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AHK-Cu

Scalp serum for thinning hair

Copper tripeptide-3

Match every finding to its exact substance, formulation, route and study population. A related molecule or approved medicine does not validate a catalog vial.

Human / product-specific records · Animal / laboratory evidence · Mechanistic / indirect records · Unresolved sources
Explore the evidenceWhy people take it
Compare this compoundRead original sources Community reports
AHKCu
Schematic illustration · View structure evidenceAHK

Carries a copper ion (Cu²⁺)

Color key
NonpolarAromaticPositive chargeNegative chargePolar Copper ion D-form or non-natural

At a glance

Why people take it. And what backs it up.

  1. Regrow thinning hair

    Lab studies only

    People with thinning hair mix it into a scalp serum or their minoxidil, often applying it after microneedling, hoping for extra regrowth.

    Sources (4)

Evidence briefing

Sources checked

What the sources support.

AHK-Cu is the alanine-histidine-lysine copper complex (distinct from GHK-Cu). The frequently cited hair paper tested human follicles ex vivo and dermal-papilla cells in vitro; it was not a treatment trial in people. Topical cosmetic marketing does not establish human hair-growth efficacy or drug approval.

Keep in mind

The human tissue in the cited work was studied outside the body, and the cell results do not show that a topical product grows hair in patients.

Identity and research status reviewRead the original sources

The research. What’s been studied.

  • Animal & lab studies

    Hair-follicle laboratory finding

    AHK-Cu lengthened excised human hair follicles in culture; this does not show that it grows hair in people.

  • Animal & lab studies

    Follicle-cell research

    Cultured dermal-papilla cells showed changes in proliferation and cell-death markers; clinical significance is unknown.

  • Unverified

    Longer growth phase

    A longer hair-growth phase remains a proposed effect, not a demonstrated clinical outcome.

  • Unverified

    Scalp collagen

    Collagen-support claims are not established by the cited AHK-Cu hair-follicle study.

What do these labels mean?
  • Human evidence: approved-drug data or larger human studies, within the populations and uses studied.
  • Early human studies: small, preliminary or limited human studies.
  • Animal & lab studies: animal or laboratory findings that do not establish effects in people.
  • Unverified: a proposed use or claim without verified supporting clinical evidence.
How each claim was reviewed (4)

Reported effects and evidence.

A citation may support, qualify or correct a claim. Read the study scope; a laboratory result is not an established benefit in people. Each review covers a claim as it was first collected; the tiles above show the collection’s current wording.

  1. Ex-vivo human follicles

    Review of “Longer hair follicles”

    AHK-Cu increased elongation of isolated human hair follicles in laboratory culture.

    Limitations and applicability. Correct outcome, but current “animal” label should specify ex-vivo human tissue.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Longer hair follicles

    Lengthened human hair follicles grown in the lab.

    Original label: animal. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record ahk-cu:benefit:1 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

  2. In-vitro human dermal-papilla cells

    Review of “Healthier follicle cells”

    AHK-Cu increased dermal-papilla-cell proliferation in culture; its measured reduction in apoptosis was not statistically significant.

    Limitations and applicability. Proliferation was observed; reduction in apoptotic cells was not statistically significant. Do not flatten both into proved survival.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Healthier follicle cells

    Helped the dermal papilla cells at the base of the follicle survive and multiply.

    Original label: animal. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record ahk-cu:benefit:2 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

  3. Mechanistic/marketing extrapolation

    Review of “Longer growth phase”

    A longer hair-growth phase is hypothesized; no direct human clinical evidence was verified here.

    Limitations and applicability. Follicle elongation in culture does not establish prolonged anagen in treated people.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Longer growth phase

    Thought to extend the hair-growth phase.

    Original label: claimed. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record ahk-cu:benefit:3 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

  4. Unknown — no direct primary source verified. Cross-peptide marketing extrapolation

    Review of “Collagen support”

    Scalp-collagen support is a reported claim requiring an AHK-Cu-specific primary source.

    Limitations and applicability. GHK-Cu collagen data are not a substitute for AHK-Cu scalp evidence.

    Unknown: no direct primary source verified. This does not mean that no research exists.

