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Skin & hair

GHK-Cu

A copper peptide discussed for skin, hair and collagen.

StatusCosmetic ingredient (topical); injectable use not approved (EU/UK/US)
How well studied in peopleSmall human studies
Experts quoted6 experts

iNot medical advice. We don’t recommend any dose. Every dose below is a quote from the person named, describing their views or their own use. GHK-Cu is used as a cosmetic ingredient in topical skin-care products. Injectable GHK-Cu is not an approved medicine in the EU, UK or US.

What experts say about dosing

9 statements from 5 people. Each one is word for word: we add punctuation only and mark cuts with […]. The chips repeat the exact words used.

Nicholas TrigiliHuman performance specialist and coach; fitness YouTuber

Daily or every other day, long term

Dose
“one to 2 milligrams”
How often
“daily or every other day”
How long
“throughout the entire cycle; 3 to 6 months to notice”
How taken
“subq”

“So, it takes 3 to 6 months to actually notice any benefits or anything to start kicking in. The way I like to run this peptide is basically one to 2 milligrams subq daily or every other day for the best benefits consistently throughout the entire cycle is a must because it's going to produce the best results.”

Watch at 13:50Top 6 RETATRUTIDE Stacks to Get Shredded in 2026 (Nicholas Trigili) · upload date not confirmed

Context: “This peptide” is GHK-Cu (chapter “Stack #4: GHK-Cu”), added to a retatrutide stack. He says in his videos that he is not a doctor.

How he would start

Dose
“1 and 1/2 to 2 mg”
How often
“per day … five times per week”
How long
“60 to 90 days, then reassess”
How taken
“subcutaneous”
Where
“your abdominal wall or your upper thigh”
When
“morning, preferably fasted”

“here's the exact protocol I would follow if I was starting over. Start conservative. You can always increase, but you can't undo taking too much. So, the dosing I would start with is 1 and 1/2 to 2 mg per day. The frequency, five times per week. The injection site, always subcutaneous, your abdominal wall or your upper thigh. You can rotate the sites to avoid the irritation. And the timing, morning, preferably fasted. And the consistency matters more than the timing. So, the cycle length I would do would be 60 to 90 days, then reassess based on your response and your results.”

Watch at 5:12I ran GHK-Cu for 12 months so you don’t have to (here are the results) (Nicholas Trigili) · 10 Mar 2026

Context: Said after describing his own experiment and work with clients. Later in the video he says the protocol should be based on blood work and proper monitoring.

Own use: how he ran it (Sept 2026)

Dose
“One and a half to 2 milligram is the max dose per day”
How often
“five times per week”
How long
“Minimum cycle, I would say 90 days”
How taken
“subcutaneous … abdominal wall, your upper thighs”
When
“in the morning first thing”
Also said
“start conservative”

“But here's how I ran it. One and a half to 2 milligram is the max dose per day five times per week subcutaneous. You could do your abdominal wall, your upper thighs. Ideally, just keep it consistent. Do in the morning first thing cuz consistent matters a lot. Minimum cycle, I would say 90 days. That's still pretty early before you're going to reassess anything. Again, start conservative. You can always go up.”

Watch at 8:12I’m 39. Here’s Every Peptide I’ve Run So Far in 2026 (Revealing My Protocols) (Nicholas Trigili) · 24 Sep 2026

Context: Own use. He says he runs GHK-Cu on its own, not in a pre-made “glow stack” blend. He says all the peptides in this video were taken alongside the testosterone and HGH he runs all year. He says in his videos that he is not a doctor.

Vigorous SteveBodybuilding coach and YouTuber (VigorousSteve)

Own use: dose escalation

Dose
“1 millgram … 2 milligram … 5 milligrams”
How often
“per day”

“I started low, 1 millgram ghk copper per day, gave that 2 weeks […] so did 1 milligram for a while, then I increased to 2 milligram and then I increased to 5 milligrams”

Watch at 5:23Individual PED Risk Vs. Reward Assessment & Management | GHK-Cu & Kisspeptin-10 Update (VigorousSteve) · 27 Jun 2021

Context: Describing his own experiment. The cut removes a passage on side effects (quoted separately below). “millgram” is how the auto-captions render the first figure. He does not state the route in this passage.

