Acetyl Hexapeptide-1_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as Melitane, Munapsys, Stellight, WKPep Melit, Cosroma AH-1
The same six amino acids, marketed to do three unrelated things.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Acetyl Hexapeptide-1?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
There is no agreed answer to what this ingredient does, because the companies selling it do not agree. Clariant sells it as Melitane to increase pigmentation, saying it stimulates melanin production. LipoTrue sells the identical ingredient as Stellight to reduce pigmentation, saying it inhibits melanin production. The same company also sells it as Munapsys, a botulinum substitute for expression lines, a mechanism with nothing to do with pigment at all. A fourth supplier sells it for gray hair. One ingredient cannot do all of these, and we could not find a single peer-reviewed human study of it under any of those names.
Acetyl hexapeptide-1 is a synthetic hexapeptide written Ac-Nle-Ala-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2, with CAS number 448944-47-6, formula C43H59N13O7 and a mass near 870 daltons. Positions three through six spell His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp, the core message sequence that melanocortin receptor agonists are built around, with the phenylalanine in the D form rather than the natural L form. Reagent suppliers describe it as a biomimetic peptide that mimics the activity of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone and list the melanocortin receptor as its target. It appears only as a cosmetic ingredient, never as a drug, and the cosmetic ingredient indexes assign it a single function: skin conditioning.
What it's used for
Cosmetic formulations only. Depending on the supplier, it is sold into self-tanning and sun care products, into brightening products, into anti-wrinkle products, and into hair products. It has no medical use and no approval as a drug anywhere.
How does Acetyl Hexapeptide-1 work?
What it does in the body, and where.The chemistry points one way and the marketing points three ways. Reading the sequence settles which claims are plausible and which are not.
- 01What the sequence says it isPositions three through six of this peptide are His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp. That four-residue core is the part of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone that binds melanocortin receptors, and swapping the L-phenylalanine for the D form is the classic modification that makes such analogs more potent and longer-lasting. Reagent suppliers describe the peptide as mimicking alpha-MSH. Alpha-MSH increases melanin.
- 02So the pigmentation claim is the one the chemistry supportsClariant's page for Melitane GL says the product enhances skin pigmentation and stimulates tyrosinase activity, melanin synthesis and melanocyte dendricity. That is what an alpha-MSH mimic would be expected to do, and the product is listed under sun care and sunless tanning.
- 03The brightening claim runs the other wayLipoTrue's Stellight is the same INCI, and it is sold as a brightening hexapeptide that inhibits the production of melanin and reduces the numbers of dendrites and melanocytes. Set those words beside Clariant's. One supplier says the ingredient stimulates melanin synthesis and melanocyte dendricity; the other says it inhibits melanin production and reduces melanocyte dendrites. The two claims invert each other on the same two mechanisms, and an alpha-MSH mimic acting as a melanin inhibitor would be working backward from its own chemistry.
- 04The third claim is unrelated to pigment entirelyLipoTrue also sells the same ingredient as Munapsys, described as a botulinum toxin-like peptide obtained by in-silico design, said to compete with Munc-18 for its position in syntaxin and so block SNARE complex assembly and acetylcholine release. That is a nerve-signaling mechanism with no connection to melanocytes. The same company therefore sells one ingredient under two names for two mechanisms that have nothing in common.
- 05What is missingA published study. Searching for the peptide under its INCI name and under each trade name turned up supplier documents, trade press items and formulation listings, and no peer-reviewed human trial. Every mechanism described above rests on the marketing of the company selling it.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Four marketed claims for one ingredient
none- No dataClariant's Melitane GL claims the ingredient enhances skin pigmentation and stimulates tyrosinase activity, melanin synthesis and melanocyte dendricity.
- No dataLipoTrue's Stellight claims the same ingredient inhibits the production of melanin and reduces the numbers of dendrites and melanocytes. That is the inverse of the Clariant claim on both mechanisms.
- No dataLipoTrue's Munapsys claims the same ingredient is a botulinum toxin-like peptide that blocks SNARE complex assembly and acetylcholine release, for expression lines.
