SYN-AKE_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, Syn-Ake, snake peptide, waglerin mimic
A snake venom mimic sold as a topical alternative to injectables, with an evidence problem worth knowing.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is SYN-AKE?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
A synthetic imitation of a snake venom peptide, sold for expression lines. It works on the opposite end of the nerve junction from Argireline, and the evidence usually cited for it belongs to the venom peptide rather than to this.
Dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, a synthetic mimetic of waglerin-1 from Tropidolaemus wagleri venom, acting as a post-synaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist. This distinguishes it mechanistically from the pre-synaptic SNARE-competitive action of acetyl hexapeptide-8.
What it's used for
A topical anti-wrinkle peptide for expression lines, marketed as a needle-free alternative to injectables.
How does SYN-AKE work?
What it does in the body, and where.Three cosmetic peptides claim to relax expression lines and they do not work the same way.
- 01Argireline works on the sending sideArgireline and SNAP-8 interfere with the release of the signal from the nerve, by competing for a place in the release machinery.
- 02SYN-AKE works on the receiving sideIt is described as blocking the receptor on the muscle cell that the signal arrives at, so the muscle responds less. Same destination, opposite end of the junction.
- 03And the evidence has a gap that mattersA 2025 peer-reviewed review of cosmetic peptide evidence noted that the frequently cited study belongs to the full venom peptide, and that SYN-AKE is not that peptide, so the same effects cannot be concluded from it.
Where this compound is thought to act.
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.
Borrowed evidence
Early research- A 2025 peer-reviewed review of cosmetic peptide evidence found that the clinical trial commonly referenced for SYN-AKE used multiple active ingredients, and that a second frequently cited study tested waglerin-1 itself rather than the synthetic mimic. The review states that the same effects cannot be concluded for SYN-AKE from that work.
Marketed as a topical alternative to injectable neuromodulators, and it is not one. A peer-reviewed 2025 review found that the clinical study usually cited for it either used multiple active ingredients or tested the full snake venom peptide rather than this synthetic mimic. Cosmetic peptides in this class produce roughly 5% to 30% reduction in dynamic wrinkles, well short of an injectable.
The published record
Papers and trials about SYN-AKE
1 papers tagged human · 1 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 SYN-AKE
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 or cream, typically 4% of a supplied 200 mg batch, daily. Not cycled Community practice
Used daily as part of a routine. The effect depends on continued use and fades 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 is how much crosses the skin and how long it stays in the tissue, which is a different measurement and 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.SYN-AKE 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.
SYN-AKE starts at $85.00 across 4 vendors, typically $0.43 per mg.
4 listings, last read Oct 10, 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.
SYN-AKE 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
- Broken or actively inflamed skin
- A known allergy to any component of the finished product
- Applying near the eye without checking the product is intended for that area
Stop and get help
- A spreading rash or significant swelling where applied
- Any numbness or altered sensation, which is not an expected cosmetic effect
Common effects
- Generally well tolerated on the skin.
- Skin irritation is reported more often than with the collagen peptides.
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is SYN-AKE approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not as a medicine. SYN-AKE 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
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 SYN-AKE?
Others in Skin and cosmetic, side by side.If you're weighing SYN-AKE, it's worth reading Decapeptide-12 (Lumixyl), Leuphasyl (Pentapeptide-18), and Lipopeptide in the same class.
A snake venom mimic sold as a topical alternative to injectables, with an evidence problem worth knowing.
- Dose
- Serum or cream, typically 4% of a supplied 200 mg 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
A class label, not one molecule: a peptide with a fatty tail, usually sold for skin and anti-ageing products.
- Dose
- Topical 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, 4 records are indexed. Browse the records