Skip to content
Limited human dataNot FDA approved

SNAP-8

Also known as: Acetyl octapeptide-3 · Acetyl glutamyl heptapeptide-3 · Snap 8 · SNAP8 · Ac-EEMQRRAD-NH2

Updated 27 sources

An eight amino acid cosmetic peptide, also called acetyl octapeptide-3, sold for expression lines. It is a longer cousin of Argireline. Every human study tested it inside a product with other actives (microneedle patches, a serum), and no study has tested it injected. Most people use it as a serum; a few guides print injection doses anyway.
Calculate with SNAP-8Dosage chart

Quick facts

Half-life
  • Not established. It is used mainly on the skin, and no study has measured it in blood.
Routes
  • Topical
  • Subcutaneous injection
Forms
  • Topical
  • Vial (powder)
Reported dose ranges
  • 0.0015 to 10% (topical)
  • 200 to 300 mcg (topical)
  • 50 to 1,000 mcg (subcutaneous injection)
Vial sizes
  • 10 mg
Chemistry
  • 1,075.2 g/mol · C41H70N16O16S · CAS 868844-74-0
FDA status
  • Not FDA approved
WADA
  • Not confirmed

What people use SNAP-8 for

  • Expression lines: crow's feet, forehead and frown lines
  • A topical stand-in for Botox, though no study compares them
  • DIY serums and creams, often layered with GHK-Cu
  • Occasional injection or microneedling, which community threads warn against with cosmetic-grade powder

How it is thought to work. Mimics the end of SNAP-25, a protein nerve endings need to release the signal that contracts muscle. By competing in that complex it is meant to soften repeated contraction behind expression lines. The idea comes largely from cell work and from Argireline, its six amino acid parent. At about 1075 g/mol, how much reaches the nerve from a cream is unproven.

SNAP-8 dosing

7 protocols from studies, guides and community reports, grouped by goal. Tap a source badge to see where a number came from.

Topical, topical5

Active peptide in the finished cream

Amount
0.0015 to 0.005%
How often
Twice daily
Route
Topical, topical
Cycle
28 days in manufacturer testing
Timing and details

Loading…

Commercial SNAP-8 solution

Amount
3 to 10%
How often
Once or twice daily, on clean dry skin, usually under a moisturizer
Route
Topical, topical
Timing and details

Loading…

Intensive course

Amount
10%
How often
Twice daily, morning and evening
Route
Topical, topical
Cycle
28 days, then maintenance at 3 to 5%
Timing and details

Loading…

Community serum

Amount
3 to 10%
How often
Twice daily, AM and PM, before moisturizer, on expression lines
Route
Topical, topical
Cycle
Ongoing, at least 4 to 8 weeks
Timing and details

Loading…

Per application amount

Amount
200 to 300 mcg
How often
Once daily, applied to the skin
Route
Topical, topical
Cycle
6 to 12 weeks
Timing and details

Loading…

Injected2

Micro-injection per site

Amount
50 to 100 mcg
How often
1 to 2 times a week per injection site
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
12 weeks on
Rest
4 to 8 weeks off
Titration (2 steps) and details

Loading…

Daily subQ titration

Amount
330 to 1,000 mcg
How often
Once daily
Route
SubQ, vial (powder)
Cycle
12 weeks of titration, then continuous use
Titration (3 steps) and details

Loading…

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Full SNAP-8 dosage guideEvery titration step in syringe units, missed doses and how to mix.

Vial strengths and syringe units

Every SNAP-8 vial size with the water volumes sources use. Units are what to draw on a U-100 insulin syringe, worked out exactly.
SNAP-8: concentration and U-100 syringe units for each vial size and water volume
WaterStrength50 mcgdose, units100 mcgdose, units330 mcgdose, units
10 mg vial
2 mLCommunity-reported5 mg/mL10.01 mL20.02 mL6.60.066 mL
3 mLCompetitor guide3.333 mg/mL1.50.015 mL30.03 mL9.90.099 mL
5 mLCompetitor guide2 mg/mL2.50.025 mL50.05 mL16.50.165 mL
Units are on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). U-50 and U-30 barrels read the same units.Water volumes from

Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.