- No dataA fourth supplier, Shenzhen Winkey Technology, sells it as WKPep Melit. Five trade grades in total consist solely of this one INCI.
What the published literature contains
none- No dataSearching the INCI name and all four trade names returned supplier datasheets, trade press items and formulation listings. No peer-reviewed human trial of this peptide was found.
- lab-analysisThe cosmetic ingredient indexes assign this INCI one function, skin conditioning, with no lightening, whitening or anti-aging function attached to it.
The ingredient gets confused with acetyl hexapeptide-3, better known as argireline, because the names look almost identical. They are different peptides with different sequences, and argireline has a real published literature behind its wrinkle claims while this one does not. Beyond that, the thing most often misquoted about acetyl hexapeptide-1 is whatever the seller happens to claim. A product page describing it as a brightener and a product page describing it as a tanning booster are both describing the same six amino acids, and neither cites a human study. Treat any single confident description of what this ingredient does as the marketing of one supplier rather than a settled fact.
The published record
Papers and trials about Acetyl Hexapeptide-1
Searched: acetyl hexapeptide-1, Melitane, Munapsys, Stellight.
Left out: acetyl hexapeptide-3 (argireline, a different peptide whose name differs from this one by a single digit and which has a real published literature; this is by far the most likely contamination on this row and the error the card corrects); hexapeptide (a length descriptor matching hexapeptide-9, hexapeptide-10, hexapeptide-11 and many unrelated peptides); alpha-MSH (the parent hormone, with a large pigmentation and melanocortin literature that is not about this analog); melanocortin (a receptor class covering afamelanotide, PL8177, PL9643 and bremelanotide, each with its own slug); WKPep Melit (a fourth trade name for the same INCI, but too obscure to return indexed literature and liable to match nothing).
2 papers tagged human · 2 not reviews or lab · 0 clinical trial publications
Furthest stage reached: No clinical trial on record
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.
At a glance
Four things to know about Acetyl Hexapeptide-1
Evidence
Cosmetic
Category
Skin and cosmetic
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
Not applicable
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.Set by the finished product, as directed by the product. Not applicable No range
This is an ingredient in a finished cosmetic, used as the product directs. No cycling scheme applies.
Not applicableNo figure
No half-life has been published for this peptide. It is applied to the skin in a finished cosmetic rather than dosed into the bloodstream, so a circulating half-life would not be the useful number even if one existed.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How is it given?
Dosing context and source notes.Supplied as a ready-made solution, so there is nothing to mix.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Room temperature, out of light. Cap it tight after each use.
Acetyl Hexapeptide-1 ships as a cream, gel, or serum. Keep it at room temperature away from sun and heat unless the label says otherwise. Refrigerating an emulsion can split the texture. Watch for color, smell, or separation changes and stop using it if any appear.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- Any expectation of a measured effect on skin: no human trial of this peptide was found under any of its trade names
- Treating it as a sun protection product: a supplier claim about pigmentation is not a claim about protection from ultraviolet light
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic skin reaction, such as spreading redness, swelling or blistering
Common effects
- No effect has been measured in a published human study, so there is nothing reliable to list
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Acetyl Hexapeptide-1 approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. Acetyl Hexapeptide-1 is sold without a prescription as a cosmetic ingredient, which is a different thing from being approved as a drug.
- Approval statusCosmeticSold without a prescription as an ingredient in cosmetics, such as skincare and hair products. The FDA does not approve cosmetics before they are sold, and being easy to buy says nothing about whether it works.
- RouteOn the skin (topical)
- Checked26 October 2026
- DoseNo dose has been established in people.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
This is a cosmetic ingredient, not a drug. It holds the INCI name ACETYL HEXAPEPTIDE-1, and the cosmetic ingredient indexes list its function as skin conditioning and assign it no lightening, whitening or anti-aging function. That matters, because three of the four marketed claims fall outside the function the ingredient is actually indexed for. In the United States a cosmetic ingredient needs no premarket approval for safety or for whether its claims are true, so none of the competing claims below has been reviewed by a regulator. Clariant's Melitane brand reached it by acquisition rather than by development: the Lucas Meyer Cosmetics business passed from IFF to Clariant in 2024, so older documents for the same product carry a different company name on them.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Acetyl Hexapeptide-1?