    Original collected claim and review history

    Original title: Collagen support

    Like GHK-Cu, claimed to support collagen in the scalp.

    Original label: claimed. Preserved for traceability; the reviewed wording above qualifies this record.

    Record ahk-cu:benefit:4 · Annotated 2026-10-01 · Review method

The research in detail

Evidence category

Mostly animal and cell studies

One study found human hair-follicle elongation ex vivo and effects in cultured dermal-papilla cells. These are laboratory findings, not a clinical hair-loss trial. Evidence for AHK-Cu should not be substituted for evidence about the different peptide GHK-Cu.

Evidence is assessed claim by claim above. Regulatory approval, study design, findings and relevance are separate questions; there is no single evidence score.

Risks and unknowns. What to know first.

Collected cautions follow. These are not an exhaustive or independently validated safety assessment; claim references do not automatically support every caution.

  • Mild skin irritation.

What people report

Show all 5 cautionsShow fewer cautions

Read this first: what “research use only” means

Published dosing records. No established dose.

Historical label and trial records for the named product, route, population and indication. These records are not a personal schedule or a validated regimen for a catalog vial. Source attribution does not establish applicability.

AHK-Cu is a cosmetic ingredient. Published research is limited to lab studies on hair follicles and cells; no human trial or regulator’s label sets a dose or strength.

Any dose you see online for it is a guess, not a tested dose.

Community protocols. Reported online. Not clinically validated.

Community reports Collection date: 30 Sep 2026

The most common protocol is a homemade scalp serum of about 1% AHK-Cu (10 mg per mL, often 300 mg in 30 mL of hyaluronic acid serum) applied nightly to thinning areas, often with weekly microneedling.

More about this

Reported strengths run from 0.4% to 2% (ready-made sprays up to 8%); injection under the skin or into the scalp is fringe.

Not testedFrequently encountered in reviewed sources

Homemade topical scalp serum

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
About 1% (10 mg per mL); reported range 0.4–2%, with some guides saying up to 5%
How often
Once a day (some twice), 5–7 nights a week
Route
Topical, on the scalp (thinning areas)
Timing
Usually at night on a clean scalp
How long
Ongoing; users judge results after 3–6 months
Mixing
Raw cosmetic-grade powder (not the freeze-dried injectable vials), dissolved in a little sterile or bacteriostatic water, then stirred into a hyaluronic acid serum or a store-bought hair serum; for example 300 mg in 30 mL or 1 g in 100 mL; kept in the fridge
  • Users report applying about 0.3–1 mL a day, which is roughly 3–10 mg of AHK-Cu.
  • Often combined with GHK-Cu (1–2%), minoxidil or finasteride.
  • A widely shared DIY guide gets the math wrong: it says 1% of 30 mL is 300 micrograms, but it is 300 mg (1,000 times more).
Sources (4)

Not testedCommon

Serum after microneedling

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
The same serum (about 1%) applied right after needling
How often
Microneedling about once a week in most guides; some users stamp daily
Route
Topical after microneedling (dermaroller or needle stamp)
Timing
Same night as needling; left on and washed off the next morning
How long
Ongoing
Mixing
As for the homemade serum
  • Needle depth of 1–1.5 mm is the figure given in one guide.
  • Users warn to needle only with a sterile product (see cautions).
Sources (4)
Show all 4 protocolsShow fewer protocols

Not testedCommon

Ready-made commercial serum

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
Product strengths range from 1% (10 mg per mL) to 8% (4,800 mg per 2 oz spray)
How often
Once a day (1% pipette serum) or 1–2 times a day (8% spray)
Route
Topical, on the scalp
Timing
The 8% spray’s maker says morning and before bed
How long
The 8% spray’s maker says results take 9–12 weeks of twice-daily use
Mixing
Ready to use
  • 1% product: 0.25 mL from a pipette once a day, more if needed to cover the area.
  • The 8% spray is eight times the 1% DIY norm.
Sources (2)

Not testedFringe

Injection (under the skin or into the scalp)

Collected report · exact form and route are only as reported below. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01.

Frequency labels describe this collection, not a measured population. Contradictory records remain available.

