Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as Dermican, Dermican SPB LS 9837, Dermican PW LS 9838, Ac-Gln-Asp-Val-His, QDVH
The in-vitro numbers are specific and the human evidence is one uncontrolled study the supplier ran.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Most skin peptides are pitched at collagen directly. This one is pitched at lumican, the protein that tells collagen how to bundle itself, with collagen as a second target. The supplier's laboratory numbers on fibroblasts are specific and in some cases beat the growth factor used as a positive control. The human evidence is 17 women treated for four months, with no control group described and no percentages published.
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 is a synthetic tetrapeptide, Ac-Gln-Asp-Val-His, now sold by BASF under the Dermican name and originally developed at Cognis. Its stated target is lumican, a small dermal proteoglycan that helps organize collagen fibers, along with collagen I itself. It is an International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients name, so it appears on ingredient lists exactly as written.
What it's used for
A cosmetic ingredient in firming and anti-aging skin products, aimed at skin thickness and firmness rather than wrinkles.
How does Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 work?
What it does in the body, and where.Collagen does not simply accumulate. It has to be bundled into fibers of the right thickness and spacing, and small proteoglycans do that organizing work. Lumican is one of them, and it falls with age.
- 01Lumican, not collagen, is the stated targetLumican binds collagen and limits how thick a fiber grows, and that is part of what keeps skin firm rather than merely full of collagen. The supplier's pitch is that restoring lumican restores organization.
- 02What the cell work showedIn aged dermal fibroblasts, the lumican expression index rose 66% at 0.74 micrograms per mL and 115% at 2.2, against 73.6% for interleukin-4 used as a positive control. Collagen I synthesis rose 49% and 112% at 2.2 and 7.4, against 65% for TGF-beta-1. On the gene side the peptide managed 22% against TGF-beta-1's 125%, so it does better on protein than on message.
- 03Four residues, and what each bringsGlutamine, aspartic acid, valine and histidine, with the front end capped by an acetyl group. Capping the N-terminus is standard for cosmetic peptides: it slows breakdown and makes the molecule less charged, both of which help it cross the outer skin layer.
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.
The supplier's laboratory numbers
Early research- Lab studyLumican expression in aged dermal fibroblasts rose 66% at 0.74 micrograms per mL and 115% at 2.2, against 73.6% for interleukin-4 as a positive control. At the higher concentration the peptide beat the control.
- Lab studyCollagen I synthesis rose 49% and 112% at 2.2 and 7.4 micrograms per mL, against 65% for TGF-beta-1.
- No dataCOL1A1 gene expression rose only 22% at 2.2 micrograms per mL, against 125% for TGF-beta-1. The protein and gene results point in different directions in size.
- No dataAll of it is cells in a dish, run and reported by the company selling the ingredient, with no independent replication found.
The human evidence
Early research- Human trialOne study: 17 female volunteers aged 45 to 55, treated for four months. The write-up describes no control group and no blinding.
- No dataThe reported outcome is that treatment induced an increase in skin thickness and an improvement of skin firmness. No percentages, no measurement values and no statistics are given.
- No dataA 2025 case series does exist: Alexis and colleagues, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, volume 24 supplement 2, article e70303, on a serum containing this peptide alongside several other actives. The citation is confirmed; the full text was behind a paywall we could not pass, so no result from it is used here. A case series of a multi-ingredient serum could not isolate one peptide in any case.
The percentages quoted for this peptide are cell-culture results from the company that sells it, not effects measured on anyone's face. The one human study is 17 women with no control group and no published numbers, so 'clinically proven to firm skin' is not something the available evidence supports. Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 is also a different molecule from Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3, -5 and -15, all of them different sequences with different claims; the shared naming pattern is a numbering convention, not a family resemblance. Dermican is the trade name for the supplied blend, not a separate peptide, and the two grades sold under it carry different carriers.
The published record
Papers and trials about Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9
2 papers tagged human · 1 not reviews or lab · 0 clinical trial publications
1 registered trials · none with posted results
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 Tetrapeptide-9
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 product; the laboratory work used 0.74 to 7.4 micrograms per mL, as the product directs. Continuous use No range
A leave-on cosmetic used as often as the product directs. The only human study ran four months and nothing has tested what happens after stopping.
Not applicableNo figure
A topical cosmetic peptide is not measured in blood, so a half-life is not the relevant number. Nothing has been published about how long it survives in skin either.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
What does it cost?
