Topical scalp formulations
- Reported quantity
- Typically 0.005–0.05% in solution
- Frequency
- Once or twice daily
- Study duration
- 12–24 weeks
Concentrations here are roughly tenfold lower than typical GHK-Cu facial formulations.
Protocols · Cosmetic
AHK-Cu: literature-reported ranges
AHK-Cu is the hair-follicle counterpart to GHK-Cu, studied mainly for follicle stimulation and dermal papilla cell proliferation. The literature is smaller and more cosmetic-industry weighted than GHK-Cu's.
Read this first
Every figure on this page is a range reported in published literature or in a publicly documented study protocol. It is a record of what researchers used, not a recommendation, a therapeutic protocol, or advice. Peptide Intel Hub is an independent publication, sells nothing, and describes these compounds as in-vitro research reagents only.
Compound at a glance
- Class
- Copper-binding tripeptide (Ala-His-Lys)
- Reported half-life
- Not systemically characterised — topical use dominates
- Routes used in the literature
- Topical
- Also written as
- —
What the published studies reported
Each row below describes one body of work. The model and population are part of the figure — a rodent per-kilogram quantity and a human trial quantity are not comparable.
Dermal papilla cell culture
- Reported quantity
- 1 nM to 1 µM in media
- Frequency
- Per media change
- Study duration
- 48–96 hours
VEGF expression and cell proliferation are the reported readouts.
Reconstitution maths
Water soluble with the characteristic copper-complex colour. 100 mg in 10 mL gives 1% stock, which dilutes 1:100 into a 0.01% topical formulation.
Open the reconstitution calculatorHow to read these figures
- Copper complex integrity is part of the molecule — colour loss suggests degradation.
- Much of the supporting data is cell culture rather than controlled human trials.
- GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu are distinct tripeptides with different concentration ranges.
Sources and citations
These are the published records the figures on this page are drawn from. Each one describes what researchers administered, in which model or population, and over what period. Quantities reported in a study are specific to that study's design and are not transferable guidance.
- [1]The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro
Pyo HK, Yoo HG, Won CH, Lee SH, et al. · Arch Pharm Res · 2007 · PMID 17703734
In vitro human hair follicle organ cultures were exposed to defined concentrations of a tripeptide-copper complex to assess proliferative effects on hair growth, providing indirect concentration/exposure data relevant to related copper tripeptide complexes such as AHK-Cu.
View the record
Search the databases yourself
Read the AHK-Cu research briefOther cosmetic compounds
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All research protocolsPeptide Intel Hub is an independent publication and has no affiliation, ownership or commercial relationship with the suppliers listed. We sell nothing and take no payments — links are editorial references only.