SNAP-8 is acetyl octapeptide-3, a synthetic eight-amino-acid cosmetic ingredient whose sequence extends the Argireline hexapeptide by two further amino acids, alanine and aspartate.
PubChem lists SNAP-8 as Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asp-NH2 (PubChem CID 76283482). Argireline, sold as acetyl hexapeptide-3 or acetyl hexapeptide-8, is the first six of those residues (PubChem CID 71587772). Argireline was designed at Universitas Miguel Hernández in Spain as a topical alternative to botulinum toxin. Its 2002 paper reported that it interferes with the SNARE protein complex nerves use to release neurotransmitter, and that a 10% cream reduced wrinkle depth by up to 30% in 30 days (International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2002).
Peer-reviewed evidence for SNAP-8 itself is thin. The only human study naming acetyl octapeptide-3 that we found in PubMed tested a hyaluronic acid microneedle patch combining it with other actives, so its results cannot be credited to SNAP-8 alone, and the authors were industry-affiliated (Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 2020).
No. SNAP-8 is sold as a cosmetic ingredient, and FDA does not require premarket approval for cosmetic ingredients other than color additives.
That status depends on intended use. FDA states that a product intended to affect the structure or function of the body is a drug, even if it also changes appearance (FDA). SNAP-8 has no FDA approval as a drug. Vials sold as research peptides and promoted for injection sit outside the cosmetic framework that covers creams and serums.
Identity testing matters more than usual here. SNAP-8 differs from Argireline only by its last two residues, so a mislabeled or incompletely synthesized batch can look identical on a label. Mass spectrometry separates the two by molecular weight, and HPLC measures purity.
Before trusting any SNAP-8 label, check that batch’s published result in our latest tests or in Janoshik's public results database. No results are published for SNAP-8 yet in our index. When the first published result arrives, a vendor leaderboard appears above.