Evidence review: Open Peptide Project (verified against primary PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov & FDA records) · Last checked 2026-10-27. ← Back to Evidence Library

Biotinoyl tripeptide-1 (biotinyl-GHK): what the evidence says

Name: Biotinoyl tripeptide-1 (biotinyl-GHK)
Published: 2026-10-27

At a glance

What it is: a short peptide made of biotin attached to glycine-histidine-lysine (GHK), the same three building blocks as the copper peptide GHK-Cu. ^R1 It is sold in hair products, often in a blend with two plant compounds (apigenin and oleanolic acid). ^R2

What the evidence says: Human small studies in men with pattern hair loss tested blends containing it, usually added to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. Results were mixed, and no study isolated the peptide's own effect. ^{R3, R4}

Biggest risks: no specific safety signal found; scalp products are generally low-risk, but human safety data for the peptide itself are thin.

Rating


Human Human evidence	Very limited: small trials of blends ^{R3, R4}
Animal Animal / lab evidence	Not reviewed
Regulatory	Cosmetic ingredient; not FDA-approved ^R5 · not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page ^{R6, R7, R8} · not named by WADA ^R9
Established human dose	No

Evidence verdict: Hair loss (androgenetic alopecia): Very limited (only studied in multi-ingredient products, mostly with PRP) · The peptide on its own: No human data

This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.

Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source

About the evidence: every human study used a multi-ingredient product, so any effect cannot be pinned on this peptide. The studies are small, short and single-center.

What is it?

Does it work?

Human With PRP (n = 160, not randomized): adding a blend containing the peptide to PRP gave better dermatologist and patient ratings than PRP alone. ^R3
Human With PRP (RCT, n = 54 men): PRP plus a blend containing the peptide did worse than PRP plus a different topical blend. ^R4
Human A caffeine-plus-blend product has also been studied; no abstract was available to check its findings. ^R10 UNVERIFIED
Unknown The peptide alone: no human trial found.

Is it safe?

No specific safety signals reported in the small blend studies. ^{R3, R4}
Patch-test any new scalp product; stop if irritation develops.

Gray-market vials: extra risks

A gray-market vial has no quality control and no guarantee of identity, strength or sterility. We test retail vials blind under the Open Peptide Standard; see /tests/. A passing test covers one batch on one date and does not mean the compound is safe.

Is it legal?

US: sold as a cosmetic ingredient. Cosmetics do not need FDA approval before sale; products making drug-type claims can be regulated as drugs. ^R5 No Drugs@FDA application found (openFDA searched Oct 27, 2026).
Compounding: not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page. ^{R6, R7, R8}
Sport: not named on WADA's 2026 Prohibited List. ^R9

Study details

These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.

Study	People / model	Route	Amount used	Follow-up	Reported	Citation
Khoso 2024 (quasi-experimental)	160 adults with androgenetic alopecia	Topical blend + PRP	5% blend product	Per study	Better ratings than PRP alone	PMID 39609969
Tr 2023 (RCT)	54 men with androgenetic alopecia	Topical blend + PRP	Per study	4 PRP sessions, 3 weeks apart	Comparison blend did better	PMID 37292551

Full reference list (PubMed, CT.gov, FDA and WADA checked Oct 27, 2026)

^R1 PubChem CID 11534242, Biotinoyl tripeptide-1 (synonym N-biotinyl-glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine), checked Oct 27, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/11534242
^R2 Bikash C. Int J Trichology. 2025. PMID 40654553
^R3 Khoso H, et al. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2024. PMID 39609969
^R4 Tr P, et al. Cureus. 2023. PMID 37292551
^R5 FDA. Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?) Content current as of Sep 11, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap
^R6 FDA, 503A bulk drug substances categories list (updated May 14, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download
^R7 FDA, 503B bulk drug substances categories list (updated Mar 21, 2025). https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download
^R8 FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (content current Apr 22, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
^R9 WADA. The 2026 Prohibited List, full list checked; compound not named. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf
^R10 Samadi A, et al. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2024. PMID 37990760

Disclaimer

This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use Biotinoyl tripeptide-1 (biotinyl-GHK). This is a cosmetic ingredient, not an FDA-approved drug. Cosmetic products are not reviewed by FDA for effectiveness before sale. Report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).