Epitalon (Epithalon) bulk powder for formulators

Epitalon is the common name of the synthetic tetrapeptide Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, also written AEDG or Epithalon. No INCI name has been assigned to it, so a brand declares it under the common or chemical name after checking its own market's ingredient inventory. It is the most unusual member of the signal-peptide group on this site: nearly everything written about it comes from research on cells and animals, and its cosmetic use is a niche positioning taken by a few brands.

This page is for a formulator weighing it up as a cosmetic raw material. Pepti, Guangzhou manufactures the powder and supplies it from 5 g, cold-chain, with a lot certificate of analysis showing HPLC purity and mass-spectrometry identity and a safety data sheet on request. Two public batch records for Epitalon are listed in the Pepti COA library and appear in the table below. Research-grade supply of the same sequence is handled by a separate Pepti desk.

Identity and naming: a tetrapeptide without an INCI name

PubChem holds the compound under CID 219042 with the title Epitalon, the formula C14H22N4O9 and a molecular weight of about 390.4 g/mol (PubChem CID 219042). The sequence is L-alanyl-L-glutamyl-L-aspartyl-glycine, with a free N-terminal amine and three carboxylic acid groups: the glutamate and aspartate side chains and the C-terminal glycine.

• CAS number. The Pepti batch records print 307297-39-8, the primary number on the PubChem record. A second number, 64082-79-7, resolves to the same entry and travels with the name Epithalamin, the pineal extract from which the sequence was derived.
• Label name. With no INCI entry, the label name is a regulatory decision for the brand in each market; the COA gives the name, sequence and CAS number needed to make it.

The mass-spectrometry line of the COA shows the protonated molecule near 391.4 m/z, which identifies the tetrapeptide rather than a longer analogue.

Appearance, solubility and handling

The material is a white lyophilised powder with no colour of its own; the COA figure and a fresh HPLC check are the only indicators of its condition. It dissolves readily in water; with three acid groups on four residues a fresh solution is mildly acidic and the peptide is negatively charged across the usual skincare pH range. It dissolves poorly in ethanol and not at all in oils or silicones, which places it in the water phase, added during cool-down below 40 °C.

Lyophilised peptides take up moisture: open only at room temperature, weigh quickly and close the container at once. Working stock is kept at 2–8 °C protected from light and long-term stock at −20 °C; the lot COA repeats these conditions and states a retest date.

What the published literature reports

A 2025 review in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences by Araj, Brzezik, Mądra-Gackowska and Szeleszczuk describes Epitalon as a tetrapeptide designed from the amino-acid composition of Epithalamin, a pineal-gland extract from cattle first described in 1973, with much of the early work led by Khavinson and Anisimov. The review covers in-silico modelling, cell-culture work and animal studies in mice, rats and monkeys, together with a small number of studies in people. Its skin-related material is limited to rat fibroblast and skin-explant studies in which anti-aging effects are reported, and the review does not discuss cosmetic products at all (Araj SK et al. Int J Mol Sci, 2025).

That is research literature, not a safety assessment for a leave-on product, and nothing here is a promise about what a finished product will do. A brand that positions Epitalon in skincare builds its own substantiation and safety file for each market; Pepti supplies the identity and purity documents that go into it. Research supply of the same sequence is a separate Pepti desk; this page is about the cosmetic raw material only.

Formulation notes for the bench

The points below are chemistry rather than efficacy.

• No metal to lose. The peptide carries no metal ion, so chelators do not affect its identity; EDTA, phytate or GLDA can be used freely, the opposite of the situation with copper peptides.
• Cationic ingredients. The net negative charge means cationic conditioning polymers, cationic emulsifiers and some cationic preservatives can pair with the peptide and cloud a clear serum. Check compatibility before fixing the base.
• pH. A mildly acidic to neutral water phase, roughly pH 4.5 to 7, keeps the peptide in solution and away from the extremes that speed up hydrolysis.
• Aspartate chemistry. The Asp-Gly pair at the C-terminus is the classic site for succinimide formation, which leads to isomerisation to the iso-aspartyl form and, with heat, to chain cleavage. Keep the peptide out of the hot phase and do not hold finished bulk warm.
• Light and preservation. Protect from light; opaque or amber airless packaging is usual. Peptide solutions support microbial growth, so confirm preservation by challenge test in the buyer's own base.

The formulator sets the use level from their own stability and tolerance work.

Specification and documents for this material

The lot certificate of analysis reports reverse-phase HPLC purity as area per cent, mass-spectrometry identity, appearance, and the storage and retest statements; water content and counter-ion are added where the buyer's specification asks for them. Synthetic peptides are usually isolated as trifluoroacetate salts; ask on the RFQ if you need an acetate form. The SDS follows the standard sixteen-section format, and both documents carry the Pepti address in Guangzhou.

The two public Epitalon records are listed below with their reported purity. They are vial-format records; your bulk-powder lot carries its own COA and lot number, which is the document for your batch file.

Public batch records for Epitalon

Vial-format records published by the manufacturer. Reported HPLC purity is per lot; your bulk-powder lot carries its own COA.

Record	Specification	HPLC purity	Record page
PEP260724-ET5	5 mg vial	99.2%	Open record PEP260724-ET5 on peptioem.com
PEP260725-ET10	10 mg vial	98.71%	Open record PEP260725-ET10 on peptioem.com