Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15
Ac-YPFF-NH2: endomorphin-2 with an acetyl cap, sold for sensitive skin. Its published mentions are a review of cosmetic peptides and formulation chemistry.
Acetyl tetrapeptide-15 is a synthetic tetrapeptide amide, Ac-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2: the sequence of the endogenous opioid endomorphin-2 with an acetylated N-terminus (PubChem lists it under its INCI name and the trade name Skinasensyl). A 2021 review found it in facial products for sensitive skin and counted it among the peptides said to inhibit neurotransmission, noting that the data are mostly in patents and supplier brochures. It is not a drug.
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Recommended Dosing
No dosing data yet
This page has no dosing data yet.
Mechanism of action
Not established in published human studies. A 2021 review places it among cosmetic peptides with a neurotransmitter-inhibiting mechanism; its sequence is endomorphin-2's, an opioid peptide, but no study read measured opioid-receptor activity of the acetylated form in skin.
Primary uses
- Cosmetic products for sensitive skin
Typical dosing
No published study states an amount of this ingredient used on skin, and a supplier's use level is not a source on this site, so none is given.
Regulatory status
Not a drug: PubChem lists it under its INCI name as a cosmetic ingredient (CID 16657387). 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 28, 2026. Approvals, compounding rules and sport rules change; the regulatory tracker is checked more often.
What we checked
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15 is a cosmetic peptide ingredient with little or no published literature; this section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Ac-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2 (Ac-YPFF-NH2) |
| Formula | C34H39N5O6 |
| Average mass | 613.72 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic mass | 613.29 Da |
| Isoelectric point | 0.0 (net charge +0.0 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 tetrapeptide-15”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “acetyl tetrapeptide-15”. 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
A 2021 review of 88 facial products for sensitive skin listed acetyl tetrapeptide-15 among the peptides found and grouped it with those described as inhibiting neurotransmission; the review says most supporting data are in patents and brochures (Resende et al., 2021).
A 2017 study made creams, emulsions and hydrogels containing AcYPFF (N-acetyl-Tyr-Pro-Phe-Phe-NH2, this molecule's sequence) and measured how fast each released it through membranes; the hydrogel released it fastest (Olejnik et al., 2017). It is formulation chemistry, not a test of an effect.
What we looked for and did not find
No controlled study of the peptide in people, no registry record and no drug approval.
| Source | Query | Results, October 28, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | ("tetrapeptide-15"[tiab] OR "tetrapeptide 15"[tiab]) AND acetyl[tiab] OR AcYPFF[tiab] OR "Ac-YPFF"[tiab] | 2 | the hyphenated INCI name is matched word by word (Q958): a phrase search for a hyphen-numbered name misses papers; the sequence AcYPFF is searched too |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | acetyl tetrapeptide-15 | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | acetyl tetrapeptide-15 | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | acetyl tetrapeptide-15 | 0 |
References
- [other] PubChem CID 16657387, Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15: formula C34H39N5O6, molecular weight 613.7. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/16657387
- [review] Resende DISP, et al. "Usage of Synthetic Peptides in Cosmetics for Sensitive Skin." Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 2021;14(8). PMID: 34451799.
- [pubmed] Olejnik A, et al. "Physico-chemical characterization of formulations containing endomorphin-2 derivatives." Amino Acids, 2017;49(10):1719-1731. PMID: 28752396.
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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.