Skin, hair and healthspan
Longevity Peptides
Longevity peptides are a broad marketing category. For now, this database keeps the category narrow and evidence-first, starting with GHK-Cu and its skin, hair and tissue-remodeling literature.
- Peptides covered
- 10
- Highest evidence
- 2/5
- Approved entries
- 0
How to compare this category
Use this page to separate cosmetic ingredient evidence, ex vivo hair-follicle findings and broader anti-aging claims.
- Separate topical cosmetic evidence from systemic anti-aging claims.
- Look for finished-product human outcomes, not only ingredient-level mechanisms.
- Treat broad longevity language as a hypothesis unless the endpoint was actually studied.
Evidence scale
Scores rate evidence quality for the listed research context. They are not recommendations, prescriptions or a safety ranking.
- Evidence 1/5
- Mechanistic rationale only; no meaningful outcome evidence.
- Evidence 2/5
- Mostly animal, ex vivo, cell, or indirect evidence.
- Evidence 3/5
- Limited human pharmacology or small clinical evidence.
- Evidence 4/5
- Investigational compound with human randomized or phase 2/3 evidence.
- Evidence 5/5
- Approved medication with substantial human clinical evidence.
| Peptide | Status | Evidence | Best for | Half-life | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GHK-Cu Copper peptide complex | Research only | 2/5 Ingredient-level hair evidence | Copper peptide skin and hair research context Ingredient-level and ex vivo evidence; limited finished-product human trials | Hours | |
| Humanin Mitochondrial-derived peptide (cytoprotective/anti-apoptotic signaling peptide) | Research only | 2/5 Preclinical and observational only; no human therapeutic trials | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not formally characterized in humans; native humanin is reported to clear rapidly, and engineered analogs such as HNG were developed for greater stability and potency. | |
| Thymalin Thymic peptide bioregulator (immunomodulator / polypeptide extract) | Research only | 2/5 Limited / low-quality human evidence dominated by a single research lineage | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not well characterized; short peptide complex with a presumed short plasma half-life (dosing relies on repeated daily courses). | |
| Thymogen Synthetic thymic-peptide immunomodulator (peptide bioregulator) | Research only | 2/5 Limited / preliminary | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not well characterized; as a small dipeptide it is expected to be rapidly hydrolyzed by serum and tissue peptidases (order of minutes). No reliable published human PK. | |
| Vesugen Short-peptide bioregulator (synthetic tripeptide) | Research only | 2/5 Preclinical with very limited human evidence | General category comparison See detail page for context. | No published human pharmacokinetic data; as an ultrashort tripeptide it is expected to clear from plasma within minutes. | |
| Vilon Synthetic dipeptide bioregulator (research-only peptide immunomodulator/geroprotector) | Research only | 2/5 Preclinical / early | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not formally characterized in humans; as an ultra-short dipeptide, plasma half-life is expected to be very short (on the order of minutes) | |
| Pinealon Synthetic short-peptide bioregulator (tripeptide) | Research only | 2/5 Preliminary / Limited | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not formally characterized in humans; as an ultrashort peptide it is expected to clear from plasma rapidly (minutes). | |
| Thymulin Zinc-dependent thymic peptide hormone (immunomodulatory nonapeptide) | Research only | 2/5 preclinical / observational (research-only) | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not established in humans; the native peptide is cleared rapidly from circulation, which motivated stabilized analogs and gene-therapy delivery approaches. | |
| Tuftsin Immunomodulatory phagocytosis-stimulating tetrapeptide | Research only | 2/5 Preclinical / mechanistic | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Very short; the native tetrapeptide is rapidly degraded by aminopeptidases (minutes or less). | |
| Colivelin Synthetic neuroprotective hybrid peptide (ADNF + Humanin derivative) | Research only | 2/5 Preclinical only | General category comparison See detail page for context. | Not established in humans; expected to be short as an unmodified peptide. |
Longevity peptide cards
GHK-Cu
Copper tripeptide-1
Copper peptide skin and hair research context
Ingredient-level and ex vivo evidence; limited finished-product human trials
Humanin
HN, MTRNR2
Humanin is a 24-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide that limits stress-induced apoptosis by binding pro-apoptotic proteins (BAX, Bid/Bim) and IGFBP-3 intracellularly and by signaling extracellularly through FPR2/FPRL1 and the CNTFR/WSX-1/gp130 complex to activate JAK2/STAT3, ERK1/2 and AKT survival pathways.