Calculate with this peptideYour vial, your water, your dose: SNAP-8 in syringe units, with the math shown.

SNAP-8 side effects

What trials and labels report, kept apart from what users and guides report. Frequencies are worded as each source states them.

Reported in studies and labels1

From clinical trials and regulatory documents.

  • No adverse effects in patch studies

    A 28-day split-eye study (24 enrolled) and a 12-week patch study reported none; both patches held several actives

Reported by users and guides4

From community reports and dosing guides. Not measured rates.

  • Mild irritation or redness

    The most common topical event, per guides

    How people manage it

    • Patch-test a new product on a small area first

  • Mild numbing feeling

    One r/Biohackers user applying it neat before night cream

  • Injection-site redness and mild bruising

    Listed by one guide for facial micro-injection

  • Infection risk from injecting cosmetic-grade powder

    Warned about in r/Peptides threads: topical SNAP-8 is not made or tested for sterility

    How people manage it

    • r/Peptides users say to keep it topical or skip it unless the source proves sterility
All 5 SNAP-8 side effects and how people manage themEvery management tip, who should not use it, and side-effect questions.

Who should avoid it

  • Allergy to any ingredientCondition

    Guides say stop if irritation develops and avoid it with a known allergy to a component. For external use only.

Storage

Powder (before mixing)

Below 25 C, per one injection guide.

Powder (before mixing)

Temperature
2 to 8 °C

Refrigerated, per another guide.

Mixed vial

Temperature
2 to 8 °C
Use within
28 days

Fridge at 2 to 8 C. Use within 28 days.

Mixed vial

Temperature
2 to 8 °C
Use within
30 days

Fridge at 2 to 8 C. Other guides give 30 days.

As supplied

Temperature
2 to 8 °C

Supplied cosmetic solution: fridge at about 4 C. Cold can make the preservative settle out without harming the product.

As supplied

Finished creams and serums: room temperature for about 6 to 12 months in airless pumps; avoid long spells above 30 C.

Mixed with: Bacteriostatic water

Mixing. Add water slowly down the vial wall and swirl, do not shake. For topical use, people mix the dissolved vial into a serum, cream or hyaluronic acid. Cosmetic raw powder is not sterile.

Stacks people report

Combinations from guides and community posts, with the reason given.
  • GHK-Cu

    Layered on the skin for expression lines plus collagen. A topical convention with no controlled data on the pair. r/Peptides users mix both into hyaluronic acid or a cream, or keep two serums and layer them.

  • Argireline

    Both act on the same nerve-signal pathway; community users pair them for a stronger expression-line effect.

Compare SNAP-8

Evidence and legal status

Evidence: limited human data

No trial of SNAP-8 on its own. Every human study used a product with several actives: a 28-day split-eye microneedle patch study (24 enrolled), a 12-week patch study reporting 25.8% fewer fine lines, and a 12-week serum study run by the serum maker's staff. Manufacturer efficacy figures come without published designs. No registered trials on ClinicalTrials.gov. No injection study exists.

FDA and WADA

Not FDA approved

No approval, no trial program and not on FDA's compounding lists.

Not an approved drug. Sold as a cosmetic ingredient, and cosmetic ingredients need no FDA approval. Not on FDA's 503A bulk substance lists (May 14, 2026 update). Research vials are labelled for research use only.

Not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Only the S0 catch-all for substances with no therapeutic approval could reach it, and no source applies S0 to a topical cosmetic peptide, so we mark it unknown.

WADA: Not confirmed

SNAP-8 questions

What is SNAP-8?

An eight amino acid cosmetic peptide, also called acetyl octapeptide-3, sold for expression lines like crow's feet and forehead lines. It is a longer version of Argireline, built to damp the nerve signal behind repeated muscle contraction.

Can you inject SNAP-8?

No study has tested it by injection. A few guides print injection doses (50 to 100 mcg per site, or 330 mcg up to 1 mg a day), others refuse to give one. On r/Peptides the common answer is topical only, because cosmetic-grade powder is not made or tested for sterility.

