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PeptideAI
In vitro onlyskin

Vialox

A curare-style competitive blocker at the muscle nicotinic receptor, sold for fast surface smoothing rather than long-term collagen change.

Also known as Pentapeptide-3, Pentapeptide-3V, Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala, Vialox

In vitro only — Cell or tissue studies. A mechanism, not yet an effect in a living body.

Supplier claims only. There is no published independent trial of pentapeptide-3 on human skin, and the curare comparison is a marketing analogy rather than a measured affinity.

How it works

Vialox is a Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala pentapeptide designed as a curare-mimetic: curare alkaloids are competitive antagonists at the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, and Vialox is marketed as reproducing that blockade in a cosmetically acceptable molecule. Because it competes rather than covalently disabling anything, the effect is fully reversible and short-lived, which is consistent with the supplier's claim of relatively fast onset and equally fast washout. It sits on the same target as Syn-Ake, so the two are functionally interchangeable rather than complementary. There is no published independent pharmacology confirming receptor affinity at cosmetically achievable skin concentrations.

Targets: Muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, Postsynaptic neuromuscular transmission

Dosing

ProtocolDoseFrequencyRoute
Standard expression-line serumMorning and night on clean skin.—twice dailytopical
  • · Trade solution used at 2-5% of the formula. From raw powder, 0.05-0.1% w/w.

Cycling

Continuous use; the effect is reversible within days of stopping.

Work out your exact syringe units →

Pharmacology

Half-life
Not established; competitive and reversible, so duration tracks residence rather than a fixed half-life.
Onset
Supplier data claim measurable smoothing within 28 days; some users report a same-day tightening sensation that is probably film-forming, not neuromuscular.
Routes
topical
Molecule
Synthetic pentapeptide
Sequence length
5 amino acids
Molecular weight
496.6 Da

Handling

Diluent
Distilled or deionised water
Typical mix
20 or 50 mL
Vial sizes
50, 100, 200 mg
Lyophilised
Sealed, cool and dry; freezer for long-term.
Reconstituted
Refrigerated and preserved.

Mixing

Water soluble.

Side effects

  • uncommonTransient tightness or dryness

Do not use if

  • Myasthenia gravis or other neuromuscular junction disease — the same theoretical caution that applies to Syn-Ake.

Combining it

  • redundantsyn-ake — Same postsynaptic nicotinic target.
  • synergyargireline — Pre- versus post-synaptic; the usual justification for combining them.

What to monitor

  • · Expression-line photographs at 0 and 8 weeks.

Legal status

Cosmetic ingredient (INCI Pentapeptide-3) approved worldwide.

References

  • Pentapharm/DSM Vialox technical dossier (other)

Mechanism in depth

Vialox is marketed as a curare mimetic, and it is worth being precise about what that claim does and does not contain. Curare alkaloids — d-tubocurarine and its relatives — are competitive antagonists at the muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. They bind the acetylcholine site at the alpha-gamma and alpha-delta subunit interfaces, prevent depolarisation, and produce flaccid paralysis. That pharmacology is a century old and completely solid. What is missing is any published measurement showing that Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala does the same thing. There is no Ki, no IC50, no electrophysiology, no radioligand displacement study for pentapeptide-3 at a nicotinic receptor that I could locate. The curare comparison is a marketing analogy. Recent independent computational and in-vitro work from a Turkish group has begun evaluating Vialox alongside Leuphasyl for anti-ageing applications, which is the first serious academic attention this compound has received, and it is docking and spectroscopy rather than functional pharmacology. Practically, the compound is a small unprotected pentapeptide with two prolines, which makes it conformationally rigid — that rigidity is presumably why the sequence was chosen. What users report is a rapid tightening sensation, which is almost certainly a film-forming effect of the vehicle rather than neuromuscular blockade, since genuine competitive receptor antagonism would not produce a same-day change in skin texture.

What usually goes wrong

The same-day tightening that people report and enjoy is almost certainly the vehicle, and once you realise that, you notice it stops being impressive. The wider issue is that this is the weakest-evidenced compound in a weakly-evidenced class: no published affinity, no published trial, no permeation data, and a mechanism asserted by analogy to an alkaloid it shares no structural features with. The myasthenia gravis caution carries over from Syn-Ake on the same theoretical grounds — no data, wrong direction, no upside. The usual trade-solution arithmetic applies: 2-5% of a dilute supplier solution is roughly 0.05-0.1% actual peptide.

Pharmacokinetics

Crosses blood-brain barrier
no
Metabolism
Unprotected termini, so aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidase attack are both available. This is one of the few cosmetic peptides with no terminal protection at all, which is a formulation and stability liability.
Elimination
No meaningful systemic exposure.

Receptor targets

  • Muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (claimed) — No affinity has ever been published for pentapeptide-3 at this or any receptor

    Claimed competitive, reversible postsynaptic blockade. Unverified.

What to expect, and when

Same day: a tightening sensation that is film-forming. Week 4: supplier-claimed measurable smoothing. Discontinuation: reversal within days, which the supplier presents as evidence of a reversible competitive mechanism and which is equally consistent with a purely surface effect.

Stacking and comparisons

Redundant with Syn-Ake — same claimed postsynaptic target, and Syn-Ake at least has a parent toxin with three primary pharmacology papers behind it. Pick one. Combines with Argireline, SNAP-8 or Leuphasyl on the pre-versus-post-synaptic logic. No chemical incompatibilities; it is a simple water-soluble peptide. The stability caveat is real though: unprotected N and C termini mean it is more vulnerable to peptidase and chemical degradation in a finished product than the acetylated, amidated peptides in this group, so a well-preserved, pH-controlled base matters more here.

Against Syn-Ake, same target, worse pedigree — waglerin-1 has real published pharmacology and curare-mimicry for pentapeptide-3 has none. Against Argireline, Argireline has a published trial and a published penetration study, which is two more than Vialox has. Of the four neuromuscular cosmetic peptides, this is the one to drop first if you are trimming a routine.

Rough cost

$10–$45/month. Raw pentapeptide-3 runs roughly $25-60 per gram. Finished products $12-45 a month. Market observation, not a sourced pricing study.

Genuinely uncertain

  • No binding affinity, IC50 or electrophysiological measurement for pentapeptide-3 at the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor has ever been published.
  • The curare-mimetic claim is a marketing analogy and I could find no primary source supporting it.
  • No permeation study exists.
  • No independent human efficacy trial exists.
  • The molecular weight of 496.6 Da in the Core record is consistent with Gly-Pro-Arg-Pro-Ala but is unconfirmed against a primary source.
  • Whether the reported rapid onset is neuromuscular or purely a vehicle film effect has never been tested.

Papers