Vialox (Pentapeptide-3V): cosmetic anti-wrinkle peptide inspired by viper venom
A synthetic skin-care peptide that mimics a component of snake venom to relax facial muscles and reduce wrinkle depth; used only as a cosmetic ingredient, not an approved drug.
A researcher, an agent, or an algorithm wrote down the sequence and picked a target to hit.
An AI model like OpenFold3 or AlphaFold built a 3D structure and scored how well it fits the binding site.
A second contributor repeated the computation on their own hardware and the scores matched.
A chemistry service or a researcher ordered the sequence, it was manufactured, and mass spectrometry confirmed the right molecule was produced.
A binding or activity measurement confirmed that it actually does what the computer predicted — or didn't.
Snapshot
Class: Synthetic cosmeceutical pentapeptide; nAChR competitive antagonist
Evidence tier: In vitro / assay evidence
Status: Cosmetic ingredient (INCI-listed); not approved as a drug in any jurisdiction
Best-supported effect: In vitro reduction of muscle contraction in isolated preparations; manufacturer-sponsored uncontrolled cosmetic study reporting wrinkle-depth reduction after 28 days of topical application
Main caveat: Efficacy claims rest entirely on manufacturer-associated studies not independently replicated in peer-reviewed trials; whether the peptide reaches nAChRs in facial musculature at meaningful concentrations from topical application is unresolved
What this is
Vialox (trade name; INCI: Pentapeptide-3; sequence H-Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala-NH₂) is a fully synthetic five-amino-acid peptide developed by Pentapharm (now dsm-firmenich) in the early 2000s as a topical cosmeceutical active for expression wrinkles. It was designed as a truncated fragment inspired by waglerin-1, a 22-amino-acid peptide from the venom of the Temple Pit Viper (Tropidolaemus wagleri), which acts as a competitive antagonist at the muscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). Vialox contains no animal-derived material and no actual venom; the snake-venom framing describes biomimetic design inspiration only. It is sold as an ingredient in finished cosmetic serums and creams; no prescription is required. Clinical evidence is limited to manufacturer-associated testing, and independent peer-reviewed replication of efficacy claims has not been identified in available literature.
Evidence map
| Evidence layer | Grade | What it supports |
|---|---|---|
| Human | Weak / manufacturer-only | Uncontrolled manufacturer-sponsored 28-day cosmetic study (women aged 30–60, twice-daily topical application) reporting 49% wrinkle-depth reduction and 47% skin-roughness reduction; no independent peer-reviewed replication identified |
| Animal | None identified | No dedicated animal in vivo data identified |
| In vitro | Moderate | Isolated muscle preparation assays showing 71% contraction reduction at 1 minute and 58% at 2 hours; parent peptide waglerin-1 is well-characterized for nAChR competitive antagonism |
| Computational | None identified | No docking or structure prediction data identified |
| Mechanism | Plausible | nAChR competitive antagonism at the α/ε subunit interface is established for waglerin-1; translation to the truncated synthetic pentapeptide applied topically to intact human skin is the central unresolved question |
Replication caveat: All efficacy data traces to Pentapharm/DSM-associated studies or manufacturer technical data sheets. No independently funded peer-reviewed replication of the headline efficacy figures has been identified. The parent peptide waglerin-1 shows approximately 100-fold species selectivity favoring mouse over human nAChR, which further complicates interpretation of in vitro receptor data in the human context.
Claim check
| Claim | Verdict | Evidence layer | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topical application reduces expression-wrinkle depth over 28 days | Weak / preliminary | In vivo cosmetic study (manufacturer-sponsored, uncontrolled) | Low — single manufacturer study; no independent replication |
| In vitro reduction of muscle contraction via nAChR competitive antagonism | Supported (in vitro) | In vitro | Medium — mechanism is established for the parent peptide; direct data for the pentapeptide fragment reported by manufacturer |
| Comparable efficacy to botulinum toxin injection ("natural Botox") | Contradicted / not established | None | High — injectable botulinum toxin cleaves SNARE proteins and produces 50–80% wrinkle reduction within days; mechanism, magnitude, and route of delivery are not comparable |
| Peptide reaches nAChRs in facial musculature from topical application | Not established | None | High — skin penetration through the stratum corneum to neuromuscular junctions is the central unresolved question; no quantification data attached |
| Stacking Vialox with Syn-Ake produces additive benefit | Not established | None | Medium — both target the same postsynaptic nAChR site; redundant occupancy is at least as plausible as additive effect |
Assay conditions
This section reports conditions used in in vitro and manufacturer in vivo testing. It does not establish human clinical efficacy or any administered exposure.
| Context | System | Condition | Timepoint | Endpoint | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In vitro muscle contraction assay | Isolated muscle preparation | Peptide-treated preparation (concentration not specified in source) | 1 minute and 2 hours | % reduction in muscle contraction | Isolated tissue; not a human skin penetration model; concentration at the target receptor is unknown |
| Manufacturer in vivo cosmetic study | Women aged 30–60, twice-daily topical application | Cosmetic formulation containing Vialox | 28 days | Wrinkle depth and skin roughness (imaging) | Uncontrolled, manufacturer-sponsored, not independently replicated; formulation concentration not reported in source |
Assay limitations
- All in vitro contraction data and in vivo cosmetic data traces to Pentapharm/DSM-associated sources; no independent peer-reviewed replication of the efficacy figures has been identified in the available literature.
