Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8
Pal-His-D-Phe-Arg-NH2, a lipopeptide built on the His-Phe-Arg core of alpha-MSH and sold for sensitive-skin products. Its published data are reviews and formulation work.
Palmitoyl tripeptide-8 is a synthetic lipopeptide, a palmitoyl group on the tripeptide amide His-D-Phe-Arg-NH2 (PubChem's record, under its INCI name). A 2021 review found it in facial products for sensitive skin and noted that the evidence for such peptides sits mostly in patents and supplier brochures, not in placebo-controlled studies. A 2025 study attached it to liposomes to steer glabridin to pigment cells through the melanocortin 1 receptor. 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
A 2021 review groups it with the signal peptides used in sensitive-skin cosmetics; a 2025 study used it as a ligand that carries liposomes to the melanocortin 1 receptor on pigment cells. No study isolates its own effect on skin in people.
Primary uses
- Cosmetic products for sensitive skin
- Laboratory formulation work (receptor-targeted liposomes)
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 11498521). 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
Palmitoyl tripeptide-8 is a sensitive-skin cosmetic peptide known from reviews and formulation work; this section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Structure | palmitoyl-His-D-Phe-Arg-NH2 (PubChem's synonym and IUPAC name, CID 11498521) |
| Formula | C37H61N9O4 (PubChem) |
| Molecular weight | 695.9 g/mol (PubChem) |
The calculator used elsewhere on this site does not handle this N-terminal acyl group, so the formula and weight are PubChem's, not computed here.
Regulatory status, read October 29, 2026
Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “palmitoyl tripeptide-8”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “palmitoyl tripeptide-8”. Run for semaglutide, the same queries return 6 and 5 records (and the registry search 81 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 found peptides in 17% of them, palmitoyl tripeptide-8 among them, and noted that the supporting data are mostly in patents and supplier brochures (Resende et al., 2021).
A 2025 study joined palmitoyl tripeptide-8 to liposomes carrying glabridin to target the melanocortin 1 receptor on pigment cells (Cheng et al., 2025); it tested the loaded liposomes, not the peptide alone.
A 2021 survey of sensitive-skin products named palmitoyl tripeptide-8, with acetyl dipeptide-1 cetyl ester, as designed to act on molecular targets of the condition (Ferreira et al., 2022); it reviews the claims, it does not test them.
What we looked for and did not find
No controlled study of the peptide alone in people, no registry record and no drug approval.
| Source | Query | Results, October 29, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | ("tripeptide-8"[tiab] OR "tripeptide 8"[tiab]) AND palmitoyl[tiab] | 5 | the hyphenated INCI name is matched word by word (Q958): a phrase search for a hyphen-numbered name misses papers; two papers on a compounding cream base that lists it among its ingredients test the base and are not cited |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | palmitoyl tripeptide-8 | 0 | |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | palmitoyl tripeptide-8 | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | palmitoyl tripeptide-8 | 0 |
References
- [other] PubChem CID 11498521, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-8: formula C37H61N9O4, molecular weight 695.9. Read October 28, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/11498521
- [review] Resende DISP, et al. "Usage of Synthetic Peptides in Cosmetics for Sensitive Skin." Pharmaceuticals (Basel), 2021;14(8). PMID: 34451799.
- [pubmed] Cheng L, et al. "Glabridin-encapsulated liposomes targeting melanocytes through the melanocortin 1 receptor." Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces, 2025;255:114979. PMID: 40712492.
- [pubmed] Ferreira MS, et al. "Sensitive skin: Active ingredients on the spotlight." Int J Cosmet Sci, 2022;44(1):56-73. PMID: 34813665.
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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.