Palmitoyl tripeptide-38
Signal peptide
Also Matrixyl Synthe'6, Matrixyl Synthe 6, Matrixyl synthe6, Pal-KMO2K, Palmitoyl tripeptide 38
- Evidence
- CAnimal and cell studies
- FDA status
- Cosmetic ingredientas of 2026-10-26
- Route
- Topical
- Studies cited
- 1 human0 animal or cell
A skin-care ingredient sold to fill wrinkles. The one human study had 35 women and mixed it with vitamins, so its own effect is unknown.
Sold for
Palmitoyl tripeptide-38 is sold as a next-generation Matrixyl that rebuilds six different skin matrix components to fill wrinkles from within.
Studies say
The only published human study is uncontrolled and tests a combination serum, so improvement cannot be attributed to the peptide; the vehicle-controlled data are the manufacturer's.
Why grade C. The one peer-reviewed human study is a two-month open-label trial in 35 women over 40 using a serum that combined the peptide with vitamins C and E, with no control group. The peptide's own contribution cannot be separated from the vitamins or from regular use of any serum. A vehicle-controlled trial cited in that paper comes from the manufacturer. Uncontrolled human data put it at C. 1
FDA. Palmitoyl tripeptide-38 is a cosmetic ingredient, sold as Matrixyl Synthe'6, and is not approved by the FDA as a drug for any use. The FDA does not approve cosmetic ingredients before sale. 2
Written from 2 cited sources. Fact-checked 2026-10-27: 13 claims checked, 4 corrected. Last refreshed 2026-10-27. Not physician reviewed.
What this means for you
- What people take it for
- Filling wrinkles and firming skin
- Can a US doctor prescribe it?
- No prescription; it is a cosmetic ingredient.
- Properly tested in people?
- Not properly: one small study of 35 women with no comparison group.
Evidence checklist
- Randomised controlled trial Open-label study without a controlno
- Human study over 100 people Small two-month studyno
- More than one research group Mostly manufacturer-linked reportsno
- Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers Appearance measures onlyno
- Human safety data beyond case reports Well tolerated, little datano
Drawn from the cited studies below. A dash means the sources give no information.
What it is
Palmitoyl tripeptide-38 is a synthetic tripeptide derived from a sequence in type VI collagen and laminin, with a palmitic acid tail for skin penetration. Sederma sells it as Matrixyl Synthe'6, the third ingredient to carry the Matrixyl name after palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 and the Matrixyl 3000 blend. 1
It appears in serums and creams aimed at forehead lines and crow's feet, often alongside antioxidants. Like other cosmetic peptides it needs no FDA approval and carries none. 12
How it works
The manufacturer's name points to its claim: in laboratory work on cultured cells and human skin explants the peptide increased production of six matrix components, including collagens I, III and IV, fibronectin, hyaluronic acid and laminin. The 2020 paper summarizes this earlier in vitro work and a manufacturer-run randomized, vehicle-controlled trial reporting smoother forehead and crow's feet wrinkles with the peptide at the use concentration. Those studies are described secondhand in the paper and are not published in full. 1
What human research shows
The published study, by Lintner and colleagues in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, followed 35 women aged 40 and older with signs of photoaging who applied a serum containing palmitoyl tripeptide-38 plus vitamins C and E once daily for 56 days. Skin roughness fell by 8 to 9%, redness fell by 9% and evenness rose by 8% from baseline, and self-assessments improved. The serum's maker funded the study and the authors consult for it. There was no placebo or vehicle group and the serum contained two antioxidants with their own effects on photoaged skin, so the result describes the product, not the peptide. 1
| Study | Model | Finding |
|---|---|---|
| Lintner 2020 combination serum study | Humans, n=35 women over 40 with photoaging, open-label before-and-after, 56 days | A serum with palmitoyl tripeptide-38 plus vitamins C and E improved instrumental and self-assessed measures from baseline, with no control group. 1 |
| Manufacturer vehicle-controlled trial (as summarized by Lintner 2020) | Humans, randomized vehicle-controlled, reported secondhand | Smoother forehead and crow's feet wrinkles with the peptide at its use concentration; the trial itself is not published in full. 1 |
Safety
The serum was well tolerated in the two-month study. The peptide is used at very low concentration in finished products and no specific adverse reactions have been reported. The lack of reports reflects limited study as much as safety. 12
Questions for your clinician
- Can the peptide's effect be separated from the vitamins in the serum?
- Is the vehicle-controlled trial published in full?
- What do I know about irritation with long-term use?
Questions people ask
Is Matrixyl Synthe'6 better than the original Matrixyl?
There is no head-to-head trial. The original (palmitoyl pentapeptide-4) has one published randomized split-face trial; Synthe'6 has an uncontrolled study of a combination serum plus manufacturer data. On published evidence the original is ahead. 1
Does it fill in wrinkles?
The manufacturer's vehicle-controlled test reports smoother forehead and crow's feet lines, but that trial is described in a paper and not published on its own. The published study could not isolate the peptide from the vitamins it was mixed with. 1
Does the FDA sign off on it?
No. It is a cosmetic ingredient, which the FDA regulates but does not approve. A product containing it that claimed to treat a skin condition would be an unapproved drug. 2