Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2, Progeline, TFA-Val-Tyr-Val, ECM-Protect
A topical peptide aimed at sagging rather than lines, borrowed from progeria research.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
A topical peptide aimed at sagging along the jaw and neck. The science it borrows from is real, and the firming numbers come from the company that sells it.
Trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2 (TFA-Val-Tyr-Val, CAS 64577-63-5), a topical biomimetic tripeptide developed by Lipotec and marketed by Lucas Meyer Cosmetics. Proposed mechanisms are downregulation of progerin synthesis and elafin-like inhibition of elastase, with reported secondary effects on matrix metalloproteinase activity. Efficacy data is manufacturer-generated.
What it's used for
A topical peptide used for skin firmness and sagging, particularly along the jawline and neck.
How does Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Progeline comes out of research into progeria, the genetic condition that ages children rapidly, and the protein at the center of it.
- 01Progerin is real, and it is not only a progeria proteinProgerin is a damaged form of lamin A, part of the scaffolding around a cell's nucleus. Children with progeria make a great deal of it, and published work found that ordinary skin accumulates it slowly with age too.
- 02The peptide is designed to cut progerin productionLess progerin is proposed to mean fewer senescent cells in the dermis and better maintained collagen and elastin. This is the manufacturer's model.
- 03It also mimics elafin, an elastase blockerElastase chews up elastin, the protein that lets skin snap back. Blocking it is a plausible route to firmness and a separate claim from the progerin one.
- 04It does cross skin, which is not true of every peptide hereA 2023 study using Franz diffusion cells on pig skin found that trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2 permeated in a considerable amount, while palmitoyl tripeptide-5 tested alongside it barely permeated at all.
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.
- Firmness and reduced sagging, applied to the skinSupplement or cosmetic
- Reducing progerin, a protein that accumulates in aging skinEarly research
- Slowing elastin breakdown by inhibiting elastaseEarly research
The published record
Papers and trials about Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2)
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 Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2)
Evidence
Cosmetic
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 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.Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2) 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.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Room temperature, out of light. Cap it tight after each use.
Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2) 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 Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2) 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)
- Checked24 August 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
Regulated as a cosmetic ingredient, not a drug. Cosmetic ingredients are not reviewed for effectiveness before sale in the US, so a product may legally claim an appearance benefit without a trial behind it.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2)?
Others in Skin and cosmetic, side by side.If you're weighing Progeline (Trifluoroacetyl Tripeptide-2), it's worth reading Tetrapeptide-21, GHK-Cu, and Melanotan I (Afamelanotide) in the same class.
A topical peptide aimed at sagging rather than lines, borrowed from progeria research.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A topical peptide for firmer, plumper skin.
- Dose
- Serum, per product
- How often
- Daily
A copper peptide used in skincare and also sold in vials for injection, where far less has been studied.
- Dose
- 0.5 up to 2 mg per day injected (community practice). On the skin: per product
- How often
- Daily
A tanning peptide. The FDA-approved version is an implant for a rare sun-pain condition.
- Dose
- 0.5 up to 1 mg per day (loading phase)
- How often
- Daily then weekly
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, 1 records are indexed. Browse the records