Pinealon vs GHK-Cu
Side-by-side comparison of Pinealon and GHK-Cu: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing.
Price snapshot
Pinealon
GHK-Cu
Pinealon
Pinealon is a synthetic tripeptide — glutamyl-aspartyl-arginine (Glu-Asp-Arg, or EDR) — developed by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology (IBG) under the leadership of Professor Vladimir…
Lowest listed price: $45.00 across 3 listings
Full Pinealon 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 | Pinealon | GHK-Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Nootropics | Skin, Hair & Aesthetics |
| Research Stage | Preclinical | 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 | The proposed mechanism of Pinealon is rooted in the Khavinson school's broader theory of short-peptide tissue-specific bioregulation. The full theory is worth understanding because it underlies all twelve Russian bioregulator compounds in this catalog. The… | 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 | Not formally characterized in humans. Short regulatory peptides of this class are cleared from plasma within minutes; the Khavinson framework proposes durable downstream gene-expression effects that outlast the brief dosing window, which is the stated rationale for pulsed cycling rather than continuous dosing. | ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) |
| Typical Dose Range | Subcutaneous (primary route): 2-10 mg/day, typically 3-5 mg, in pulsed 10-20 day cycles, 2-4 cycles/year. Intranasal: 150-800 mcg per nostril daily. Research use only; oral dosing is not recommended because the peptide is largely degraded by GI proteases. | 200-500 mcg SC daily (community/RUO; no clinically established injectable dose) |
| Dosing Frequency | Once daily during a cycle (morning preferred); some advanced users split into AM + midday doses. Not dosed continuously year-round - cycles are pulsed. | Once daily subcutaneous; some run 5 days on / 2 days off. Topical: 1-2x daily to cleansed skin. |
| Administration | — | Subcutaneous, Topical |
| Side Effects | The side-effect profile of Pinealon, based on the available Russian clinical literature and user-reported experience, is described as mild and uncommon. Whether this reflects genuinely low toxicity or inadequate reporting in the available studies is a… | 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 | 418.40 g/mol (C15H26N6O8) | 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
2 data points- Ion Peptide
- Disguised Alpha
Price History
4 data points- OF
- BM
- Half Nattys
- BHG Labs
Pinealon: potential benefits
- Neuroprotection against oxidative and hypoxic stress (preclinical models)
- Antioxidant support - reduced oxidative DNA damage in aged neurons (in vitro)
- Cognitive and memory support in aging populations (small Russian clinical reports)
- Reduced neuronal apoptosis and support of dendritic-tree integrity in cell models
- Investigated for neuroprotection in Alzheimer's-model systems (preclinical)
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 Pinealon and GHK-Cu?
Pinealon is a nootropics that the proposed mechanism of pinealon is rooted in the khavinson school's broader theory of short-peptide tissue-specific bioregulation. the full theory is worth understanding because…. 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 (Not formally characterized in humans. Short regulatory peptides of this class are cleared from plasma within minutes; the Khavinson framework proposes durable downstream gene-expression effects that outlast the brief dosing window, which is the stated rationale for pulsed cycling rather than continuous dosing. vs ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study)), and typical dose range.
Which has the longer half-life, Pinealon or GHK-Cu?
Pinealon has a half-life of Not formally characterized in humans. Short regulatory peptides of this class are cleared from plasma within minutes; the Khavinson framework proposes durable downstream gene-expression effects that outlast the brief dosing window, which is the stated rationale for pulsed cycling rather than continuous dosing.. 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, Pinealon or GHK-Cu?
Lowest listed price on BodyHackGuide: Pinealon from $45.00, 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 Pinealon and GHK-Cu?
Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. Pinealon 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.
See current vendor prices
Listings from the vendors we track. Prices change often, so check the vendor before you buy.
Before you buy Pinealon or GHK-Cu
Check the vendor trust score. Every supplier we track is rated 0-100 on COA verification, payment transparency, shipping, reviews, and listings: one published, reproducible methodology, applied to every vendor.
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.