BRAK LABS Peptide research, plainly written

documented protocols

Acetyl hexapeptide-8: what is documented about dosing

The registered trials and the published studies each state a concentration. Those figures are reported here as what a study used, which is all they are.

Last Reviewed Editorial policy Methodology

This is a lawfully sold cosmetic ingredient, so the figures below are formulation concentrations rather than doses. They are reported as what a particular study or a particular panel stated.

Not medical advice

This page reports what has been documented about a compound. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, not a dosing protocol, and not a recommendation to obtain or use anything described here. Talk to a licensed clinician about anything concerning your health. Read the full disclaimer.

Reviewed against editorial standards Updated

What this page reports, and what it does not

We report what has been documented. We do not prescribe what should be done.

Nothing here is a dosing recommendation. Statements about dosing reflect community and research reports only.

No trial established an amount of Acetyl hexapeptide-8 for a person. Most of the rows below record what a published study gave to its animals or its cells, in the model that study built, with the species and the route named on the line. One row records that other figures circulate in community write-ups, and that this site does not republish them. Nothing here is a protocol, nothing here is scaled for a person, and this site publishes no preparation steps, no administration technique and no equipment. The reasoning is in the editorial policy.

Commonly cited protocols (extrapolated, not validated)

What published studies gave, in which species and by which route, and what circulates elsewhere. The source class is named on every row, and none of it is a clinical protocol
StudyWhat was givenFrequencyDurationNotes
Founding 2002 study10 per cent of the peptide in an oil-in-water emulsionTwice daily30 daysSkin topography in healthy women volunteers, no placebo arm reported in the abstract
FDA penetration study10 per cent in an oil-in-water emulsionSingle application24 hoursExcised human and hairless guinea pig skin, not a person
First blepharospasm trial0.005 per centTwice daily to the eyelids3 to 7 months of follow-upRandomised against an identical cream without the peptide
Second blepharospasm trial0.05 per cent and 0.025 per centAs described in the registry recordUp to 7 months of follow-upTerminated with no reason stated, results posted
Registered Phase 3A 10 per cent gelTwice daily3 monthsNo results posted
2025 industry safety conclusionUp to 0.005 per centNot applicableNot applicableThe panel states the available data are insufficient to reach that conclusion above 0.005 per cent

Two ranges appear in that table and they are two thousand-fold apart. The efficacy and penetration studies used 10 per cent. The trials at a clinical endpoint used 0.005 to 0.05 per cent, and the industry panel's 2025 conclusion is bounded at 0.005 per cent.

This site does not convert those into a comparison, and the reason is specific. Whether a percentage refers to the peptide itself or to a supplied solution that is already dilute changes the arithmetic entirely, and that question was not resolved from the sources read for this page. A multiplier stated without resolving it would be a number invented on the page.

What can be said without resolving it is that the concentration a study used is a property of that study. A figure from the founding paper is not a figure for a finished product, and a figure from a trial in blepharospasm is not a figure for anything sold for wrinkles.

Nothing here is a use instruction. Talk to a licensed clinician about anything concerning your health.

Our takeThe figures in the table are study parameters and a panel conclusion. Reading any of them as an instruction is the mistake this page exists to prevent.,Talk to a licensed clinician about anything concerning your health.

Main routes people compare

Applied to the skin

The route the ingredient is sold for and the route every question on this page is about. What reaches the layers below the surface from this route has been measured directly, and the measurement is in the sections above.

Microneedle patch

A patch of dissolving needles that punctures the outer layer of skin. The one study isolating this peptide against its own vehicle used this route, and so did both published studies of the eight amino acid version. A result obtained this way answers a question about the ingredient past the barrier rather than about a cream.

Injection

Not a labelled route for a cosmetic ingredient. It is on this page because a published case report describes an infection following injection of it into the forehead and temples, so the practice exists.

What is said about cycle length and timing

No cycle appears in the record for this ingredient, and the concept does not apply to a cosmetic applied to the skin. The trials that ran to a schedule are described above with the schedules they used.

Talk to a licensed clinician about anything concerning your health.

