GHK-Cu vs Thymalin
Side-by-side comparison of GHK-Cu and Thymalin: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing.
Price snapshot
GHK-Cu
Thymalin
GHK-Cu
GHK-Cu is the copper(II) complex of the tripeptide glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine, a molecule Pickart and Thaler first pulled out of human plasma in 1973. The free peptide (GHK, C14H24N6O4) weighs about 340.4 Da; bind it 1:1…
Lowest listed price: $34.99 across 7 listings
Full GHK-Cu profileThymalin
Thymalin is a thymus-derived peptide complex developed in the 1970s by Vladimir Khavinson and the Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology as part of a broader program to identify…
Lowest listed price: $44.99 across 2 listings
Full Thymalin profileSide-by-side comparison
| Attribute | GHK-Cu | Thymalin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Skin, Hair & Aesthetics | Peptides |
| Research Stage | Approved/marketed as a topical cosmetic ingredient (Copper tripeptide-1) with supporting small human studies. Injectable use is preclinical/off-label, research-use-only, with no human clinical trials. | Clinical (Russia-registered; not FDA-approved) |
| Mechanism of Action | GHK-Cu works mostly as a copper shuttle and a signaling peptide. It binds Cu(II) with high affinity (log K around 16.4, close to albumin's 16.2) and can supply or regulate copper for copper-dependent enzymes like SOD1, lysyl oxidase, cytochrome c oxidase, and… | Thymalin's mechanism of action is less precisely defined than that of single-molecule peptides, because the active principle is a mixture of peptides acting through multiple parallel pathways rather than a single well-characterized molecular interaction. The… |
| Half-Life | ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) | Short for the individual peptides in the mixture (on the order of minutes to a few hours). Biological effects persist for weeks to months after a 10-day course, which is why Thymalin is given in discrete courses rather than continuously. |
| Typical Dose Range | 200-500 mcg SC daily (community/RUO; no clinically established injectable dose) | 5-15 mg |
| Dosing Frequency | Once daily subcutaneous; some run 5 days on / 2 days off. Topical: 1-2x daily to cleansed skin. | Once daily during a 10-day course; courses repeated 1-4 times per year (commonly biannually). |
| Administration | Subcutaneous, Topical | — |
| Side Effects | Topical GHK-Cu is generally well tolerated; higher-concentration formulations (4-5%) raise the odds of irritation, redness, or stinging. Injectable use has no safety data from controlled trials; the main theoretical concern is copper accumulation with repeated… | Thymalin has a substantial safety record spanning four decades of Russian clinical use across hundreds of thousands of patients, with a relatively clean side-effect profile compared to many immunomodulatory agents. Common side effects (1-10% incidence in… |
| Molecular Weight | Free peptide (GHK): 340.38 Da (C14H24N6O4). Copper complex (GHK-Cu): 401.9 Da (C14H22CuN6O4, neutral 1:1 Cu(II) complex). | Not a single value - Thymalin is a thymic polypeptide EXTRACT (a mixture), not one defined molecule; its components are low-molecular-weight peptides, generally under ~10 kDa. Characterized active dipeptides: KE (Lys-Glu, ~275 Da) and EW (Glu-Trp, ~333 Da). |
| Common Vial Sizes | 50 mg, 100 mg | — |
Price History
4 data points- OF
- BM
- Half Nattys
- BHG Labs
Price History
2 data points- Ion Peptide
- Disguised Alpha
GHK-Cu: potential benefits
- Stimulates type I collagen synthesis in human fibroblasts at low nanomolar-to-picomolar concentrations (PMID: 3169264)
- Increases glycosaminoglycans (dermatan/chondroitin sulfate) and upregulates decorin in wound models (PMID: 11121126)
- Modulates matrix metalloproteinases and their inhibitors, partially correcting the MMP-9/TIMP-1 imbalance in a smoke-induced emphysema model (PMID: 35936787)
- Drives tissue remodeling and chemoattracts macrophages, mast cells, and capillary cells to injury sites (PMID: 18644225)
- Modulates expression of ~4,000+ human genes via the Broad Institute Connectivity Map, including DNA-repair and antioxidant genes (PMID: 25302294)
- Increases stemness and proliferative potential of epidermal basal cells and keratinocytes (PMID: 23019153)
- Acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory copper regulator in the context of aging (PMID: 22666519)
- Broad skin-regeneration effects on collagen, proteoglycans, MMPs, and immune/endothelial cell recruitment (PMID: 26236730)
Thymalin: potential benefits
- No structured benefit list published.
Frequently asked
What's the difference between GHK-Cu and Thymalin?
GHK-Cu is a skin, hair & aesthetics that ghk-cu works mostly as a copper shuttle and a signaling peptide. it binds cu(ii) with high affinity (log k around 16.4, close to albumin's 16.2) and can supply or regulate copper…. Thymalin is a peptides that thymalin's mechanism of action is less precisely defined than that of single-molecule peptides, because the active principle is a mixture of peptides acting through multiple…. The two differ in mechanism, half-life (~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) vs Short for the individual peptides in the mixture (on the order of minutes to a few hours). Biological effects persist for weeks to months after a 10-day course, which is why Thymalin is given in discrete courses rather than continuously.), and typical dose range.
Which has the longer half-life, GHK-Cu or Thymalin?
GHK-Cu has a half-life of ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study). Thymalin has a half-life of Short for the individual peptides in the mixture (on the order of minutes to a few hours). Biological effects persist for weeks to months after a 10-day course, which is why Thymalin is given in discrete courses rather than continuously.. Longer half-lives generally mean less frequent dosing but slower on/off kinetics.
Which is cheaper, GHK-Cu or Thymalin?
Lowest listed price on BodyHackGuide: GHK-Cu from $34.99, Thymalin from $44.99. Prices are pulled from the vendor listings tracked on BHG and change frequently. See the compare tables on each compound page for the current set of offers.
Can you stack GHK-Cu and Thymalin?
Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. GHK-Cu and Thymalin should only be stacked after reviewing each compound's individual protocol page, side effect profile, and any published interaction data. Use the BodyHackGuide stack builder for a structured review before combining research compounds.
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Before you buy GHK-Cu or Thymalin
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Related comparisons
Research use only. BodyHackGuide is a research and price-comparison reference. The compounds discussed on this page are not approved by the FDA for human consumption and are sold strictly for laboratory research. Prices shown are pulled from vendor listings tracked on BHG and are subject to change. Every vendor is ranked on the same public, reproducible methodology. See editorial standards and affiliate disclosure.