PAL-GHK

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide (Pal-GHK), one of the two active ingredients in Matrixyl 3000, consists of a short chain of three amino acids (also known as GHK peptide or Glycine-Histidine-Lysine) linked to palmitic acid, a fatty acid, which is added to increase the peptide’s oil-solubility and thus its permeability to the skin.

The peptide GHK is a fragment of the type I collagen molecule and is considered a biological indicator of increased skin matrix degradation. In fact, when collagen is degraded, more small fragments, including GHK, are produced in the body, and GHK is thought to stimulate feedback loops that trigger the synthesis of new collagen and other components of the skin matrix.

When the major skin matrix-producing cells (fibroblasts) detect elevated levels of GHK, they “assume” that the skin matrix is being lost at a higher rate and begin to synthesize it more aggressively.

For this reason, Pal-GHK (a version of GHK designed to better penetrate the skin) is designed to stimulate replenishment of the skin matrix through topical application, resulting in wrinkle reduction, skin tightening and other benefits.

Palmitoyl Oligopeptide (also known as Palmitoyl Pentapeptide, Dermaxyl, Matrixyl, and Matrixyl 3000) is an engineered amino peptide that, when added to cultures of fibroblasts (key skin cells), stimulates the production of collagen, elastin, and glucosaminoglycans. These are key components of healthy looking skin.

Clinically proven to reduce wrinkle depth by increasing the production of hyaluronic acid and collagen, Palmitoyl Oligopeptides (PO) are synthetic proteins that are fragments of collagen bound to palmitic acid, giving them greater lipophilicity, which improves their stability and enhances their affinity for human skin. As with Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-3 (Palmitoyl Pentapeptide 3), one can think of PO as a man-made precursor to collagen.