What has been measured about safety

A reader weighing what other people report giving usually wants the other half of the record next. What has been measured about Acetyl hexapeptide-8, and what has never been studied reports what has actually been measured, in what system and over what period, and the questions no published study has put.

Frequently asked questions

What concentration do studies of this ingredient use?

It varies by two thousand-fold across the record. The founding paper and the FDA penetration study used 10 per cent. The two trials at a clinical endpoint used 0.005 to 0.05 per cent. The 2025 industry safety conclusion is bounded at 0.005 per cent.

Why does this page not compare those numbers directly?

Because whether a percentage refers to the peptide itself or to an already dilute supplied solution changes the comparison completely, and that was not resolved from the sources read for this page. Stating a multiplier without resolving it would be inventing a number.

Is there a recommended amount?

This site publishes no use instructions for any compound. A cosmetic product carries its own directions and this page is not a substitute for them.

Does a higher concentration do more?

The record does not establish that. The one trial that raised the concentration, ten-fold, was terminated with no reason stated and posted results that did not favour the active arms, on eight participants across three arms.

References

  1. Blanes-Mira C, Clemente J, Jodas G, Gil A, Fernández-Ballester G, Ponsati B, Gutierrez L, Pérez-Payá E, Ferrer-Montiel A. A synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) with antiwrinkle activity. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2002. PMID 18498523 DOI 10.1046/j.1467-2494.2002.00153.x
  2. Wang Y, Wang M, Xiao S, Pan P, Li P, Huo J. The anti-wrinkle efficacy of argireline, a synthetic hexapeptide, in Chinese subjects: a randomized, placebo-controlled study. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2013. PMID 23417317 DOI 10.1007/s40257-013-0009-9
  3. Wang Y, Wang M, Xiao XS, Pan P, Li P, Huo J. The anti wrinkle efficacy of synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) in Chinese Subjects. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2013. PMID 23607739 DOI 10.3109/14764172.2012.759234
  4. Wang Y, Wang M, Xiao XS, Huo J, Zhang WD. The anti-wrinkle efficacy of Argireline. J Cosmet Laser Ther. 2013. PMID 23464592 DOI 10.3109/14764172.2013.769273
  5. Lungu C, Considine E, Zahir S, Ponsati B, Arrastia S, Hallett M. Pilot study of topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 in the treatment for blepharospasm in patients receiving botulinum toxin therapy. Eur J Neurol. 2013. PMID 23146065 DOI 10.1111/ene.12009
  6. Kraeling ME, Zhou W, Wang P, Ogunsola OA. In vitro skin penetration of acetyl hexapeptide-8 from a cosmetic formulation. Cutan Ocul Toxicol. 2015. PMID 24754410 DOI 10.3109/15569527.2014.894521
  7. Johnson W Jr, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Cohen DE, Klaassen CD, Liebler DC, Marks JG Jr, Peterson LA, Shank RC, Slaga TJ, Snyder PW, Fiume M, Heldreth B. Safety Assessment of Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 Amide as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol. 2025. PMID 40673537 DOI 10.1177/10915818251340391
  8. Zdrada-Nowak J, Surgiel-Gemza A, Szatkowska M. Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 in Cosmeceuticals-A Review of Skin Permeability and Efficacy. Int J Mol Sci. 2025. PMID 40565185 DOI 10.3390/ijms26125722
  9. An JH, Lee HJ, Yoon MS, Kim DH. Anti-Wrinkle Efficacy of Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid-Based Microneedle Patch with Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 and Epidermal Growth Factor on Korean Skin. Ann Dermatol. 2019. PMID 33911590 DOI 10.5021/ad.2019.31.3.263
  10. Hoppel M, Reznicek G, Kählig H, Kotisch H, Resch GP, Valenta C. Topical delivery of acetyl hexapeptide-8 from different emulsions: influence of emulsion composition and internal structure. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2015. PMID 25497319 DOI 10.1016/j.ejps.2014.12.006
  11. Lim SH, Sun Y, Thiruvallur Madanagopal T, Rosa V, Kang L. Enhanced Skin Permeation of Anti-wrinkle Peptides via Molecular Modification. Sci Rep. 2018. PMID 29371611 DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-18454-z
  12. Mortazavi SM, Moghimi HR. Skin permeability, a dismissed necessity for anti-wrinkle peptide performance. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2022. PMID 35302659 DOI 10.1111/ics.12770
  13. Grosicki M, Latacz G, Szopa A, Cukier A, Kieć-Kononowicz K. The study of cellular cytotoxicity of argireline - an anti-aging peptide. Acta Biochim Pol. 2014. PMID 24644551