Mitochondrial-derived peptide (cytoprotective/anti-apoptotic signaling peptide)
Thymalin
thymus polypeptide fraction
Thymalin is a calf-thymus polypeptide complex proposed to act as an immunomodulator that promotes T-lymphocyte differentiation and maturation and normalizes cytokine and immune-cell balance, though its precise molecular receptor or target remains undefined.
Thymic peptide bioregulator (immunomodulator / polypeptide extract)
Thymogen
Glutamyl-Tryptophan, gamma-glutamyl-tryptophan
Thymogen is a synthetic L-glutamyl-L-tryptophan dipeptide that acts as a thymic-peptide immunomodulator, promoting T-lymphocyte differentiation and peptide-MHC recognition, shifting IL-2 and interferon cytokine output, and enhancing neutrophil chemotaxis and phagocytosis.
Synthetic thymic-peptide immunomodulator (peptide bioregulator)
Vesugen
Lys-Glu-Asp tripeptide
Vesugen (Lys-Glu-Asp) is proposed to enter the cell nucleus and bind DNA and histones in gene promoter regions, modulating expression of vascular, senescence and neurogenesis genes rather than acting as a classical receptor agonist.
Short-peptide bioregulator (synthetic tripeptide)
Vilon
Lys-Glu dipeptide
Vilon is a synthetic Lys-Glu dipeptide proposed to enter cells, bind sequence-specific sites in gene-promoter DNA and remodel chromatin, thereby modulating expression of immune- and proliferation-related genes, an effect shown mainly in rodent and cell-culture models.
Synthetic dipeptide bioregulator (research-only peptide immunomodulator/geroprotector)
Pinealon
Glu-Asp-Arg tripeptide
Pinealon is proposed to penetrate cells and the blood-brain barrier and bind directly to DNA promoter regions and histone proteins, shifting expression of antioxidant and neuroprotective genes rather than acting through a classical membrane receptor.
Synthetic short-peptide bioregulator (tripeptide)
Thymulin
FTS, facteur thymique serique, zinc-thymulin
Thymulin is a thymic nonapeptide that becomes biologically active only when bound to zinc, after which it promotes T-cell differentiation, modulates cytokines, and participates in two-way neuroendocrine signaling.
Zinc-dependent thymic peptide hormone (immunomodulatory nonapeptide)
Tuftsin
TKPR tetrapeptide
Tuftsin, a tetrapeptide cleaved from the Fc region of IgG, binds the receptor neuropilin-1 and signals through the transforming growth factor beta pathway to stimulate phagocytosis and related innate immune cell functions.
Immunomodulatory phagocytosis-stimulating tetrapeptide
Colivelin
ADNF-Humanin hybrid
Colivelin simultaneously activates an ADNF-mediated CaMKIV pathway and a Humanin-mediated JAK2/STAT3 pathway to suppress neuronal death in cell and rodent models.
Synthetic neuroprotective hybrid peptide (ADNF + Humanin derivative)
Longevity guides
Read the strongest related guides for this category before drilling into a single database entry.
FAQ
What is the main longevity peptide in this database?
GHK-Cu is the main longevity-category peptide currently covered, mostly for skin remodeling, hair-related research and copper peptide biology.
Does GHK-Cu prove anti-aging effects in humans?
No. GHK-Cu has interesting ingredient-level and mechanistic evidence, but broad human anti-aging claims need stronger finished-product clinical data.
Why is the longevity peptide category narrow?
The category is intentionally narrow to avoid mixing marketing claims with evidence. More compounds should be added only when there is enough research context to compare them fairly.
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