Important limitations
- Individual claims and source links have not yet completed editorial verification.
- Evidence level, applicable study model, formulation, route and population remain unassigned.
SNAP-8
SNAP-8, sold under the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients name acetyl octapeptide-3, is an eight-residue peptide developed by Lipotec as a longer version of Argireline.
Dosing & scaling, explained
The moderated mass amounts below are retained for comparison. Near-duplicates, mix-dependent volumes and device markings are excluded. This is educational source context, not a protocol or recommendation.
Mass amounts available for comparison
- Lower range0.33 mgInitial Phase
Recorded example with no verified study backing; shown for amount literacy only.
- Low-mid range0.5 mgMid-Phase
Recorded example with no verified study backing; shown for amount literacy only.
- Mid range1 mgTarget Phase
Recorded example with no verified study backing; shown for amount literacy only.
Only mcg or mg amounts are retained. The calculator derives mL, syringe units or pen clicks from the current vial strength, water volume and device.
No independently verified schedule
Evidence context
No clinical amount or schedule is inferred from this material. Source verification is pending, and every displayed amount remains educational context rather than guidance.
Storage, handling and interpretation
Product identity
Verify the exact compound, formulation and amount against the product label or certificate before calculation.
Storage & handling
Follow the product label, certificate and validated laboratory SOP; no universal storage assumption is applied here.
Prepared solutions
Label concentration and preparation date, use sterile technique where applicable, and follow a validated stability protocol.
Reported protocols for SNAP-8
What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 2 clinical, 1 preclinical and 4 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
| Context | Dose | Frequency | Route | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical2 rows | |||||
| Multi-active hyaluronic acid microneedle patchHealthy subjects with aged skin, in a monocentric trial | Not disclosed in the publication; applied as 1 patch per session in a formulation also containing arginine and lysine polypeptide, palmitoyl tripeptide-5, adenosine and seaweed extracts | As directed across the study period | Dissolving microneedle patch applied to the outer eye corner and the volar forearm | 12 weeksNone described | Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (PubMed)2020 |
| Instrument measurements showed a 25.8% fall in fine lines and wrinkles, 15.4% better hydration and 14.2% and 12.9% increases in dermal density and thickness, with no primary or cumulative skin reactions. Because five actives and a microneedle delivery system were combined, nothing in the result can be assigned to acetyl octapeptide-3 on its own. | |||||
| Split-face dissolving microneedle patch study24 subjects aged 30 to 65 with eye wrinkles, 21 of whom completed the study | 0.03% SNAP-8 in a patch also carrying 5% ascorbic acid 2-glucoside and 4% cyclic lysophosphatidic acid on a hyaluronic acid backbone | Once a day at night for 14 days, then once every 3 days to day 28 | Dissolving microneedle patch, one eye treated and the other given a hyaluronic acid only placebo patch | 28 days, with assessments at days 1, 3, 7, 14 and 28The every-third-day phase is the only scheduled reduction | Annals of Dermatology2024 |
| Against the placebo patch, the active side showed better eye-wrinkle measures, lower transepidermal water loss, improved elasticity and lifting, and no adverse effects. This is the most controlled human study that names SNAP-8, but three actives were combined and a microneedle patch bypasses the stratum corneum, so it says nothing about a 0.03% cream. | |||||
| Preclinical1 row | |||||
| In vitro neurotransmitter release assayCell-based assays of calcium-dependent neurotransmitter release | 1.5 mM, with a combination test at 0.75 mM | Single exposure per assay | In vitro | Not applicableNot applicable | Frontiers in Chemistry (PubMed Central)2020 |
| A peer-reviewed review of cosmeceutical peptides records 43% inhibition of glutamate release at 1.5 mM SNAP-8 and describes a synergistic effect with Leuphasyl, where 38% and 7% inhibition separately became 47% when both were used at 0.75 mM. The same review reports the manufacturer's wrinkle figures as a mean of about 35% with a maximum near 62%, and attributes them to the supplier's own website rather than to a published trial. | |||||
