Catalogue / Matrixyl
Matrixyl
Also written as Palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, Pal-KTTKS.
A pentapeptide from the type I procollagen propeptide, conjugated to palmitic acid to make it lipophilic enough to cross the stratum corneum.
| Class | Cosmetic active peptides |
| Determination | Peptide analysis, specialist compound |
| Price | 590 USD |
Matrixyl is identified against a certified reference standard rather than against a published mass, because commercially supplied material varies in composition between suppliers. Purity is reported separately by reversed-phase chromatography at 214 nm and describes the chromatographable fraction only.
| The palmitoyl chain makes the molecule surface-active and it partitions into the oil phase of an emulsion. Aqueous extraction alone recovers very little of it. |
| Hydrolysis of the palmitoyl amide gives the free pentapeptide, 238 daltons lighter, which has none of the delivery properties the ingredient is bought for. |
| No mass figure is published here because commercial grades differ in chain and counter-ion. Identity is established against the supplier certified standard at the time of analysis. |
Every compound fails in its own way. A generic peptide method applied without regard to these specifics produces a number that looks like a result and is not one.
Supplied as raw actives or already formulated into an emulsion. In a finished cosmetic the matrix, not the peptide, decides whether the determination works.
LC-MS or HPLC-UV against a certified reference standard with matrix-matched calibration and spike recovery, because emulsifiers and pigments co-extract and suppress ionisation.
Where the delivered milligram figure matters rather than the percentage, net peptide content by combustion analysis and water by Karl Fischer are added, and the certificate carries a closed mass balance instead of a single purity number.
| LC-MS identity | Measured mass |
| RP-HPLC purity | Area at 214 nm |
| Net peptide content | Milligrams |
| Water content | Karl Fischer |
| Counter-ion | Ion chromatography |
| Bacterial endotoxins | USP <85> |
What is the molecular weight of Matrixyl?
No molecular weight is published for Matrixyl on this page, because the composition of commercially supplied material varies between suppliers and an unverified figure on an analytical site is worse than an absent one. Identity is established against a certified reference standard at the time of analysis.
How is Matrixyl tested for purity and identity?
LC-MS or HPLC-UV against a certified reference standard with matrix-matched calibration and spike recovery, because emulsifiers and pigments co-extract and suppress ionisation. Purity describes the chromatographable fraction only and is not the same quantity as the peptide mass delivered per vial.
What goes wrong when Matrixyl is analysed?
The palmitoyl chain makes the molecule surface-active and it partitions into the oil phase of an emulsion. Aqueous extraction alone recovers very little of it.
What does Matrixyl analysis cost at ANALYTON?
Peptide analysis, specialist compound is priced at 590 US dollars, covering the determinations described on this page. Content, safety and elemental determinations are ordered alongside and are priced separately on the price list.
Other compounds in this class
Updated 2026-09-01. Masses computed at build, not transcribed.