Measured on the hexapeptide first

The parent molecule Argireline, Ac-EEMQRR-NH2, was tested as a 10 percent oil in water emulsion on healthy women and cut wrinkle depth by up to 30 percent over 30 days. In cells it held back neurotransmitter release with a potency close to botulinum toxin while reaching far less of an effect, which is the whole design: the same target, a fraction of the force, from the surface. SNAP-8 extends that chain by two residues to improve how it holds its shape and sits on the target. Work in Chinese skin later put the same hexapeptide against placebo on crow's feet and measured roughness falling on silicone replicas of the skin.