Decapeptide-12: what the research shows
A skin-care peptide that slows the making of melanin, studied for dark patches such as melasma.
Also known as Lumixyl peptide
At a glance
60%
average fall in melasma score after 16 weeks, using a routine that included the peptide cream
Open study of 33 women · no comparison group
A cosmetic ingredient used in skin-brightening creams and serums. Not approved as a medicine. Its use other than on the skin hasn’t been studied in people.
Step 1 of 5: Cells
Step 2 of 5: Animals
Step 3 of 5: Small human studies
Step 4 of 5: Large trials
Step 5 of 5: Approved medicine
What is Decapeptide-12?
Decapeptide-12 is a lab-made chain of 10 amino acids. Researchers at the Elixir Institute of Regenerative Medicine in California found it in 2009 by screening short peptides for ones that block the enzyme that makes skin pigment. It became the active ingredient of Lumixyl, a skin-brightening cream, as a gentler alternative to hydroquinone, the standard treatment for dark patches.
How does Decapeptide-12 work?
Skin color comes from melanin, a pigment made inside pigment cells (melanocytes) by an enzyme called tyrosinase. Decapeptide-12 attaches to tyrosinase and competes with tyrosine, the raw material the enzyme normally works on, so less melanin is made. In lab tests it did this without harming the pigment cells, unlike hydroquinone, which works partly by damaging them.
What does the research show?
Open study · 33 Hispanic women with mild-to-moderate melasma · a routine of decapeptide-12 cream, an antioxidant cleanser, a glycolic-acid lotion and sunscreen · no comparison group
60%
Scores fell steadily: 36% after 4 weeks, 46% after 8 and 54% after 12. Glycolic acid and daily sunscreen also fade melasma, and there was no comparison group, so how much came from the peptide is unknown.
Source: Open-label evaluation of a novel skin brightening system containing 0.01% decapeptide-12 in combination with 20% buffered glycolic acid for the treatment of mild to moderate facial melasma · Ramírez et al. · Journal of Drugs in Dermatology · 2013
2009 lab study · human pigment cells (melanocytes) grown in a dish
43%
The cells kept growing normally, so the drop came from slower melanin production, not from harmed cells.
Source: Short-sequence oligopeptides with inhibitory activity against mushroom and human tyrosinase · Abu Ubeid et al. · Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2009
2009 lab study · mushroom tyrosinase, the standard test version of the enzyme
Decapeptide-12
Hydroquinone
On the human enzyme the effect was weaker: the two best peptides in the study cut its activity by 25–35%.
Source: Short-sequence oligopeptides with inhibitory activity against mushroom and human tyrosinase · Abu Ubeid et al. · Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2009
- In a tiny split-face pilot, five women with stubborn melasma used the peptide cream on one side of the face and a placebo cream on the other for 16 weeks. The authors report that all five improved, with no irritation or allergy.
- In a 24-week open study of 13 women with dark patches from long-term sun damage, using a routine built around the peptide cream, 5 went from moderate patches to clear skin and the rest improved by one or two grades.
- All the studies in people tested creams, mostly together with a glycolic-acid lotion and sunscreen.
What we don't know yet
- Whether the cream beats a placebo in a proper trial. The only placebo-controlled study had five people.
- How much of the fading in the routine studies came from the peptide, rather than the glycolic acid and sunscreen used with it.
- How it compares with hydroquinone in people. No published trial has compared them head to head.
- How much of it reaches the pigment cells. It is a large, water-loving molecule that passes through skin poorly; a 2021 lab study tried adding a fatty tail or using microneedles to help it in.
- Several of the studies were run by the team that developed it.
Known risks and side effects
- In the published studies the creams were well tolerated, with no irritation or allergy reported.
- The studies were small and short, so rare side effects and long-term safety are unknown.
- Uses other than on the skin, such as injection, have not been studied in people.
- Products sold online as research peptides are unregulated, so what’s in them and how pure it is can vary.
Is Decapeptide-12 approved?
Mostly studied in cells and animals, with little or no proper testing in people.
A cosmetic ingredient used in skin-brightening creams and serums. Not approved as a medicine. Its use other than on the skin hasn’t been studied in people.
From the community
Watch: Decapeptide-12 and related science
We have not selected a reliable dedicated Decapeptide-12 video. These lessons cover the relevant biology and research methods; the compound-specific evidence is in the sources below.
Dr Dray
Melanotan II: the truth about the viral “Barbie drug”
A dermatologist on why tanning injections worry skin doctors.
Andrea Suarez, MD, dermatologist
Related biology
Background on related biology for understanding Decapeptide-12. It does not demonstrate benefits of this compound or formulation.
National Institute of Mental Health
Clinical research: risks and benefits
Why an experimental treatment can involve uncertainty even when its scientific rationale sounds promising.
NIMH · US National Institutes of Health
Research skills
Helps you judge the study design or uncertainty in Decapeptide-12 research; it is not a trial of the compound.
Sources and references
- Short-sequence oligopeptides with inhibitory activity against mushroom and human tyrosinaseAbu Ubeid et al. · Journal of Investigative Dermatology · 2009
- A split-face, double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled pilot evaluation of a novel oligopeptide for the treatment of recalcitrant melasmaHantash & Jimenez · Journal of Drugs in Dermatology · 2009
- Open-label evaluation of a novel skin brightening system containing 0.01% decapeptide-12 in combination with 20% buffered glycolic acid for the treatment of mild to moderate facial melasmaRamírez et al. · Journal of Drugs in Dermatology · 2013
- Open-label evaluation of the skin-brightening efficacy of a skin-brightening system using decapeptide-12Kassim, Hussain & Goldberg · Journal of Cosmetic and Laser Therapy · 2012
- Enhanced skin retention and permeation of a novel peptide via structural modification, chemical enhancement, and microneedlesChen et al. · International Journal of Pharmaceutics · 2021
VETUD Learn explains published research in plain language. It is general information, not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or changing any treatment.
In the research shop
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