- The in vitro assay system measures contraction in isolated muscle preparations. This does not model the skin penetration barrier that a topically applied peptide must cross to reach neuromuscular junctions in intact facial musculature.
- Waglerin-1, the parent molecule, shows approximately 100-fold species selectivity favoring mouse over human nAChR. Research this may affect translation of in vitro receptor-binding data to human outcomes, and it is not established whether the truncated pentapeptide fragment retains, loses, or modifies this species bias.
- The 28-day manufacturer cosmetic study is uncontrolled with no placebo or comparator arm. Vehicle effects, moisturization, and film-forming components in the cosmetic formulation cannot be separated from peptide activity in this study design.
- Concentration of Vialox at the target receptor in vivo has not been quantified in any source identified.
- Long-term effects of continued topical application have not been studied.
Regulatory status
| Region / body | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| US | Cosmetic ingredient | INCI-listed as Pentapeptide-3; regulated under FDA cosmetic law, not as a drug; over-the-counter sale in finished cosmetic products is permitted; no drug approval for any indication |
| EU | Cosmetic ingredient | Listed in the CosIng cosmetic ingredient database; Per available sources, no safety concerns raised at typical formulation concentrations |
| UK, Canada, Australia, Japan | Cosmetic ingredient | Per available sources, permitted across these markets as a cosmetic ingredient |
| WADA | Not listed as prohibited | Per available sources, Vialox is not on the WADA Prohibited List; topical cosmeceuticals are not a recognized doping concern |
Regulatory status is per available sources from the available literature; it has not been independently verified against current official regulatory lists in this card-writing pass.
Mechanism
Vialox acts as a reversible competitive antagonist at the α/ε subunit interface of the adult-type muscular nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR). By occupying the acetylcholine binding site on the postsynaptic membrane, Vialox is proposed to prevent sodium channel opening, block membrane depolarization, and inhibit muscle contraction — the same mechanism as the parent venom peptide waglerin-1, but in truncated synthetic form.
The mechanistic basis is well-established for waglerin-1. For the synthetic pentapeptide fragment (H-Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala-NH₂), the in vitro muscle contraction data is consistent with nAChR competitive antagonism, but the critical uncertainty is whether topical application delivers sufficient peptide concentration to facial neuromuscular junctions through intact stratum corneum to produce meaningful receptor occupancy in practice. This skin-penetration question separates in vitro receptor activity from in vivo topical efficacy, and it has not been resolved by the sources identified.
This postsynaptic mechanism is mechanistically distinct from the presynaptic approach used by Argireline and SNAP-8, which inhibit SNARE-complex assembly to prevent acetylcholine release. Vialox and Syn-Ake share the same postsynaptic nAChR target, making their combination mechanistically redundant rather than complementary. Combining a postsynaptic blocker with a presynaptic inhibitor targets different nodes of the neuromuscular cascade, though clinical evidence that multi-peptide formulations outperform single well-formulated actives is not present in the available literature.
Chemistry
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Common name | Vialox; Pentapeptide-3; Pentapeptide-3V |
| INCI name | Pentapeptide-3 |
| Sequence (single-letter) | GPRPA |
| Full sequence | H-Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala-NH₂ |
| Length | 5 amino acids |
| Topology | Linear |
| C-terminus | Amidated (NH₂) |
| Molecular weight | Not reported in source |
| Parent inspiration | Waglerin-1 (22-amino-acid venom peptide from Tropidolaemus wagleri) |
| Source | Fully synthetic; no animal-derived material |
| Sequence confidence | Consistent across source; verified as GPRPA |
Open questions
- Skin penetration quantification: Whether Vialox reaches the nAChRs at neuromuscular junctions in facial musculature at pharmacologically meaningful concentrations from topical application remains uncharacterized. This is the single most consequential gap between in vitro receptor activity data and in vivo cosmetic claims.
- Independent replication: The 49% wrinkle-depth reduction figure comes exclusively from manufacturer-associated studies. Independent peer-reviewed replication has not been identified. Whether independent studies reproduce the magnitude or the direction of effect is unknown.
- Species-selectivity translation: Waglerin-1 shows approximately 100-fold selectivity for mouse over human nAChR. Whether the truncated pentapeptide fragment retains, reverses, or reduces this species bias at human receptors has not been characterized.
- Concentration-response at formulation concentrations: The in vitro assay data does not report the concentration used, and the relationship between typical cosmeceutical formulation concentrations (0.05–0.3%) and the concentration required for receptor occupancy in vivo is not established.
- Long-term safety and efficacy: All published work spans 28-day windows. Multi-month and multi-year continuous use has not been studied as a distinct safety or efficacy question; the effects of prolonged topical nAChR antagonism on facial muscle function are unknown.
- Synergy vs redundancy with Syn-Ake: Both Vialox and Syn-Ake target the postsynaptic nAChR. Whether combining them produces additive receptor occupancy or simply redundancy has not been studied in controlled conditions.
▸3-letter notation
▸citationbibtex
@peptide{pep10951,
sequence = {GPRPA},
target = {},
author = {peptidemodel},
year = {2026},
status = {designed}
}