Expression-line appearance
A small supplier comparison reported smoother skin and wrinkle changes after a month of cream use. The evidence is a commercial technical brochure, not an independently published trial. [1]
TOPICAL PEPTIDE / FORMULA-SPECIFIC EVIDENCE
Syn-Ake.
Expression lines.
Clearer expectations.
Small supplier studies suggest cosmetic wrinkle effects. Published combination research is encouraging, but it cannot tell us what Syn-Ake alone will do.
Explore the evidenceFocused research review. Ingredient findings are not finished-product clinical proof.
RESEARCH / EVIDENCE
Promising cosmetic signals. A limited evidence base.
More than one active
Published serum research combines a related ingredient description with other peptides, niacinamide, exfoliating acids and, in some studies, botulinum toxin injections. It cannot isolate Syn-Ake. [3][4]
A mechanism, not a facelift
Molecular docking and cell-based safety tests help investigate biological activity. They do not measure visible facial improvement, long-term tolerability or the effect of a consumer cream. [5]
RESEARCH / IDENTITY
A trade ingredient is not pure peptide.
SYN-AKE® is the supplier trade name. The cosmetic ingredient name for the active is Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate.
The supplier describes a synthetic peptide inspired by waglerin-1 from temple-viper venom. It is not snake venom and it is not botulinum toxin. The supplied ingredient is a glycerin-based aqueous solution containing the peptide, not necessarily undiluted peptide powder. [2]
Not “topical Botox.”
A laboratory receptor mechanism does not demonstrate the same delivery, potency, clinical effect or duration as an injected prescription neurotoxin. No head-to-head equivalence trial was established in this review.
Why a bottle milligram claim cannot be matched to “4% SYN-AKE”
The Neurogan description names 1,000 mg Syn-Ake in 50 mL. It does not resolve whether that mass means supplier solution or pure active. The supplier trials describe a 4% trade-ingredient cream. These are not automatically comparable measures. Concentration of the active peptide, formulation stability and skin delivery would all need confirmation. No pure-peptide percentage is calculated here.
RESEARCH / SUPPLIER-RESULTS
What the supplier actually reported.
The older brochure describes a placebo comparison with 15 volunteers per group, ages 40–60. A 4% SYN-AKE cream was applied to the forehead twice daily for 28 days. This is a description of the experiment, not a recommended regimen. [1]
People with a measurable change, as reported by the supplier
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The brochure also uses “up to 52% wrinkle reduction.” “Up to” is not the average effect. It cannot be presented as what a typical user should expect. The brochure includes surface-roughness plots but does not provide enough statistical detail for an independently audited treatment-effect estimate.
Methods, missing information and a newer supplier test
The brochure does not fully report randomization, allocation concealment, dropout handling, adverse-event ascertainment or confidence intervals. A later supplier web page describes a “Mothers & Daughters” study of 100 volunteers in four groups of 25 over four weeks. These are supplier reports; their participants should not be combined into a pooled estimate. No independently replicated benefit size is established. [2]
RESEARCH / COMBINATION
Published does not mean peptide-alone proof.
2026: split-face serum study around injections
A randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study enrolled 40 people; 36 completed. One side of the face received the multi-active PTiOX serum and the other vehicle. Treatment began two weeks before botulinum toxin injections and continued for eight weeks afterward. The publication reports better wrinkle and skin-quality assessments with the serum. [3]
The whole regimen was tested. The paper names 2% “dipeptide diaminobutryoyl,” 2% acetyl hexapeptide-8, 5% niacinamide, 5% PHA and 1% laminaria extract. The abbreviated peptide name is not full raw-material identity verification. Neither a Syn-Ake-only effect nor equivalence to the Neurogan cream follows.
Source limits, conflicts and the earlier case series
The full-text extraction identifies SkinCeuticals funding and L’Oréal employee authors. Eight weeks after injection is too short to establish extension of toxin durability. The 2024 report describes real-world combined use by five dermatologists and two surgeons, not a randomized Syn-Ake monotherapy comparison. Its favorable clinical descriptions cannot separate the serum ingredients from injections or routine skincare. [4]
The 2026 publication reports paired t-tests and excludes measurements outside a four-day visit window. It does not clearly supply the endpoint-specific analyzed denominator or numerical confidence intervals for the plotted percentages. Forty people enrolled and 36 completed; these counts are not two independent treatment groups. The cosmetic score changes below must not be presented as a Syn-Ake-only effect.
