Vendor comparison · 2026
AHK-Cu vendors: 9 compared on COAs and price
DermatologicalAlso known as Alanine-Histidine-Lysine copper, AHK copper
Evidence tier
Limited published literature
15 publications over 26 years · trials not yet curated
- Vendors carrying it
- 9
- 9 with a listed price
- Vendors with checkable COAs
- 1
- 1 publish any certificate
- Lots tested
- 1
- 1 naming a checkable lab
- Independent assays
- 0
- none on file yet
- Newest assay
- 16 Jul 2026
- oldest 16 Jul 2026
- Laboratories named
- 1
- most often Freedom Diagnostics Testing
- Median label gap
- 12.8%
- 0% of lots within 5% of label
- Median purity
- 99.04%
- 1 of 1 lots at 99% or above
- Lowest price per mg
- $0.300
- peer median $0.700
- Publications located
- 15
- researched since 2000
Source: PepIndex, an independent index of research-peptide vendors. No vendor can pay for a rank, every score is computed by a published formula, and every figure links to the document it was read from.
PeptidePlugs has the most checkable AHK-Cu testing in this index: 1 lot assayed by Freedom Diagnostics Testing, the newest on 16 Jul 2026. The lowest listed price is $0.300 per mg at Next Gen Peptides, against a peer median of $0.700. 9 vendors carrying AHK-Cu are compared below. 1 publish at least one certificate naming a checkable laboratory, 1 lot record is on file, and none is an independently commissioned assay. Figures are PepIndex's own: it is an independent index of research-peptide vendors, no vendor can pay for a rank, and each figure links to the certificate it was read from.
Every vendor carrying AHK-Cu
| # | Vendor | Score here | Price / mg | Lots | Newest test | Laboratory | Mean purity | Label gap | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Next Gen PeptidesISO/IEC 17025 | 93.697% | $0.300 (43%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | |
| 2 | Ascend ScienceISO/IEC 17025 | 92.194% | $0.500 (71%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 | PeptidePlugs | 9094% | $0.500 (71%) | 1 / 1 | Freedom Diagnostics Testing | 99.0% | 12.8% | ||
| 4 | Amino ClubISO/IEC 17025Age-gated COAs | 85.598% | $0.700 (100%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | |
| 5 | NeuroLabs Research | 80.891% | $0.700 (100%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | no reportVisit site |
| 6 | Northline LabsISO/IEC 17025 | 75.895% | $0.900 (129%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | no reportVisit site |
| 7 | Licensed Peptides | 74.587% | $0.670 (96%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | no reportVisit site |
| 8 | Protide HealthAge-gated COAs | 7192% | $0.950 (136%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | no reportVisit site |
| 9 | Biotech Peptides | 56.460% | $0.900 (129%) | 0 | — | — | — | — | no reportVisit site |
Independent assays
No independently commissioned assay of AHK-Cu is on file. All 1 records below were published by the vendor that sells the product, naming the laboratory shown. PepIndex does not yet commission its own assays, so nothing on this page establishes what is in a vial beyond the vendor’s own certificate. A record moves into this section the moment an assay commissioned by anyone other than the seller is indexed.
What the certificates show
1 of 1 lots at 99% or above; median 99.04%.
| Range | lots |
|---|---|
| <95% | 0 |
| 95–97% | 0 |
| 97–98% | 0 |
| 98–99% | 0 |
| 99–99.5% | 1 |
| ≥99.5% | 0 |
0% of lots within 5% of the labelled mass; median gap 12.8%.
| Range | lots |
|---|---|
| ≤2% | 0 |
| 2–5% | 0 |
| 5–10% | 0 |
| 10–20% | 1 |
| >20% | 0 |
9 vendors, $0.300 to $0.950; median $0.700.
| Range | vendors |
|---|---|
| $0.200–$0.400 | 1 |
| $0.400–$0.600 | 2 |
| $0.600–$0.800 | 3 |
| $0.800–$1.00 | 3 |
Purity and mass are read from each certificate as published; the label gap is |labeled − assayed| ÷ labeled. Every value behind these bars is in the certificate table below.
