Decapeptide-12
YRSRKYSSWY, a tyrosinase-inhibiting skin-brightening decapeptide. Its only placebo-controlled test had five participants; the rest are open-label tests of multi-product systems.
Decapeptide-12 is a synthetic ten-residue peptide, Tyr-Arg-Ser-Arg-Lys-Tyr-Ser-Ser-Trp-Tyr (PubChem lists it under its INCI name and the trade name Lumixyl), described as a competitive inhibitor of tyrosinase. A 2009 split-face, placebo-controlled pilot in five women with recalcitrant melasma reported improvement on the treated side. Later studies were open-label tests of a four-product brightening system (the peptide cream with a cleanser, a glycolic-acid lotion and sunscreen) in photodamage and melasma, so their results belong to the system. It is not a drug.
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Recommended Dosing
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Mechanism of action
Described as competitively inhibiting mushroom and human tyrosinase, the enzyme that makes melanin, without hydroquinone's cytotoxicity (2009, 2012).
Primary uses
- Cosmetic skin-brightening products (hyperpigmentation, melasma)
Typical dosing
The 2009 placebo-controlled pilot applied a cream with 0.01% (w/w) of the peptide twice a day for 16 weeks (PMID 19663110), and the later open-label studies used a 0.01% cream as one of four products (PMID 23839199). These are study conditions, not a recommended strength, and no study compared concentrations.
Regulatory status
Not a drug: PubChem lists it under its INCI name as a cosmetic ingredient (CID 25087629). 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
Decapeptide-12 is a skin-brightening peptide whose human studies are small and mostly open-label; this section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Tyr-Arg-Ser-Arg-Lys-Tyr-Ser-Ser-Trp-Tyr (YRSRKYSSWY) |
| Formula | C65H90N18O17 |
| Average mass | 1395.54 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic mass | 1394.6731 Da |
| Isoelectric point | 10.27 (net charge +2.97 at pH 7) |
The sequence is the one PubChem's record gives (free acid; the record does not state stereochemistry); the values below are computed and agree with PubChem's formula.
Regulatory status, read October 28, 2026
Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “decapeptide-12”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “decapeptide-12”. 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 split-face, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot in five women with recalcitrant melasma reported improvement in melasma and facial appearance after 16 weeks (Hantash and Jimenez, 2009). Five participants is too few to establish an effect.
Open-label studies of the four-product system: 15 women with photodamage over 24 weeks (Kassim et al., 2012), 33 Hispanic women with melasma over 16 weeks (Ramírez et al., 2013) and a four-patient case series (Hantash and Jimenez, 2012).
A 2014 study combined topical delivery and dermal infusion of decapeptide-12 for post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in skin of colour (Bhatia et al., 2014).
A 2021 laboratory study added a palmitate chain to decapeptide-12 and tested chemical enhancers and microneedles for getting the native and modified peptides through human skin in vitro (Chen et al., 2021).
What we looked for and did not find
No adequately sized placebo-controlled trial, no registry record and no drug approval.
| Source | Query | Results, October 28, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | ("decapeptide-12"[tiab] OR "decapeptide 12"[tiab]) OR lumixyl[tiab] | 7 | the hyphenated INCI name is matched word by word (Q958): a phrase search for a hyphen-numbered name misses papers |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | decapeptide-12 | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | decapeptide-12 | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | decapeptide-12 | 0 |
References
- [other] PubChem CID 25087629, Decapeptide-12: formula C65H90N18O17, molecular weight 1395.5. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/25087629
- [clinical-trial] Hantash BM, et al. "A split-face, double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled pilot evaluation of a novel oligopeptide for the treatment of recalcitrant melasma." J Drugs Dermatol, 2009;8(8):732-5. PMID: 19663110.
- [clinical-trial] Kassim AT, et al. "Open-label evaluation of the skin-brightening efficacy of a skin-brightening system using decapeptide-12." J Cosmet Laser Ther, 2012;14(2):117-21. PMID: 22401652.
- [clinical-trial] Ramírez SP, et al. "Open-label evaluation of a novel skin brightening system containing 0.01% decapeptide-12 in combination with 20% buffered glycolic acid for the treatment of mild to moderate facial melasma." J Drugs Dermatol, 2013;12(6):e106-10. PMID: 23839199.
- [case-report] Hantash BM, et al. "Treatment of mild to moderate facial melasma with the Lumixyl topical brightening system." J Drugs Dermatol, 2012;11(5):660-2. PMID: 22527440.
- [pubmed] Bhatia A, et al. "Combined topical delivery and dermalinfusion of decapeptide-12 accelerates resolution of post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation in skin of color." J Drugs Dermatol, 2014;13(1):84-5. PMID: 24385124.
- [pubmed] Chen J, et al. "Enhanced skin retention and permeation of a novel peptide via structural modification, chemical enhancement, and microneedles." Int J Pharm, 2021;606:120868. PMID: 34242628.
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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.