GHK-Cu Explained: The Copper Peptide That Signals Collagen Repair

Summary

Podcast Summary: Biohacking Beauty – The Anti-Aging Skincare Podcast

Episode Title: GHK-Cu Explained: The Copper Peptide That Signals Collagen Repair
Hosts: Amitay Eshel and Anastasia Hojairo
Release Date: October 24, 2025

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Main Theme & Purpose

This mini bonus episode dives deep into the powerful peptide GHK-Cu, also known as copper peptide, renowned for its robust role in skin repair, collagen production, and visible anti-aging effects. The hosts break down the science behind GHK-Cu, explore its synergistic effects with other actives like retinol and vitamin C, address common myths, reveal optimal concentrations in skincare, and relate personal stories backing up its efficacy.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction & Context (01:14–02:18)

• The episode is a response to listener and team questions about supporting ingredients—specifically GHK-Cu—in their newly launched Blue Peptide Spray.
• The hosts, Amitay and Anastasia, set a casual, engaging tone, emphasizing their commitment to delivering actionable science-backed information.

What is GHK-Cu? (02:19–03:20)

• GHK-Cu is a peptide naturally occurring in the body, not a synthetic compound.
• Its primary function: binds copper and signals fibroblasts (skin cells) to ramp up activity, stimulating collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid production.
  • Quote (Amitay, 02:26):
    “GHK-Cu is a natural peptide… It tells our fibroblasts to ramp up their activity and to repair, rebuild, mainly to create more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.”

How Does GHK-Cu Boost Collagen? (02:50–03:20)

• Directly activates enzymes that increase collagen synthesis.
• Acts on the gene expression level (epigenetic), upregulating genes related to collagen and elastin.
  • Quote (Amitay, 02:57):
    “It activates enzymes that increase collagen synthesis, but it also acts on collagen and elastin genes… So it works on the epigenetic level and on the enzymatic level.”

GHK-Cu & Wound Healing Notoriety (03:20–04:27)

• Known for wound healing but effective for all types of skin damage (cuts, sunburn, pollution).
• Three main functions:
  1. Signals tissue repair.
  2. Stimulates new blood vessel growth (angiogenesis).
  3. Improves cellular recruitment for optimal tissue rejuvenation.
  • Quote (Amitay, 03:34):
    "It does three things... tissue repair, increases the growth of blood vessels, and improves cell recruitment."

Real-life Anecdote: Brow Injury (04:27–05:18)

• Amitay recounts using GHK-Cu (both applied and injected) on a bad eyebrow cut, defying surgeons’ prediction of permanent scarring.
  • Quote (Anastasia, 04:27):
    “Two years ago, you cut your eyebrow really bad in jiu-jitsu... you were actually just loading up with GHK, and now you don’t have a scar.”

Why GHK-Cu Works Topically (05:18–06:06)

• GHK-Cu is a very small molecule (just three amino acids), which makes it highly bioavailable for topical formulations.
• Classified as a bioregulator—less than four amino acids, acting at the epigenetic level.
  • Quote (Amitay, 05:47):
    "It's extremely small… that's why it’s so bioavailable for topical formulations."

Can GHK-Cu "Reset" Old Cells? (06:23–07:21)

• It helps nurse aged cells back to youth via epigenetic modulation, not just eliminating old cells for new ones.
• Results include reduced wrinkles, firmer and more hydrated skin.

Proper Concentration: How Much Is Enough? (07:32–09:29)

• Clinical data support 3% GHK-Cu as the “sweet spot” for efficacy and safety—higher risks irritation, lower may be ineffective.

• Over 10% concentrations are for hair growth, not facial skincare.

  • Quote (Anastasia, 07:49):
    “Through our research, we found that 3% is like the sweet spot because you get the result of clinical data... more than that, you can actually risk skin irritation.”
  • Quote (Amitay, 08:54):
    “If anyone ever is looking for like a 30% GHK, you don't—3% is what will be prescribed by the way.”

• Importance of pharmaceutical-grade sourcing; quality and purity distinguish premium from mass-market formulas.

  • Quote (Amitay, 10:03):
    “The best example I think is McDonald's and Whole Foods meat... it's beef everywhere, but it's very different pricing and the way you feel after that.”

Comparing GHK-Cu and Retinol (10:15–12:07)

• Retinol: promotes skin renewal by stimulating stem cells (“cell turnover”).
• GHK-Cu: stimulates fibroblasts to make better-quality collagen.
• They are **complementary—**retinol turns on the process, GHK-Cu helps build stronger, more youthful collagen.
  • Quote (Anastasia, 11:17):
    “The GHK-Cu in this case stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen. So they're very complementary in that way.”

