I wanted to try an unregulated peptide. Over the past six months, I’ve scrolled countless videos, binged podcasts, and interrogated more peptide-curious people than I can count. I’ve researched all the different versions, from semaglutide to BPC-157, hoping I’d work up the nerve to try one myself—to have the transformation story everyone else claims to be having.
But the caveats kept stacking up: Most of these peptides aren’t approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), and the human safety data, where it exists at all, is extremely thin. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been pushing for broader access to compounded, injectable peptides, and this summer an FDA advisory committee recommended allowing compounding pharmacies to manufacture six wellness peptides, despite FDA staff—as well as parts of the medical community at large—raising concerns about insufficient evidence around safety and efficacy.
As a beauty editor, I’ve been most tempted by GHK-Cu, a copper peptide that’s become widely known on the internet as the “beauty” peptide. Originally studied for wound healing, research suggests it can support collagen production, improve firmness and elasticity, reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, and aid in skin repair. Hailey Bieber says it’s amazing.
People are already injecting GHK-Cu, even though the FDA has not approved it for injection and has flagged multiple safety concerns with compounded injectable GHK-Cu, including immune reactions related to impurities and peptide aggregation, while noting limited human safety data.
Topical GHK-Cu, however, is another, less risky-sounding story. Non-injectable GHK-Cu is being evaluated by the FDA for use in traditional pharmacy compounding and, for now, falls under the agency’s Category 1 interim policy. That means the FDA hasn’t approved the ingredient for use, but also hasn’t (yet!) identified any significant safety risks with non-injectable GHK-Cu and won’t take any legal action against a pharmacy that sells it.
Regardless of the approval status of non-injectable GHK-Cu, copper-infused skin-care creams are (at least for now) considered a cosmetic, not a drug. As long as any company selling them doesn’t make medical claims (for instance, they could say that the cream “smooths skin” but not that it “reduces cellulite”) the products wouldn’t be subjected to pre-market safety approval by the FDA. “Any cosmetic product can make claims for their proprietary blends or ingredients with trademarked names without necessarily disclosing the potency of the ingredient or proof of claims,” Nancy Samolitis, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in Los Angeles, says.
I knew I could buy a copper-peptide serum without a prescription, but I was convinced that getting GHK-Cu compounded at a pharmacy meant I would be getting the good stuff: purer, stronger, more potent. I worked with Feelin Good Wellness, a peptide therapy provider that works with physicians and pharmacies to create customized routines based on their health history and bloodwork. The service offers physician oversight, though the doctors I encountered were not dermatologists and appeared to focus primarily on hormone and sexual health. The founder of Feelin Good is Carlyn Mungle, who is not a medical professional but found a path into wellness during the pandemic, when she started a business to help provide COVID testing. A huge fan of peptides herself, Mungle swears by GHK-Cu.“It’s a great tool to have in your toolbox,” she tells me. “It’s good for maintaining healthy skin like you have and supporting healthy aging.”
