GHK-Cu Copper Peptide Serum
0.20 % w/w Copper Tripeptide-1. Once daily, morning or night. 30 mL airless pump.
- Skin looks firmer.
- Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
A$79.00
Description
A copper peptide serum at 0.20 % w/w GHK-Cu, which is 2.0 mg/mL. Used once daily, morning or night. It ships in a 30 mL airless pump, so the dose is metered and the formula never meets the air in the bottle.
Ingredients
Fourteen ingredients, in the manufacturer’s order, with what each is for and how much. Copper Tripeptide-1 is the INCI name for GHK-Cu; both appear on the label.
How to Use
Two pumps to clean skin at night. One bottle lasts about 75 nights at that rate. For external use only.
- pH 5.0 – 6.0
- alcohol-free Yes
- silicone-free Yes
- oil-free Yes
- water-free No
- cruelty-free Yes
- vegan Yes
- gluten-free Yes
Nobody warns you that the face goes first
Why this existsYou lost the weight fast. Your face lost it fastest.
Made for skin that changed shape quicker than it could keep up with. Used nightly, skin looks firmer and fine lines look softer.
- Skin feels more supple.
- Reduces the appearance of fine lines.
- Helps skin hold on to moisture.
- Helps your skin look even and smooth.
- Contains copper peptides to smooth the appearance of fine lines.
Those six sentences are the whole of what an Australian cosmetic is permitted to say, and two of them are the regulator’s own words. We will not tell you what this does under your skin. We will tell you exactly what is in the bottle, to the decimal, for every batch. Judge it on your own face.
The percentage, and of what
The label shows 0.20% w/w and 2.0 mg/mL. One quantity in two units: 2.0 milligrams of Copper Tripeptide-1 in every millilitre of finished serum. Same figure, stated the two ways the category argues in.
The full list, first screen
Fourteen ingredients, unabbreviated, in order, on this page. What you would read off the back of the bottle in the shop, readable before you buy.
Every batch, published
Batch number, certificate and specification band, published for every run. Batch FIRST-FIFTY-A’s is on this page.
Turn it round
36 frames. Drag to turn
Drag to rotate
Every word printed on this bottle is on this page. Turn it and check.
- The label wraps exactly once. 102 mm of artwork around a 32.47 mm body, so there is one seam and no overlap.
- Three panels across the wrap. The hero is the middle one, which is what puts the seam on the back of the bottle rather than the front shoulder.
- Turn it right round and every word printed on the bottle is on this page too.
The Science of Firmer Skin
A Naturally Occurring Peptide
A copper-binding peptide made from three amino acids, found naturally in the human body. Studied for decades.
Skin looks firmer
A copper peptide studied in skin science for decades. Used nightly, skin looks firmer and feels more supple.
Fine lines look softer
Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and helps skin look even and smooth.
The published research
These are studies of the molecule GHK-Cu and of other formulations, published in the scientific literature. They are not studies of this serum, and we make no claim about its results here.
GHK-Cu and collagen, in the lab
In cultured skin fibroblasts, GHK-Cu was shown to stimulate collagen synthesis (Maquart and colleagues, FEBS Letters, 1988). This is a finding about the molecule in cell culture, not a claim about what this serum does on skin.
Read the studyA modern review of the molecule
A 2018 peer-reviewed review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences describes GHK-Cu increasing collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycan synthesis and supporting dermal fibroblasts, alongside antioxidant activity. It reviews the molecule across many studies, not this serum.
Read the reviewWhat reviews report on aged skin
A peer-reviewed review reports that, in controlled studies on aged skin, GHK-Cu was associated with firmer-looking skin and a reduced appearance of fine lines and wrinkles (Pickart, Journal of Biomaterials Science, 2008). These are findings reported for the molecule in the literature, not results measured for this serum.
Read the reviewFull Ingredient Profile
| Ingredient | What it does | How much |
|---|---|---|
| Aqua | Water, the base of the serum | 1% or more |
| Niacinamide | Vitamin B3 | 1% or more |
| Glycerin | Pulls in and holds water | 1% or more |
| Panthenol | Vitamin B5, soothes and hydrates | 1% or more |
| Copper Tripeptide-1 | The active copper peptide (GHK-Cu) | 0.20% w/w |
| Phenoxyethanol | Keeps the formula fresh (preservative) | Under 1% |
| Ethylhexylglycerin | Helps the preservative work | Under 1% |
| Sodium Hyaluronate | Hyaluronic acid, holds water in skin | Under 1% |
| Hydroxyethylcellulose | Thickener, gives the serum its body | Under 1% |
| Allantoin | Soothes and calms | Under 1% |
| Tocopherol | Vitamin E, an antioxidant | Under 1% |
| Parfum | Fragrance | Under 1% |
| Ubiquinone | CoEnzyme Q10, an antioxidant | Under 1% |
| Benzyl Benzoate | A fragrance component | Under 1% |
Why this is not in a dropper
Packaging, not a formulation claim- Draws air in on every use. The pipette fills with air, and that air goes back into the bottle. By the time it is half empty, half of it is headspace.
- Returns the pipette to the bottle after it has touched skin.
- Leaves product behind. The tube stops short of the base.
- Air never enters. A piston rises behind the product as it leaves.
- One-way valve. What leaves the bottle stays out.
- 0.20 mL per stroke, measured. Two strokes nightly, 75 nights from 30 mL.
