Skin & hair — what actually works, by evidence

Approved drug 1

• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Melanotan ITanners inject the gray-market version. The approved one is a 16 mg implant for a rare sun allergy.Evidence · Approved drugFDA approved

Human trials 1

• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29MatrixylIn hundreds of anti-aging serums. Its one good independent trial: 93 women, 12 weeks, modest gains.Evidence · Human trialsResearch only

Human pilots 4

• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29ArgirelineSold as Botox in a jar. FDA researchers found about 0.22% of it reaches living skin.Evidence · Human pilotsResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Decapeptide-12Sold in creams for melasma and dark spots. Its best trial: five women, one split-face study.Evidence · Human pilotsResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29GHK-CuSold in serums and injected off-label for hair. Its human trials: 12-week face creams, not injections.Evidence · Human pilotsNot legal yet
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Pentapeptide-18Sold in wrinkle serums with Argireline. Its one open-label study: 11.31% shallower wrinkles in 28 days.Evidence · Human pilotsResearch only

Animal only 11

• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29AHK-CuSold in hair-growth serums as GHK-Cu's scalp cousin. The whole case rests on one 2007 lab paper.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29GHK BasicGHK-Cu without the copper, for creams that also carry vitamin C. Randomized human trials of it: zero.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Nonapeptide-1Sold in brightening creams at 1–2%. Independent human trials: zero; the data are the maker's.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Pal-GHKHalf of the Matrixyl 3000 combo. Its best evidence is a 93-woman trial of a different peptide.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29RiginHalf of Matrixyl 3000, sold as anti-inflammaging. Trials of Rigin alone: zero; the data are the supplier's.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29SNAP-8Sold as a stronger Argireline in eye creams. Its data: the maker's own studies, 4% over 28 days.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Syn-AkeSold as a snake-venom answer to Botox, at 1–4% in creams. Peer-reviewed trials: zero.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Syn-CollUsed at 2–4% in serums to push collagen. The claims come from supplier studies; independent trials: zero.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Tripeptide-29Sold in creams as the core of collagen, at 1–5%. Trials of creams with it as the active: zero.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29VialoxSold as a Botox alternative. Its '49% wrinkle reduction' is a supplier figure; peer-reviewed trials: zero.Evidence · Animal onlyResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Waglerin-1A lethal pit-viper neurotoxin, studied in labs. Wrinkle creams use a small mimic; human trials: zero.Lethal snake-venom neurotoxinEvidence · Animal onlyResearch only

No data 2

• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Pal-AHKUsed in hair serums at 0.5–2%. Peer-reviewed trials of this copper-free version: zero.Evidence · No dataResearch only
• Skin & hairUpdated Sep 29Palmitoyl Dipeptide-6Sold in firming serums at 1–4%. Peer-reviewed trials: zero; the claims come from supplier dossiers.Evidence · No dataResearch only

Also used for skin and hair 3

Here for a second use. Each meter rates the compound’s main use, the tag on its card.

• LongevityUpdated Sep 29GlutathioneSold as an IV drip at wellness clinics. Its best trial: 54 adults, oral doses, body stores up over 6 months.Evidence · Human pilotsCompounding pharmacy
• Hormones & libidoUpdated Sep 29Melanotan IIInjected for a sunless tan and a libido kick. The tanning trial behind it had 3 people, in 1996.Mole changes in case reportsEvidence · Human pilotsNot legal yet
• ImmuneUpdated Sep 29KPVTaken for gut and skin flares. Its best evidence: two 2008 mouse-colitis papers; human trials: zero.Evidence · Animal onlyNot legal yet