| Community-reported4 rows | |||||
| Manufacturer anti-wrinkle test | A cream containing 10% of the supplier's SNAP-8 solution; the recommended use level for the solution is 3% to 10% | Twice a day | Topical, around the eyes | 28 daysNot applicable; cosmetic use is continuous | Community resource2010 |
| Silicone imprints from 17 women volunteers were read by confocal profilometry before and after 28 days, and the maximum reduction in wrinkle depth was 63%. This is the supplier's own product information sheet: there was no placebo arm, no randomisation and no peer review, and the headline figure is one participant's result rather than the group average. | |||||
| Finished-formulation concentration reference | About 0.0015% to 0.005% active peptide in the finished product, where 0.005% equals 50 ppm; a whole 10 mg vial reaches 0.005% only in a 200 g batch | Twice daily in the manufacturer test the figure comes from | Topical cream, gel or serum | 28 days in the manufacturer test; 12 weeks in the academic serum studiesNot applicable | Community resource2026 |
| This page makes the distinction that most charts miss: the supplier ships a preserved blend containing about 0.05% acetyl octapeptide-3, so adding 3% to 10% of that blend yields only 0.0015% to 0.005% actual peptide in the final product. It also warns that a 0.03% microneedle patch is not equivalent to a 0.03% cream on intact skin. | |||||
| Community serum blending convention | Roughly 3% to 10% of a finished serum by formulation convention; a 10 mg vial in 10 mL of base gives only 0.1% | Once or twice daily to clean skin | Topical, on crow's feet, forehead and the area between the brows | Ongoing; blended product is kept cool and used within about 28 daysNot applicable | Community resource2026 |
| This 2026 guide is explicit that the research vial format does not imply an injectable route and that there is no injectable safety data of any kind. It also points out the arithmetic problem in do-it-yourself use: reaching the percentages commercial formulas quote from 10 mg vials takes far more peptide than a single vial provides. | |||||
| Formulation handling parameters | A documented stock at 0.05% w/w to mirror the commercial solution, or 1% w/w to keep the water load down | Added once during manufacture, not a dosing schedule | Blended into the water phase of a leave-on topical | Not applicableNot applicable | Community resource2026 |
| The practical constraints given are a target pH of 4.5 to 6.5 and adding the peptide below 40 to 45 degrees Celsius, because low pH accelerates hydrolysis and sustained high pH risks deamidation. It notes that published pH guidance genuinely conflicts across suppliers and that an unpreserved peptide stock is a growth medium. | |||||
How a course is commonly described
- Day 7Community-reported
A supplementary figure from the manufacturer's testing describes a 21% reduction in wrinkle depth detectable after a week of twice-daily use. It comes from the same uncontrolled 17-person dataset as the headline figures, so it indicates the measurement schedule rather than a reliable effect size.
- Day 28Community-reported
The manufacturer test ended at 28 days of twice-daily application of a 10% solution cream, reporting a mean wrinkle-depth reduction of about 35% and a maximum of around 62%. A peer-reviewed review reproduces those numbers while noting they come from the supplier's own website.
- Weeks 1-12 in published studiesCommunity-reported
The peer-reviewed human work that names acetyl octapeptide-3 ran for 12 weeks with twice-daily serum use or across 28 days with a microneedle patch. All of it used multi-active products, so none of it isolates this peptide.
- Continued useCommunity-reported
There is no cycling concept for a cosmetic topical: application continues once or twice daily, and the only time limit described is the keeping qualities of the blended product, usually about 28 days refrigerated. Patch testing first and stopping on irritation is the conventional precaution.
- The limit of the whole timelineCommunity-reported
At 1,075 daltons SNAP-8 is well above the size usually said to cross intact skin, and penetration work on its smaller parent found that under 0.22% of applied peptide crossed the stratum corneum in 24 hours. Whether enough peptide ever reaches a neuromuscular junction is unresolved, which is the honest caveat on every figure above.