Retinol Myths: Does It Thin Skin? (12:07–15:10)

• Skin thinning from retinol is unlikely; problems usually stem from poor formulations lacking barrier-restoring ingredients.
• Retinol synergizes with vitamin C and GHK-Cu for more robust, healthier skin.

Sensitive Skin: Is GHK-Cu Safe? (15:52–16:40)

• At 3% and with barrier-supporting ingredients, GHK-Cu is generally safe for sensitive skin.
• However, safety depends on overall formula, not just the peptide concentration.

When to Expect Results (16:40–17:28)

• With consistent daily use, visible improvements can show as early as 4 weeks, more commonly 8 to 12 weeks, depending on age and skin turnover rate.

Effects on Tone & Texture (17:28–17:46)

• GHK-Cu improves texture and tone due to regenerative and wound-healing properties.
• Not a skin "brightener"—won't dramatically affect pigmentation issues like melasma.

Synergy with Methylene Blue & NAD+ (17:51–18:54)

• Methylene blue reduces oxidative stress, NAD+ boosts cellular energy, GHK-Cu enhances structural skin repair.
• Together, they comprise a “dream team” for deep skin rejuvenation.
  • Quote (Amitay, 18:30):
    “It all starts with methylene blue... NAD is where that energy is being used for repair. And GHK-Cu is like targeting where repair would kind of happen.”

Copper Overload Concerns (18:54–19:08)

• No risk of copper overload from topical GHK-Cu use at recommended concentrations.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On GHK-Cu’s Potency:
  “It really is a miracle kind of peptide for wound healing.”
  —Anastasia (05:11)

• Dispelling Overdose Fears:
  “Not topical. And again, like hopefully you won’t try to convince somebody to give you 30%.”
  —B and A (18:59–19:06)

• On Product Quality:
  “The best example I think is McDonald's and Whole Foods Meat… it's beef everywhere, but it's very different pricing and the way you feel after that.”
  —Amitay (10:03)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• What is GHK-Cu? — 02:19
• How Does GHK-Cu Boost Collagen? — 02:50
• GHK-Cu and Wound Healing — 03:34
• Personal Brow Healing Story — 04:27
• Why Topical GHK-Cu Works — 05:18
• Can GHK-Cu Reset Old Cells? — 06:23
• Optimal Concentration Discussion — 07:32 / 08:54
• Sourcing and Quality Matters — 09:29–10:08
• Retinol Comparison and Myths — 10:15–15:10
• Safety for Sensitive Skin — 15:52
• Expected Results Timeline — 16:40
• Texture and Tone Effects — 17:31
• Synergy with Other Actives — 17:51 / 18:30
• Copper Safety — 18:54

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Additional Notes & Tone

• The conversation is science-anchored but informal, blending education with relatability and humor.
• The hosts are transparent about their product development process and cite both research and real-life results.
• The podcast encourages questions from the audience and is open to future “deep dive” episodes.

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This summary distills the episode for listeners curious about GHK-Cu, its science, synergy, safety, and practical use in anti-aging skin routines.

Transcript

[A]

Before we jump in, I just want to thank everyone who's left a rating and review. Your feedback doesn't just brighten my day, it actually helps the podcast rank higher and reach more listeners who need this information. Each week we'll be picking one reviewer to send a free product to as a thank you. This week's shout out goes to 62 KDP on Apple Podcasts for their five star review. Here's what they so informative. Even though the content is sometimes over my head, I always learn something. Keep it coming, especially the myth trend busting. Thank you so much. 62kdp DM us on Instagram to confirm this was your review and we'll get your free product shipped out foreign. Welcome to Biohacking Beauty, the podcast that unites beauty, biohacking, longevity and wellness, all in the in the hopes of improving your cellular function. You are.

[B]

I am Anastasia Hojairo.

[A]

I'm Amitai Eshel. We're the co founders of Yungoos and this is another mini bonus episode.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Where we answer. We just launched the Blue Peptide spray which is a product that we've worked on for a very long time. We're extremely proud of it. We had a long podcast talking about methylene blue and NAD mainly. And our employees prepared more questions about the supportive ingredients there, which I would say they're as cool as the hero ingredients. So today we have a mini episode answering their questions about ghkcu. Yeah. And if you liked what you heard today and you want to take action on that, you can go to yangoos.com use the code PODCAST10Podcast10 to get 10% off your podcast. I'm kidding. Your purchase. Okay, Anastasia, do you want to start kind of firing off some questions?

