Pal-GHK
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?
Pal-GHK is the lipidated, better-penetrating cosmetic form of GHK — a core ingredient in Matrixyl 3000, paired with Rigin.
What does it do in my body?
Palmitoylation adds a fatty-acid tail that improves lipophilicity and dermal penetration; the resulting molecule activates fibroblasts via TGF-β to produce collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin.
How can it help me?
- Where the science stands: Emerging: 3 studies, 1 human (review)
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 Pal-GHK was captured in the source profile. Family-wide read: topical delivery carries a benign safety record.
Regulatory status: Cosmetic-grade OTC topical 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. Formulated alongside Rigin in commercial blends (Matrixyl 3000). No standalone concentration figure was captured in the source profile.
What should I avoid combining — and what's synergistic?
Pal-GHK 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 lipidated, better-penetrating cosmetic form of GHK — a core ingredient in Matrixyl 3000, and the practical, penetration-optimized version of a well-evidenced parent molecule.
| Class | Copper/GHK-derivative family — topical cosmetic peptide |
| Mechanism (one line) | Palmitoylation adds a fatty-acid tail for better lipophilicity and dermal penetration; activates fibroblasts via TGF-β to produce collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin |
| Evidence base | Emerging: 3 studies, 1 human (review) |
| Safety record | Topical-only; benign safety record (Safety: green) |
| Regulatory status | Cosmetic-grade OTC skincare ingredient, not an FDA-reviewed drug |
What it is
Pal-GHK is the lipidated, better-penetrating cosmetic form of GHK — a core ingredient in Matrixyl 3000, paired with Rigin.
How it works
Palmitoylation adds a fatty-acid tail that improves lipophilicity and dermal penetration; the resulting molecule activates fibroblasts via TGF-β to produce collagen, glycosaminoglycans, and elastin.
What the research shows
Public profile grade: Emerging — 3 studies, with the human-relevant one being a topical anti-wrinkle review (Mortazavi et al., 2025, PMID 39963574).
OHM’s internal 0035 categorization pass grades Pal-GHK Tier C / green / recommend-eligible, citing “small topical RCTs”.
Status: the practical, penetration-optimized cosmetic version of GHK, with a real role in major commercial blends.
Real-world protocol
Topical-only. Formulated alongside Rigin in commercial blends (Matrixyl 3000). No standalone concentration figure was captured in the source profile.
Side effects & management
No adverse-effect data specific to Pal-GHK was captured in the source profile. Family-wide read: topical delivery carries a benign safety record.
Regulatory status
Cosmetic-grade OTC topical ingredient — not an FDA-reviewed drug.
Sources
- (thepeptidelist.com directory, captured 2026-06-07) — profile grade: Emerging, 3 studies, 1 human. Study cited: Mortazavi et al., 2025, PMID 39963574.
- OHM tier/safety grading: Tier C / green / recommend-eligible, citing small topical RCTs.
- 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: Emerging, 3 studies, 1 human. Study cited: Mortazavi et al., 2025, PMID 39963574.
- OHM tier/safety grading: Tier C / green / recommend-eligible, citing small topical RCTs.
- Migrated from
cosmetic-topical-peptides-cluster.md(2026-06-10 cluster build) as part of the cluster-to-standalone-article migration.