Human studiesCosmetic collagen-signal peptide

Syn-Coll

Palmitoyl tripeptide-5 (INCI name), Pal-KVK, SYN-COLL; called palmitoyl tripeptide-3 in some older reviews

Common dose: Topical 10–30 ppm
Cycle: Continuous
Vial sizes: 10 mg

A three-amino-acid peptide (lysine-valine-lysine) with a palmitic acid tail, designed to mimic a piece of thrombospondin-1, a tissue protein that switches on TGF-beta, a growth signal that drives collagen production. It’s marketed to firm skin and soften wrinkles.

Evidence. Human data are the maker’s tests, known only from reviews and a trade journal: creams with 10–25 ppm reduced wrinkles in a dose-related way, and an 84-day study in 60 Chinese volunteers favored it over placebo and a Matrixyl cream. The only peer-reviewed human study used a microneedle patch mixing it with other actives. Cosmetics don’t need FDA approval.

What it’s used for

None of these uses is approved. Uses tested in people come first, then claims that rest on animal studies or user reports.

Fine lines and wrinkles: TrialUnproven alone: the maker reports a dose-related effect at 10–25 ppm and an 84-day study in 60 volunteers that beat placebo, summarized in reviews but never published in full.
Firmer skin and collagen boosting: AnimalUnproven in people: in the maker’s lab tests it raised collagen through TGF-beta and curbed collagen-breaking enzymes. No study shows more collagen in living skin.
Microneedle patches with other peptides: TrialMixed product only: in a 12-week single-center study, a patch with SNAP-8, adenosine and seaweed extract cut fine lines 25.8% from baseline, with no control group.
Injections or mesotherapy: No studyUnproven: no study has tested Syn-Coll by injection in people or animals, and cosmetic-grade peptide isn’t made to injectable standards.

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.

Status

Approval: Not approved as a drug in the US or EU; used as a cosmetic ingredient. Cosmetics don’t need FDA approval before sale.
US compounding: 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).
European Union: No marketing authorization as a medicine. Listed in the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng) as palmitoyl tripeptide-5, a skin-conditioning ingredient, with no annex restriction.
United Kingdom: No marketing authorization (MHRA). Cosmetics containing it fall under UK cosmetics law rather than medicines regulation.
Canada: No marketing authorization; no product lists it as an active ingredient in Health Canada’s Drug Product Database.
Australia: No marketing authorization, and it isn’t named in the Poisons Standard (October 2026).
Sport (WADA 2026): Not banned in sportNot named on the 2026 list. It’s a topical cosmetic ingredient, not a drug of the kind S0 covers.

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.

How it works

Syn-Coll is the tripeptide lysine-valine-lysine with a palmitic acid tail, designed to copy the short sequence of thrombospondin-1 that activates TGF-beta, a growth signal that makes fibroblasts (the skin’s collagen-making cells) produce collagen. In the maker’s lab tests it raised collagen and lowered MMP-1 and MMP-3, enzymes that break collagen down. These are claims from the maker’s cell work; no published study shows it acts this way in living skin.

AnimalMainly from cell and animal studies; not shown in people.

Not known

Whether it reaches the dermis, whether it activates TGF-beta in human skin, and whether wrinkle changes in the maker’s tests come from that, is unknown.

Protocol

Trial

Supplier data

Maker’s tests: creams with 10–25 ppm peptide; its 84-day study applied the cream twice daily.

Community

Finished products contain 1–3% of the supplier solution, about 10–30 ppm peptide; “3% Syn-Coll” doesn’t mean 3% pure peptide.

Frequency: Twice daily (topical)
Route: Topical only
Cycle: Continuous; the maker’s study judged results at 84 days.
Continuous, shown over 26 weeks

Common protocols

The ways Syn-Coll is most often run, each tagged with where it comes from.

Finished cream or serum

Community

Dose: 1–3% supplier solution (about 10–30 ppm peptide)
How often: Twice daily
How long: Judge at 8–12 weeks

The supplier solution is roughly 0.1% peptide. It’s added to a finished product below 40 °C, never used neat.

Maker’s 84-day study

Trial

Dose: Cream with Syn-Coll (strength not given in summaries)
How often: Twice daily
How long: 84 days

60 Chinese volunteers: wrinkles and roughness improved more than with placebo or a Matrixyl cream, per review summaries; never published in full.

Taking it

Where it goes

Applied to clean skin of the face and neck. Topical only; never inject it.

If you miss a dose

Nothing special. Skip it and use the next application as usual.

Missed doses for every compound

What to expect

84 days
Maker’s study in 60 volunteers: wrinkles and roughness improved more than with placebo or a Matrixyl cream. Supplier data only, known from reviews.
Trial
12 weeks
A microneedle patch mixing it with SNAP-8 and other actives cut fine lines 25.8% from baseline, with no control group (Avcil 2020).
Trial

Side effects and what to do

Skin irritation or redness

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 get medical help

Stop and see a doctor for a spreading rash, swelling, blistering or hives, or eye pain after contact.