Own use: planned higher dose

Dose
“maybe 10 milligram”
How long
“maybe 3 months, 6 months”

“now I'm going to increase it to maybe 10 milligram of ghk copper […] considering that I'm going to run this peptide for maybe 3 months, 6 months, to really give it adequate time for it to help with skin anti-aging”

Watch at 7:45Individual PED Risk Vs. Reward Assessment & Management | GHK-Cu & Kisspeptin-10 Update (VigorousSteve) · 27 Jun 2021

Context: He frames this as his “individual risk to reward” decision. The cut removes a garbled phrase and his remark that he does not expect to approach the upper tolerable copper intake.

Ben GreenfieldFitness and longevity author; host of Ben Greenfield Life

Recovery stack (dosing guidelines)

Dose
“5mg”
How often
“1x/day”
How long
“for a 5–10 day cycle”
How taken
“Subcutaneous injection”

“Dosing Guidelines: 5mg 1x/day for a 5–10 day cycle; OR 2mL of 10mg/mL solution 2x/day. Administration Route: Subcutaneous injection”

Read the sourceBen’s Peptide Stack for Recovery, Explosive Gains, & Ageless Vitality (bengreenfieldlife.com) · 17 Sep 2024

Context: Published as “Dosing Guidelines” for GHK-Cu in the recovery stack of an article on his own site; not described as his own use. He adds that GHK-Cu “is best injected subcutaneously for recovery” but can be used topically for skin or hair. Bullet points joined into one line.

Dr Jones DCDoctor of chiropractic (DC); YouTube channel on peptides and GLP-1 medications

Own use: started at about 2 mg a day

Dose
“about 2 milligrams”
How often
“every day”
How long
“the past 6 months”

“I've been using GHK copper myself for the past 6 months. I started at about 2 milligrams every day. Originally for shoulder recovery from training, specifically volleyball.”

Watch at 1:16GHK-Cu for GLP-1 Users - Preventing Ozempic Face, Hair Loss & Muscle Loss (Dr Jones DC) · 19 Nov 2025

Context: Own use. Later in the same video (8:41) he gives “Two to three milligrams daily subcutaneous injection” as the prevention tier.

How he says it is run

Dose
“1.2 mg”
How often
“daily”
How long
“3 to 4 months, 1 month off”
How taken
“subq”

“So, here's what running it properly looks like. 1.2 mg subq daily. That's the dose. And in some scenarios, it can be ran somewhat higher, but that's a conversation with your provider. And then you cycle it 3 to 4 months, 1 month off.”

Watch at 7:06Doctor Explains all of the Benefits of GHK-Cu & Why Your Body Needs It (Dr Jones DC) · 20 Sep 2026

Context: His clinic’s approach. In another video (CXQQm8rMm38, 6:09) he says they start most people around 1.2 mg and may go up to 2 mg a day when GHK-Cu is used on its own.

Jay CampbellAuthor and podcaster on hormones and peptides; co-founder of a peptide company

Every day, eight weeks on and off

Dose
“1.7mg”
How often
“Every day”
How long
“8 weeks on, 8 weeks off”
How taken
“SubQ injection”
When
“AM”

“Dose: 1.7mg. Timing: AM. Frequency: Every day. Duration: 8 weeks on, 8 weeks off. Administration: SubQ injection. […] Jay’s Note: GHK-Cu is the quiet workhorse of this stack. You’re running it every day because its regenerative benefits are cumulative — and the eight-week break keeps the receptors responsive.”

Read the sourceJay Campbell’s Longevity Protocol (jaycampbell.com) · 30 Apr 2026

Context: Quoted from a protocol card on his website (the field labels Dose, Timing, Frequency, Duration and Administration are his). The protocol pages say every protocol has been “personally tested, refined, and used by Jay Campbell”, and most cards link to a product from BioLongevity Labs, a company he co-founded.

What experts say about safety

4 statements from 2 people about risks and how strong the evidence is.

