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Evidence reviewsResearch note2 min read

AHK and GHK: similar names, different evidence

AHK-Cu hair-follicle experiments and copper-free GHK skin-model experiments concern different peptide sequences and preparations.

ThePepBlog Research Edition · Educational summary · Prepared September 20, 2026

What the research examined

AHK-Cu hair-follicle experiments and copper-free GHK skin-model experiments concern different peptide sequences and preparations. The first used isolated follicles and dermal papilla cells; the second used keratinocytes and skin equivalents. Their shared connection to copper-peptide research does not erase those distinctions.

How to interpret the findings

Evidence should follow the exact molecule, preparation, model, and endpoint. A paper on AHK-Cu cannot serve as direct proof of an effect attributed to GHK-Cu, or vice versa.

Research literature

  1. The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro.
    Archives of pharmacal research · 2007 · PMID 17703734
  2. Stem cell recovering effect of copper-free GHK in skin.
    Journal of peptide science : an official publication of the European Peptide Society · 2012 · PMID 23019153

Links open the indexed paper records. Summaries are based on those records and their available abstracts, not a systematic review or a full-text appraisal of every study.

This research note separates study findings from personal-use recommendations. It does not establish the safety, effectiveness, or equivalence of a commercial product.