Acetyl Tripeptide-1
Ac-GHK: the GHK sequence with an acetyl cap, sold as a cosmetic ingredient. It is not GHK-Cu, and PubMed holds no study of it.
Acetyl tripeptide-1 is a synthetic tripeptide, Ac-Gly-His-Lys (PubChem's record, under its INCI name, with a ChEMBL record). Its three residues are those of GHK, the copper-binding tripeptide, but the acetylated N-terminus makes it a different molecule, and nothing studied for GHK or GHK-Cu transfers to it. A title-and-abstract search of PubMed for its INCI name finds no study of it. 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: no published study describes its action.
Primary uses
- Cosmetic skin-care formulations
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 49864390). 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 Tripeptide-1 is a cosmetic peptide ingredient with little or no published literature; this section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Ac-Gly-His-Lys (Ac-GHK) |
| Formula | C16H26N6O5 |
| Average mass | 382.42 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic mass | 382.1965 Da |
| Isoelectric point | 8.65 (net charge +0.24 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 tripeptide-1”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “acetyl tripeptide-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 we looked for and did not find
No published study of any kind, no registry record and no drug approval.
| Source | Query | Results, October 28, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | ("tripeptide-1"[tiab] AND acetyl[tiab]) | 1 | the one hit names palmitoyl tripeptide-1 and acetyl hexapeptide-8, not this ingredient |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | acetyl tripeptide-1 | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | acetyl tripeptide-1 | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | acetyl tripeptide-1 | 0 |
References
- [other] PubChem CID 49864390, Acetyl Tripeptide-1: formula C16H26N6O5, molecular weight 382.4. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/49864390
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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.