Details and sourcesHide details
Dose
No established dose; mentions range from 0.5–1 mg per scalp session to 1–3 mg a day under the skin
How often
Daily under the skin; scalp sessions 3–5 times a week (one vendor) or every 1–4 weeks in a clinic
Route
Injection under the skin, or into the scalp skin (mesotherapy)
How long
One telehealth clinic describes a 3–6 month course of scalp sessions
Mixing
One vendor: freeze-dried vial reconstituted at 1–2 mg per mL
  • Most forum users say AHK-Cu is meant for the skin and advise against injecting it; sellers only recently began offering “injectable” vials.
  • Injection doses appear borrowed from GHK-Cu (about 1–3 mg a day).
Sources (4)

Where the numbers come from

The 1% figure has no clear published basis; it is repeated by DIY and hair-loss forums, online guides and sellers (for example AmpleLab’s 1% serum). The only AHK-Cu hair study (Pyo et al., 2007) grew human hair follicles and papilla cells in a dish at extremely low concentrations (10^-12 to 10^-9 molar). Injection doses appear borrowed from GHK-Cu (about 1–3 mg a day).

Home-made sprays and serums

On the skin: home-made serums. Community recipes. Not tested.

Original source recordsHide

AHK-Cu is used almost only as a home-made or bought scalp serum or spray for thinning hair, usually at about 1% in a hyaluronic acid serum, often together with GHK-Cu and sometimes mixed into minoxidil. The evidence is thin: one lab study on hair follicles, plus user reports and product marketing.

Best evidence: Lab only. A 2007 study found AHK-Cu at very low concentrations (10^-12 to 10^-9 M) lengthened human hair follicles kept alive in the lab and helped dermal papilla cells grow. There are no human trials. Commercial scalp products state strengths of 1% (AmpleLab, 10 mg per mL) and 8% (Neurogan, AHK-Cu in water). A supplier gives a use level of 0.3–1% for the pure powder.

Collected strength records

Not testedHair and scalpFrequently encountered in reviewed sources

1% AHK-Cu scalp serum in a hyaluronic acid serum

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: 30 mL (or 100 mL)

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmount%Role
AHK-Cu, cosmetic-grade powder300 mg per 30 mL (or 1 g per 100 mL)1%Active
Plain water-based hyaluronic acid serum or a leave-in scalp serum30 mL (or 100 mL)Carrier
GHK-Cu powder, optional (Regimen)300–600 mg per 30 mL1–2%Active

Method

  1. Weigh the AHK-Cu (and GHK-Cu if using).
  2. Stir it into the hyaluronic acid serum until fully dissolved.
  3. Keep it water-based; do not use oils.
How it’s used
At night on a clean scalp: part the hair and put a few drops along each part line in thinning areas, once a day, 5–7 nights a week. Optionally micro-needle once a week at 1–1.5 mm and apply the serum right after, leaving it on overnight.
Per dose
One user: 0.3 mL of a 1% serum a day, which they state is 3 mg, on the hairline and temples; another uses about 1 mL of a 0.4% serum over the whole scalp.
pH
Not stated (Regimen only says keep it water-based).
Preservative
Relies on the store-bought serum; none added.
Storage
Fridge, in small batches (Regimen).
Keeps for
Not stated; Regimen says remake it if the blue turns green or fades.
  • Strengths reported by users range from 0.4% to ‘up to 2%’.
  • Commercial examples: AmpleLab’s AHK-Cu serum is 1% (10 mg per mL) in a glycol-free hyaluronic acid base (water, glycerin, AHK-Cu, phenoxyethanol, sodium hyaluronate, ethylhexylglycerin), 0.25 mL (2.5 mg) once a day. Neurogan’s spray is 8% (4,800 mg AHK-Cu in distilled water), 2–4 sprays once or twice a day.
  • Regimen warns not to use minoxidil on the same night as micro-needling.
Sources (15)

Not testedHair and scalpCommon

‘Anela’ scalp spray: 1% AHK-Cu plus 6% GHK-Cu

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: 30 mL

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmount%Role
AHK-Cu, raw cosmetic-grade powder300 mg (0.3 g)1%Active
GHK-Cu, raw cosmetic-grade powder1.8 g6%Active
Acid-free carrier serum or spray (the poster used store-bought hair sprays with rosemary; one with lactic acid was rejected)30 mLCarrier

