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GHK-Cu vs Glutathione

Updated 8 sources

Key differences

  1. 1GHK-Cu is a copper peptide studied for collagen and wound repair; glutathione acts on pigment and oxidative stress.
  2. 2Glutathione's skin effect in trials is lightening of melanin; GHK-Cu users chase firmness and texture.
  3. 3Users run them side by side but in separate syringes.

Side by side

Facts from each record, in the same words as their own pages.
GHK-Cu and Glutathione side by side
GHK-CuGlutathione
Category
  • Skin & hair, Healing & recovery
  • Longevity, Skin & hair
Evidence
  • Limited human data
  • Limited human data
FDA status
  • Not FDA approvedRegulatory
  • FDA 503A Category 1Regulatory
WADA
  • Not confirmed
  • Not confirmed
Half-life
  • Not measured in humans. Rat IV work shows fast breakdown to His-Lys, within minutes to a couple of hours. The 30-minute to 4-hour figures online have no source.Competitor guide
  • About 14 minutes in blood after a high IV dose (2 g/m2) in 10 healthy volunteers.Clinical study
  • About 11 minutes after 50 mg/kg IV over 10 minutes in 7 volunteers; levels were back to baseline at 30 minutes.Clinical study
Routes
  • Subcutaneous injection
  • Subcutaneous injection, Intramuscular injection, Intravenous (IV), Oral, Nasal
Forms
  • Vial (powder), Topical
  • Vial (powder), Ready-to-use vial, Capsule, Oral solution, Nasal spray
Reported doses
  • 0.5 to 3 mg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 15 to 30 mcg/kg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 200 to 500 mcg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 100 to 250 mg (subcutaneous injection)
  • 200 to 600 mg (intramuscular injection)
  • 600 to 1,400 mg (intravenous (iv))
Most cited frequency
  • Once daily
  • Daily
Vial sizes
  • 50 mg, 100 mgCompetitor guide
  • 200 mg, 600 mg, 750 mg, 1,000 mg, 1,200 mg, 1,500 mgCompetitor guide
Mixed vial keeps
  • Fridge at 2 to 8 C, dark, not frozen.Competitor guide
  • Fridge at 2 to 8 C, out of light, never frozen.Competitor guide
Protocols on file
  • 11
  • 19

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Read each in full

Sources

8 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Clinical study2

  1. Aebi et al. 1991, high-dose intravenous glutathione pharmacokineticsPubMed · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. PCAC June 8, 2022 FDA presentations (glutathione review)FDA, via a regulator · checked Oct 24, 2026

Vendor guide1

  1. GHK-Cu beyond cosmetic hype (pharmacist review, 2026-02-11)Fagron Academy · checked Oct 23, 2026

Competitor guide1

  1. GHK-Cu half-life and shelf lifepeptidedeck.com · checked Oct 23, 2026

Community-reported1

  1. Glutathione IM is so underrated (comment: different compounds)r/Peptides · checked Oct 24, 2026