Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Matrixyl 3000 are both palmitoylated signal peptides from the same matrikine family, but they are not the same ingredient. Matrixyl 3000 is a pair of peptides, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, in a glycerin and carbomer gel used at 3 percent, while Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is a single modified tripeptide, sold in its original grade as Matrixyl synthe'6 and used at 2 percent. Choose the pair for an all-over smoothing and firming story with the longer data trail, and the single peptide for a targeted forehead and crow's feet story or a crystal-clear base.
Most pages that compare the two stop at a short table. This guide works through what is actually in each raw material, how much peptide each puts into your finished product, what the supplier and published studies do and do not show, and how to formulate with either one, or both, without guessing.
What Is in Each Raw Material
Matrixyl 3000: two peptides in a gel
The INCI of the original Sederma material reads Glycerin, Water, Butylene Glycol, Carbomer, Polysorbate 20, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7. Its 2021 product information sheet gives about 100 ppm of Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1, also called Pal-GHK and listed as Palmitoyl Oligopeptide before September 2013, and about 50 ppm of Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7, or Pal-GQPR. The release specification allows 90 to 130 ppm and 40 to 70 ppm respectively. The material is an opalescent whitish gel with a pH of 4.0 to 6.0, and Sederma recommends long-term storage at 4 to 7 C. Our Matrixyl 3000 solution carries that full declaration, and the IO two-peptide liquid gives the same two INCI peptides under our own name.
The two peptides have different jobs in supplier literature. Pal-GHK is built on the glycine, histidine, lysine fragment of type I collagen and is positioned as the matrix messenger. Pal-GQPR comes from a fragment of immunoglobulin G and is positioned on interleukin-6, the messenger cells release under stress such as UV exposure. That two-signal logic is the whole idea behind the 3000 blend.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38: one peptide with a cyclodextrin carrier
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is Pal-Lys-Met(O2)-Lys-OH, a lysine, methionine sulfone, lysine sequence with a palmitic acid chain. It was designed from the KMK motif found in collagen VI and laminins, and the oxidized methionine is there on purpose, so it does not oxidize further in the bottle. The Sederma grade is declared as Glycerin, Water, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin and Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38, with about 25 percent water, about 1 percent cyclodextrin and 200 to 270 ppm of peptide by HPLC. It is a colorless to pale yellow liquid, clear to slightly opalescent, stored at 15 to 25 C, and can be added to an emulsion anywhere between 25 and 80 C.
Our range has three forms of the same INCI. The Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 liquid is the generic option for brands that want this exact name on the label, the Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 Solution uses hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin with trehalose and a caprylyl glycol and ethylhexylglycerin pair, and the Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 Powder lets you set the peptide level yourself. CAS numbers vary between documents, with 1447824-23-8, 1101448-24-1 and 1101175-36-3 all in circulation, so copy the one printed on the CoA for your lot.
How Much Peptide Ends Up in the Bottle
This is where most comparisons go wrong. A recommended 2 percent sounds weaker than 3 percent, but the two raw materials carry different peptide loads. At 3 percent, Matrixyl 3000 delivers roughly 3 ppm of Pal-GHK and 1.5 ppm of Pal-GQPR, about 4.5 ppm of peptide in total. At 2 percent, Matrixyl synthe'6 delivers 4 to 5.4 ppm of Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38. The finished-product peptide levels are therefore almost the same, and both sit around five parts per million, or 0.0005 percent.
That number matches the one peer-reviewed study that states its peptide dose. Lintner and colleagues, in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology in 2020, used 5 ppm of Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 in their serum. When you buy a generic liquid, do the same arithmetic with the peptide content on its CoA. A solution at 100 ppm needs about 5 percent to reach 5 ppm, while one at 250 ppm needs about 2 percent. Comparing grades by input percentage alone can leave you with half or double the intended peptide.
What the Evidence Shows
Matrixyl 3000
Sederma's January 2004 sheet describes two panels of 23 volunteers aged 39 to 74 who applied a cream with 3 percent Matrixyl 3000 to half the face twice a day for 56 days, against a placebo or the original Matrixyl on the other half. Against the start of the study, the 3000 side showed 44.9 percent less surface occupied by deep wrinkles, 15.1 percent lower main wrinkle depth and 14.4 percent lower roughness, while the placebo side changed 4.3, 3.2 and 1.4 percent, none of them significant. In fibroblast culture, the same sheet reports dose-related increases in collagen I, fibronectin and hyaluronic acid at 1, 3 and 5 percent. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review assessed Tripeptide-1, its fatty acyl derivatives and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 in 2014 and found them safe as used in cosmetics.
Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38
For the single peptide, Sederma reports in vitro increases in six matrix and dermal-epidermal junction components with 2 percent of the raw material, including collagen I up 105 percent and collagen III up 104 percent on human fibroblasts, collagen IV up 42 percent, fibronectin up 59 percent and hyaluronic acid up 174 percent on keratinocytes. Its in vivo study followed 25 women aged 42 to 70 with forehead lines and crow's feet, using a cream with 2 percent twice daily for two months against placebo. On the crow's feet the sheet reports wrinkle volume down 21.1 percent versus placebo and, in 24 volunteers, 28.5 percent less surface occupied by deep wrinkles versus placebo.