- SNAP-8 is a topical cosmetic ingredient. Its documented use is entirely on the skin, there is no injectable protocol or injectable safety data, and the 10 mg research vial format does not imply an injectable route.
- Percentage figures mean different things depending on the source. The 3% to 10% quoted by suppliers refers to a preserved blend that is itself only about 0.05% peptide, so the finished product often contains 0.0015% to 0.005% active peptide.
- No independent, peer-reviewed, placebo-controlled trial of acetyl octapeptide-3 as a single active appears in the indexed literature. The strongest human data combine it with other actives, often delivered by microneedle patch, which bypasses the skin barrier that is the main obstacle for a cream.
Sources for this section (9)
- Cosmeceutical Peptides in the Framework of Sustainable Wellness Economy
- Efficacy of bioactive peptides loaded on hyaluronic acid microneedle patches: A monocentric clinical study
- Clinical Safety and Efficacy Evaluation of a Dissolving Microneedle Patch Having Dual Anti-Wrinkle Effects With Safe and Long-Term Activities
Plus 6 community resources (dosing guides, forum threads and vendor write-ups), reported above but not linked.
Overview
SNAP-8, sold under the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients name acetyl octapeptide-3, is an eight-residue peptide developed by Lipotec as a longer version of Argireline. It copies part of the N-terminal domain of SNAP-25 and is proposed to compete with the native protein for a place in the SNARE complex, reducing the neurotransmitter release that drives the repeated micro-contractions behind expression lines. It is a cosmetic ingredient rather than a drug: there is no pharmaceutical authorisation anywhere, no injectable route has been studied, and cosmetic ingredients are not required to show efficacy in controlled trials. The efficacy figures in circulation come from a 17-person manufacturer test and from multi-ingredient serum and microneedle-patch studies, against the standing objection that at 1,075 daltons the molecule is well above the size that readily crosses intact skin.
What researchers are exploring
These themes organize the educational information currently available. Individual claims remain under source review and are not treatment claims.
- 1
Intestinal Inflammation
KPV's effectiveness in treating inflammatory bowel disease
- 2
Concentration
KPV's mechanism of action and concentration-dependent effects
- 3
KPV as a General Anti-Inflammatory
KPV's broad anti-inflammatory effects across various conditions
- 4
Wound Healing
KPV's role in wound healing and antimicrobial properties
- 5
Scar Formation
KPV's role in reducing scar formation and improving wound outcomes
- 6
KPV vs. Alpha-MSH
Comparison of KPV and Alpha-MSH properties and mechanisms
What is known and what still needs verification
Available context is organized without assigning unsupported study models or evidence grades.
- Not graded
Intestinal Inflammation
KPV's effectiveness in treating inflammatory bowel disease
- Not graded
Concentration
KPV's mechanism of action and concentration-dependent effects
Amounts recorded for SNAP-8
These amount records are independent from vial strength, reconstitution volume and measuring device. A recorded source is not the same as study backing, and these values are not recommendations.
- 1Initial PhaseSign in for schedule, duration and source context.0.33 mg
- 2Mid-PhaseSign in for schedule, duration and source context.0.5 mg
- 3Target PhaseSign in for schedule, duration and source context.1 mg
Chemistry identifiers
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
Sequence
Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asp-NH2
Also listed as
Acetyl octapeptide-3, SNAP-8, Acetyl glutamyl heptapeptide-3, Acetyl octapeptide-1, Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asp-NH2, UNII 8K14HJF88S, HY-P0065, MFCD18072161
InChIKey
KMACPCJUCHVVGP-FNRPHRCSSA-N
IUPAC name
(4S)-4-acetamido-5-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-5-amino-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-amino-3-carboxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-5-(diaminomethylideneamino)-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-1,5-dioxopentan-2-yl]amino]-4-methylsulfanyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-4-carboxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-5-oxopentanoic acid
Limitations and unknowns
Sources
1 link carried over from the earlier page, awaiting verification.