Signal peptide · cosmetic skincare
A short synthetic peptide used in face serums and creams. It links three amino acids (lysine, an oxidized form of methionine, and lysine) to palmitic acid, a fatty acid that makes the molecule more oil-soluble. Ingredient suppliers sell it as Matrixyl synthe'6; its use is cosmetic, not medicinal.
It belongs to the signal-peptide, or matrikine-mimetic, family: short sequences modeled on fragments released when the skin's supporting matrix breaks down, which in the lab can prompt skin cells called fibroblasts to build more matrix. Manufacturer cell and skin-explant experiments, cited in a 2020 clinical paper, reported that it raised production of six matrix molecules: collagen types I, III and IV, hyaluronic acid, fibronectin and laminin1. Its chemical name is palmitoyl-lysyl-dioxymethionyl-lysine; the attached 16-carbon palmitoyl chain makes the molecule more fat-soluble4. How much reaches living cells in the dermis after it is applied to intact human skin, and whether the laboratory effects carry over, has not been shown in independent studies.
The human studies indexed in PubMed are small and short, and each used a product that combined the peptide with other active ingredients, so no effect can be pinned on the peptide itself. In one open-label study, 35 women aged 49 to 74 used a serum containing vitamin C, vitamin E and palmitoyl tripeptide-38 for eight weeks; skin roughness measured by 3D imaging fell by about 8 to 9%, redness decreased and skin tone looked more even, and the authors acknowledged the lack of a vehicle control as a limitation1. A serum combining apple stem cell extract, creatine, urea and the peptide was linked to an anti-wrinkle effect on crow's feet in 71% of 32 women with sensitive skin over four weeks2.
A 12-week open-label study of a multi-ingredient moisturizer containing it reported better clinical grading of fine lines, roughness and tone in 37 women3. A vehicle-controlled trial of the peptide is cited in the literature but is not indexed in PubMed1.
Not approved as a drug by the FDA or any other regulator. It is sold for cosmetic formulas and appears on US over-the-counter product labels as an inactive ingredient, not as the active drug; under US law, a product meant to affect the body's structure or function is a drug5.
No drug-style adverse-effect data exist. In the published cosmetic studies, the products containing it were described as well tolerated, with no adverse effects attributed to the serum in one study and no significant rise in irritation scores in another1,3. These were small, short studies of mixed formulas, so uncommon reactions such as irritation or allergy cannot be ruled out, and long-term human data are lacking.
This page is educational reference material about compounds studied in research settings. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy, possess, or use any compound. Research findings described are from published literature; individual compounds may not be approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician about anything that affects your health.
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