Independent work is thinner for both. The Lintner study was open-label, with 35 women aged 49 to 74 using a serum that also held 15 percent L-ascorbic acid and tocopheryl acetate once daily for 56 days, and it reported periorbital roughness down 8 to 9 percent. A 2016 study by Sanz and colleagues tested a multi-ingredient serum. Neither isolates the peptide, so read all of these figures as supplier or whole-product data, not as numbers you can print for your own formula.
Formulating With Each One
pH, temperature and carrier
Both belong in the water phase. Matrixyl 3000 is a gel at pH 4.0 to 6.0 and brings carbomer and polysorbate 20 with it, so it adds a little body and helps the lipopeptides spread through an emulsion. Our card for it recommends a finished pH of about 5 to 7 and adding it to the cooled base. Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 brings only glycerin, water and cyclodextrin, stays clear and is the easier choice for transparent serums, toners and hydrogel patches. Our generic card quotes stability from pH 3.0 to 6.0 and advises adding it below 40 C, which also suits a preservative system that dislikes heat.
Compatibility
Both palmitoyl peptides are sensitive to strong oxidizers, long heating and extreme pH, and both pair well with niacinamide, panthenol, glycerin and hyaluronic acid. The carbomer in the Matrixyl 3000 carrier loses viscosity with high electrolyte levels, which matters in a gel. Cyclodextrin in the tripeptide-38 carrier can host other lipophilic molecules, so add fragrance and oil-soluble actives after it and check clarity. Keep copper peptides in a separate product, as copper can interact with other peptides.
A Serum Frame That Uses Both
The two raw materials have no documented conflict, and a common brief is a multi-peptide serum that uses each at its own recommended level. Hydrate 0.30 g hydroxyethylcellulose in 81.50 g water with 4.00 g glycerin and 1.00 g panthenol. Add 2.00 g niacinamide dissolved in part of the water, then, in the cooled gel, stir in 3.00 g Matrixyl 3000, 2.00 g of a Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 solution at about 250 ppm, 5.00 g Hyaluronic acid liquid 1% and 1.00 g preservative. Add 0.20 g sodium citrate solution to adjust the batch to about pH 5.5 and make sure the total reaches 100 g. That gives roughly 4.5 ppm of the 3000 pair and 5 ppm of tripeptide-38. Scale the tripeptide-38 input to your own CoA, and run stability and preservative challenge tests before launch.
For more options in the same family, our dermaxyl vs matrixyl comparison covers the older ceramide-peptide approach, and the Matrixyl Morphomics serum guide covers a newer member of the family. All of these liquids, including Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 on its own, are collected in the peptide solutions section.
Which One to Choose
Pick Matrixyl 3000 when the brief is a broad smoothing and firming serum or night cream, when the label or the marketing names the 3000 blend, or when you want the larger and older body of supplier data. Pick Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 when the product is built around the forehead, crow's feet or lip contour, when the base must stay transparent, or when you want a one-INCI hero peptide. Use both when the price point allows two peptides at their full levels.
Keep claims on appearance. Lines that look softened, skin that looks smoother and firmer, and a more even-looking surface are suitable. Do not compare either peptide to injections or promise structural change, and base any percentage on a test of your finished product rather than raw material literature.
Sources
Sederma, Matrixyl 3000 product information, November 24, 2021, and Matrixyl 3000 technical sheet, January 2004. Sederma, Matrixyl synthe'6 product information file and technical presentation. Cosmetic Ingredient Review, Safety Assessment of Tripeptide-1, Hexapeptide-12, their Metal Salts and Fatty Acyl Derivatives, and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 as Used in Cosmetics, 2014. Lintner K. et al., Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2020;19(12):3262-3269. Sanz M.T. et al., Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2016;15(1):24-30. pH, processing notes and product details come from the IngredientOS product cards.
Frequently asked questions
Is Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 the same as Matrixyl 3000?
No. Matrixyl 3000 contains Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 and Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7. Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 is a different single peptide, sold in its original grade as Matrixyl synthe'6. They share the matrikine idea and the palmitoyl tail, not the INCI.
Which is stronger, 2 percent Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 or 3 percent Matrixyl 3000?
At the recommended levels the finished products carry about the same amount of peptide, roughly 4.5 ppm for the 3000 pair and 4 to 5.4 ppm for tripeptide-38. Supplier data exist for both, but there is no independent head-to-head study, so neither can be called stronger.
Can I use Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 and Matrixyl 3000 together?
Yes. Both are water-phase ingredients with no documented conflict, and multi-peptide serums often use each at its own level, added to the cooled base at about pH 5.5. Check clarity and run stability tests on the finished formula.
How do I dose a generic Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 liquid?
Use the peptide content on the CoA. To match about 5 ppm in the finished product, a 250 ppm solution goes in at about 2 percent and a 100 ppm solution at about 5 percent. Our Palmitoyl Tripeptide-38 card lists the published 2 to 4 percent range for standard solutions.
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