Palmitoyl tripeptide-1 (Pal-GHK) is a lipid-linked form of the GHK tripeptide, used as a cosmetic ingredient alone or with palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7. Evidence is limited to lab work, skin-delivery studies and small supplier-run trials summarized in reviews.
GHK is a sequence found in type I collagen; the palmitoyl form was designed as a matrikine mimetic that signals fibroblasts to produce collagen and glycosaminoglycans in culture [1][4]. An action via TGF-β has been proposed but not established [3].
| Study | Model | Reported result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bench-to-product peptide paper [1] | Cell Cultured fibroblasts, plus a small cosmetic evaluation | Researchers measured collagen synthesis in fibroblast cultures with lipidated peptides including Pal-GHK. | Peer-reviewed Int J Cosmet Sci 2000 |
| Laser-assisted delivery study [2] | Other animal Pig skin (Franz cell) and nude mouse skin, FITC-labeled peptide | Untreated pig skin retained 6.5 nmol/g; picosecond Nd:YAG raised receptor delivery up to 40-fold and CO₂ laser raised skin deposition 22-fold. | Peer-reviewed Pharmaceutics 2022 |
| Topical peptide review [3] | Review Narrative review | Summarizes small 4-week vehicle-controlled cosmetic studies and a 28-person split-face study of the Pal-GHK/Pal-GQPR blend. | Peer-reviewed Cosmetics 2017 |
| Trending peptides review [4] | Review Narrative review | Classifies Pal-GHK as a collagen-fragment signal peptide; evidence largely supplier-generated. | Peer-reviewed Cosmetics 2020 |
| Bioactive oligopeptides review [5] | Review Narrative review | Covers GHK-sequence research on collagen and integrin expression in lab models. | Peer-reviewed J Appl Biomater Funct Mater 2025 |
Human cosmetic studies describe appearance only. Lab results do not establish effects on skin structure.