Why it matters more for this molecule than for most
Copper cycles between two oxidation states, Cu(II) and Cu(I). A complex that can cycle in the presence of any reducing agent will catalyse the oxidation of whatever else is in the bottle, including fragrance and unsaturated oils.
The standard fix for an oxidisable formula is a chelator such as EDTA, or an antioxidant. A chelator is exactly what pulls copper off the peptide: Cu-EDTA has a stability constant of log K 15.9 against this peptide's 12.62. So the usual protection is unavailable, and the packaging has to do the work the formula is barred from doing.
This is a mechanical argument about a container, not a test result about anyone's product. We have not assayed a competitor's serum and we do not claim to have.
The Difference
A dropper pulls air into the bottle on every squeeze, and returns the unused liquid with it. Ours draws none back in, and gives 0.20 mL every stroke. GHK-Cu degrades when exposed to oxygen, so the container is part of the formula.
Certificate of conformity
View the certificate ↗
The batch
FIRST-FIFTY-A, revision AOne number, and everything we know about where it came from.
The specification band and the assay both read not established, because nothing has measured this yet. The manufacturer’s certificate covers identity, appearance, pH and microbial count and does not assay the active. An independent assay by reverse-phase HPLC quotes A$200 to A$1,200 per sample. It is the first thing profit pays for, and when it runs the result goes here whether it agrees or not.
A batch that comes in at 0.16% will be published at 0.16%.
Copper Tripeptide-1, of the finished formula, by weight.
Not established
Not established
Manufacturer statement. No assay run
Stated 29 JUL 2026
BATCH FIRST-FIFTY-A
Line by line, including the five lines that have no number yet
| Ingredient | Quantity | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper Tripeptide-1 | 0.20 % w/w | Manufacturer statement, no assay | 29 JUL 2026 |
| Aqua through Benzyl Benzoate, twelve ingredients | Not disclosed | Order supplied, quantities withheld | Requested 30 JUL 2026 |
| Parfum, fragrance blend | Not disclosed | Supplier’s trade secret | Requested 30 JUL 2026 |
| pH at 20 °C | Not established | Calibrated meter | Requested 30 JUL 2026 |
| Fill, declared 30 mL | Not established | Weighed | Requested 30 JUL 2026 |
| Colour, measured | Not established | Flatbed scan, 600 dpi | Requested 30 JUL 2026 |
| Period after opening | 12 months | Manufacturer stated | 29 JUL 2026 |
Five things we can show you
Sources on every figureThese describe the molecule, and what is not known about it.
The chemistry underneath those two figures. Three more plates
What we have not tested
30 July 2026Consumer perception
Not run. Where every “86% agreed” in this category comes from. Quoted at A$8,900 and up. The number we would most like to have and the one we are least able to buy.
Instrumental
Not run. Corneometry and cutometry, measuring the skin’s surface instead of asking a person. A$25,000 to A$60,000.
Finished-product assay
Not run. HPLC on the filled bottle, to confirm 0.20% is actually in it. A$200 to A$1,200. This one is next.
How to use it
Identical to the printed labelTwo pumps to clean skin at night. One bottle lasts 75 days.
Do not mix with direct vitamin C, AHA or BHA acids, or benzoyl peroxide. EDTA holds copper roughly 2,000 times more tightly than this peptide does, so a chelator in the same routine takes the copper off it. Bossak-Ahmad 2020, PMID 32867146.
Contains fragrance. Parfum and Benzyl Benzoate are both in this formula, and Benzyl Benzoate is a declarable allergen. Copper itself patch-tests positive in 3.8% of tested populations; nickel, for scale, is 20.9%. Fage 2014, PMID 25098945.
For external use only. Discontinue use if irritation occurs. Keep out of reach of children. Store below 25 °C and away from direct sunlight.
When it is empty
The bottle is four parts: an aluminium outer, a polypropylene inner pouch, the pump, and the cap. The aluminium is recyclable kerbside once the pump is out. The pump is a mixed-polymer assembly with a metal spring and is not.
Pull the collar to release the pump. It takes a firm hand and it is meant to, because a pump that came off easily would let air in, and air is the whole reason this is not a dropper.
Questions
Answered here rather than found laterDoes it work?
We are not permitted to answer that, and neither is anyone else selling a cosmetic in Australia. A sentence about what a serum does to skin turns it into a therapeutic good, which is a different product and a different regulator. What we are permitted to say is at the top of this page, in the regulator’s own words, and nothing beyond it.
Is the 0.20% real?
It is the manufacturer’s figure, dated 29 July 2026. Their certificate tests identity, appearance, pH and microbial count, and does not assay this ingredient. So the number is sourced, not verified, and the certificate on this page says exactly that. An independent assay quotes A$200 to A$1,200 and it is the first thing profit pays for.
Why is it cheaper than the serums I usually buy?
A$79 is A$2.63 per mL. Fifty bottles, one product, no retail margin, no photography, no study. Most of the price in this category is a study and a photoshoot. We have run neither.
Can I use it with vitamin C or acids?
No. EDTA and direct acids hold copper more tightly than this peptide does, so a chelator in the same routine takes the copper off it. Use it on its own at night.
It has fragrance in it. Why?
Because this is the manufacturer’s stock formula and fragrance is in it. Benzyl Benzoate is named separately because it is a declarable allergen. The fragrance-free version does not exist yet.
What happens if a batch comes in low?
We publish it. The specification band goes up before the batch is made, so a miss is visible rather than deniable, and the out-of-spec state is already built. A batch that comes in at 0.16% will be published at 0.16%.