SNAP-8

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

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SNAP-8 (Acetyl Octapeptide-3) is regulated as a cosmetic ingredient in the United States. Finished products containing it are subject to FDA oversight under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA, 2022), which imposes facility and product registration requirements (effective July 2024), safety substantiation obligations, and compliant INCI labelling. The compound is not subject to the FDA bulk drug substance Category II restrictions (fda19=false); it is not on any FDA 503A/503B restricted list. No prescription is required for cosmetic products containing SNAP-8.

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

SNAP-8

Origin

Developed by Lipotec (now Lucas Meyer Cosmetics, part of Lubrizol Life Science) as SNAP-8®. The sequence is an eight-residue acetylated analogue of the N-terminal domain of SNAP-25, extending the earlier hexapeptide Argireline by two additional C-terminal amino acids (alanine and aspartate). CAS 868844-74-0; INCI name: Acetyl Octapeptide-3.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

71587832

CAS

868844-74-0

InChIKey

QGGBBQJHVCVVKM-XOBYPWAZSA-N

Molecular formula

C42H72N16O15S

Molar mass

1073.2 g/mol

Monoisotopic

1072.50837683 Da

InChIKey

QGGBBQJHVCVVKM-XOBYPWAZSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilised powder (vendor-typical)

Solubility

Water-soluble; highly hydrophilic octapeptide with multiple polar and charged re…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Stable as lyophilised powder under cool, dry conditions. Aqueous solution stability is pH- and temperature-dependent; the methionine residue (Met-4 in the seque

Vial sizes

null mg

Purity grades

cosmetic grade / research grade

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• SNAP-8 mimics the N-terminal segment of SNAP-25, one of the three core proteins forming the neuronal SNARE complex (alongside VAMP and Syntaxin)
• By competing with endogenous SNAP-25 for incorporation into the trimeric complex, SNAP-8 destabilises SNARE assembly without covalently modifying any component, reducing the efficiency of calcium-triggered synaptic vesicle fusion at the neuromuscular junction
• The consequent attenuation of acetylcholine release moderates — but does not abolish — facial muscle contractile force, which is proposed to reduce the skin folding that produces dynamic expression lines
• Unlike botulinum toxin, which irreversibly cleaves SNAP-25, SNAP-8 acts through reversible competitive displacement, and the extent of in vivo neuromodulation following topical application is limited by the peptide's low skin permeation

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

PK–PD note: No formal systemic pharmacokinetic data are available for SNAP-8. Given its high hydrophilicity (octapeptide with multiple polar side chains), molecular weight of approximately 1073 Da, and the physic…

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• Errante F, Ledwoń P, Latajka R, Rovero P, Papini AM. Cosmeceutical Peptides in the Framework of Sustainable Wellness Economy. Front Chem. 2020;8:572923. PMID:33195061 — Peer-reviewed mini-review covering neurotransmitter-inhibitor peptides including SNAP-8; cites manufacturer data (43% glutamate inhibition at 1.5 mM; up to -62% wrinkle depth) but notes evidence is largely manufacturer-sourced
• ChemicalBook: An effective anti-wrinkle substance: Acetyl octapeptide-3 (2023) — Aggregator article citing primary references: Baglamis et al, Polymer Bulletin 2023 (nanoparticle delivery) and Ji, J Anal Sci Technol 2020 (LC-MS/MS method); neither PubMed-indexed under SNAP-8 terms
• Ji M. Method development for acetyl octapeptide-3 analysis by LC-MS/MS. J Anal Sci Technol. 2020 — Analytical chemistry method paper; not a biological efficacy study

No registered human trials found for this compound.

Status

No registered trials found

Summary (literature)

No dedicated Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel opinion specifically for Acetyl Octapeptide-3 / SNAP-8 has been identified (the CIR reviewed the closely related Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 / Argireline and found it safe as used at cosmetic concentrations). Adverse effects rep…

WADA status

Not specifically listed on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. SNAP-8 is a topically applied cosmetic peptide with no identified mechanism relevant to athletic perfo…

Dominant research route: Topical

Manufacturer in-vivo study: 17 women applied 10% SNAP-8 trade solution vs 10% Argireline twice daily for 28 days; periocular wrinkle depth measured on silicone skin imprints (Lipotec technical dossier, unpublished). In-vitro SNARE-competition / neurotransmitter-release mechanism demonstrated for the parent hexapeptide Argireline and extrapolated to SNAP-8.

Bioavailability: SNAP-8 MW ~1,073 Da, well above the ~500 Da stratum-corneum penetration threshold; strongly hydrophilic and charged, limiting intact percutaneous absorption. Manufacturer data not peer-reviewed or independently replicated.

Only published analytical work on a topical delivery system is an LC-MS/MS method applied to a biodegradable microneedle patch loaded with SNAP-8 (Ji et al., 2020) — a quantification method, not an efficacy trial. The 34.98% wrinkle-depth figure is manufacturer data; the 63.18% figure is a maximum single-subject reduction, not a group average.

Analytical method development (LC-MS/MS) for quantifying SNAP-8 in a biodegradable microneedle patch (Raphas Co. Ltd.); no clinical efficacy endpoint reported.

Bioavailability: Microneedle patch designed to bypass stratum corneum and deliver peptide into the dermal layer; authors note polymeric peptides 'cannot pass through the stratum corneum and skin absorption is also difficult.'

This is a quality-control / quantification study, not a pharmacokinetic or efficacy study; no human PK data generated.

No human injection pharmacokinetic data, no dose-finding study, no adverse-event registry, and no trial of any kind identified for injected SNAP-8.

Bioavailability: Tissue pharmacokinetics of injected SNAP-8 are uncharacterized; no published human PK, safety, or efficacy data.

Injectable use is described only on aggregator/compounding sites as a research-chemical application; SNAP-8 is not an FDA-approved injectable drug. Mechanism (competitive SNARE inhibition) is theoretically weaker than botulinum toxin and unvalidated in injected human tissue.

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $0.860 · median $2.90 · p75 $3.15 · 6 researched vendors

Legit, COA-backed band: $2.52–$5.40/mg.

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$4

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Independent labs cited for this compound

none found

Buyer red-flag checklist

• No independent third-party purity test results (Janoshik/MZ Biolabs/Finnrick) publicly available for SNAP-8 as of search date
• No FDA enforcement actions, recalls, or import alerts specifically naming SNAP-8 (acetyl octapeptide-3) were found
• SNAP-8 is marketed as a cosmetic ingredient (INCI: Acetyl Octapeptide-3); peptide products sold for non-cosmetic/injectable use fall outside FDA cosmetic/OTC frameworks and lack compound-specific regulatory oversight
• Absence of compound-specific regulatory or lab data does not imply verified quality; unverified supplier purity claims remain common in the grey-market peptide space

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• small self-selected sample
• cosmetic-use dominance skews positive
• marketing-term 'Botox in a bottle' inflates expectation bias
• no controlled or blinded reports
• sourcing anecdotes unverifiable

Manually researched from reddit, youtube— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

Toggle plain-language ↔ scientific in the header.

• How to read a COA
• Free base vs acetate
• Understanding evidence grades

Synthetic acetylated octapeptide (Acetyl Octapeptide-3) that modulates SNARE complex assembly to attenuate facial muscle contraction and reduce wrinkle depth. Approximately 0 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Cosmetic ingredient (OTC). Research use only.

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