Laboratories used
| Laboratory | Lots | Vendors | Share | Verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Diagnostics TestingUS | 1 | 1 | 100% | Public lookup |
Every certificate record
| Vendor | Lot | Tested | Lab | Labeled | Assayed | Discrepancy | Purity | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PeptidePlugs | 155-01-DK | Freedom Diagnostics Testing | 5 mg | 4.36 mg | 12.8% | 99.0% | Vendor-published |
Score breakdown
The score has two halves: the research base — how long the compound has been studied and how much has been published — and the quality of the evidence the market produces for it, aggregated across every vendor that carries it: assayed purity, lot-to-lot consistency, readable third-party certificates and those vendors’ review record. It measures the evidence base, not the merits or safety of the substance.
Studied since 2000 — 26 years of published research
How long the compound has been studied. Fifteen years or more of published literature earns full marks; a newer compound earns less.
15 publications indexed in PubMed
The volume of published literature located. Full marks at fifty or more publications.
Mean assayed purity 99.0% across 1 certificate
Average assayed purity on the certificates published by vendors that carry this compound. Full marks at 99.5%+, nothing at 95% or below.
single lot on record, mean label deviation 12.8%
How tightly assayed purity and labeled-versus-actual mass hold across different lots. Rewards reproducible manufacturing.
9 of 9 listing vendors publish an accessible certificate policy
Whether the vendors carrying this compound publish per-lot certificates anyone can read without an account.
1 of 1 certificate from a recognised independent lab
Share of certificates issued by a recognised third-party testing lab rather than an unnamed or self-named one.
What is AHK-Cu?
A copper-binding tripeptide (alanine-histidine-lysine) in the copper-peptide class, studied for effects on hair follicles and used as a cosmetic ingredient.
Studied in published research for hair growth and follicle stimulation.
Regulatory status
Labeled by vendors for laboratory research use only. Not approved as a medicine in the United States, United Kingdom, or European Union.
What the research examines
The areas of published research this compound appears in. These describe what the literature has studied — never a claim of benefit, effect or suitability for any use.
Published research
PepIndex records the size and shape of the published research footprint only. It does not evaluate or summarise clinical significance, does not describe administration, and nothing here is a claim of safety or efficacy.
- The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro — Archives of pharmacal research (2007)
Peer-reviewed article indexed in PubMed, published in Archives of pharmacal research (2007).
- Tryptophan and Cysteine Oxidation Products Dominate in α-Lactalbumin-Derived Peptides Analyzed with LC-MS(n) — Journal of food science (2017)
Peer-reviewed article indexed in PubMed, published in Journal of food science (2017).
- X-ray and solution structures of Cu(II) GHK and Cu(II) DAHK complexes: influence on their redox properties — Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) (2011)
Peer-reviewed article indexed in PubMed, published in Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) (2011).
- Human serum albumin and its N-terminal tetrapeptide (DAHK) block oxidant-induced neuronal death — Stroke (2004)
Peer-reviewed article indexed in PubMed, published in Stroke (2004).
- Copper stimulates the synthesis and release of interleukin-8 in human endothelial cells: a possible early role in systemic inflammatory responses — Shock (Augusta, Ga.) (2003)
Peer-reviewed article indexed in PubMed, published in Shock (Augusta, Ga.) (2003).
- Copper inhibits activated protein C: protective effect of human albumin and an analogue of its high-affinity copper-binding site, d-DAHK — Biochemical and biophysical research communications (2002)
Peer-reviewed article indexed in PubMed, published in Biochemical and biophysical research communications (2002).
PepIndex describes what literature exists. We do not interpret it, assess clinical significance, or publish quantities, protocols or instructions for use.