Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as pal-GHK
A topical collagen peptide that firms and smooths skin.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
4 of 7 listings we track are vials from research sellers, not finished skincare or hair products.
What is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Applied to skin, it tells the skin to make more collagen to firm and smooth.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is a cosmetic collagen-signal peptide, often paired with Matrixyl.
What it's used for
A topical collagen-signal peptide used to firm skin and smooth lines, often paired with Matrixyl in serums.
How does Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 work?
What it does in the body, and where.Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 is GHK with a palmitic acid tail, and it is usually sold alongside Matrixyl rather than on its own.
- 01GHK signals collagen productionThe same tripeptide as GHK-Cu, here without the copper and with a fatty tail instead.
- 02The palmitoyl tail carries it through the skin barrierSame solution as Matrixyl.
- 03It is normally paired, not used aloneMatrixyl 3000 is this plus palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7, and most published claims are for the combination.
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 lines, applied to the skinSupplement or cosmetic
- Boosting collagen productionEarly research
The published record
Papers and trials about Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Searched: Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, pal-GHK.
3 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 Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1
Evidence
Cosmetic
Category
Skin and cosmetic
Common vial
10 mg
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 cycled Community 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.
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.The products priced here are not injected
The listed products are taken on the skin (topical). Applied as a topical product at the concentration the manufacturer sets. There is no injected dose.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 starts at $27.99 across 7 vendors, typically $0.50 – $3.30 per mg.
7 listings, last read Oct 24, 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.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-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
- A known allergy to this ingredient or to others in the same product
- Broken, cracked, or actively irritated skin
- Anyone who wants established safety data, because none exists for this compound in humans
Stop and get help
- A rash that spreads beyond where you applied it
- Swelling of the face, lips, or eyelids, or any trouble breathing
- Burning that does not settle after rinsing it off
- Anything unusual, since there is no known safety profile to compare it against
Common effects
- Reactions are not commonly reported, though no published testing has looked for them. Irritation from a product containing it may come from anything else in the formula.
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. Palmitoyl Tripeptide-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)
- Checked22 July 2026
- DoseFrom the concentration range manufacturers formulate at. This is a product strength, not a dose set by a regulator or a trial.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesNone traced yet.
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.
What else is like Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1?
Others in Skin and cosmetic, side by side.If you're weighing Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, it's worth reading Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, Decapeptide-12 (Lumixyl), and Leuphasyl (Pentapeptide-18) in the same class.
A topical collagen peptide that firms and smooths skin.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
An anti-inflammatory skin peptide, almost always sold alongside Matrixyl.
- Dose
- Serum or cream, typically 200 mg of active per formulation batch
- How often
- Daily
A topical peptide for dark spots, pitched as a gentler hydroquinone.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A topical peptide built from the body's own opioid, aimed at the nerve rather than the muscle.
- 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
No primary source has been traced for this compound yet. Treat everything on this page as unverified until one is. How we grade evidence
Beyond these, 7 records are indexed. Browse the records