“I lost a lot of hair from losing weight. I started using this product from samples I received roughly 3 months ago, and it has transformed my hairline. I have about an inch and a half of growth all the way around and I am growing new hair across my entire head.” - Tammy

AHK PEPTIDE HAIR & SCALP SERUM
AHK PEPTIDE HAIR & SCALP SERUM
AHK-Cu Multi-Peptide Serum for Fuller-looking hair
In stock
AHK-Cu · 3-peptide system · Water-light · Lipid-free
0.25% AHK-Cu, by design. A lightweight, follicle-directed scalp serum built around copper peptide signaling, root support, and a healthier scalp environment, without minoxidil, hormonal actives, oil, or residue.
A lightweight copper peptide scalp serum designed to support fuller-looking hair, stronger-looking roots, and a healthier scalp environment without oil, residue, or hormonal actives.
At 0.25%, AHK-Cu anchors a three-peptide system supported by research in human hair follicles and dermal papilla cells. Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 supports the structural matrix associated with anchoring hair at the root, while Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 adds a second follicle-directed peptide for fuller, denser, stronger-looking hair.
L-Histidine is the delivery intelligence.
L-Histidine is included deliberately as part of how we manage the copper-peptide environment within the finished formula. It helps coordinate copper and support its handoffs while Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Serine and Glycine form an NMF-based matrix that binds water at the scalp surface, creating a more favorable diffusion environment for water-soluble actives. Simply put... no AHK-Cu Serum on the market can match its formulation intelligence. It is simply in a league of its own.
Niacinamide, Panthenol and Allantoin support barrier resilience, helping keep the scalp in condition for consistent daily treatment.
Not a hydrating scalp serum with peptides added. A follicle-directed copper system engineered around signaling, anchoring, copper coordination and delivery, with documented results in weeks, not months.
Designed for daily use without changing your wash schedule.
Water-light. Lipid-free. No oily finish. No sticky root residue.
Patent Pending | U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 64/163,219
PRODUCT DETAILS
HOW TO USE
INGREDIENTS
Loved by our Alchemy community
Built around the evidence
Patent Pending, 0.25%, by design.
A deliberate AHK-Cu concentration, a considered copper environment, and a multi-peptide system built around the way the ingredient actually behaves.
A finished AHK-Cu serum is a system, not a percentage.
We designed our patent pending serum around the variables we believe matter together: AHK dose, copper chemistry, complementary peptide signaling, scalp support, and a vehicle suitable for consistent leave-in use.
0.25% AHK-Cu is not a compromise. It is the design point around which the rest of the formula was built.
Why 0.25% AHK-Cu.
We chose 0.25% because the published AHK data give us a clear reason to be deliberate with concentration.
In the foundational human-follicle study, lower experimental concentrations increased follicle elongation. When researchers increased the concentration further, the response did not simply plateau. It reversed.
At the two highest concentrations tested, AHK produced a negative effect on follicle elongation. For us, that makes indiscriminate concentration escalation scientifically difficult to justify.
Positive at lower concentrations. Negative at higher concentrations. That is the dose-response we designed around.
What the study tells us
Laboratory molar concentrations and finished topical percentages are not directly interchangeable. That is precisely why we do not pretend there is a magic consumer percentage hidden in the study.
What the study does establish is the direction of the observed response: AHK was stimulatory at lower tested concentrations and inhibitory at higher ones. The dose-response did not merely flatten. It crossed from stimulation to inhibition.
When the published curve can reverse direction, “more” is not a formulation strategy.
Primary research: Pyo HK et al. The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro. Archives of Pharmacal Research. 2007;30(7):834–839. PMID 17703734.
Copper should be controlled, not maximized.
Copper is an essential trace element and a biologically active metal ion. That changes how we formulate.
We do not treat AHK-Cu as a number to push upward. We consider the chemical environment surrounding the copper peptide and how that finished system will be used repeatedly on the scalp.
Why L-Histidine?
L-Histidine is included deliberately as part of how we manage the copper-peptide environment within the finished formula.
Histidine has an established relationship with copper chemistry and appears throughout foundational peptide-copper literature. We use that chemistry as a formulation principle while keeping the specific coordination strategy proprietary.
Our goal is not maximum copper. It is appropriately managed copper within a formula designed for consistent use.
Anyone can increase the percentage. The harder work is deciding how the copper should behave once it is there.
Formulation reference: foundational peptide-copper patent literature describing histidine-containing peptide-copper systems.
AHK-Cu, concentration + formula questions.
What is AHK-Cu?
AHK-Cu is a copper-binding tripeptide. In AHK Peptide Hair + Scalp Serum, it serves as the central copper peptide within a broader multi-peptide and scalp-support system.
Why did Alchemy choose 0.25% AHK-Cu?
Because 0.25% is the concentration we selected as the best fit for the finished system we wanted to build.
The foundational AHK-Cu research shows a concentration-sensitive, non-linear response rather than a simple “more equals more” relationship. Lower experimental concentrations produced a positive effect on follicle elongation. At the two highest tested concentrations, the response reversed and became inhibitory.
0.25% is therefore not a reduced dose. It is the dose around which the rest of the formula was engineered.
Is a 1%, 3%, or higher AHK-Cu serum better because it contains more AHK-Cu?