Method

  1. Dissolve the powders in a small portion of the liquid first, then add that to the rest.
  2. Check the pH and adjust it to 5–7; the poster’s mix read close to 8 and she ordered acetic acid to bring it down.
  3. Make small batches and store in dark spray bottles in a skincare fridge.
How it’s used
Sprayed on the scalp; frequency not stated in the thread.
pH
5–7 (adjusted)
Preservative
None stated.
Storage
Dark spray bottles in a skincare fridge; small batches.
  • The protocol’s author, in a 2026 Q&A, gives 7% GHK-Cu (not 6%) with 1% AHK-Cu for the scalp, and says to ‘use raw and filter it for microneedling’.
  • Hyaluronic acid is used as a carrier even though the recipe bans acids; a commenter explains it is not an acid in the skincare sense.

Not stated: how long it keeps.

Sources (7)

Not testedHair and scalpSometimes seen

GHK-Cu and AHK-Cu dissolved in plain distilled water (spray)

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: 60 mL

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmountRole
GHK-Cu powder2.5 gActive
AHK-Cu powder1 gActive
Distilled water60 mLBase

Method

Dissolve both powders in the distilled water and put in a spray bottle.

How it’s used
Sprayed into the hair and massaged or scratched into the scalp a few times a week.
Preservative
None stated.
  • Another user bought a ready-made 60 mL spray with 2.4 g of each peptide and diluted it by half, saying concentrations above 0.5% are ‘wasteful’; the first user thought 5% was the usual figure. They could not agree on a source.
  • Neurogan’s commercial ‘Hair Serum Pro’ is the same idea: 2,400 mg AHK-Cu and 2,400 mg GHK-Cu with distilled water only, one spray on each side of the thinning area and one at the back, morning and night.
Sources (6)

Not testedHair and scalpSometimes seen

Copper peptides mixed into minoxidil

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: 60–120 mL

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmountRole
GHK-Cu powder2 g (in one recipe)Active
AHK-Cu powder0.5 g (per 2 oz of minoxidil) or 500 mg (per 60 mL or 120 mL)Active
Minoxidil solution (5%)2 oz / 60 mL, or a 120 mL mixCarrier / drug

Method

  1. Add the powders to the minoxidil solution and shake to dissolve.
  2. Put in a dropper bottle or mister.
How it’s used
Along the hairline or on the scalp with a dropper or mist bottle.
Per dose
One user states 8 mg AHK-Cu per application from 500 mg in a 120 mL bottle (their own figure).
  • The 120 mL mix also contained minoxidil and 6 mg of finasteride, so the user could not tell which ingredient helped.
  • Regimen and Real Peptides instead advise applying minoxidil separately (Regimen: not on micro-needling nights; Real Peptides: wait 15–20 minutes between them).
Sources (5)

Not testedHair and scalpFringe

Vendor protocol from reconstituted vials (1–2 mg per mL)

Original source-specific report. Collection checked 30 Sep 2026; presentation annotated 2026-10-01. Source date and reporter identity are not separately verified. Exact form and route are limited to the source’s description.

Batch: 5–10 mL per 10 mg vial

Ingredients and methodHide the recipe

Ingredients

IngredientAmountRole
AHK-Cu, freeze-dried vial10 mgActive
Bacteriostatic water5–10 mLSolvent

Method

  1. Add 5–10 mL bacteriostatic water to a 10 mg vial to make 1–2 mg per mL.
  2. Store at 2–8 °C.
How it’s used
0.5–1.0 mg per application (0.25–0.5 mL of a 2 mg per mL solution) on the scalp, 3–5 times a week, massaged in; the vendor says to wait 15–20 minutes before minoxidil.
Per dose
0.5–1.0 mg per application (stated by the vendor)
Storage
2–8 °C
Keeps for
The vendor claims a 28–35 day potency half-life in the fridge; no data given.
  • The same page also promotes injecting AHK-Cu into the scalp and quotes absorption percentages without any source; the AHK-Cu protocol’s community author says it is ‘only meant for topical’.
Sources (3)

How the method was put together, step by step with its sources

Editorial synthesis and reported strength comparison

This synthesized method combines source records. It has not been validated for preparation, sterility, compatibility, absorption or storage. Select a reported strength to inspect the arithmetic; no strength is selected for you.

