Peptide reference
Argireline
Acetyl Hexapeptide-3 ·Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 ·Ac-EEMQRR-NH2 ·AHK-Cu
What cited sources report about Argireline
Argireline (also indexed as acetyl hexapeptide-3 and acetyl hexapeptide-8) is a synthetic acetylated hexapeptide marketed as a cosmetic ingredient by Lipotec/Lubrizol and incorporated into a wide variety of topical anti-aging formulations. It is a cosmetic ingredient under US regulatory definitions and is not approved as a drug by the FDA, EMA, or other regulators cited in the whitelisted sources reviewed for this page. The summaries below report what individual cited sources state; this page does not assert claims beyond what those sources report.
Wang et al. (2013) — American Journal of Clinical Dermatology
A small randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Chinese women, age 35-55, that compared a topical argireline-containing formulation with a vehicle control applied twice daily for four weeks. Roughness and wrinkle parameters were assessed by skin replica analysis. The authors reported decreases in objective roughness parameters in the active group versus no significant change in the placebo group.
In the objective evaluation, the parameters of roughness were all decreased in the argireline group (p < 0.01), while no decrease was obvious in the placebo group (p > 0.05).
Kraeling et al. (2015) — Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology
A US FDA Office of Cosmetics in-vitro skin-penetration study that applied a 10% acetyl hexapeptide-8 cosmetic formulation to hairless guinea-pig and human cadaver skin in Franz diffusion cells. The investigators reported that most of the peptide was washed from the skin surface and that the fraction that did penetrate was retained primarily in the stratum corneum, with no detection of intact peptide in deeper dermal layers.
The majority of the Ac-EEMQRR-amide was washed from the surface of both HGP and human skin. Ac-EEMQRR-amide that penetrated skin remained mostly in the stratum corneum
PubChem CID 71587772 — National Center for Biotechnology Information
The PubChem compound record for acetyl hexapeptide-3 lists molecular formula C35H62N14O11S, consistent with the published sequence Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-NH2 (acetylated N-terminus, primary amide C-terminus). The record aggregates synonyms — including the trade name Argireline and the alternate INCI designation acetyl hexapeptide-8 — and links to underlying chemical literature.
Coverage notes
Coverage notes: cosmetic ingredient with limited peer-reviewed clinical data. Argireline is regulated as a cosmetic ingredient in the US and most international markets, not as a drug. Much of the publicly available “research” on argireline is from cosmetic-industry whitepapers, manufacturer testing dossiers, and patent filings that fall outside the whitelisted scientific-source set used for this page. The cited PubMed records reflect a small number of independent academic studies. PubChem hosts compound records under both “acetyl hexapeptide-3” and “acetyl hexapeptide-8”; the latter INCI name reflects the same active sequence and is the more common label in current cosmetic formulations.