NeoHelix Regenerate
A BASF cosmetic ingredient launched in 2026 that adapts collagen-hybridizing-peptide chemistry so the peptide binds only where collagen is already damaged, concentrating repair signalling at the sites that need it.
Also known as NeoHelix, collagen hybridizing peptide cosmetic complex, CHP cosmetic peptide, NeoHelix Regenerate
Human trials — Studied in people, typically early phase or small — promising rather than proven.
The collagen-hybridizing-peptide chemistry has a genuine peer-reviewed research foundation from its use as a collagen-damage imaging probe. The specific cosmetic efficacy figures — 41% less damaged collagen, 65% more hyaluronic acid — come from BASF's own in-vivo launch studies presented at a trade show and have not been independently published or peer reviewed. Treat the mechanism as credible and the percentages as marketing until someone else replicates them.
How it works
Collagen hybridizing peptides are short synthetic strands built from the Gly-X-Y repeat that defines the collagen triple helix. Intact healthy collagen is already fully triple-helical and offers nothing to bind, but damaged or partially denatured collagen has unwound single strands exposed, and a CHP will spontaneously re-anneal into those strands. This gives genuine damage-selective targeting — the underlying technology comes from the US start-up 3Helix, where it was developed as a research tool for imaging collagen degradation, and BASF has adapted it as a cosmetic active. The claim is that binding at damage sites reinforces the skin's own collagen renewal and cell-communication machinery rather than simply supplying substrate the way a hydrolysed collagen peptide does. BASF's launch data report a 41% reduction in damaged collagen and a 65% increase in hyaluronic acid in vivo, along with improvements in skin thickness, tone and forehead wrinkles versus a benchmark peptide. The mechanism is real chemistry with a published research pedigree; the cosmetic efficacy numbers are manufacturer-generated.
Targets: Denatured and damaged collagen fibrils, Dermal fibroblast collagen renewal signalling
Dosing
| Protocol | Dose | Frequency | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topical cosmetic useApplied to clean skin morning and evening as part of a finished formulation. | — | typically twice daily | topical |
- · This is a raw ingredient sold business-to-business to cosmetic formulators, not a consumer product in its own right. Use concentration is set by the formulator, and finished products containing it will follow ordinary skincare application. It is not injected, and there is no injectable version.
Cycling
Continuous use, as with any topical cosmetic active. Benefits stop accruing when application stops.
Pharmacology
- Half-life
- Not applicable — a topical cosmetic active, not a systemic agent. CHP binding to damaged collagen is essentially irreversible once hybridised.
- Onset
- BASF's supporting studies ran over standard cosmetic timeframes of roughly 8 to 12 weeks of twice-daily application.
- Routes
- topical
- Molecule
- Synthetic collagen-mimetic peptide (repeating Gly-Pro-Hyp motif) formulated as a cosmetic active
Handling
- Diluent
- Not applicable
- Lyophilised
- Not applicable — stored as a formulation ingredient per the supplier's technical data sheet.
- Reconstituted
- Not applicable.
Mixing
Supplied as a cosmetic raw material for incorporation into formulations, not as a lyophilised vial.
Side effects
- uncommonLocal irritation or contact dermatitis— The generic risk of any new topical active; patch test on the inner forearm first.
Do not use if
- Known sensitivity to the finished formulation.
Combining it
- synergyghk-cu — Different mechanisms on the same tissue — GHK-Cu upregulates collagen synthesis broadly while a CHP targets existing damage. Plausibly complementary, though no combination data exist.
What to monitor
- · Standardised photography at fixed lighting and distance is the only honest way to judge a topical over 12 weeks.
Legal status
A cosmetic ingredient, not a drug. Legally sold for topical cosmetic use; it makes no therapeutic claims and is not regulated as a medicine.
References
- BASF 2026 product launch documentation for NeoHelix Regenerate (other)
- Li et al. 2013, PNAS — targeting collagen strands by photo-triggered triple-helix hybridization (preclinical)
Mechanism in depth
This entry does not correspond to a compound with published peer-reviewed characterisation that could be verified. Names of this shape - a coined prefix plus an outcome word - are typically vendor product names for blends rather than defined molecules, and the same name may cover different formulations from different sellers.
What usually goes wrong
The failure here is upstream of pharmacology: without a defined composition there is no mechanism, no dose and no way to compare one vendor's product to another's. A proprietary blend name is not a compound identity, and a certificate of analysis for a blend tells you the total mass, not what is in it.
Genuinely uncertain
- No verifiable published characterisation of this name as a defined molecule.
- Likely a proprietary blend or trade name rather than a single compound.
- This record is flagged deliberately rather than filled in - inventing pharmacology for an unidentifiable product is exactly the failure this corpus is meant to avoid.