Typical dose and cost, in plain numbers.Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 is not injected
It is taken on the skin (cream or serum). No use level is published by the supplier. The fibroblast work behind it used 0.74, 2.2 and 7.4 micrograms per mL, culture concentrations rather than a formulation strength. One 2025 case series does describe a finished serum containing this peptide among several other actives, and we could not read its full text, so no percentage from it is quoted here. What reaches your skin is otherwise whatever the product contains, and cosmetic brands rarely disclose it.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Room temperature, out of light. Cap it tight after each use.
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 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
- Injecting it: this is a topical cosmetic ingredient and nothing supports any injected use
- Expecting the laboratory percentages to describe your skin: those are fibroblast cultures, not people
Stop and get help
- Irritation, redness or a rash that persists after you stop applying it
Common effects
- None reported. Used in leave-on creams and serums
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 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 (cream or serum)
- Checked24 October 2026
- DoseNo dose has been established in people.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesRodrigues, Benoit, Clarius and Pauly, Laboratoires Serobiologiques and Cognis, Cosmetic Science TechnologyAlexis and colleagues, Journal of Cosmetic DermatologyBASF Care Creations product page, Dermican SPB LS 9837, and the Azelis distributor listing for Dermican PW LS 9838Cosmetic ingredient reference entry for Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9
What has happened recently
A cosmetic ingredient, so it needs no approval to be sold. Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9 is an International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients name, so it appears on labels exactly as written. The two BASF trade grades do not declare the same way: Dermican SPB LS 9837 is Glycerin (and) Water (and) Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, while Dermican PW LS 9838 is Mannitol (and) Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9. CAS 928006-50-2, with an acetate form at 2763583-72-6. Nothing here needs an FDA approval or a drug registry listing, because a cosmetic ingredient is not a drug.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9?
Others in Skin and cosmetic, side by side.If you're weighing Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, it's worth reading Hexapeptide-11, Melanotan III, and Myristoyl Pentapeptide-17 in the same class.
The in-vitro numbers are specific and the human evidence is one uncontrolled study the supplier ran.
- Dose
- Set by the product; the laboratory work used 0.74 to 7.4 micrograms per mL
- How often
- As the product directs
A yeast-derived cosmetic peptide for elasticity, with a thin evidence trail.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A name sold on the research market with no molecule publicly attached to it.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
The lash-serum peptide, used where people want to avoid prostaglandins.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
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
- Rodrigues, Benoit, Clarius and Pauly, Laboratoires Serobiologiques and Cognis, Cosmetic Science Technology(2008)The supplier article behind every number quoted for this peptide, on targeted anti-aging tetrapeptides. It was published by Cognis and its Laboratoires Serobiologiques unit in 2008, not by BASF, and BASF came to own the ingredient later. Gives the Dermican trade INCI as Glycerin (and) Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9, names lumican and collagen I as the targets, and reports the fibroblast figures at 0.74, 2.2 and 7.4 micrograms per mL alongside interleukin-4 and TGF-beta-1 controls. The clinical study is described as 17 female volunteers aged 45 to 55 treated for four months, with no control group and no percentages reported.
- Alexis and colleagues, Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology(2025)Real World Case Series: Integrated Skincare With Advanced RGN-6 Serum. Volume 24, supplement 2, article e70303, posted online July 25, 2025. The only peer-reviewed clinical publication found that involves a finished product containing this peptide, and it studies a serum with several other actives in it rather than the peptide alone. Citation verified through Crossref; the full text could not be reached, so no outcome or concentration from it is quoted on this page.
- BASF Care Creations product page, Dermican SPB LS 9837, and the Azelis distributor listing for Dermican PW LS 9838(2026)The two trade grades declare differently. Dermican SPB LS 9837 is listed by BASF as Glycerin (and) Water (and) Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9. Dermican PW LS 9838 is listed as Mannitol (and) Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9. Neither page states a use level.
- Cosmetic ingredient reference entry for Acetyl Tetrapeptide-9(2026)Gives the sequence as Ac-Gln-Asp-Val-His-OH, CAS 928006-50-2, the Dermican LS 9837 and PW LS 9838 trade names, and describes it as acting on fibroblasts to raise lumican and collagen type 1.
Beyond these, 4 records are indexed. Browse the records