[B]

Yeah. Yeah, I think let's start with the. The beginning. Let's start in the beginning. What is ghkcu?

[A]

GHKCU is a natural peptide. It's not a synthetic peptide. It's naturally occurring in our body and it binds copper and it tells our fibroblasts to ramp up their activity and to repair, rebuild, mainly to create more collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid.

[B]

Yeah, very cool.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

The next question we had was how does it boost collagen? But you just said it stimulates fibroblasts activity.

[A]

It's really cool because it does it on kind of on a direct way. It activates enzymes that, that, that increase collagen synthesis, but it also acts on collagen and elastin genes and upregulating the Expression of those genes. So it works on the epigenetic level and on. In the. On the enzymatic level.

[B]

Very, very cool. And I think when people hear ghkcu, like, next to. It is always like wound healing, wound healing. So. So how did it come about? How come, you know, it got notoriety in that?

[A]

Well, it does three things that are associated with wound healing, but it's more like damage response. So it's not only if you've got a cut, it could be if you got burnt by the sun, it could be even a response to your skin being bombarded with pollution. So first it signals tissue repair. Just simply signals your tissue to. To invest more energy if you would, more currency in repair. But it also does a very similar, similar things thing as far as vasculature. So it is angiogenic, it increases the growth of blood vessels. And third, it improves cell recruitment. So it recruits more cellular function, it brings more cells to the area, whether it is, you know, growth factors. Many other ones.

[B]

Yeah. I remember, like two years ago, you cut your eyebrow really bad in jiu jitsu, and you were actually just loading up with ghk, so you were injecting it, you were applying it topically, and now you don't have a scar. And when we went to emergency room to stitch up that torn brow, the surgeon said, you will have a scar forever.

[A]

Yeah, she also did a really bad job. So.

[B]

Yeah, she kind of wanted to set the expectations.

[A]

Yeah. I am not. Good. Yeah. If anyone. So this could be like a yucky before and after, but if anyone really wants the before, we want the photo. So. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. No, And I. I'm just. It really is a miracle kind of peptide for wound healing.

[A]

So it's also a very small peptide. So the challenge is, with a lot of peptides, you'll see like very large numbers after. After peptides. Or you'll. You'll see basically that they have a lot of letters, which would imply that they have a lot of amino acids, amino acids connected to one another in a row. So. So ghk, the cu, by the way, is for copper because it's bound to copper, but it has only three amino acids. So it's extremely small.

[B]

And this is why it's so bioavailable for topical formulations.

[A]

Correct. And technically it's considered a bioregulator. So lower than four amino acids is considered a bioregulator, which is. It has a few characteristics, but it mainly works on, like, on the epigenetic level. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

I remember you talked to Natalie Needham about it.

[A]

Shout out to Natalie.

[B]

Yeah, and we have, we have the podcast for you guys to look back. Yeah, actually, yeah. You guys dived into like, all of the peptides that are prominent and like, you know, relevant for skin health. The last question I will ask you.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And there's a question from our team. Can GHKC you reset old cells?

[A]

It can. So a lot of the times we're talking about, when we talk about autophagy, for example, or when we talk about nad, when we talk about retinol, which, spoiler alert, is a question I want to ask you about, we are talking about not necessary. So basically, like eliminating older cells and replacing them with newer cells. In many other words, GHKCU is interesting because although it also helps with that, it also helps kind of nurse cells back into youth, back into health. And that it does through that epigenetic changes, it can, you know, modulate in cells. So that would lead to then, you know, fewer, fewer wrinkles, firmer skin, depth of wrinkle is diminished. Also helps again with hydration because of that increase of hyaluronic acid gene expression and production.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And there is a question that it's not. Wasn't put together by our team, but I remember just right now, we had a comment on one of our posts.

[A]

Technically a part of the team, so on Instagram.

[B]

Okay. Yeah. So there was a comment and the comment asked what percent of the GHKCU we use in our formulas. And just since it's popped up in my memory, I'm just like the comment. And I think it's maybe a question that people are wondering about. I will just say that through, through our research, we found that 3% is like the sweet spot because you get the result of clinical data of it being very active and efficient at that concentration. But more than that, you can actually risk skin irritation. Like there are some companies that might be using 5% and it's just something risky. Like, you know, a lot of people can react to it. So more is not always better. And the 3% is the spot, the concentration that clinically has shown. What I meant, I talked about reduction in depth of wrinkles, just overall improvement of skin quality. And less than that is where you might not get the threshold to actually it be infective. So, yeah, I agree.