  14. Chen CF, Liu J, Wang SS, Yao YF, Yu B, Hu XP. Mycobacterium abscessus infection after facial injection of argireline: A case report. World J Clin Cases. 2021. PMID 33748252 DOI 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i8.1996
  15. Kluczyk A, Ludwiczak J, Modzel M, Kuczer M, Cebrat M, Biernat M, Bąchor R. Argireline: Needle-Free Botox as Analytical Challenge. Chem Biodivers. 2021. PMID 33482052 DOI 10.1002/cbdv.202000992
  16. Lum K, M Hirpara M, Pham C, Nguyen M, Mesinkovska N. Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 as a Topical Alternative to Botulinum Toxin: A Review of the Literature. J Drugs Dermatol. 2025. PMID 40196949
  17. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT00942851, a randomized triple-masked placebo-controlled trial of topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 at 0.005 per cent in 24 patients with blepharospasm, sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke with BCN Peptides as collaborator. Completed October 2010. Results posted: primary outcome 3.71 months active against 3.03 months placebo; disability scale change at three months 30.89 per cent active against 32.32 per cent placebo. No statistical analysis is posted for any outcome. Read through the v2 API on 23 August 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2026. NCT00942851
  18. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT01750346, a randomized double-masked trial of topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 at 0.05 and 0.025 per cent against placebo in blepharospasm, sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, enrolling 8 participants across three arms. Recorded as TERMINATED with the reason field empty. Results posted: Jankovic scale at two months, where a higher score is worse, 6 and 7 in the active arms against 4.33 on placebo; one withdrawal for an adverse event in the highest-concentration arm. The registry's own background text states the trial was run because the concentration used in the earlier study was not very effective. Read through the v2 API on 23 August 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2026. NCT01750346
  19. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT01381484, a randomized triple-masked Phase 3 trial of a 10 per cent Argireline gel in 70 participants with periorbital wrinkles, sponsored by Mahidol University with Pacific Health Foundation as collaborator, completed September 2009. No results are posted and no publication was located. Read through the v2 API on 23 August 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2026. NCT01381484
  20. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02597777, a randomized quadruple-masked pilot trial of topical acetyl hexapeptide-8 at 10 per cent in a lotion base against the same base, in 14 participants, primary outcome physician-graded shine at four weeks, sponsored by the University of California, Davis, completed February 2016. No results are posted and no publication was located. Read through the v2 API on 23 August 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2026. NCT02597777
  21. ClinicalTrials.gov. Registry sweep for argireline, acetyl hexapeptide-8, acetyl hexapeptide-3, acetyl octapeptide-3, acetyl octapeptide-8 and SNAP-8 peptide, run through the v2 API on 23 August 2026. Six records returned for the hexapeptide, of which four name it as the isolated intervention and two carry it inside a multi-ingredient product (NCT03878381, a compounded cream listing twelve actives in 10 participants; NCT06143033, a single-arm eye serum with twenty-four declared ingredients in 35 participants). The three octapeptide queries each returned no record. ClinicalTrials.gov. 2026. ClinicalTrials.gov
  22. United States Congress. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, Public Law 117-328, enacted 29 December 2022. Division FF, title III, subtitle E is the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022, which adds subchapter VI of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. govinfo. 2022. Source document
  23. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, United States House of Representatives. Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, title 21 of the United States Code: section 321 for the definitions of drug and cosmetic, and subchapter VI sections 364 to 364d for cosmetic definitions, adverse events, registration and product listing, and safety substantiation. Checked 23 August 2026. United States Code. 2026. Source document
  24. Office of the Federal Register and Government Publishing Office. Cosmetic labeling, title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 701. Checked 23 August 2026. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 2026. Source document