Can it cause …?

The side effects people ask about most, answered one by one. Each answer says where it comes from.

Acne, rash or skin changes: TrialNo skin reactions were reported in a 12-week microneedle-patch study of a mix containing it; Syn-Coll alone has no published skin-safety data.
Cancer risk: No dataNo cancer data in people or animals; the only published human study lasted 12 weeks and tested a mix.
TirednessHeadacheNausea or vomitingDiarrhea or constipationDizzinessTrouble sleepingHair lossWater retention or swellingJoint or muscle painAnxiety, low mood or irritabilityLow or high blood sugarFast heartbeat or blood pressure changesMore hungerLiver strainKidney problems: Not reportedNot reported in a 12-week study of a microneedle patch mixing it with other actives; Syn-Coll alone has no published human safety data.

Trial: reported in human studies. Not reported: studied in people and not reported. No data: no human safety data. 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.

Who should avoid it

No product label covers Syn-Coll, so these come from human studies and from precautions based on how it works. Most important first.

Anyone thinking of injecting it: PrecautionIt is a cosmetic ingredient, not made to injectable standards, and has never been tested by injection.
Anyone mixing pure powder at high strength: PrecautionThe maker’s tests used 10–25 ppm; stronger mixes haven’t been tested for benefit or safety.
Pregnancy or breastfeeding: PrecautionNo human safety data exist.

Interactions

No interaction studies have been published, and no product label lists any.

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.

Special situations

What’s known about pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney and liver problems, age and surgery. Where nothing has been studied, the row says so.

Pregnancy: PrecautionNo human or animal data on pregnancy; Syn-Coll alone has no published human study.
Breastfeeding: PrecautionNo human data; it isn’t known whether any reaches breast milk.
Kidney problems: PrecautionNot studied in people with kidney disease, and no study has measured how much passes through skin.
Liver problems: PrecautionNot studied in people with liver disease, and no study has measured how much passes through skin.
Older adults: PrecautionNot studied as a group; the patch study enrolled adults with aging skin and reported no age-specific safety data.
Children and teens: PrecautionNot studied in anyone under 18, and not approved for any age.
Surgery and anesthesia: PrecautionNo data; tell the surgical team about any compound used, including skin products.

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.

Tracking and pairing

Worth tracking

Skin irritation or rash

Often paired with

Usually run on its own.

Human studies

The published human study we found, with how many people took part. Animal studies aren’t listed here.

2020

Fine lines fell 25.8%, hydration rose 15.4% and skin density and thickness rose 14.2% and 12.9% from baseline, with no skin reactions. Multi-ingredient patch, so Syn-Coll’s effect can’t be isolated.

Design
Single-center study, no placebo group reported
Dose
Hyaluronic acid microneedle patch with palmitoyl tripeptide-5, acetyl octapeptide-3, an arginine/lysine polypeptide, adenosine and seaweed extracts, at the eye corners and forearm
Length
12 weeks

Avcil et al., J Cosmet Dermatol 2020, PMID 31134751

All human studies on Vial Guide

Trials under way

No ongoing trial of Syn-Coll is registered, and none has finished recently without publishing its results. Checked on ClinicalTrials.gov, October 7, 2026. Every compound: trials under way.

Limits of the evidence

Syn-Coll’s human evidence is the maker’s tests, known only from reviews and a trade journal (a dose-related wrinkle effect at 10–25 ppm; an 84-day study in 60 volunteers), plus one 12-week microneedle-patch study mixing it with other actives and without a control group. Its collagen effect rests on the maker’s cell tests, and skin penetration hasn’t been measured. Pure-powder mixes, long-term use and injection are untested.

Serum strength

Syn-Coll 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	400 mL	0.025 mg/mL	0.003%	25 ppm
10 mg	1,000 mL	0.01 mg/mL	0.001%	10 ppm

The maker supplies it as a glycerin and water solution with roughly 0.1% peptide. Creams in its tests held 10–25 ppm: about 10 mg of pure peptide in 400 mL to 1 liter of serum.

Datasheet

Half-life: No reliable value has been published.
Type: Peptide, 3 amino acids
Molecular weight: 611.9 g/mol
Formula: C₃₃H₆₅N₅O₅
Sequence: (palmitoyl)-KVK
Storage before use: Supplier solution: 2–8 °C, protected from light (at least 36 months unopened, per the maker). Pure powder: freezer (about −20 °C), kept dry.
After mixing or opening: Use an opened supplier container quickly, as it can pick up microbes. Finished serum: cool and dark.

Molecule: FDA GSRS UNII 2A3916MQHO and PubChem CID 11950477 (free peptide, CAS 623172-55-4); the bis-trifluoroacetate salt is 839.9 (UNII 4IV5XO4TGK, CAS 623172-56-5)
Storage: Community Maker’s formulation guidelines (2013) for the supplier solution; common research-peptide practice for powder

Every compound side by side: the half-life chart and the storage chart.

