Snap-8 is a synthetic eight-residue peptide, Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asp-NH2, sold to cosmetic science as acetyl octapeptide-3. It is the hexapeptide Argireline extended by two residues, alanine and aspartic acid, and both are modelled on the N-terminal end of SNAP-25, a protein of the SNARE complex that nerve endings use to release their signal.
This reference collects what a laboratory needs to know about Snap-8 as a material: how its eight residues behave in the vial, what it dissolves in, how it is handled at the bench and what to do when an order arrives. Each section below has its own page.
Molecular reference
| Name | Snap-8 |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Acetyl octapeptide-3, acetyl glutamyl heptapeptide-3, SNAP8 |
| Sequence | Ac-Glu-Glu-Met-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Asp-NH2 (Ac-EEMQRRAD-NH2; acetylated N-terminus, C-terminal amide) |
| Residues | 8 |
| Molecular formula | C41H70N16O16S |
| Molecular weight | 1075.2 g/mol |
| CAS number | 868844-74-0 |
Formula, molecular weight, CAS number and synonyms are from PubChem (CID 76283482). The sequence, formula and weight match the Cayman Chemical product information sheet for acetyl octapeptide-3 (item 27260).
Three features of that sequence explain most of its behaviour. It carries one methionine, at position 3, and methionine is one of the residues most open to oxidation (Li et al., Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 1995); in Argireline, which shares that methionine, analysts found an oxidised form of the peptide in several commercial cosmetics (Kluczyk et al., Chemistry and Biodiversity, 2021). It carries a glutamine at position 4 and an aspartic acid at position 8, the two residues that can change slowly in water by deamidation and isomerisation. And both ends are capped: the acetyl group on the first glutamic acid and the amide at the C-terminus remove the free ends that some peptides lose first. Light, air and warmth are therefore the things to manage.
What it is studied for
Snap-8 belongs to the neurotransmitter-inhibitor group of cosmetic peptides. Its parent, Argireline (Ac-EEMQRR-NH2), came out of a rational design programme aimed at the SNARE complex: in the laboratory it inhibited neurotransmitter release by interfering with the formation or stability of that complex, with much lower efficacy than botulinum neurotoxin A, and in healthy volunteers an emulsion containing it reduced wrinkle depth by up to 30% over 30 days (Blanes-Mira et al., International Journal of Cosmetic Science, 2002). A randomised, placebo-controlled study of Argireline in 60 subjects reported a total anti-wrinkle efficacy of 48.9% against 0% for placebo on peri-orbital lines (Wang et al., American Journal of Clinical Dermatology, 2013).
For Snap-8 itself, a 2020 review describes it as a mimic of SNAP-25 that acts as a competitive inhibitor of SNARE complex formation. In a laboratory assay it inhibited glutamate release by 43%, and the manufacturer’s own data report a mean wrinkle reduction of 35% with a maximum of 62%; the review is clear that these figures come from the manufacturer (Errante et al., Frontiers in Chemistry, 2020). Independent work has used it as one ingredient in a formulation: a 28-day comparative study in 24 healthy subjects tested a dissolving microneedle patch containing acetyl octapeptide-3 with two other actives against a plain hyaluronic acid patch (Shin et al., Annals of Dermatology, 2024). No independent trial of Snap-8 on its own has been published that we could find.
Our summaries are in what is Snap-8 and Snap-8 research: what the skin studies show.
Stability
Snap-8 has no cysteine, tryptophan, tyrosine or asparagine, so several common weak points are absent. Its slow route in solution is oxidation of the methionine, with glutamine deamidation and aspartate isomerisation running more slowly behind it. The Snap-8 stability page covers those routes, the supplier’s one-day line, freeze-thaw, light and what visible changes mean.
Solubility
Snap-8 is a very polar peptide with two arginines and three acidic side chains, and the supplier lists about 10 mg/mL in buffer at pH 7.2, so it dissolves in bacteriostatic water without any acid. The Snap-8 solubility guide explains why, which concentrations dissolve cleanly and what causes haze.
Handling
Bench practice for Snap-8 is mostly about keeping the solution cold, dark, sealed and labelled, and keeping air out of it. The Snap-8 handling page lists the steps and the common mistakes.
On arrival
What a sealed vial should look like, why it travels without an ice pack and where it goes first are on the Snap-8 on-arrival page.
Storage and reconstitution
Fridge and freezer windows, before and after mixing, are on how long Snap-8 lasts. Water volumes and the concentration table for a 10 mg vial are on how much bacteriostatic water for a Snap-8 10 mg vial.
FAQ
Short answers to the questions researchers ask most about storing, mixing and handling Snap-8 are on the Snap-8 FAQ.
Where to get it
Vistara Labs supplies Snap-8 10 mg as a lyophilised vial for laboratory research, shipped within Canada by Canada Post Xpresspost. More detail on sourcing is in Buy Snap-8 in Canada, and certificates are on our lab reports page. For the copper peptide that is often studied alongside it in skin research, see the GHK-Cu research reference.
All products supplied by Vistara Labs are intended for laboratory research use only. They are not drugs, are not approved for human or veterinary use, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition. Nothing on this page constitutes medical advice or guidance for use in humans.
