Glutathione vs GHK-Cu
Side-by-side comparison of Glutathione and GHK-Cu: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing.
Price snapshot
Glutathione
GHK-Cu
Glutathione
Glutathione is the body's most abundant intracellular antioxidant — a three-amino-acid peptide made of glutamate, cysteine, and glycine (Glu-Cys-Gly), present in millimolar concentrations inside every cell of your body.…
Lowest listed price: $29.00 across 8 listings
Full Glutathione profileGHK-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 profileSide-by-side comparison
| Attribute | Glutathione | GHK-Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recovery | Skin, Hair & Aesthetics |
| Research Stage | Clinical | 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. |
| Mechanism of Action | Glutathione's mechanisms extend far beyond the simple "antioxidant" label that dominates popular marketing. Understanding these mechanisms matters because they determine where supplementation is likely to help and where it is unlikely to make any difference.… | 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… |
| Half-Life | Short: on the order of minutes for intravenous glutathione (intact GSH is cleared rapidly from plasma and cellular uptake of intact GSH is limited). Oral bioavailability is low, so tissue glutathione levels depend mainly on endogenous synthesis from cysteine, glycine, and glutamate rather than on the half-life of administered GSH. | ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) |
| Typical Dose Range | 250 mg - 1000 mg daily (oral, IV, or nebulized) | 200-500 mcg SC daily (community/RUO; no clinically established injectable dose) |
| Dosing Frequency | — | Once daily subcutaneous; some run 5 days on / 2 days off. Topical: 1-2x daily to cleansed skin. |
| Administration | — | Subcutaneous, Topical |
| Side Effects | Glutathione has an excellent overall safety profile at typical supplement and medical doses. Serious adverse events are rare, and most side effects are mild and self-limited. That said, "safe" is not "sideeffect-free," and specific formulations and routes… | 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… |
| Molecular Weight | 307.32 g/mol (C10H17N3O6S) | Free peptide (GHK): 340.38 Da (C14H24N6O4). Copper complex (GHK-Cu): 401.9 Da (C14H22CuN6O4, neutral 1:1 Cu(II) complex). |
| Common Vial Sizes | — | 50 mg, 100 mg |
Price History
4 data points- Half Nattys
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- BHG Labs
Price History
4 data points- OF
- BM
- Half Nattys
- BHG Labs
Glutathione: potential benefits
- Powerful antioxidant protection
- Liver detoxification support
- Immune system enhancement
- Skin brightening and anti-aging
- Heavy metal chelation support
- Reduced oxidative stress
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)
Frequently asked
What's the difference between Glutathione and GHK-Cu?
Glutathione is a recovery that glutathione's mechanisms extend far beyond the simple "antioxidant" label that dominates popular marketing. understanding these mechanisms matters because they determine where…. 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…. The two differ in mechanism, half-life (Short: on the order of minutes for intravenous glutathione (intact GSH is cleared rapidly from plasma and cellular uptake of intact GSH is limited). Oral bioavailability is low, so tissue glutathione levels depend mainly on endogenous synthesis from cysteine, glycine, and glutamate rather than on the half-life of administered GSH. vs ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study)), and typical dose range.
Which has the longer half-life, Glutathione or GHK-Cu?
Glutathione has a half-life of Short: on the order of minutes for intravenous glutathione (intact GSH is cleared rapidly from plasma and cellular uptake of intact GSH is limited). Oral bioavailability is low, so tissue glutathione levels depend mainly on endogenous synthesis from cysteine, glycine, and glutamate rather than on the half-life of administered GSH.. GHK-Cu has a half-life of ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study). Longer half-lives generally mean less frequent dosing but slower on/off kinetics.
Which is cheaper, Glutathione or GHK-Cu?
Lowest listed price on BodyHackGuide: Glutathione from $29.00, GHK-Cu from $34.99. 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 Glutathione and GHK-Cu?
Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. Glutathione and GHK-Cu 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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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. We earn an affiliate commission on some outbound clicks, and every vendor is ranked on the same public, reproducible methodology. See editorial standards and affiliate disclosure.