mediated repair.

Reported effects

What sources associate with this compound. Reported categories, not outcomes we have graded — each would need its own citation and rung.

Tissue repair research
Collagen remodelling research
Lung and skin repair context

Manufacturer’s claim vendor marketing

For a proprietary cosmetic ingredient the manufacturer is the originator — there is no upstream to defer to, and this is often the only description that exists. It is reproduced as an attributed claim, with the label its source gave it. It is not graded and it is not evidence — the graded studies are under Literature.

Vendor claims quoted from incidecoder (citing the Kollaren manufacturer): stimulates "collagen but also other essential skin proteins such as fibronectin, elastin, and laminin"; "boost tissue repair and thus help acne scars to heal faster". Creative Peptides page: "can increase the firmness of the skin by activating the extracellular matrix proteins synthesis". No n= or duration given.

Manufacturer: Not confirmed on fetched pages (incidecoder cites 'manufacturer' claims for Kollaren but does not name the company)
Sold as: Kollaren
Manufacturer’s recommended use: Not specified on fetched pages

Source page — nofollow, because a vendor link is a reference here, not an endorsement.

Dosing on file unverified

Topical: varies by formulation; Oral: combination therapy

Carried from a source that labels it unverified, and reproduced with that label attached. A record of what is reported, not a recommendation. No citation on this page establishes it.

Half-life, storage & sport

In sport (WADA 2026): not recorded as a yes or no — not named; S0 catch-all likely for injectable use at all times the list Same analysis as ghk-cu; topical cosmetic GHK is listed by USADA as not prohibited.

Literature on file 7

review or editorial
The human tri-peptide GHK and tissue remodeling. graded on: indexed as "Review" - secondary literature, not a study — “Review”
review or editorial
GHK Peptide as a Natural Modulator of Multiple Cellular Pathways in Skin Regeneration. graded on: indexed as "Review" - secondary literature, not a study — “Review”
human observational
A gene expression signature of emphysema-related lung destruction and its reversal by the tripeptide GHK. graded on: an observational human design — read from the indexed abstract — “cross-sectional”
animal in vivo
A therapeutic approach for diabetic wound healing using biotinylated GHK incorporated collagen matrices. graded on: an animal model — read from the indexed abstract — “rats”

Not graded

3 citations whose study design could not be read from the title. Left ungraded rather than guessed at.

not graded
Skin wound healing properties of synthetic analogues of the tripeptide GHK (GLY-HIS-LYS) (1995, cited 1x)
not graded
The Effect of the Human Peptide GHK on Gene Expression Relevant to Nervous System Function and Cognitive Decline.
not graded
Topical GHK-Cu Gel for Acute Skin Wound Healing graded on: NCT07437586 is recruiting and has posted no results - a registration, not a reported outcome — “NCT07437586”

Identity

Space-filling 3D model of GHK (Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine), carbon grey, nitrogen blue, oxygen red — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms and bonds are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation, and where the SMILES leaves a stereocentre undefined the pose commits to one arbitrarily. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

2D chemical structure of GHK (Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine) — Built from the SMILES on this record — the atoms and bonds are exact. The shape is **one computed low-energy pose**, not a measured structure: a flexible peptide in solution has no single conformation, and where the SMILES leaves a stereocentre undefined the pose commits to one arbitrarily. The skeletal formula below claims connectivity and nothing more, which is what we actually know.

Molecular weight: 340.38
Molecular formula: C14H24N6O4
CAS number: 49557-75-7
PubChem CID: 73587
InChI key: MVORZMQFXBLMHM-QWRGUYRKSA-N
SMILES: C1=C(NC=N1)C[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCCN)C(=O)O)NC(=O)CN
InChI: InChI=1S/C14H24N6O4/c15-4-2-1-3-10(14(23)24)20-13(22)11(19-12(21)6-16)5-9-7-17-8-18-9/h7-8,10-11H,1-6,15-16H2,(H,17,18)(H,19,21)(H,20,22)(H,23,24)/t10-,11-/m0/s1

Also called

Kollaren
Tripeptide-1
ghk basic

Notes unverified prose

Open-label trial (n=48, 3 months): biotinyl tripeptide-1 for androgenetic alopecia; RCT for skin aging; wound healing studies; Open-label trial (n=48, 3 months) for androgenetic alopecia

Not on file 2

1 of the 8 fields we track hold nothing on this record, and each says why. 1 further absence is named below. A blank field is a bug; a named absence is a finding.

amino-acid sequencenothing we hold supplies it
half-lifenothing we hold supplies it

Each field links to every other record missing the same thing. The full ledger holds 765 gaps across 163 records.

Listed prices 30

What 20 shops we track listed for GHK (Glycyl-L-Histidyl-L-Lysine), read from their own public catalogues on 2026-09-14. We take no commission on these and they are not ranked by any payment — how vendors are scored.

Compare prices30 listings from 20 shops

Listed in USD
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
atomiklabz	100 mg	$55.00 USD	$0.55/mg
Hydro Research	100 mg	$55.00 USD	$0.55/mg
Optima Supply	100 mg	$55.00 USD	$0.55/mg
Transforma Peptides	50 mg	$29.00 USD	$0.58/mg
VANDL Labs	100 mg	$59.99 USD	$0.60/mg
Raw Amino	200 mg	$156.00 USD	$0.78/mg
Core Peptides	200 mg	$157.00 USD	$0.79/mg
Peptides.GG	100 mg	$79.00 USD	$0.79/mg
Biotech Peptides	200 mg	$165.00 USD	$0.82/mg
USA Peptide Sciences	200 mg	$170.00 USD	$0.85/mg
Core Peptides	50 mg	$49.00 USD	$0.98/mg
Biotech Peptides	50 mg	$51.00 USD	$1.02/mg
Raw Amino	50 mg	$51.00 USD	$1.02/mg
USA Peptide Sciences	50 mg	$55.00 USD	$1.10/mg
BioPep	61.96 mg	$69.00 USD	$1.11/mg
Ion Peptide	50 mg	$99.00 USD	$1.98/mg
Ion Peptide	size not listed	$24.95 USD	—
Peptide Works	size not listed	$29.92 USD	—
Ion Peptide	size not listed	$29.95 USD	—
Ion Peptide	size not listed	$34.95 USD	—
Ion Peptide	size not listed	$39.95 USD	—
Soma Chems	size not listed	$169.99 USD	—
atomiklabz	size not listed	$250.00 USD	—

Listed in CAD
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
Peptide Shop Canada	200 mg	$100.50 CAD	$0.50/mg
Core Peptides Canada	200 mg	$193.58 CAD	$0.97/mg
Core Peptides Canada	50 mg	$60.42 CAD	$1.21/mg
Canada Peptide	20 mg	$49.99 CAD	$2.50/mg

Listed in GBP
Vendor	Size	Price	Per mg
Direct Peptides Canada	size not listed	£24.70 GBP	—
Direct Peptides USA	size not listed	£24.70 GBP	—
Pharma Lab Global Canada	size not listed	£25.23 GBP	—

Prices are the vendor's own listing, reproduced with the date we read it — never converted between currencies, and compared per milligram only where the vendor states the vial size.