AHK-Cu
What do these badges mean?
Evidence tier
- AHuman-validated — Human trials showing positive results and good safety.
- BAnimal-grade — No human trials yet, but solid animal/preclinical evidence of effect and safety.
- CAnecdotal — No human or animal trials — only anecdotal/observational reports.
- DInsufficient evidence — No or insufficient evidence (encyclopedia only — never recommended by the builder).
Safety light
- 🟢 Green — Only mild, manageable side effects; reasonable safety data.
- 🟡 Yellow — Needs active management, has a meaningful contraindication/interaction, or has thin long-term data.
- 🔴 Red — Risk of a hospital-level event — treat with serious caution.
Browse-only — not on the protocol builder's curated shortlist, so the builder won't recommend it.
What is it?
AHK-Cu is the copper peptide marketed for hair growth rather than facial skin, sitting in the copper-peptide family alongside GHK, GHK-Cu, Pal-GHK, and its own lipidated form, Pal-AHK.
What does it do in my body?
AHK-Cu is a copper-peptide complex that may stimulate hair-follicle activity and support keratinocyte proliferation.
How can it help me?
- Where the science stands: Anecdotal: 0 studies, 0 human trials
The full evidence — every human, animal, and lab study, graded — is one tap away: use the See the deeper science → toggle at the top.
Is it dangerous? What are the side effects?
No adverse-effect data specific to AHK-Cu was captured in the source profile. Family-wide read: topical delivery carries a benign safety record.
Regulatory status: Cosmetic-grade OTC topical/scalp ingredient — not an FDA-reviewed drug.
Typical dosing
Educational context only — talk to a licensed medical provider before any protocol. What follows describes the doses and schedules most commonly reported in the research and by practitioners, shared so you can have an informed conversation. These compounds are sold for research use only, are not FDA-approved drugs, and this is not medical advice.
Topical-only, typically formulated into scalp/hair serums. No specific concentration or use-frequency figure was captured in the source profile.
What should I avoid combining — and what's synergistic?
AHK-Cu doesn't have a dedicated stacking protocol in our notes — the interactions that matter most are in the safety section above. For how people combine it with other peptides, the deeper-science view has the full detail.
Where do people source this?
OHM does not sell or handle any compound. Research-use-only material is sold by third-party vendors; our vetting notes and disclosures are on the Where to buy page. If you'd rather have a physician in the loop, see the telehealth option. Whatever the route, the supply chain is the real risk: only consider vendors that publish batch-level third-party Certificates of Analysis.
The copper peptide marketed for hair growth rather than facial skin — mechanistically plausible as a copper peptide, but no published trial base for this specific molecule.
| Class | Copper/GHK-derivative family — topical cosmetic peptide (hair/scalp focus) |
| Mechanism (one line) | Copper-peptide complex that may stimulate hair-follicle activity and support keratinocyte proliferation |
| Evidence base | Anecdotal: 0 studies, 0 human trials |
| Safety record | Topical-only; benign safety record (Safety: green) |
| Regulatory status | Cosmetic-grade OTC skincare/scalp ingredient, not an FDA-reviewed drug |
What it is
AHK-Cu is the copper peptide marketed for hair growth rather than facial skin, sitting in the copper-peptide family alongside GHK, GHK-Cu, Pal-GHK, and its own lipidated form, Pal-AHK.
How it works
AHK-Cu is a copper-peptide complex that may stimulate hair-follicle activity and support keratinocyte proliferation.
What the research shows
Public profile grade: Anecdotal — 0 studies, 0 human trials. OHM’s internal 0035 categorization pass keeps AHK-Cu at Tier D / provisional (encyclopedia-only).
Status: popular in scalp/hair serums, mechanistically plausible as a copper peptide, but no published trial base for this specific molecule.
Real-world protocol
Topical-only, typically formulated into scalp/hair serums. No specific concentration or use-frequency figure was captured in the source profile.
Side effects & management
No adverse-effect data specific to AHK-Cu was captured in the source profile. Family-wide read: topical delivery carries a benign safety record.
Regulatory status
Cosmetic-grade OTC topical/scalp ingredient — not an FDA-reviewed drug.
Sources
- (thepeptidelist.com directory, captured 2026-06-07) — profile grade: Anecdotal, 0 studies, 0 human trials.
- OHM tier/safety grading: Tier D / provisional (encyclopedia-only).
- Migrated from
cosmetic-topical-peptides-cluster.md(2026-06-10 cluster build) as part of the cluster-to-standalone-article migration.
Sources & references
- (thepeptidelist.com directory, captured 2026-06-07) — profile grade: Anecdotal, 0 studies, 0 human trials.
- OHM tier/safety grading: Tier D / provisional (encyclopedia-only).
- Migrated from
cosmetic-topical-peptides-cluster.md(2026-06-10 cluster build) as part of the cluster-to-standalone-article migration.