Vigorous SteveBodybuilding coach and YouTuber (VigorousSteve)

Copper load at higher doses

“ghk copper is 18.7% copper, so if you use that at particular higher dosages you can actually bring yourself over the tolerable reference range for copper intake on a daily basis if you run that compound every day, which then compounds with the dietary copper that you're consuming”

Watch at 4:06Individual PED Risk Vs. Reward Assessment & Management | GHK-Cu & Kisspeptin-10 Update (VigorousSteve) · 27 Jun 2021

Context: Part of his own risk assessment before running GHK-Cu.

Most common side effect

“the most predominant side effect that I'm experiencing is a post injection pain, which is what everybody reports with ghk copper, but it's tolerable”

Watch at 5:43Individual PED Risk Vs. Reward Assessment & Management | GHK-Cu & Kisspeptin-10 Update (VigorousSteve) · 27 Jun 2021

Context: Describing his own experience. Just before, he mentions that nausea and dizziness are reported in the literature.

Facial injections

“I would not recommend GHK copper injections directly into the cheeks because again the post injection pain is brutal.”

Watch at 3:48Looksmaxxing With GHK cu (Does It Work?) (VigorousClips) · 5 Feb 2026

Context: From a short clip on GHK-Cu for appearance (“looksmaxxing”).

Dr Ashley FroesePrimary care physician; YouTube channel “This Is Not Covered”

Copper and zinc balance (safety)

“supplementing a lot of zinc can deplete your copper, but long-term high-dose copper supplementation, including using GHK copper, can deplete zinc, too. Serious users report using 15 to 30 mg of zinc alongside using GHK copper. And that's not medical advice, that's just something that I've seen.”

Watch at 6:58Dr. Admits - I Was WRONG AGAIN About GHK-Cu (Dr Ashley Froese) · 7 May 2026

Context: A safety point about copper and zinc, not a GHK-Cu dose. The zinc amount is what she says users report.

Go deeper

What the research used

Context, not a dosing guide. Most GHK-Cu research is in cells, animals or topical cosmetic products. No published trial has tested injected GHK-Cu in people, so none of these studies establishes a human dose.

Animal studies

StudyStudied inWhat the study usedWhat it found
Fu et al., 2015, J Orthop ResPubMed 2573177572 rats after ACL reconstructionIntra-articular GHK-Cu 0.3 or 3 mg/ml, once weekly for 4 weeksLess knee laxity than saline at 6 weeks; no significant difference at 12 weeks

Reviews

  • Pickart & Margolina, 2018, Int J Mol Sci. PubMed 29986520. Review of GHK biology and gene-expression data, written by researchers from a skin-care company.
What we don’t know yet
  • No published clinical trial of injected GHK-Cu.
  • Most evidence comes from cell, animal and topical cosmetic studies.
  • Each dose adds copper; Vigorous Steve’s quote above notes the possibility of exceeding the tolerable copper intake at higher doses.
  • Grey-market products are unregulated, so identity, purity and dose accuracy vary.
Common questions

Is GHK-Cu the same as the copper peptide in skin creams?

Yes, the same molecule (copper tripeptide-1) is used in topical cosmetics. The quotes on this page are mostly about injecting it, which has not been tested in clinical trials.

What side effect do people mention most?

Post-injection pain. Vigorous Steve calls it “tolerable” in 2021 and “brutal” for facial injections in 2026; see the safety quotes.

Is there a human trial of injected GHK-Cu?

Not that we could find in PubMed as of October 2026.

Why does the protocol section only contain quotes?

We do not write our own dose ranges. The protocol cards show, word for word, what named people have publicly said, with their caveats and a link to the source.

About this page

Word-for-word statements about how injectable GHK-Cu (copper peptide) is used, including own-use accounts and side effects, each with a link to the source. The published research is listed separately as context.

Also known as
Copper tripeptide-1; glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper(II)
Type
Naturally occurring copper-binding tripeptide
Category
Skin & hair
Last updated
11 Oct 2026

Last reviewed 11 Oct 2026 · Compiled by the Peptide Dosing editorial team · How we check quotes