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A cosmetic ingredient, not regulated or approved as a drug. This page is educational information only, not medical advice.
IndexedBuilt automatically from public databases on 2026-09-30. Not yet hand-reviewed by PLOBT.How this works →

Acetyl tetrapeptide-2

Cosmetic ingredient

Cosmetic signal peptide

Also known as: Thymulen 4, Peptigravity, Ac-lys-asp-val-tyr, Uplevity, Ac-KDVY-OH, acetyl tetrapeptide-2/Uplevity

Evidence score
23/ 100
Thin evidence

Very thin human evidence

  • Regulatory standing. Cosmetic ingredient, not regulated as a drug
  • Animal / preclinical only. Evidence is largely animal or in-vitro
  • No registered human trials. Nothing registered on ClinicalTrials.gov
  • 1 cited source. Includes primary / regulatory sources

Computed with the same four public criteria as every profile. The human-evidence grade on an indexed profile is set automatically and may change when it is hand-reviewed. It is not a safety score, not a purity rating, and not medical advice, and not a claim that this compound treats, cures, or prevents any condition.

What it is

Acetyl tetrapeptide-2, sold under the trade name Thymulen 4, is a short synthetic peptide used as an ingredient in skin care products. It is described by its developers as a fragment modeled on a thymus-derived peptide and is thought to support skin firmness and the skin's own renewal processes, though this mechanism comes mainly from manufacturer and lab data.

What the evidence shows

Automatic summaryAnimal / preclinical

There are no registered human clinical trials and only about two published papers, so claims about firming or anti-aging effects rest largely on manufacturer testing and lab studies. It is regulated as a cosmetic ingredient, not an FDA-approved drug, and its effects in people are not well established.

Key facts

Molecular formula
C26H39N5O9
Molecular weight
565.6 g/mol

Registered human trials

Live from ClinicalTrials.gov, refreshed daily.

0registered studies
Nonemost advanced phase
0completed (sample)
0recruiting (sample)

Published literature

Live from Europe PMC. This is how much has been published, not how much is proven in humans.

2papers referencing Acetyl tetrapeptide-2

The Effect of Anti-aging Peptides on Mechanical and Biological Properties of HaCaT Keratinocytes.

Int J Pept Res Ther2018

Assessment of the effects of a hair lotion in women with acute telogen effluvium: a randomized controlled study.

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol2021

Sources

Risks, side effects and study doses are only published on hand-reviewed profiles. Want this one reviewed, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.