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SYN-AKE® Peptide

Does the SYN-AKE® Peptide Live Up to Its Promise?

Is SYN-AKE® Snake Oil?
SYN-AKE®: the New Peptide Modeled after the Venom of the Temple Viper

The Research

I’ve been looking into the research and development of SYN-AKE and truthfully, I’m coming up with more questions than answers.

According to Pentapharm, the manufacturer of SYN-AKE, the compound is a synthetic tripeptide which mimics the action of a “neuromuscular blocking compound of the venom of the Temple Viper.” First we had Botox, now we have snake venom?!

While the actual venom paralyzes, this peptide copies only the component which relaxes the muscles (Waglerin 1). Pentapharm postulates that it acts similarly to Argireline by interfering with the transmission of nerve signals to the muscles directing them to contract. However, the company’s research indicates that SYN-AKE is significantly more powerful than Argireline.

Pentapharm conducted a clinical trial with 45 subjects for 28 days with twice daily application. That’s a small study, but enough for statistical significance. One-third of the subjects used SYN-AKE, one-third Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 (Argireline) and one-third a placebo.

The results were measured using PRIMOS®, which is a technique of computerizing topographical maps of the skin so that the hills and valleys can be mathematically measured and compared.

Pentapharm presented its results using two measures: skin roughness and wrinkle depth. The first refers to the sum total of all wrinkle depths over a given area as a measure of skin smoothness. The second is a measure of individual wrinkle depths.

The average smoothing for each group of fifteen subjects was 21% for SYN-AKE vs. 4% for Argireline. The average reduction in wrinkle depth was 20% for SYN-AKE vs. 2% for Argireline.

This all sounds quite wonderful. Read on to find out why I have more questions than answers about SYN-AKE.

Question 1: Who is Pentapharm and Can It Be Trusted?

Pentapharm is a fifty-year old pharmaceutical company based in Switzerland. It specializes in research and development and the production of active ingredients for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In the company’s words, they use “the most modern methods and procedures in research and production [which] comply fully with ISO 9001 quality assurance standards and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).”

My only reservations regarding Pentapharm’s reported study on SYN-AKE are that it was quite small and that it has not been peer-reviewed or replicated by independent labs.

This is not Pentapharm’s fault and is a problem for the entire cosmeceutical industry and the consumers of cosmeceutical products. Independent labs simply do not have funding for such cosmetic research.

Question 2: Are SYN-AKE Skin Care Products Safe to Use Underneath the Eyes?

Skinutrition has this comment regarding its Wrinkle Relaxer Serum with SYN-AKE: “While this product is useful for crow’s feet it should not be used directly below the eye because relaxing this area may cause sagging.”

In my opinion, this statement is some of the marketing hype you need to cut through.

It is not supported by Pentapharm research. In fact the company’s study results close with the following safety statement: “Standard and well-defined safety testing has been performed on SYN-AKE which has proved the product to be safe for cosmetic use.”

There is no caution against using it on the eye area.

Question 3: Can You Trust the Marketing Hype on SYN-AKE?

In my opinion, the short answer is no!

I gave one example above. There is no reason not to use SYN-AKE around the eye area. It is a non-irritating peptide dissolved in water and glycerin.

[Do check the rest of a product’s ingredients though. There may be others that would irritate, like denatured alcohol.]

The point is, take what you read with a grain of salt. Marketers can and do make up information or make factual errors. No one is perfect.

Question 4: What Are They Saying on the Forums and Can Forums Be Trusted?

Again, in my opinion, the short answer is no.

I’ve learned to be skeptical about what I read on forums.

[Read my article on Evaluating Product Information.]

Essential Day Spa has a thread going about SYN®-AKE. One of the contributors claims he is an Associate Professor of Dermatology, Biochemistry and Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering and is on the forum to gather data for a report.

He gives a totally different explanation for how SYN-AKE might work to reverse skin aging. Research done in Italy suggests that SYN-AKE inhibits out-of-control inflammation; not that it immobilizes facial muscles.

“…If we where able to relax muscles by applying topical preparations we would have potent biological weapons. All anti-aging skincare is designed around anti-inflammation, as inflammation is considered to be the prime suspect in aging.”

If this gentleman is who he says he is and is correct, I am still swayed by the Pentapharm study. I don’t really care how SYN-AKE works. I only care that it does. In my opinion, it is even better if SYN®-AKE works by controlling inflammation rather than like a toxin.

I had Peter Thomas Roth Un-wrinkle rated #2 on my top ten list of Skin Care Picks, not because it contains SYN-AKE, but because of all its other anti-aging peptides.

After all this research into SYN-AKE, I’m bumping it up to #1.

Is Inflammation Really the Foe?

The statement that “inflammation is considered to be the prime suspect in aging” made by the Associate Professor on the Essential Day Spa forum raises his credibility in my mind.

This is indeed a prominent theory of skin aging. Dr. Nicholas Perricone put it into layman’s terms in his best-selling books, The Wrinkle Cure and The Perricone Prescription. Dr. Perricone calls it the Inflammation-Disease-
Aging Connection.

In our younger years, the inflammatory response is a good thing. It is the body’s way of walling off an injured area and preventing spread of infection. When its work is done, hormones shut off the inflammation.

However, as hormone levels decline with age, inflammation runs rampant. Older, hormone-depleted skin takes longer to heal and eventually doesn’t completely heal at all.

I find it very interesting that once you understand how skin care anti-aging ingredients function, you begin to realize that we are not just talking cosmetics and vanity, but that many such treatments can actually result in a better quality of life.

The list of skin anti-aging peptides is growing so rapidly that it is hard to keep track of them. To me, the most exciting yet are the tripeptides, of which SYN-AKE is just one example.

Whether SYN-AKE is “just” a topical anti-inflammatory or an ingredient that mimics the action of Botox, I am quite impressed by Pentapharm’s clinical study.

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This article is for information only. It does not purport to offer medical advice.

 

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