Others in Skin and cosmetic, side by side.If you're weighing Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, it's worth reading Acetyl Hexapeptide-37 (Diffuporine), Acetyl Tetrapeptide-11, and Acetyl Tetrapeptide-15 (Skinasensyl) in the same class.
The same six amino acids, marketed to do three unrelated things.
- Dose
- Set by the finished product
- How often
- As directed by the product
A six-residue Lipotec peptide sold as Diffuporine, said to make skin cells produce more aquaporin-3 water channels. Every efficacy figure comes from the supplier, with methods undisclosed.
- Dose
- 2% Diffuporine solution in a cream or serum (supplier)
- How often
- Per product; no tested schedule published
A topical cosmetic peptide sold as Syniorage, claimed to firm mature skin by raising syndecan-1 and collagen XVII.
- Dose
- Serum or cream, per product
- How often
- Daily
An acetyl-capped copy of endomorphin-2, an opioid peptide, sold by BASF as Skinasensyl to make reactive skin less easily irritated. Its only data are supplier tests published without numbers.
- Dose
- BASF use level not public; 0.0015% in the supplier's volunteer test (2021 review)
- How often
- Twice daily (supplier test)
Guides for this compound
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
- Clariant product page, Melitane GL(2026)Clariant's own page for the product. Declares the composition verbatim as Glycerin (and) Water (and) Dextran (and) Acetyl Hexapeptide-1, so the sold material is a blend and the dextran is part of it. States the benefit as enhancing skin pigmentation and the mechanism as stimulating tyrosinase activity, melanin synthesis and melanocyte dendricity. Listed under the application category Sun Care and Sunless Tanning. Makes no claim about gray hair.
- SpecialChem cosmetics ingredient index, ACETYL HEXAPEPTIDE-1(2026)The cross-supplier listing for this INCI. Names five trade grades consisting solely of acetyl hexapeptide-1: the ingredient sold under its own INCI name by Alfa Chemistry, Cosroma AH-1 by Cosroma, and Munapsys and Stellight both by LipoTrue, plus WKPep Melit by Shenzhen Winkey Technology. Assigns the ingredient one function, skin conditioning, and assigns it no lightening, whitening or anti-aging function. This is the source that establishes the two LipoTrue products share an identity.
- SpecialChem technical datasheet, Munapsys by LipoTrue(2026)Names the ingredient as Acetyl Hexapeptide-1 and the supplier as LipoTrue. Describes it verbatim as a botulinum toxin-like peptide obtained by in-silico design and a safe, real beauty filter for expression lines, acting in both the pre- and post-synaptic pathways of muscle contraction, competing with Munc-18 for its position in syntaxin and obstructing SNARE complex assembly and the release of acetylcholine into the synapse. Application given as anti-wrinkle creams. Its own Benefits and Compliance sections read: No data available.
- Personal Care Magazine, Stellight: a brightening peptide to shining in 5-steps(2018)Published by Step Communications Ltd on October 26, 2018, with no named author. Describes LipoTrue's Stellight as a brightening hexapeptide with a novel full action on melanogenesis, acting on melanocytes, keratinocytes and fibroblasts by inhibiting their three-way communication, and states that it inhibits the production of melanin and reduces the numbers of dendrites and melanocytes, has an antioxidant effect and enhances ITA and luminosity value. The article does not print the INCI name, so the identity link to acetyl hexapeptide-1 comes from the SpecialChem index above rather than from this item.
- MedChemExpress datasheet, acetyl hexapeptide-1, catalog HY-P5220(2026)A reagent supplier datasheet, used here for identity rather than for any effect claim. Gives the sequence as Ac-Nle-Ala-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-NH2, CAS 448944-47-6, formula C43H59N13O7 and molecular weight 870.01. Describes the compound as a biomimetic peptide that mimics the activity of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, and lists the melanocortin receptor as its target. It also prints Melitane as a synonym for the bare peptide.
Beyond these, 3 records are indexed. Browse the records