Celebs Are Injecting Copper to Look Younger. Can It Backfire?

What if there have been a peptide like Ozempic, however it made your face look youthful as a substitute of thinner — and price a fraction of the value?

That’s the hype behind a peptide that some celebrities, biohackers and life-extension fans are embracing in rising numbers.

The peptide is named GHK-Cu and its formulation is easy: Three naturally occurring amino acids (all peptides are brief chains of amino acids) sure to a copper ion. 

“I inject GKU-Cu and use a topical all over my body too,” enthused one Reddit person. “I’m almost 60 and my skin is no longer crepey. The stuff is liquid gold.” 

Hailey Bieber, who has her Rhode skin-care firm, is a fan. “I think there are certain peptides you can take that are really good for hair, skin and nails, like GHK-Cu, which is the copper peptide, something I take,” she informed Interview journal. 

Versions of copper peptides have been utilized in skin-care merchandise for many years, however the recognition of the GHK-Cu system has soared during the last yr. Google searches for GHK-Cu spiked massively in 2025 and have remained elevated. The most secure and most science-backed use of the peptide is in professionally formulated topical lotions and when injected by a dermatologist mixed with different remedies — reminiscent of microneedling and pores and skin resurfacing. It can also be used to attempt to regrow hair. 

“Over the past few years, it’s gained much more popularity — starting in the circle of biohackers, bodybuilders and people looking for faster [skin healing] recovery, but also in esthetic circles,” says New York-based dermatologist Dr. Anetta Reszko. “There are multiple benefits. It stimulates new collagen elastin and has been shown to improve overall texture of the skin, like the size of your pores. It works really well for post-laser resurfacing and also for microneedling. It seems to speed up the recovery of the tissue afterwards.”

But GHK-Cu can also be being bought in injectable types by means of unregulated on-line distributors as a part of the thriving grey market the place peptides are bought as “research chemicals” as a result of they bypass pharmaceutical manufacturing oversight. One in style variation is the so-called “GLOW protocol,” which is GHK-Cu mixed with “healing” peptides BPC-157 and TB-500. The price often runs about $70 to $300 a month, relying on the supply. An injectable kind is taken into account far simpler than topical, as it really works systemically and bypasses the highest layer of the pores and skin. 

“On average, probably 5 to 10 percent of the product which you apply to the surface of the skin goes into the skin,” Reszko notes. “So whenever you can inject something into the skin and break the barrier function, that increases the absorption dramatically.”

So what’s to not love? 

There are anecdotal horror tales from those that buy grey market GHK-Cu (which might price about $50 for a month’s provide) and inject at house solely to expertise what’s been dubbed the “copper uglies,” the place your pores and skin out of the blue seems to be dramatically worse, as if quickly getting old as a substitute of trying youthful, just like the villain who “choose poorly” on the finish of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

“I’ve been [injecting] GHK-Cu at 2-3mg per day for 12 weeks now and honestly, my skin has never looked worse,” wrote one person on Reddit. “My skin, which has always been plump with a natural radiant glow, is now kind of dull and lackluster. I feel like I’m seeing an increase in sagging.” While one other wrote, “The best way I can describe it is that my skin looks kind of like a leather handbag — stiff, textured, and just different. Not wrinkled exactly, but almost like when someone has very sun-damaged skin or overly smooth Botox skin that doesn’t look natural.”

Whether “copper uglies” is an actual phenomenon or merely an Internet fable is unclear. What science exists for GHK-Cu is all relatively constructive (a 2018 evaluation of the science concluded the peptide’s actions “appear to be health positive,” saying it boosts collagen, improves tissue restore and has highly effective cell-protective actions, together with a number of anti-cancer and anti inflammatory actions). 

The conclusion appears to be the identical for any peptide use: Don’t experiment on your self. Going by means of a med spa or dermatologist is perhaps costlier, however you’re going to get a safer product and correct steering. Gray market peptides have been discovered to comprise poisonous heavy metals (like arsenic and lead). Users are additionally suggested to cycle GHK-Cu relatively than staying on it year-round. 

“What else is in the [online] formulation that they’re getting?” asks Reszko, who says she’s by no means skilled a “copper uglies” case in her apply. “You don’t know what’s in the formulation. And if you overdose on copper, you can actually get toxicity from it. So knowing the source is crucial. It actually took us a while to find compounding pharmacies that are good. I wish there was a little bit more oversight. Not all copper peptides are created equal.”

This story seems in The Hollywood Reporter’s July 2026 concern “The New Face of Hollywood.” Click right here to learn extra.