RESEARCH / COMBINATION-RESULTS
A measurable adjunctive result, not Syn-Ake alone.
Crow’s-feet score improvement from baseline at week 8
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The large improvement on the vehicle side makes the central limitation visible: injections and shared skincare contributed to the overall result. The difference between sides concerns the entire multi-active serum, not one peptide.
RESEARCH / NMN
The NMN in this cream needs its own evidence.
The catalog description explicitly lists NMN and panthenol in Syn-Ake Peptide Face Cream. NMN is nicotinamide mononucleotide, a precursor in NAD metabolism. It is not niacinamide, NAD+ or Syn-Ake. [6]
Mostly preclinical here
A study of chemically induced dermatitis-like symptoms in mice investigated NMN and inflammatory signaling. That does not establish treatment of human eczema or smoother skin from this cream. [7]
Not living human skin
A newer study tests NMN in an artificial skin-mimicking membrane. Permeation in that model is not proof of effective delivery or benefit in people. [8]
A different route
Oral NMN studies cannot establish the effect of NMN applied to the face. The amount of NMN in the catalog cream is not specified, and no matching finished-formula clinical trial was located.
Panthenol has its own human hydration and barrier research, but its presence does not prove the peptide contribution. Read the panthenol review.
RESEARCH / SAFETY
Set expectations before adding another active.
Patch test a small area according to the product label, avoid eyes and mucous membranes, and stop if persistent burning, rash or swelling develops. Seek urgent care for severe swelling or breathing difficulty. Sensitive or diseased skin, pregnancy and breastfeeding warrant individualized advice because finished-formula safety data are not established here.
Cell viability and bacterial mutation tests in the Syn-Ake laboratory paper do not certify a “safe dose” for all people. They also do not establish long-term safety of layering several actives. A cream is not a substitute for sun protection or medical care. [5]
Related evidence: topical GHK-Cu · AHK-Cu · why route matters.
THE TAKEAWAY
Interesting ingredient.
No shortcut to proof.
Follow the formulation, the route and the comparison actually tested. A plausible mechanism is a reason to study a product, not proof that it works.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING
Read what each finding rests on.
This is a focused review, not a systematic review. Source types and access limits are identified below. Reviewed September 10, 2026.
SYN-AKE supplier technical brochure
Commercial technical report. Human comparison and reported responder percentages; not independent peer-reviewed clinical confirmation.
Read source 1 ↗SYN-AKE product and ingredient information
Supplier identity, aqueous/glycerin formulation and newer four-group study description.
Read source 2 ↗Lupin et al. Neuropeptide serum around botulinum toxin, 2026
Primary split-face combination trial. Full text recovered via PubMed Central (PMC13265011); Figure 1 and Results anchor the chart. Forty enrolled, 36 completed. Industry supported.
Read source 3 ↗Real-world neuro-peptide serum + botulinum toxin, 2024
Primary abstract. Multi-active serum and injections; no isolated ingredient comparison.
Read source 4 ↗Gok et al. Syn-Ake computational and laboratory tests
J Biomol Struct Dyn, 2024; online 2023. Primary abstract. In silico/in vitro, not a human cosmetic efficacy trial.
Read source 5 ↗Syn-Ake Peptide Face Cream: current product description
Product mapping, not clinical evidence. Catalog explicitly names Syn-Ake, NMN and panthenol; active-peptide and coactive amounts unresolved.
Read source 6 ↗Gao et al. NMN in a mouse dermatitis model
International Immunopharmacology, 2022;109:108812. Preclinical research, not human eczema or anti-wrinkle evidence.
Read source 7 ↗NMN permeation in an artificial membrane
Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. Primary publication description. Artificial Strat-M membrane experiment, not a consumer clinical trial.
Read source 8 ↗