AH8

Acetyl hexapeptide-8

A synthetic hexapeptide, Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg, acetylated at the N-terminus and amidated at the C-terminus. The sequence is modelled on the N-terminal end of SNAP-25, a protein in the vesicle-fusion complex. It is regulated as a cosmetic ingredient rather than as a drug.

Acetyl hexapeptide-8 has 2 registered human studies on ClinicalTrials.gov, reaching phase 2, covering 22 planned or enrolled participants across the 2 studies that published a figure. No FDA-approved product contains Acetyl hexapeptide-8. 19 papers naming it were published in the last ten years.

Collected 2026-08-02 from ClinicalTrials.gov and Drugs@FDA. Counts include only trials whose registered intervention names Acetyl hexapeptide-8; the registry search is fuzzy, so every match is re-checked. None of this says whether Acetyl hexapeptide-8 works or is safe.

FDA status

Research only

Human studies

2

Furthest phase

Phase 2

Papers, 10 yr

19

Readership

537

monthly average, Feb–Jul 2026

Tracking since 2026-07-29 · About this data

What has actually been tested in humans

C

Phase 1 or 2 only

2

Registered human studies

Phase 2

Furthest phase reached

22

Planned or enrolled participants, across 2 studies that published a figure

None

No FDA-approved product contains it

6 loose registry matches were checked and 2 confirmed — 4 named something else and were discarded. We count a study only when Acetyl hexapeptide-8 is named as an intervention in it.

Registered means registered — not that the study finished, and not that it found anything. The grade is mechanical: it is computed from the registry and the FDA record alone, and it grades how much is known, never whether a compound is good or safe. Collected 2026-08-02 from ClinicalTrials.gov and Drugs@FDA. Check the query.

What Acetyl hexapeptide-8 is, and what it has been studied for

Acetyl hexapeptide-8 is tracked here.

Across 2 registered trials, it has been studied in Oily Skin and Focal Dystonia. A condition here is what a sponsor registered the trial under — it records what was investigated, not what was shown.

The trials were run by University of California, Davis and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). A named commercial sponsor means a compound is in formal development; its absence does not mean the opposite, only that no company has registered a trial under its own name.

How far it got

Acetyl hexapeptide-8 reached Phase 2 across 2 registered trials.Phase 1First given to peoplePhase 2Looking for an effectPhase 3Tested at scalePhase 4Studied after approval

Acetyl hexapeptide-8 reached Phase 2 across 2 registered trials.

No FDA-approved product contains Acetyl hexapeptide-8. A compound can stop at any rung for commercial reasons as easily as scientific ones, and the registry does not record which.

Is anyone studying Acetyl hexapeptide-8?

Papers published each year that name Acetyl hexapeptide-8 in the title or abstract, with the clinical trials that started in the same year marked beneath. Ten calendar years.

03581017181920212223242526
Vertical axis: papers published that year. Bar for 2026 is hatched because that year is still running.
Publications and trials naming Acetyl hexapeptide-8, by year
YearPublicationsTrials startedComplete year
201700Yes
201800Yes
201910Yes
202020Yes
202110Yes
202200Yes
202310Yes
202430Yes
202580Yes
202640No

19 papers between 2017 and 2026. A paper counts when “Acetyl hexapeptide-8” appears in its title or abstract — phrase-matched, so a paper mentioning the words separately is not counted. The total is a single query over the whole window, which is why it does not equal the bars added together: PubMed files a paper under both its electronic and its print publication date, so one paper can appear in two years. Publication volume measures scientific attention, not whether a compound works: a well-studied compound can be well-studied and ineffective. Sources: PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov · collected 2026-08-02.

Published research on Acetyl hexapeptide-8

19 indexed papers name Acetyl hexapeptide-8 in their title or abstract. These are the 8 PubMed ranks most relevant. Listing a paper is not a judgement about it, and none of these is summarised here — follow the link and read what it says.

  1. Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 in Cosmeceuticals-A Review of Skin Permeability and Efficacy

    Zdrada-Nowak J, Surgiel-Gemza A, Szatkowska MInternational journal of molecular sciences2025

    PMID 4056518510.3390/ijms26125722

  2. Public Interest in Acetyl Hexapeptide-8: Longitudinal Analysis

    Olsson SE, Sreepad B, Lee T, et al.JMIR dermatology2024

    PMID 3837690610.2196/54217

  3. Safety Assessment of Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 Amide as Used in Cosmetics

    Johnson W Jr, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, et al.International journal of toxicology2025

    PMID 4067353710.1177/10915818251340391

  4. Polydioxanone Bioactive Sutures-Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (Argireline): An Intelligent System for Controlled Release in Facial Harmonization

    Velazco de Maldonado GJ, Suárez-Vega DV, Miller-Kobisher B, et al.Journal of cutaneous and aesthetic surgery2023

    PMID 3831436910.4103/JCAS.JCAS_34_23

  5. Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 as a Topical Alternative to Botulinum Toxin: A Review of the Literature

    Lum K, M Hirpara M, Pham C, et al.Journal of drugs in dermatology : JDD2025

    PMID 40196949

  6. Topical delivery of acetyl hexapeptide-8 from different emulsions: influence of emulsion composition and internal structure

    Hoppel M, Reznicek G, Kählig H, et al.European journal of pharmaceutical sciences : official journal of the European Federation for Pharmaceutical Sciences2015

    PMID 2549731910.1016/j.ejps.2014.12.006

  7. In vitro skin penetration of acetyl hexapeptide-8 from a cosmetic formulation

    Kraeling ME, Zhou W, Wang P, et al.Cutaneous and ocular toxicology2015

    PMID 2475441010.3109/15569527.2014.894521

  8. Skin scars and wrinkles temporary camouflage in dermatology and oncoesthetics: focus on acetyl hexapeptide-8

    Palmieri B, Noviello A, Corazzari V, et al.La Clinica terapeutica2020

    PMID 3315125410.7417/CT.2020.2270

Collected 2026-08-02from PubMed, phrase-matched on “Acetyl hexapeptide-8” in title and abstract. Run the same search.

About Acetyl hexapeptide-8

A synthetic hexapeptide, Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg, acetylated at the N-terminus and amidated at the C-terminus. The sequence is modelled on the N-terminal end of SNAP-25, a protein in the vesicle-fusion complex. It is regulated as a cosmetic ingredient rather than as a drug.

Also known as
Acetyl hexapeptide-3

Structure and mechanism only. Nothing above describes what this compound is for, and no dose appears anywhere on this page.

Reading on this compound

All articles

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