Identifiers

ATC code: None assigned
CAS number: 623172-55-4 (free peptide); 623172-56-5 (bis-trifluoroacetate salt)
UNII (FDA): 2A3916MQHO (free peptide); 4IV5XO4TGK (bis-trifluoroacetate salt)
PubChem CID: 11950477 (free peptide); 46871119 (salt)
Development codes: Palmitoyl tripeptide-5 (INCI); Pal-Lys-Val-Lys; called palmitoyl tripeptide-3 in some older reviews
Brand names: SYN-COLL is the ingredient’s trade name; no drug product exists
First described: Developed by a cosmetic-ingredient maker to copy the thrombospondin-1 sequence that activates TGF-beta, described in 1995.

Every compound’s numbers: the identifiers table.

Product form and quality

The maker supplies a glycerin and water solution with roughly 0.1% peptide, used at 1–3%, so finished products hold about 10–30 ppm. Research-grade peptide may be the trifluoroacetate salt, about 37% heavier than the free peptide.

Cautions

Cosmetic ingredient; never inject it.
Don’t use pure powder at “1–3%”. That figure refers to a dilute supplier solution.
Wrinkle claims rest on the maker’s tests, never published in full; no peer-reviewed trial of it alone exists.
Patch-test first.

Questions

What is Syn-Coll?

How does Syn-Coll work?

Is Syn-Coll FDA-approved?

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).

What is the usual Syn-Coll dose?

From human studies (Supplier data): Maker’s tests: creams with 10–25 ppm peptide; its 84-day study applied the cream twice daily. From community reports, not established: Finished products contain 1–3% of the supplier solution, about 10–30 ppm peptide; “3% Syn-Coll” doesn’t mean 3% pure peptide. These are the amounts sources reference, not recommendations.

Who should avoid Syn-Coll?

No product label covers Syn-Coll, 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. Anyone mixing pure powder at high strength: The maker’s tests used 10–25 ppm; stronger mixes haven’t been tested for benefit or safety. Pregnancy or breastfeeding: No human safety data exist.

How should Syn-Coll be stored?

Supplier solution: 2–8 °C, protected from light (at least 36 months unopened, per the maker). Pure powder: freezer (about −20 °C), kept dry. Use an opened supplier container quickly, as it can pick up microbes. Finished serum: cool and dark. This is common practice; no product label covers it.

Is Syn-Coll banned in sport?

No. Not named on the 2026 list. It’s a topical cosmetic ingredient, not a drug of the kind S0 covers.

Has Syn-Coll been studied in people?

Yes. The human studies section lists one published study. Among them, from 2020: Fine lines fell 25.8%, hydration rose 15.4% and skin density and thickness rose 14.2% and 12.9% from baseline, with no skin reactions. Multi-ingredient patch, so Syn-Coll’s effect can’t be isolated.

How long has Syn-Coll been studied in people?

Trial 12 weeks, in a single-center study of a microneedle patch mixing it with other actives. Alone, the maker’s 84-day study in 60 volunteers, never published in full.

Is Syn-Coll ever injected or taken by mouth?

Trial Sold for creams and serums; no study has measured how much passes through skin. A microneedle patch with it has been tested in a mix; injection is untested.

What happens if you use too much Syn-Coll?

No study There’s no label and no overdose data, and Syn-Coll alone has no published human study. Call Poison Help (1-800-222-1222), or emergency services for severe symptoms.

Sources

Schagen, review of topical peptide treatments, summarizing the maker’s Syn-Coll tests (Cosmetics 2017) doi:10.3390/cosmetics4020016
Errante et al., cosmeceutical peptides review, describing Syn-Coll’s claimed TGF-beta mechanism (Front Chem 2020) PMID 33195061
Avcil et al., 12-week study of hyaluronic acid microneedle patches with palmitoyl tripeptide-5 and other actives (J Cosmet Dermatol 2020) PMID 31134751
Schultz-Cherry et al., the thrombospondin-1 sequence that activates latent TGF-beta (J Biol Chem 1995) PMID 7706271
Maker’s formulation guidelines for SYN-COLL: supplied solution, use level and storage (June 2013)

For uses, the side-effect questions, special situations, trials, identifiers and status outside the US

Maker’s formulation guidelines for SYN-COLL (June 2013)
FDA Global Substance Registration System records (UNII 2A3916MQHO, 4IV5XO4TGK); WHO ATC index (no entry)
EU CosIng entry for palmitoyl tripeptide-5 (checked October 8, 2026)
Health Canada Drug Product Database search (checked October 8, 2026)
Australian Poisons Standard, October 2026 (no entry)
ClinicalTrials.gov searches for Syn-Coll and palmitoyl tripeptide-5 (no trials of the peptide itself; checked October 8, 2026)

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.

By Vial Guide editorsLast reviewed October 7, 2026

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