What SNAP-8 is
SNAP-8 is an eight-amino-acid extension of Argireline, a fragment of the SNARE-complex protein SNAP-25, marketed as a topical botox-alternative that damps the muscle-contraction signaling behind expression lines. The supporting evidence is manufacturer in-vitro work and small cosmetic studies, not clinical trials. It is applied to skin, never injected; it appears in this reference because it ships as the same lyophilized vials as everything else and the reconstitution math is identical.
Reconstitution math
Concentration is everything: the same 10 mg vial gives a different draw for every amount of bacteriostatic water you add. The table uses the common 2 mL setup for each vial size, which puts every unit on a U-100 insulin syringe at 50 mcg for the default vial. Dashes mark draws too small to measure or larger than the syringe.
| Vial | BAC water | Concentration | 0.5 mg | 1 mg | 2 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 10 u | 20 u | 40 u |
| 20 mg | 2 mL | 10 mg/mL | 5 u | 10 u | 20 u |
Dosing and protocol
Cosmetic use: reconstituted solution mixed into serums or applied directly, typically 0.5 to 2 mg per mL of finished product, on expression-line areas daily.
Users reconstitute the vial and blend it into a serum or apply the solution directly to expression-line areas (forehead, crow's feet) daily. Common finished-product strength is 0.5 to 2 mg per mL, so a 10 mg vial makes 5 to 20 mL of serum. The syringe figures here are for measuring while mixing, not for injection. Refrigerate the made-up solution like any reconstituted peptide.
Pharmacokinetics
No curve is shown, on purpose.
SNAP-8 is a topical cosmetic ingredient; it acts locally in skin and is not meaningfully absorbed to circulation. Systemic pharmacokinetics do not apply to how it is used.
Storage and handling
Lyophilized vials keep best cold, dark, and dry; refrigeration is the community default and freezing lyophilized powder is common for long holds. After reconstitution, refrigerate at 2 to 8 C, do not freeze the solution, and date the vial. Bacteriostatic water's preservative keeps multi-dose use practical for about 28 days by USP convention, though our 120-day stability study found the preservative itself outlasts that window.
Got a certificate of analysis with your vial? Run it through our COA Reader: it reads the report in plain English, checks purity and mass against the label claim, and links the testing lab’s own verification page. Our guide to reading a COA explains what the numbers do and do not tell you.
Sources
- Blanes-Mira et al., A synthetic hexapeptide (Argireline) with antiwrinkle activity, Int J Cosmet Sci 2002
- Lipotec/Lubrizol SNAP-8 technical dossier (manufacturer data)