[A]

And you know, over 10%, you're already talking about hair growth. And that's. It also applied to the face. So like, yeah, it's again, such a.

[B]

Such an important note here.

[A]

Important note. So Again, maximizing down. Like if anyone ever is looking for like a 30% GSK, you don't, 3% is, is what will be prescribed by the way. Like if, if you're, you're having a compounding pharmacy make, your doctor has a compounding pharmacy make a GHKCU product for you, it will be 3%. And an important note is that we use pharmaceutical grade ghkcu.

[B]

So yeah, very important note.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And really that's also what a lot of distinguishing what distinguishes like premium and results driven skincare formulation with over something that just like maybe like very mass market and affordable. It's the quality of the ingredient, the sourcing and also like the grade because you can have the same ingredient, can cost different amount based on where you sourced it and what grade. Just I'm trying to think of like example.

[A]

The best example I think is McDonald's and Whole Foods Meat. Like that to me is the best example.

[B]

Yeah, like it's beef everywhere, but it's very different pricing, pricing and, and the way you feel after that.

[A]

Yes. Okay, Anastasia, speaking of retinol, how does it compare to retinol?

[B]

Yeah. So for, maybe somebody is listening to this podcast and they're like, what is retinol? So retinol is a precursor of retinoic acid. And retinoic acid is basically an active form of vitamin A that's released by your body when your body signals turn over. So when your body needs your cells turned over, it releases retinoic acid.

[A]

And then someone's saying, what is turned over?

[B]

Is it turned over?

[A]

Yeah, but no, just renew.

[B]

Renew. Oh yeah. Well, renewal, cellular renewal. And retinoic acid is also what tretinoin is. That's one to one, they compound. So, so the retinol is its precursor and it's much more gentle. And actually this is a very good question from our team because we had the same question asked by a lot of our listeners and comments on Instagram, like about how retinol interacts with ghkcu. Actually in, in our unfiltered opinion, I already talked about it, that there is a lot of misinformation about like, oh, these ingredients don't mix well together. But in this case, so where I was going with it, so the retinol converts into retinoic acid stimulates the basal cells, which are your skin's stem cells. Those are the cells that are destined to become skin cells in particular. So it turns on that process. Now it's as we just talked about with ghkcu, the ghkcu in this case stimulates fibroblasts to produce collagen. So they're very complementary in that way. And also when you think about what fibroblast will make the best collagen new or older, the newer they are, the better functioning they are. So it all like really complements each each other.

[A]

Yeah, I agree. And the problem with retinol, some people again like a misconcepted misconception about retinol is that it thins the skin.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The reason it would thin the skin, it's not impossible, it's very unlikely. But the reason it would make a worse functioning skin in the long run is if you're stimulating all of that renewal without the ability to follow it up with quality. So it's not only about the quantity, it's also about the quality, for example of collagen you can think of, you know, if you see like on TikTok Instagram, whatever new houses in countries that I'm not going to mention, not to insult anyone that are falling apart even though they're new. Right. That's because they tried to build it extremely fast. They used very cheap material. And these houses, doesn't matter that they've being built, you know, very fast or whatever there. The material is not quality. It's not only the quantity. Same here.

[B]

But also in terms of retinol thinning out the skin or not. I agree with you, that's true. But retinol also needs vitamin C. It's like they work together and in the vitamin C needs to be in regimen, it doesn't have to be in the same product. It can be like you use vitamin C centered product in the morning, retinol at night. One is kind of making sure that you have enough collagen to pull from because retinol will employ collagen and vitamin C will make sure that you have more of it. So that's one thing. And another thing is also with like a lot of the times what people think they, they experience thinning of the skin from retinol, it's because they see compromised skin barrier and redness. And that comes from the fact that the formulation did not include something to replenish skin barrier and maintain it. For example, in our bioretinol we have biomimetic lipids. And that's why people I I just was interviewed yesterday by Incalant Shout out, shout out to Inca land. And she was saying, listen, I've tried all retinols. She's from Finland originally. She has very Thin Scandinavian skin.

[A]

Their. Their skin is known. Known to be thin.

[B]

That's funny. And. And she was saying that this is like the only retinol that doesn't make me peel and I actually feel more hydrated. And it is funny because if you have good formulation, that's what it does. And also retinol, actually, which I think we just mentioned, it turns on production of like. It turns on deactivation. Yeah. So it turns on fibroblasts. And fibroblasts, they don't only produce collagen, they also produce collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid. So if you have properly formulated retinol that lives up to its potential, it will actually make your skin more hydrated from inside out. But you just need to make sure that you do have that extra added layer of lipids that will protect your skin.

