Thymogen vs GHK-Cu
Side-by-side comparison of Thymogen and GHK-Cu: mechanism, half-life, dose range, safety profile, and vendor pricing.
Price snapshot
Thymogen
GHK-Cu
Thymogen
Thymogen (also transliterated Timogen or ╨ó╨╕╨╝╨╛╨│╨╡╨╜) is a synthetic dipeptide — glutamyl-tryptophan (Glu-Trp, or EW) — developed by the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology under Professor…
No vendor price on file.
Full Thymogen 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 | Thymogen | GHK-Cu |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Recovery | Skin, Hair & Aesthetics |
| Research Stage | Approved in Russia / not Western-validated | 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 | Thymogen's proposed mechanism is best understood in the context of thymic biology and the broader class of thymic peptide immunomodulators. The thymus is the primary organ of T-cell maturation - T-cell progenitors from bone marrow migrate to the thymus,… | 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; not well characterized | ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study) |
| Typical Dose Range | 50-100 mcg intranasal per nostril 1-2x/day, or 100 mcg SC once daily; 10-day courses, 2-4x/year | 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 | Thymogen's side-effect profile in the Russian clinical literature is described as mild and infrequent, consistent with its long history of registered pharmaceutical use in Russia. Users should weight this with modest skepticism given the limitations of the… | 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 | ~333.3 g/mol (Glu-Trp) | 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- OF
- BM
- Half Nattys
- BHG Labs
Thymogen: potential benefits
- Immune system modulation
- Thymic function restoration
- Enhanced T-cell immunity
- Immune anti-aging support
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 Thymogen and GHK-Cu?
Thymogen is a recovery that thymogen's proposed mechanism is best understood in the context of thymic biology and the broader class of thymic peptide immunomodulators. the thymus is the primary organ of…. 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; not well characterized vs ~30-60 min (plasma; approximate legacy figure, no robust modern human PK study)), and typical dose range.
Which has the longer half-life, Thymogen or GHK-Cu?
Thymogen has a half-life of short; not well characterized. 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.
Can you stack Thymogen and GHK-Cu?
Stacking depends on mechanism overlap, safety profile, and goals. Thymogen 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 Thymogen 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.