Strength

Strengths people report

  • 1%: 300 mg AHK-Cu in 30 g plain water-based hyaluronic acid serum, or an acid-free scalp spray (30 g · 1%)
  • 0.83% (in minoxidil): 500 mg AHK-Cu in 60 g 5% minoxidil solution (60 g · 0.833%)
  • 1.7% (spray): 1,000 mg AHK-Cu in 60 g distilled water (spray), with 2.5 g GHK-Cu (60 g · 1.67%)
  • 0.42% (in minoxidil): 500 mg AHK-Cu in 120 g minoxidil solution (with finasteride) (120 g · 0.417%)
  • 0.2% (2 mg/mL vial mix): 10 mg AHK-Cu in 5 g bacteriostatic water (5 g · 0.2%)
What people report
See all 4Show fewer
Research notes

Percent math is often wrong: a widely shared guide says 1% of 30 mL is 300 micrograms (it is 300 mg). Commercial strengths vary 8-fold (1% vs 8%). One vendor (Real Peptides) cites a “2021 randomized trial” of 0.05% AHK-Cu versus minoxidil that could not be found in Europe PMC, claims 0.01–0.1% is optimal and above 0.2% toxic (conflicting with the 1% norm), and elsewhere says no such trials exist. Sellers offer both raw “cosmetic” powder and freeze-dried “injectable” vials; forum consensus is topical only. No regulator statement specific to AHK-Cu was found (FDA’s safety-risk list names injectable GHK-Cu, a related copper peptide).

On the skin

1) Strength disagreement: 0.3–1% (supplier), 1% (Regimen, most users, AmpleLab), ‘up to 2%’ (a user), 8% (Neurogan); one user argues anything above 0.5% is wasted. 2) The ‘Anela’ scalp spray is given as 6% GHK-Cu in a Reddit relay but 7% GHK-Cu in the author’s own 2026 Q&A. 3) Several sprays are plain peptide plus water with no preservative, including a commercial one. 4) The Real Peptides AHK-Cu page gives precise bioavailability and half-life figures with no sources. 5) Evidence is a single 2007 lab study.

Measurement basics and calculator

Explore vial arithmetic

What it is. In plain English.

A copper tripeptide with laboratory and ex-vivo hair-follicle findings, but no established patient benefit.

Alanine-histidine-lysine bound to copper. Sold here as topical ampules.

AHK-Cu showed effects in cultured dermal-papilla cells and excised human hair follicles. These laboratory findings do not show that it grows hair or extends the growth phase in people.

Reviewed 2026-10-01.

Structure. Nothing to show yet.

No experimental 3D structure of AHK-Cu is in the .

The only name match is an unrelated molecule that happens to share the code AHK, and no structure of AHK holding copper was found.

Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Specs. The facts at a glance.

Length
3 amino acids + copper
Sequence
AHK
Sold as
  • AHK-Cu cosmetic/topical · 5 × 1 g ampules
Regulatory status
Cosmetic ingredient.
Also known as
Copper tripeptide-3

Sources. What this page rests on.

Every source behind this page, with what it says and when it was checked, is in the Source library.

AHK-Cu in the Source library

Original overview and research notes · annotated 2026-10-01

Historical collection text. Read alongside the claim corrections above; identity or evidence qualifications may supersede this wording.

Hair growth support

A copper peptide cousin of GHK-Cu used in hair-growth serums.

Alanine-histidine-lysine bound to copper. Sold here as topical ampules.

It’s thought to stimulate the dermal papilla cells at the base of hair follicles, extend the hair-growth phase, and support collagen production.

A 2007 lab study found it lengthened human hair follicles in culture and helped dermal papilla cells survive. Controlled trials in people with hair loss are lacking.

Original status record: Cosmetic ingredient.

More in Skin, hair & tanning.

Glossary

Protein Data Bank (PDB)

The free worldwide archive of 3D structures of proteins and other molecules measured in experiments. Each entry has a four-character code, like 7KI0.

Full glossary