Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2

Mechanism of action

Proposed by the manufacturer to act as a "skin architect" peptide upregulating fibulin-5 and lysyl-oxidase-like enzymes (LOXL-1, LOXL-2), which are responsible for nucleating tropoelastin onto microfibrils and catalysing the lysine-derived cross-links that mature elastin fibres. The pathway is of interest because dermal elastin organisation — rather than bulk elastin quantity — declines with age and photoaging. Independent mechanistic replication outside Lipotec is very limited; most published efficacy evidence is manufacturer-sponsored in-vitro and clinical work.

Primary uses

• Topical cosmetic anti-aging formulations (firming / lifting / jawline definition)

Typical dosing

Regulatory status

Cosmetic ingredient; not a drug. INCI name: Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2.

Status as of this entry's last review, October 4, 2026. Approvals, compounding rules and sport rules change; the regulatory tracker is checked more often.

What we checked

Acetyl tetrapeptide-2 (sold as Uplevity) appears in two papers indexed on PubMed, neither of which tests it alone in people, and its sequence is not public. This section records what can be checked.

Identity, computed

Its maker has not disclosed the sequence, so no formula or mass can be computed; the INCI name says only that it is an acetylated four-residue peptide.

Regulatory status, read October 5, 2026

Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “acetyl tetrapeptide-2”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “acetyl tetrapeptide-2”. Run for semaglutide, the same queries return 6 and 5 records (and the registry search 84 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 September 27, 2026.

What the maker or sellers claim

Claim, from its supplier: Uplevity firms sagging skin by helping organise elastin and fibulin-5. Lipotec (now part of Lubrizol) supplies this ingredient to cosmetic brands; its technical data sheet is not a peer-reviewed source, so its figures are not repeated here.

What the two papers show

In a lab study, immortalised human skin cells (HaCaT keratinocytes) treated with acetyl tetrapeptide-2 for 48 hours became stiffer, measured by atomic force microscopy (Kobiela et al., 2018). In an open randomised trial (NCT04652232), 100 women with acute hair shedding used a lotion containing creatine, acetyl tetrapeptide-2 and B vitamins with a mild shampoo, or the shampoo alone, for 16 weeks; the lotion group shed fewer hairs at week 8 (P = 0.039) and had less resting-phase hair density then (Turlier et al., 2021). Because the lotion combined several actives and was not blinded, the trial cannot say what the peptide contributed.

What we looked for and did not find

No trial of the peptide on its own, no published sequence, no animal study. The one review this entry cites, a 2020 overview in the journal Cosmetics, is not indexed on PubMed and summarises supplier claims. As a cosmetic ingredient it needs no FDA approval in the US; cosmetics are not reviewed for effectiveness before sale.

References

1. [manufacturer] Lipotec / Lubrizol. "Uplevity® (Acetyl Tetrapeptide-2) and Uplevity® e-Lift peptide technical data sheet."
2. [review] Ferreira MS, Magalhães MC, Sousa-Lobo JM, Almeida IF. "Trending anti-aging peptides." Cosmetics, 2020;7(4):91.
3. [pubmed] Kobiela T, et al. "The Effect of Anti-aging Peptides on Mechanical and Biological Properties of HaCaT Keratinocytes." Int J Pept Res Ther, 2018;24(4):577-587. PMID: 30416406.
4. [pubmed] Turlier V, et al. "Assessment of the effects of a hair lotion in women with acute telogen effluvium: a randomized controlled study." J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol, 2021;35 Suppl 2:12-20. PMID: 34668237.

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