Pal-GHK; palmitoyl oligopeptide (former INCI name); Biopeptide CL; one of the two peptides in Matrixyl 3000
GHK, a three-amino-acid sequence found in collagen, with a palmitic acid (fatty acid) tail added to help it into skin. In lab tests it signals skin cells to make collagen; unlike GHK-Cu it carries no copper, and it’s one of the two peptides in Matrixyl 3000.
None of these uses is approved. Uses tested in people come first, then claims that rest on animal studies or user reports.
Trial: tested in people, with the result. Animal: cell or animal studies only. No study: nothing published supports it.
Every compound’s uses, by body system: evidence map, and by condition: conditions A to Z.
Category 2 is FDA’s list of bulk substances that may present significant safety risks in compounding. The 503A bulks list adds substances that pharmacies may compound with. Advisory committee votes are advice; FDA makes the final decision. Sport status follows the WADA Prohibited List in force since January 1, 2026; athletes should confirm with their anti-doping organization. Checked October 5, 2026. Status outside the US checked October 7, 2026 against EMA, MHRA, Health Canada and TGA records. By country: EU, UK, Canada, Australia. Status of every compound.
Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is GHK, a three-amino-acid sequence found in collagen, joined to palmitic acid, a fatty acid that helps it into skin. In the developer’s tests it raised collagen production by fibroblasts (the skin’s collagen-making cells) in lab dishes and in donated skin, and its makers describe it as a messenger that prompts collagen renewal. In 3 volunteers it spread through the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer, but stayed between cells.
AnimalMainly from cell and animal studies; not shown in people.
Whether enough reaches the living dermis to raise collagen, and whether small changes in skin studies come from that rather than moisturizing or other ingredients, is unknown.
Lintner 2000
Developer test: cream with about 4 ppm, used for 4 weeks by 23 women.
Finished cosmetics contain up to about 10 ppm (0.001%). Blends such as Matrixyl 3000 are dilute solutions added at about 3–8%, not pure peptide.
Continuous, shown over 26 weeks
The ways Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is most often run, each tagged with where it comes from.
23 women: skin about 4% thicker than with the same cream without peptide. Developer data, published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Watson 2009, 60 people: wrinkles improved in 43% vs 22% on the plain serum (not significant); fibrillin-1, a skin fiber protein, increased.
Usually comes from a dilute blend such as Matrixyl 3000, added at about 3–8% at cool-down.
Applied to clean skin of the face, neck or hands. Topical only; never inject it.
Nothing special. Skip it and use the next application as usual.
Developer tests: skin about 4% thicker than with the plain cream (23 women), and shorter, shallower wrinkles (15 women). Developer data only.
TrialWith a multi-ingredient serum, 43% vs 22% had fewer wrinkles at 6 months (not significant), and 70% had improved after 12 months of use (Watson 2009).
TrialSkin irritation or redness (some mild to moderate reactions in a 52-person patch test at 1,000 ppm)
Patch-test first. Stop if it doesn’t settle.
Eye irritation
Keep it out of the eyes. Rinse with water if it gets in.
Infection or harm from injecting a cosmetic serum
Never inject topical products; they aren’t sterile.
Stop and see a doctor for a spreading rash, swelling, blistering or hives, or eye pain after contact.
The side effects people ask about most, answered one by one. Each answer says where it comes from.
Trial: reported in human studies. Not reported: studied in people and not reported. A side effect that hasn’t been reported can still happen, especially with long or high-dose use. Any of these across every compound: the side-effect finder.
No product label covers palmitoyl tripeptide-1, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Most important first.
Precaution: follows from how it works or from a related drug, and hasn’t been tested. This isn’t a complete list: a pharmacist or doctor can check a specific medicine or condition. Every documented interaction, by medicine: drug interactions.
What’s known about pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney and liver problems, age and surgery. Where nothing has been studied, the row says so.
Precaution: not studied, so the caution follows from how it works or from a related drug. Ages are given as approved or studied; this site never gives doses for children. Across every compound: pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney disease, liver disease, older adults and surgery.
Usually run on its own.
5 key published human studies, with how many people took part. Animal studies aren’t listed here.
Wrinkles improved in 43% vs 22% on vehicle, not a significant difference (p=0.10); fibrillin-1 rose significantly; 70% improved by 12 months. Its own share can’t be separated.
Watson et al., Br J Dermatol 2009, PMID 19438432
Skin thickness rose about 4% more than with the plain cream, a small but significant difference.
Lintner & Peschard, Int J Cosmet Sci 2000, PMID 18503476; Bjerke et al., Curr Res Toxicol 2026, PMID 41953401 (summary)
Redness, the main outcome, didn’t differ between sides; skin water loss, swelling and roughness recovered faster on the serum side in the laser study.
Liu et al., Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) 2026, PMID 42322532
Hydration rose 28.1%, elasticity 18.8% and ultrasound collagen density 55.0% from baseline, with no skin reactions; with no comparison group, the cream’s share is unknown.