No evidence supports treating AHK-Cu that way.
In the foundational human-follicle study, increasing AHK-Cu beyond the stimulatory range did not create a larger positive response. The response became negative.
That does not mean a finished 1% or 3% topical serum can be directly equated with the inhibitory laboratory concentrations. It does mean that higher concentration alone is not scientifically valid evidence of greater effectiveness.
Does the 2007 AHK-Cu study prove that 0.25% is the ideal topical concentration?
The study does not provide a direct conversion from laboratory molarity to a finished topical percentage. What it does provide is highly relevant to formulation: the response was positive at lower tested concentrations and negative at higher ones.
That is why we use the study as a guide to concentration discipline rather than as a simplistic recipe for a consumer percentage.
Why does the formula contain L-Histidine?
L-Histidine is not included simply as another conditioning amino acid. It was selected deliberately because histidine has an established relationship with copper chemistry and peptide-copper systems.
We consider the chemical environment surrounding AHK-Cu to be part of the formulation itself, not an afterthought. The specific coordination approach is proprietary.
Why does responsible copper formulation matter?
Copper is an essential trace element and a biologically active metal ion. That is why our formulation philosophy is purposeful copper use rather than maximum copper use.
We consider concentration, copper chemistry, compatible ingredients, vehicle, and repeat topical use together.
Why use a multi-peptide system instead of simply adding more AHK-Cu?
Because the peptides occupy different formulation roles. AHK-Cu is the copper-peptide centerpiece, while Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 and Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 provide complementary cosmetic hair-support functions.
We prefer a deliberately constructed peptide system over assuming that increasing one ingredient indefinitely improves the finished formula.
Is AHK the same as GHK?
No. AHK and GHK are different copper-binding tripeptides with different amino-acid sequences. Alchemy uses them in different products and for different formulation goals.
Does AHK Peptide Hair + Scalp Serum contain minoxidil?
No. This is a cosmetic peptide scalp serum and contains no minoxidil.
Does it contain hormonal actives or DHT-blocking drug ingredients?
No. The formula contains no hormonal actives and is not formulated as a DHT-blocking drug treatment.
What supports the scalp besides the peptides?
The peptide system is supported by niacinamide, panthenol, caffeine, allantoin, amino acids and NMF-related humectants selected to help maintain a comfortable, well-conditioned scalp environment for consistent leave-in use.
Will the serum make my roots oily?
The serum is intentionally water-light and lipid-free. It is designed for direct scalp application with a low-residue finish so daily use does not require changing your normal wash schedule.
How should I compare AHK scalp serums?
Look beyond the largest percentage on the label.
Consider the disclosed concentration, the evidence supporting that concentration story, copper chemistry, complementary peptides, scalp-support ingredients, delivery vehicle, daily-use practicality, hormonal actives, and whether the brand clearly distinguishes finished-product percentage from concentrations used in laboratory research.
Biotech treatment for the scalp
Not an Oil. A Scalp Treatment.
Signal. Strengthen. Anchor. Energize.
A water-light copper peptide scalp serum designed to support the follicle environment, strengthen the look of the root, and promote fuller-feeling hair over time.
Signal
AHK-Cu
Supports the scalp environment associated with healthier-looking growth and stronger-looking hair at the root.
Anchor
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3
Supports the extracellular matrix surrounding the follicle to help hair appear more securely anchored.
Strengthen
Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1
Supports stronger-looking hair and a healthier appearance through the lengths and at the root.
Energize
Caffeine + niacinamide
Supports scalp vitality, comfort and the appearance of fuller, more resilient hair over time.
Designed to support the appearance of stronger, fuller and healthier-looking hair with consistent use.
Visible density.
Stronger-looking hair.
Formulated to support the scalp environment and promote the appearance of fuller, healthier hair.
HEALTHIER-LOOKING
DENSITY
ENVIRONMENT
OF THINNING AREAS
LEAVE-IN FORMULA
Results after 12 weeks with AHK Peptide Hair & Scalp Serum | Individual results may vary.
Growth begins beneath the strand.
AHK-Cu has been studied for its influence on living human hair follicles and dermal papilla cells, the specialized cells involved in regulating follicle growth.
Active Concentration Range
The range associated with increased follicle elongation and dermal papilla-cell proliferation.
Follicle Elongation
A statistically significant response reported in isolated human follicles.
Lower Cleaved Caspase-3
A reduction observed in a marker associated with programmed cell death in cultured dermal papilla cells.
Lower Cleaved PARP
A reduction observed in another apoptosis-associated marker in cultured dermal papilla cells.
Extend
Supported elongation of living human follicles maintained outside the body.
Multiply
Stimulated proliferation of cultured human dermal papilla cells.
Preserve
Shifted several measured markers toward a more cell-survival-favorable profile.
Support
Supports the rationale for a follicle-focused signaling treatment.
Results were observed in isolated human hair follicles and cultured dermal papilla cells. The study did not evaluate the finished AHK Hair & Scalp Serum, establish a human hair-growth percentage, or measure topical consumer results.
View published reference
Pyo HK, Yoo HG, Won CH, et al. The effect of tripeptide-copper complex on human hair growth in vitro. Archives of Pharmacal Research. 2007;30(7):834–839. PMID: 17703734.