How do people use SNAP-8?

On the skin. Commercial products use the supplied SNAP-8 solution at 3 to 10% of the formula, once or twice daily on clean skin under a moisturizer, aimed at crow's feet, the forehead and between the brows.

What does 3 to 10% actually mean?

It is the share of the supplied solution, not pure peptide. That solution holds 0.05% SNAP-8, so the finished cream ends up around 0.0015 to 0.005% peptide.

How much water for a 10 mg vial?

Injection guides use 5 mL (2 mg/mL) or 3 mL (about 3.33 mg/mL). Topical users vary: one r/Biohackers user mixed 10 mg with 2 mL and added it at 10% to a serum.

How do people make a DIY serum from powder?

One r/Peptides user dissolves the powder at 2% peptide in sterile water, then adds that at 10% of the serum; another says 5 to 10% works for them. One guide's rule: percent equals peptide mg divided by base mL divided by 10, so 10 mg in 10 mL is 0.1%.

SNAP-8 vs Argireline?

SNAP-8 is Argireline plus two amino acids. The ingredient supplier says it is about 30% more active. Argireline has a randomized trial (60 people, twice daily for 4 weeks, 48.9% overall anti-wrinkle efficiency); SNAP-8 has no trial of its own.

Is SNAP-8 a Botox alternative?

Not an equivalent. Botox is injected straight into the muscle. SNAP-8 is a cream ingredient, and no study has compared the two head to head.

Does SNAP-8 work?

The human data are thin. Every clinical study tested a product holding SNAP-8 plus other actives (two microneedle patches and a 12-week serum), so its own share cannot be separated. The ingredient supplier claims eye wrinkle severity fell up to 63.13%, without giving the study design.

How long until you see results?

Community users report subtle change at 4 to 8 weeks and better results by 12. Manufacturer testing ran 28 days. One r/Peptides user said the effect fades a few weeks after stopping.

Does it get through the skin?

That is the open question. At about 1075 g/mol it is a large peptide, and guides doubt how much a plain cream delivers to the nerve. The two patch studies used microneedles to get past the outer layer of skin.

Can I mix SNAP-8 with GHK-Cu?

People do, layered or in one hyaluronic acid serum or cream. There is no controlled data on the pair. Some users keep two separate serums and layer them.

What are the side effects?

Mild irritation or redness is the usual one, so patch-test first. The patch studies reported no adverse effects. One user felt mild numbing. There is no systemic human safety data.

How should it be stored?

Mixed vials in the fridge at 2 to 8 C for 28 to 30 days. The supplied cosmetic solution also goes in the fridge. Finished creams keep about 6 to 12 months at room temperature.

Is SNAP-8 FDA approved?

It is a cosmetic ingredient, and cosmetic ingredients need no FDA approval. It is not on FDA's 503A bulk drug lists. Claims that a product changes the body's structure or function make it a drug in FDA's eyes.

What is the SNAP-8 sequence?

Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asp-NH2. It is also listed as acetyl glutamyl heptapeptide-3.

Ask about SNAP-8

Answers come from this site's pages only, with a link to each source.

Sources

27 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Reference work1

  1. Acetyl octapeptide-3, CID 76283482PubChem · checked Oct 24, 2026

Vendor guide3

  1. SNAP-8 product pageVendor product page · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Moy M et al. 2023, Peptide-pro complex serum: investigating effects on aged skin, J Cosmet DermatolPMC, via a study · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. SNAP-8 peptide solution CLotioncrafter · checked Oct 24, 2026

Competitor guide8

  1. SNAP-8 dosage: a topical anti-wrinkle peptidethepeptidecatalog.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. SNAP-8 10 mg vial dosage protocolpeptidedosages.com · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. SNAP-8 dosing protocol, 10 mg vialmypeptidematch.com · checked Oct 24, 2026

Community-reported8

  1. SNAP-8 (2026-04-26)r/Biohackers · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. SNAP-8 community protocols and reportspeptideprotocolwiki.com, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026
  3. Snap-8. Has anyone injected this subq? (2024-08-30)r/Peptides · checked Oct 24, 2026