Dipeptide-2
Val-Trp, the dipeptide sold as dipeptide-2 for under-eye products. Its published research is as a blood-pressure-lowering food peptide in rats, not skin.
Dipeptide-2 is the INCI name for L-valyl-L-tryptophan (Val-Trp), a dipeptide used in eye-contour cosmetics. Studies of the same molecule outside cosmetics describe it as an angiotensin-converting-enzyme-inhibiting peptide from food that lowered blood pressure in hypertensive rats. No study of it on skin was found, and 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
As a food peptide it inhibits angiotensin-converting enzyme and lowered blood pressure in hypertensive rats through the eNOS, nitric oxide and cGMP pathway (2025 study). No mechanism on skin has been published.
Primary uses
- Cosmetic eye-contour products
- Food-peptide research (blood pressure, in rats)
Typical dosing
No controlled study of the ingredient on its own states an amount 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: used as a cosmetic ingredient under its INCI name. PubChem records the molecule as valyltryptophan (CID 168182). 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
Dipeptide-2 is valyl-tryptophan, a dipeptide sold for eye-area cosmetics; this section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Val-Trp (VW) |
| Formula | C16H21N3O3 |
| Average mass | 303.36 g/mol |
| Monoisotopic mass | 303.1583 Da |
| Isoelectric point | 6.1 (net charge -0.02 at pH 7) |
PubChem's record for valyltryptophan (CID 168182) gives the free dipeptide; the values below are computed and agree with PubChem's formula.
Regulatory status, read October 28, 2026
Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “dipeptide-2”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “dipeptide-2”. 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 2025 study isolated Val-Trp from cauliflower by-products and found it lowered blood pressure in hypertensive rats through the eNOS, nitric oxide and cGMP pathway. That is the molecule eaten, not applied to skin.
What we looked for and did not find
No study of dipeptide-2 on skin, no human study, no registry record and no drug approval.
| Source | Query | Results, October 28, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | ("dipeptide-2"[tiab] OR "dipeptide 2"[tiab]) AND (skin[tiab] OR cosmetic*[tiab]) | 0 | the hyphenated INCI name is matched word by word (Q958): a phrase search for a hyphen-numbered name misses papers; without the skin terms, 'dipeptide 2' matches numbered dipeptides in 23 unrelated chemistry papers, none about Val-Trp |
| PubMed | "Val-Trp"[ti] | 4 | food-peptide studies |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | dipeptide-2 | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | dipeptide-2 | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | dipeptide-2 | 0 |
References
- [other] PubChem CID 168182, Valyltryptophan: formula C16H21N3O3, molecular weight 303.36. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/168182
- [pubmed] Xu Y, et al. "An angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide (Val-Trp) from cauliflower by-products exerts an antihypertensive effect via the eNOS/NO/cGMP pathway." Food Funct, 2025;16(10):4048-4060. PMID: 40293781.
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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.