Peptide Skincare & BeautySkin science and ingredient guides

Ingredient or product comparison

Comparison: GHK-Cu Verification Methods

HPLC-MS Molecular weight, retention time, purity by area Confirms intact GHK-Cu at 340 Da, distinguishes from degraded fragments and deletion sequences Does not verify copper coordination or peptide:copper ratio Gold standard. Definitively confirms peptide ide

This source-based comparison does not add ratings or recommend a winner.

  • HPLC-MS
  • Molecular weight, retention time, purity by area
  • Confirms intact GHK-Cu at 340 Da, distinguishes from degraded fragments and deletion sequences
  • Does not verify copper coordination or peptide:copper ratio
  • Gold standard. Definitively confirms peptide identity and purity
  • $150–300 per sample
  • Amino Acid Analysis
  • Individual amino acid concentrations after hydrolysis
  • Verifies Gly:His:Lys ratio is 1:1:1, confirms peptide bonds are intact
  • Cannot detect copper dissociation or distinguish stereoisomers
  • Essential for confirming sequence integrity
  • $100–200 per sample
  • ICP-MS Copper Quantification
  • Total copper content in the sample
  • Confirms peptide:copper stoichiometry is 1:1, detects free copper contamination
  • Does not verify peptide structure or sequence
  • Critical for verifying functional copper coordination
  • $80–150 per sample
  • UV-Vis Spectrophotometry
  • Absorbance at 280 nm (peptide bonds) and 620 nm (copper)
  • Estimates total peptide and copper concentration
  • Cannot distinguish GHK-Cu from degraded peptides or deletion sequences. All absorb similarly
  • Inadequate for purity verification. Useful only for rough concentration estimates
  • $20–50 per sample
  • Visual Inspection + pH Testing
  • Color, clarity, pH range
  • Confirms product is blue-tinted and within pH 6.5–7.5
  • Tells you nothing about peptide integrity. Degraded products look identical
  • Useless for purity. Appearance proves nothing
  • Free