Skin, Hair & Aesthetics

The endogenous 13-amino-acid melanocortin hormone cleaved from POMC. Parent molecule for the melanotan / setmelanotide / KPV cluster — acts at MC1R (pigmentation), MC3R/MC4R (appetite, energy balance), and MC5R, with well-characterized anti-inflammatory activity.

An FDA-approved selective MC1R agonist for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). Stimulates protective eumelanin production without the broad side effects of Melanotan II.

The most-studied copper peptide in skincare — a naturally occurring tripeptide (GHK, Gly-His-Lys) whose active tissue form is the copper complex GHK-Cu, with extensive evidence for skin remodeling, collagen synthesis, wound healing, and anti-aging.

A cosmetic peptide that reduces wrinkles by inhibiting neurotransmitter release at the neuromuscular junction, often called 'topical Botox.'

The body's most abundant antioxidant — a tripeptide critical for detoxification, immune function, and cellular protection, and one of the most widely used systemic skin-brightening and hyperpigmentation interventions via oral, IV, SubQ/IM, and topical routes (note: IV use for skin lightening is FDA-flagged and not approved).

A collagen-stimulating cosmetic peptide that signals skin to produce more collagen and extracellular matrix proteins.

A collagen-boosting cosmetic peptide that mimics the body's wound-healing signal to stimulate collagen and elastin production in the skin.

A skin-brightening peptide that inhibits cell-free mushroom tyrosinase about 17-fold more potently than hydroquinone, used topically for hyperpigmentation, melasma, and uneven skin tone. Against human tyrosinase the measured effect is far more modest, and skin penetration rather than enzyme potency is the limiting factor.

A tripeptide fragment of alpha-MSH with potent anti-inflammatory properties, studied for inflammatory bowel disease and skin conditions.

A six-amino-acid cosmetic peptide built from two repeats of the Gly-Pro-Gln motif found in collagen IV and collagen XVII — the proteins that anchor the epidermis to the dermis. Sold as Collaxyl and used at around 0.002% in serums, it has one genuinely interesting randomised trial behind it, with two caveats most product copy omits: the trial tested a cyclized derivative, not the linear peptide, and the retinol it beat was dosed at 0.002%.

Sederma's third-generation Matrixyl, built on a lysine-methionine-lysine tripeptide drawn from collagen VI and laminin and used at around 5 parts per million. The trade name claims six matrix constituents stimulated at once. The complication is that all three published human studies combined it with other actives — including one with 15% vitamin C — so no trial isolates what the peptide itself contributes.

A cosmetic peptide engineered to imitate decorin, the proteoglycan that keeps dermal collagen fibrils thin and evenly sized. Sold as Decorinyl, it targets collagen organisation rather than collagen quantity — a genuinely distinct pitch resting on an unusually small evidence base: two PubMed records in total, one in vitro paper from the company that invented it and one human trial with six people per arm.

A synthetic melanocortin peptide studied for tanning, sexual function, and appetite suppression. Not FDA-approved; the FDA has issued public warnings against its use.

An immunomodulatory tetrapeptide derived from human IgG, used in cosmeceuticals as Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 to suppress skin inflammation (IL-6) and support anti-aging skin repair.

A small synthetic peptide designed to mimic waglerin-1 from Temple Pit Viper venom, marketed as blocking muscle acetylcholine receptors to soften expression lines. Often called 'topical Botox' — in the manufacturer's cell test it cut nerve-driven muscle-cell contractions by 82% at 2 hours, an effect that faded within days.

A palmitoylated cosmeceutical tripeptide (Ala-His-Lys) studied for hair growth stimulation via dermal papilla cell proliferation and anti-apoptotic signaling, as well as collagen synthesis and skin rejuvenation.

A synthetic signal peptide that mimics thrombospondin-1 to activate TGF-beta signaling, stimulating type I and III collagen production in dermal fibroblasts for anti-wrinkle and skin-firming effects.

A synthetic enkephalin-mimicking pentapeptide that reduces acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction, relaxing facial muscles and smoothing expression wrinkles. In Lipotec's 28-day comparison, a cream with 5% Leuphasyl solution cut wrinkles by about 12% alone and about 25% combined with Argireline.

A synthetic pentapeptide (Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala-NH2) used in anti-wrinkle creams and described as a curare-like blocker of the muscle acetylcholine receptor. Its headline claim of up to 49% smaller wrinkles in 28 days is unpublished manufacturer data.

A yeast-derived cosmetic hexapeptide that switches on proteasome, autophagy-related, and antioxidant (Nrf2) genes in cultured human lung and skin fibroblasts — positioned as a proteostasis-based anti-aging ingredient.

A nine-amino-acid cosmetic peptide designed as an α-MSH antagonist at the MC1R receptor on melanocytes, formulated topically as a skin-brightening and anti-hyperpigmentation ingredient.

A palmitoylated dipeptide cosmetic ingredient best documented as one of the two synthetic peptides in DSM's Syn-Tacks complex, marketed to strengthen the dermal-epidermal junction for firmer, more elastic skin. Current EU and supplier listings name it Palmitoyl Dipeptide-5 Diaminohydroxybutyrate; it has no peer-reviewed literature.

A collagen-derived tripeptide (glycine-proline-hydroxyproline) that is the most abundant repeating motif in type I collagen — used as a cosmetic INCI ingredient in topical formulations and present in oral collagen hydrolysate supplements marketed for skin and joint support.

A synthetic decapeptide (Arg-Asp-Gly-Gln-Ile-Leu-Ser-Thr-Trp-Tyr) marketed as the active in β-WHITE™, positioned as a topical skin-brightening ingredient that suppresses MITF-driven melanogenesis rather than directly inhibiting tyrosinase.

A copper peptide — the copper-complexed tripeptide alanine-histidine-lysine, widely marketed as Copper Tripeptide-3 — studied for hair follicle stimulation and dermal papilla cell survival. A structural cousin of the better-known copper peptide GHK-Cu with a distinct, hair-focused research profile.

A cosmetic tetrapeptide marketed for under-eye puffiness and dark circles, developed by Lipotec (now Lubrizol Life Science) and used in topical cosmetic formulations targeting periorbital edema, glycation reduction, and capillary permeability — with the standard cosmetic-grade evidence base of in-house formulation studies rather than independently published peer-reviewed clinical trials.

The cosmetic-industry name for human epidermal growth factor — a 53-residue protein, not really an oligopeptide at all. Sold in serums as sh-Oligopeptide-1 or rh-Oligopeptide-1 and marketed for skin renewal, it has the weakest evidence-to-hype ratio of any peptide in common skincare use: a 2023 review in Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology concluded the preclinical bioactivity of the cosmetic-grade material has not been proven, and China has banned EGF in cosmetics outright since 2019.

A cosmetic octapeptide marketed as a longer, stronger Argireline for expression lines. It has zero peer-reviewed publications of its own — the string does not appear in PubMed's index at all — and the closest assessed sibling was cleared by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review only up to 0.005%, against the 3-10% these products typically use.