Quick answer: Copper Tripeptide-1 and GHK-Cu are not two competing SKUs. Copper Tripeptide-1 is the INCI. GHK-Cu is the common name for the same Gly-His-Lys copper complex, CAS 89030-95-5. Ordering one does not require a second drum labeled the other—unless the COA fails the sequence or CAS check.
Placement, cool-down below 40°C, pH 5–7, and the EDTA ban are in Copper Tripeptide-1 for Skin Is the Blue GHK-Cu Complex. This page is the naming gate: which copper peptide the warehouse is allowed to pull.
One complex, two names
PubChem’s record for prezatide copper lists Copper tripeptide-1 and GHK copper as synonyms under CAS 89030-95-5. The parent peptide is glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine; copper is part of the complex. CIR’s peptide assessment defines Copper Tripeptide-1 the same way: a complex formed by copper and Tripeptide-1, with the same CAS.
An RFQ that says Copper Tripeptide-1 and an RFQ that says GHK-Cu are asking for this blue complex when CAS and sequence agree. Write both on the inquiry if your internal brief uses the common name and your label pack uses the INCI—then ask the supplier to print the INCI and CAS 89030-95-5 on the COA.
The product page prints C14H24CuN6O4. PubChem prints C14H23CuN6O4+ and about 402.92 g/mol for the same CAS. Other public write-ups sometimes quote a neutral 1:1 formula near C14H22CuN6O4. Do not treat a hydrogen-count difference between public pages as proof of a different material. Read the formula and Gly-His-Lys-Cu sequence on the COA you will buy. If the formula line is ambiguous, ask for the sequence and copper confirmation in writing before you scale.
“Copper peptide” is a class name
A search asking whether copper peptide and GHK-Cu are the same is one step wider. Copper peptide only says that some peptide is bound to copper. It does not say which peptide, which stoichiometry, or which salt. GHK-Cu / Copper Tripeptide-1 is one member of that class—typically described as a 1:1 Gly-His-Lys copper complex.
CIR’s same peptide report also lists Bis(Tripeptide-1) Copper Acetate under CAS 130120-57-9: the acetate salt of a product of Tripeptide-1 with copper, treated in registries as a bis / 2:1-type complex (also called prezatide copper acetate). That is still a GHK-related copper material, and it is still not automatic equivalence to the Copper Tripeptide-1 powder on this page. A COA that says only “copper peptide,” “GHK copper acetate,” or a CAS other than 89030-95-5 has not named this grade until you match INCI, sequence, and CAS.
Manganese Tripeptide-1 and fatty-acyl Tripeptide-1 derivatives appear in the same CIR family as further skin-conditioning entries. They are not fill-ins for a GHK-Cu PO.
Copper-free Tripeptide-1 is not this lot
PubChem treats glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine as the parent of the copper complex. Free GHK without copper is a different substance and a different CAS line in public registries (commonly cited around 49557-75-7 for the free peptide). Tripeptide-1 on this site is the copper-free purchase line: sequence printed as Gly-His-Lys-OEt, CAS 72957-37-0, typically a white to off-white powder.
The letter code can look related on a hurried RFQ. The copper ion, the blue color, and the CAS do not match. A Tripeptide-1 drum does not satisfy a GHK-Cu specification, and a GHK-Cu drum does not fill a copper-free Tripeptide-1 order. If the brief says “GHK” without “Cu” or without Copper Tripeptide-1, stop and ask which INCI the label will carry.
AHK-Cu is another sequence
GHK-Cu versus AHK-Cu is a different peptide, not a second name for the same complex. The structural fork is the N-terminal amino acid: glycine in GHK-Cu, alanine in AHK-Cu. They share a histidine–lysine copper-binding motif in market descriptions, but they are not interchangeable on a PO.
Alanine/Histidine/Lysine Polypeptide Copper on this site is the AHK copper line: sequence Ala-His-Lys-Cu, CAS 682809-81-0, formula printed as C15H24ClCuN6O4, blue to purple fine powder, HPLC ≥99%. Alanine/Histidine/Lysine Polypeptide Copper Hcl is a separate listing of that same sequence and CAS as the HCl grade. Either AHK listing is a different order from Copper Tripeptide-1.
Market papers sometimes also print other CAS numbers or the shorthand “Copper Tripeptide-3” for AHK-type materials. Treat those as documentation checks, not as permission to ship GHK-Cu under an AHK brief. Match the INCI and CAS on the page you order to the COA you receive. Shared process habits—cool-down below about 40°C, pH near 5–7, avoid EDTA—do not make the sequences the same SKU. The AHK product page even notes pairing with GHK-Cu as two actives; that is two purchase lines, not one substitute.
How to choose on the RFQ
| Brief says | What to order |
|---|---|
| Copper Tripeptide-1 / GHK-Cu / prezatide copper / CAS 89030-95-5 | Copper Tripeptide-1 (this page) |
| “Copper peptide” with no sequence or CAS | Ask for INCI and CAS before sampling |
| Bis(Tripeptide-1) Copper Acetate / CAS 130120-57-9 / prezatide copper acetate | Not automatic fill for this page—match that INCI and CAS separately |
| Tripeptide-1 / GHK without copper | Tripeptide-1 page—not this blue complex |
| AHK-Cu / Ala-His-Lys-Cu / Alanine/Histidine/Lysine Polypeptide Copper | AHK copper page(s)—not GHK-Cu |
None of these names is an injectable on a cosmetic sample request. If the project is topical, say so in the inquiry. Do not copy an injectable “GHK-Cu dosage” thread onto a cosmetic RFQ.
What the documents must show before price means anything
Keep three identity checks on the same email thread:
- INCI Copper Tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu only as a synonym)
- CAS 89030-95-5 and sequence Gly-His-Lys-Cu
- Appearance and assay for the form you will weigh (this grade: blue powder, HPLC ≥99% when that is the brief)
If any of those three fails, the quote is pricing the wrong drum—even when the salesperson says “same copper peptide family.” Formula-line spelling differences between PubChem and the product page are secondary; sequence and CAS are not.
What to put in the quote or sample email
- Exact INCI Copper Tripeptide-1 (GHK-Cu as a synonym only)
- CAS 89030-95-5 and sequence Gly-His-Lys-Cu on the COA
- Confirmation it is not copper-free Tripeptide-1, not AHK-Cu, and not Bis(Tripeptide-1) Copper Acetate unless that is the brief
- Form and HPLC assay; blue appearance for the neat powder
- Cool-down / pH / chelator notes only after identity is locked
- Sample pack size, plus COA, SDS, and TDS
Documents for the Gly-His-Lys copper complex are on the Copper Tripeptide-1 page. Send the inquiry only after the sequence is locked in writing. A clear GHK-Cu identity line usually returns documents and a quote; a vague “copper peptide” line usually returns clarifying questions first.
