Snap-8 Pen
10 mg of acetyl octapeptide-3 (Ac-EEMQRRAD-NH2) dissolved in 3 mL of bacteriostatic water. Filled from a peptide lot tested in the manufacturer’s own laboratory. For laboratory research use only, not a cosmetic.
| Compound | SNAP-8 (Acetyl octapeptide-3 (Ac-EEMQRRAD-NH2)) |
|---|---|
| CAS number | 868844-74-0 |
| Molecular formula | C41H70N16O16S |
| Contents | SNAP-8: 10 mg per 3 mL pen (0.33% w/v) |
| Form | Sterile aqueous solution in bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol), supplied in a 3 mL glass cartridge inside a preloaded autoinjector pen fitted with a needle |
| Storage, sealed | Store at 2–8 °C in the original carton, protected from light |
| Format | Solution in a 3 mL pre-filled pen |
Sizes and lots
- 10 mg · 1 pen — $68.99
- 10 mg · Kit of 10 — $613.32
SNAP-8, or acetyl octapeptide-3, is an eight-residue peptide (Ac-EEMQRRAD-NH2) designed for cosmetics as a longer relative of Argireline. This listing supplies 10 mg of it already dissolved, in a preloaded pen holding 3 mL, so the solution is about 3.3 mg/mL. The published research concerns peptides that interfere with assembly of the SNARE complex, the machinery of neurotransmitter release, and a handful of skin studies that used SNAP-8 among other ingredients.
What is in the pen
The pen's safety data sheet lists 10 mg of acetyl octapeptide-3 per 3 mL pen, 0.33% w/v, in bacteriostatic water containing 0.9% benzyl alcohol as preservative. Benzyl alcohol is the only classified ingredient: harmful if swallowed or inhaled, a serious eye irritant and a possible skin sensitiser. SNAP-8 itself is not classified. The solution should be clear, colourless to faintly yellow.
Store the pen at 2 to 8 °C in its carton, protected from light, and keep it capped between uses. Do not freeze it, and discard it if the solution has frozen, discoloured or turned cloudy. The same peptide is sold as freeze-dried powder in the SNAP-8 10 mg vial, which keeps it dry until a solution is needed.
Handling notes
SNAP-8 carries one methionine, and its safety data sheet flags that residue as sensitive to oxidation. In the pen the peptide sits in solution for the whole time the device is in use, so the cold, dark storage on the sheet is the main protection it has. No stability study of acetyl octapeptide-3 in bacteriostatic water has been published, which means there is no measured shelf life for the solution beyond the sheet's storage conditions. A pen that has been frozen, left warm or exposed to light should not be relied on for quantitative work. The general considerations for solutions and dry powder are set out in peptide storage and stability and in peptide pen vs vial.
What the research covers
SNAP-8 belongs to a line of peptides built to interfere with the SNARE complex, the protein assembly that drives calcium-dependent vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release1. Its six-residue parent, Argireline, was reported to inhibit neurotransmitter release with a potency close to that of botulinum neurotoxin A, though with much lower efficacy, and to reduce wrinkle depth in a skin topography study in women volunteers1. Its developers found no oral toxicity and no primary irritation in the safety tests they reported1. SNAP-8 adds two residues to that sequence, and its own mechanism is not reported in the papers cited here.
The human work that includes acetyl octapeptide-3 used it as one active among several. In a 12-week single-centre trial of hyaluronic acid microneedle patches that also carried four other actives, the patches were well tolerated and fine lines decreased2. That design cannot isolate the contribution of SNAP-8, and none of the cited studies examined the peptide in solution, in a pen or by any route other than the skin.
Solution storage raises its own questions. Manning and colleagues' review of protein stability separates chemical from physical instability and discusses stabilisation in aqueous solution and in the dried state as distinct problems3. The Snap-8 peptide guide has the wider background on the peptide.
Frequently asked questions
How much SNAP-8 is in the pen?
10 mg of acetyl octapeptide-3 in 3 mL of bacteriostatic water, according to the safety data sheet, which gives the concentration as 0.33% w/v. That works out to about 3.3 mg/mL, or roughly 9.3 µmol in the whole pen using the sheet's molecular weight of 1075.2.
How does the pen differ from the SNAP-8 vial?
The vial holds 10 mg as freeze-dried powder, kept at −20 °C until it is dissolved at whatever concentration a study needs. The pen holds the same 10 mg already in solution at a fixed concentration and is kept at 2 to 8 °C. The vial keeps the peptide dry for longer; the pen saves the reconstitution step.
Has SNAP-8 been studied in solution or by any route other than the skin?
Not in the published work cited here. Every human result involving acetyl octapeptide-3 comes from topical products or microneedle patches containing several actives, and no study has looked at how the peptide holds up stored in solution.
References
- Blanes-Mira C, Clemente J, Jodas G, et al. A synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) with antiwrinkle activity. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2002;24(5):303-10. DOI · PubMed
- Avcil M, Akman G, Klokkers J, et al. Efficacy of bioactive peptides loaded on hyaluronic acid microneedle patches: A monocentric clinical study. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2020;19(2):328-337. DOI · PubMed
- Manning MC, Chou DK, Murphy BM, et al. Stability of protein pharmaceuticals: an update. Pharm Res. 2010;27(4):544-75. DOI · PubMed
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. Products have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.