Acetyl Hexapeptide-1
Ac-Nle-Ala-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2, an alpha-MSH-like cosmetic peptide. Its human reports are a combination essence and a single case of premature greying.
Acetyl hexapeptide-1 is a synthetic hexapeptide amide, Ac-Nle-Ala-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2, that carries the His-Phe-Arg-Trp core of alpha-MSH with norleucine and a D-phenylalanine (PubChem lists it under its INCI name and the trade name Melitane). Its human reports are an 8-week study of an essence that combined it with encapsulated retinol and a 2019 case report of premature hair greying treated with it plus oral supplements, so neither isolates its effect. It is not a drug.
No dosing data yet Details ↓
Recommended Dosing
No dosing data yet
This page has no dosing data yet.
Mechanism of action
Not established in people. Its sequence carries the His-Phe-Arg-Trp core that alpha-MSH uses at melanocortin receptors, but no study read measured its receptor activity in skin; the human reports used it with other actives.
Primary uses
- Cosmetic anti-ageing and pigmentation products
- Hair-colour products (one case report)
Typical dosing
The published amounts are product concentrations, not tested doses of the peptide alone: 0.02% in an essence that also held 0.1% encapsulated retinol (Ye et al., 2023), and a 5% product of the trade ingredient Melitane used with oral supplements in one case report (Sakhiya et al., 2019).
Regulatory status
Not a drug: PubChem lists it under its INCI name as a cosmetic ingredient (CID 10129683). Drugs@FDA and the EMA medicines list hold no record for it (searched October 28, 2026).
Status as of this entry's last review, October 29, 2026. Approvals, compounding rules and sport rules change; the regulatory tracker is checked more often.
What we checked
Acetyl Hexapeptide-1 is a cosmetic peptide ingredient with little or no published literature; this section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Ac-Nle-Ala-His-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2 (Ac-Nle-Ala-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2) |
| Formula | C43H59N13O7 |
| Average mass | 870.03 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic mass | 869.466 Da |
| Isoelectric point | none between pH 0 and 14: no acidic group, so the peptide stays positive (net charge +1.24 at pH 7) |
The sequence is the one PubChem's record gives for the INCI ingredient; the values below are computed and agree with PubChem's formula.
Regulatory status, read October 28, 2026
Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “acetyl hexapeptide-1”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “acetyl hexapeptide-1”. Run for semaglutide, the same queries return 6 and 5 records (and the registry search 80 trials), so a zero here is an absence, not a broken search. Not named on the WADA 2026 and 2027 Prohibited Lists. As a substance with no current approval for human therapeutic use, it falls under section S0 (non-approved substances), which is prohibited at all times; the lists were read on October 28, 2026.
What the studies show
An 8-week study in 32 Chinese women used an essence with supramolecular retinol and acetyl hexapeptide-1 on mild photoaging (Ye et al., 2023); the result belongs to the combination.
A 2019 case report described a 14-year-old girl with premature hair greying treated with a topical product of it and oral hair supplements (Sakhiya et al., 2019).
What we looked for and did not find
No controlled study of the peptide alone, no registry record and no drug approval.
| Source | Query | Results, October 28, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | ("hexapeptide-1"[tiab] OR "hexapeptide 1"[tiab]) AND acetyl[tiab] OR melitane[tiab] | 3 | the hyphenated INCI name is matched word by word (Q958): a phrase search for a hyphen-numbered name misses papers |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | acetyl hexapeptide-1 | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | acetyl hexapeptide-1 | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | acetyl hexapeptide-1 | 0 |
References
- [other] PubChem CID 10129683, Acetyl Hexapeptide-1: formula C43H59N13O7, molecular weight 870.0. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/10129683
- [pubmed] Ye Y, et al. "Improvement of mild photoaged facial skin in middle-aged Chinese females by a supramolecular retinol plus acetyl hexapeptide-1 containing essence." Skin Health Dis, 2023;3(4):e239. PMID: 37538317.
- [case-report] Sakhiya JJ, et al. "Case report on premature hair graying treated with Melitane 5% and oral hair supplements." Indian J Pharmacol, 2019;51(5):346-349. PMID: 31831925.
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This entry is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Dosing information reflects published regulatory or research data and is not a recommendation. Many compounds described here are not approved for human use in the United States. Consult a licensed medical professional before considering any peptide therapy.