[A]

That's enough about retinol. Yeah, that's not what this podcast is about.

[B]

We do have a deep dive on retinol that you can scroll back to, but.

[A]

Yeah, but they are complementary. They work very well together. Also with vitamin C. It's not a question here in the, in the.

[B]

I got it. I went off top.

[A]

No, no, I'm saying it's also a. They also work part of that combination in a regimen. You could also add vitamin C and that would also be complementary to GHKC and retinol.

[B]

Now I understand.

[A]

Which we have in our youth reset use daily. We actually have GHKCU and those ingredients specifically thda vitamin C, which is the vitamin C that is the most.

[B]

The Rolls Royce.

[A]

The Rolls Royce of vitzins. Okay. Speaking of sensitivity, is it safe for sensitive skin?

[B]

Yeah, it's a. It's a good question. Again, we mentioned today, like percentage, Right. I think at 3% it is safe. But then it's not just about GHKC. What other ingredients that you have there? Like if you have barrier restoring ingredients, something that will support your skin microbiome, then it is like just GHK su by itself. It's questionable. You know, it could be. It could go either or depending on what its environment in the formula.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. But on its own, I mean, it's not. Not.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Safe for sensitive skin.

[B]

No.

[A]

Yeah. When do results appear?

[B]

Yeah, this is a really great question. With consistent use, GHKCU is a lot like retinol. If you are consistent and using it at least once a day, preferably twice a day, you should be able to see results as soon as the cellular turnover. So for some People that would be as soon as four weeks for some people. Like the older we are, the, the slower the turnover is and it might take longer and then it also might like the. After the first renewal you'll see like slight improvement. You mostly like will feel it, but you won't really see it. But you usually within like I would say eight weeks, you should be able to see the results sometimes 12 weeks and sometimes as early as four weeks.

[A]

Yeah. Does it improve tone and texture?

[B]

So because of its wound healing properties that we talked about, it can improve texture, tone. It's not like a known brightener. So I wouldn't count on it to really help melasma or something. But it, it's complementary.

[A]

Yeah. How does it pair with methylene blue or nad?

[B]

Yeah, well that's question because our team put this questions together due to our methylene blue spray launch. So methylene blue, we talked about it in our longer format episode. It's main thing, it really reduces oxidative noise. So it really helps to reduce oxidative stress. Then nad plus our long time listeners probably know it by heart. That's boosting the cellular energy. And now we have GHKC that stimulates collagen, elastin production, hyaluronic acid. So they pair very well together and they all have their separate jobs, but together they kind of make the dream team.

[A]

I agree. It's almost like looking at it, you know, like, like it all starts with methylene blue as far as like that because it's kind of makes sure that we make clean energy if you will. The NAD is where kind of that energy being used for repair. And GHKC was like targeting where repair would kind of happen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah, love that. Okay. Any risks of copper overload?

[B]

Not topical.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then again like hopefully you won't try to convince somebody to give you 30%.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

Nobody should be able to.

[A]

No. Okay. That's all we have for JHCU.

[B]

Yeah. Again, well let us know if this short kind of bite sized deep dives are helpful to you. We're always listening to your feedback.

[A]

The place always listening to you. We're listening to you right now.

[B]

So we are like only that pizza. If you watched Parks and Recs for like grizzle. Well so yeah. But the best place to leave a feedback would be on the platform where you consume this podcast in comment section. We always check those as we're striving to improve the quality of our podcast and we are taking your feedback very, very seriously.

[A]

Very silly.

[B]

Yeah. So please let us know. And if you like it, we can do those type of bite sized deep dives for all other ingredients, any ingredients you interested, put it in the comment section and that could be next.

[A]

And if you don't like my jokes and you want to save the world from me having to go and be a comedian and you want Young to do really well, you can go to yangus.com you can use the pod, the pod, the pod code casting the code podcast10 to get 10% off your purchase. And yeah, leave a review. Five stars give. If you give us five stars, we give you five stars.

[B]

Yeah, maybe somebody's going to listen to it. They're like, no, I want this guy to become a comedian. So they're like, they're going to make their mission to bring our company down so you can fulfill your dream of becoming a comedian.

[A]

Damn it. Okay, do that.

[B]

That's all we have for today.

[A]

Don't do that. Anyway, thank you very much and thank you, Anastasia. Beautiful as always.

[B]

Thank you. Every time. Glowing. Glowing.

[A]

Yeah. Okay, bye.