Yang et al., Skin Res Technol 2024, PMID 38932444
Both peptides reached every layer of the stratum corneum, the dead outer skin layer, but stayed between cells and fell off with depth; deeper layers weren’t sampled.
Trzaska et al., Int J Pharm 2026, PMID 42790608
No ongoing trial of palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is registered, and none has finished recently without publishing its results. Checked on ClinicalTrials.gov, October 7, 2026. Every compound: trials under way.
Tested alone only in the developer’s small 4-week studies (23 and 15 women) at about 4 ppm. Other human data come from products mixing it with other actives, mostly industry-funded; the largest, 60 people for 6 months, found no significant wrinkle difference vs vehicle. Its collagen effect rests on cell and donor-skin tests, and in volunteers it stayed in the outer dead layer. High strengths and use over years are untested.
Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is used on the skin, so the math is a dilution, not a syringe dose.
| Powder | Serum volume | Strength | Percent | ppm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 250 mL | 0.04 mg/mL | 0.004% | 40 ppm |
| 10 mg | 500 mL | 0.02 mg/mL | 0.002% | 20 ppm |
| 10 mg | 1,000 mL | 0.01 mg/mL | 0.001% | 10 ppm |
| 10 mg | 2,500 mL | 0.004 mg/mL | 0% | 4 ppm |
10 mg in 2.5 liters of product gives 4 ppm, the level in the developer’s 4-week test, and 10 mg in 1 liter gives 10 ppm, the top of what cosmetics use. Ingredient solutions such as Matrixyl 3000 are already diluted; don’t count them as pure peptide.
Every compound side by side: the half-life chart and the storage chart.
Every compound’s numbers: the identifiers table.
Cosmetics contain up to about 10 ppm. Trade-name blends are dilute solutions (safety tests used blends with 100–1,000 ppm), so pure powder is far stronger. The old name “palmitoyl oligopeptide” also covered a different peptide.
GHK, a three-amino-acid sequence found in collagen, with a palmitic acid (fatty acid) tail added to help it into skin. In lab tests it signals skin cells to make collagen; unlike GHK-Cu it carries no copper, and it’s one of the two peptides in Matrixyl 3000.
Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is GHK, a three-amino-acid sequence found in collagen, joined to palmitic acid, a fatty acid that helps it into skin. In the developer’s tests it raised collagen production by fibroblasts (the skin’s collagen-making cells) in lab dishes and in donated skin, and its makers describe it as a messenger that prompts collagen renewal. In 3 volunteers it spread through the stratum corneum, the dead outer layer, but stayed between cells. Whether enough reaches the living dermis to raise collagen, and whether small changes in skin studies come from that rather than moisturizing or other ingredients, is unknown.
Not approved as a drug in the US or EU; used as a cosmetic ingredient. Cosmetics don’t need FDA approval before sale. Never nominated for FDA’s compounding bulk lists; it isn’t on any of FDA’s 503A or 503B category lists (May 2026 and March 2025 versions).
From human studies (Lintner 2000): Developer test: cream with about 4 ppm, used for 4 weeks by 23 women. From community reports, not established: Finished cosmetics contain up to about 10 ppm (0.001%). Blends such as Matrixyl 3000 are dilute solutions added at about 3–8%, not pure peptide. These are the amounts sources reference, not recommendations.
No product label covers palmitoyl tripeptide-1, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Anyone thinking of injecting it: It is a cosmetic ingredient, not made to injectable standards, and has never been tested by injection. It isn’t the copper peptide GHK-Cu. Anyone mixing pure powder at high strength: Cosmetics use it at up to about 10 ppm, and a 2018 safety review backed only current use levels; stronger mixes haven’t been tested. Pregnancy or breastfeeding: No human safety data exist.
Before mixing: Freezer (about −20 °C) for long-term storage, kept dry. After mixing: Fridge (2–8 °C); use within about 4 weeks. This is common practice; no product label covers it.
No. Not named on the 2026 list. It’s a topical cosmetic ingredient used at a few parts per million, not a drug of the kind S0 covers.
Yes. The human studies section lists 5 published studies. The largest, from 2009, included 60 people. Wrinkles improved in 43% vs 22% on vehicle, not a significant difference (p=0.10); fibrillin-1 rose significantly; 70% improved by 12 months. Its own share can’t be separated.
Trial 6 months blinded, then 6 more open-label, in 60 people using a serum that mixed it with other actives. Alone: 4 weeks in 23 women.
Trial Used in creams and serums. In 3 volunteers it reached all layers of the dead outer skin layer but stayed between cells; injection and oral use are untested.
No study There’s no label and no overdose data. Cosmetics contain up to about 10 ppm, per a 2018 safety review. Call Poison Help (1-800-222-1222), or emergency services for severe symptoms.
For how it works, who should avoid it and the limits of the evidence
For uses, the side-effect questions, special situations, trials, identifiers and status outside the US
Doses tagged Community come from public dosing guides and user reports, checked against at least two of them. Those sites aren’t named here because many of them sell peptides or earn commissions on them.