Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, pal-KTTKS, Matrixyl, Matrixyl 3000, KTTKS
A topical collagen-boosting peptide that firms skin over time.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Used in serums over time, it firms skin and smooths fine lines.
Matrixyl (palmitoyl pentapeptide-4) is a cosmetic peptide that signals skin to rebuild collagen.
What it's used for
A topical collagen-boosting peptide used to firm skin and smooth fine lines over time. It is a skincare staple.
How does Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Matrixyl is five amino acids with a palmitic acid tail attached, and the tail is the clever part.
- 01The fragment mimics broken collagenSkin interprets collagen fragments as evidence of damage and responds by making more. The peptide is a fragment of collagen type I.
- 02The palmitoyl tail lets it cross the skinA fatty acid attached to a water-soluble peptide is what gets it through the lipid barrier. Without it, this would not work at all.
- 03It has the best human evidence of the cosmetic peptidesWhich is a low bar, but the 2002 volunteer study is real and it is more than most of this group has.
- 04Results take monthsCollagen turnover is slow. Anything claiming visible change in days is not describing this mechanism.
Where this compound is thought to act.
What else is it used for?
Each use below 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.
- Firming skin and smoothing fine lines over time, applied to the skinOTC / supplement
- Boosting collagen productionEarly research
The published record
55
Records indexed for Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4)
26 in humans, 16 of them original studies.
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 12 September 2026.
At a glance
Four things to know about Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4)
Evidence
OTC / supplement
Category
Skin and cosmetic
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
Not measured, and not the right question
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.Serum, per product, daily. Not cycledCommunity practice
Used daily as part of a routine. The effect depends on continued use and returns to baseline when you stop, so there is nothing to cycle off.
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.Not measured, and not the right questionNo figure
This is a topical cosmetic ingredient. A blood half-life measures how fast something leaves the bloodstream, and these are not intended to reach it in meaningful amounts. What matters for a topical is how much penetrates the skin and how long it stays in the tissue, which is a different measurement and one that is rarely published.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
What does it cost?
Typical dose and cost, in plain numbers.Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) is not injected
It is taken on the skin (topical). Applied as a topical product at the concentration the manufacturer sets. There is no injected dose.
Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) starts at $36.99 across 4 vendors, typically $0.52 – $3.70 per mg.
5 listings, last read Sep 6, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Room temperature, out of light. Cap it tight after each use.
Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) 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
- A known allergy to the ingredient
- Broken skin
Stop and get help
- A rash, swelling, or intense itching where applied
Common effects
- Generally well tolerated with a good record as a cosmetic ingredient
- Occasional mild irritation or redness
- Injected use has not been established as safe
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4) is sold without a prescription as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient, which is a different thing from being approved as a drug.
- Approval statusOTC / supplement
- RouteOn the skin (topical)
- CheckedJuly 2026
What has happened recently
We have not yet written a full regulatory note for this compound. The status above is current as of the date shown.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
- DoseFrom product labeling and published use.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed22 July 2026
What else is like Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4)?
Others in Skin and cosmetic, side by side.If you're weighing Matrixyl (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4), it's worth reading Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, Tetrapeptide-21, and PTD-DBM in the same class.
A topical collagen-boosting peptide that firms skin over time.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A topical collagen peptide that firms and smooths skin.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A topical peptide for firmer, plumper skin.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A hair-regrowth peptide from a single Korean lab, tested only in mice.
- Dose
- Topical, per product
- How often
- Daily
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- 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
- CIR Expert Panel final safety assessment of Myristoyl Pentapeptide-4, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 and Pentapeptide-4 as used in cosmetics(2024)Two facts here matter more than the safe-as-used conclusion. First, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 is not one molecule. CIR assessed two sequences sold under that single name, Pal-KTTKS and Pal-KTSKS, carrying two different CAS numbers, and an ingredient label does not distinguish them. Second, the permeation data CIR relies on found that neither the peptide nor its palmitoylated form crossed full-thickness mouse skin. Of the applied Pal-KTTKS, 14.6% stayed in the skin: 8.3% in the stratum corneum, 5.6% in the epidermis and 0.6% reaching the dermis, which is where collagen is made. The unpalmitoylated peptide was almost entirely degraded within 30 minutes in dermal extract. Maximum reported use is 0.0035% in hair conditioner and 0.0012% in leave-on face products. CIR is an industry-funded expert panel and this is a safety assessment, not an efficacy one.
- CIR final assessment, clinical and data-gap section(2024)What the Panel did and did not have. Clinically it records that a moisturizer containing 3 ppm Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4 was well tolerated in a 12-week double-blind placebo-controlled split-face trial in 93 women, and that the ingredient was well tolerated in two other randomized cosmetic trials. Tolerated is the word used throughout; the Panel was not assessing whether it works. No developmental, reproductive or carcinogenicity studies were found in the literature or submitted for any of the three ingredients. The Panel also concluded the data are insufficient to assess safety when these ingredients are applied by airbrush delivery systems.
Last reviewed 22 July 2026
Beyond these, 55 records are indexed. Browse the records