BUTTER-C
Signature ingredients
Peptide eye cream OEM/ODM manufacturing
Peptide (Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5) Eye Cream · Signature Ingredients · OEM/ODM
Acetyl tetrapeptide-5 is a short synthetic peptide of four amino acids — beta-alanine, histidine, serine, histidine — with an acetyl group at the start of the chain. In the market it is often presented as “the peptide for puffy eyes”, with a mechanism of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition and “drainage, decongestion” of the eye area. When we searched PubMed, we found no human trial of acetyl tetrapeptide-5 alone versus a base cream; the published data are cell experiments with peptide mixtures, plus results in 20 women using a multi-active eye cream, open-label and without a control group, summarized in a review article. The percentage figures circulating in marketing are mostly raw-material supplier documents, not facts to put on a label. That is why the peptide eye cream Butter-C develops tells the ingredient story honestly and focuses on what the factory can control: the solution raw material must come with a COA stating the sequence and actual peptide content, the base is light and fragrance-free, and eye irritation and eye-area tolerance testing are performed on the finished product. Claims stop at moisturizing the skin around the eyes and a fresher look, measured on the finished product. The ingredient is not in Butter-C's standing raw-material list, so it is sourced per order. Butter-C offers turnkey OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished goods and the notification dossier.
Formula base
A peptide solution and a light eye-cream base
For a peptide usually sold as a ready-made solution, the raw-material documentation matters as much as the name — the four points below are settled before formulation begins.
What Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 is
INCI Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, sequence Ac-β-Ala-His-Ser-His-OH, CAS 820959-17-9; formula C20H28N8O7, molecular weight 492.5 g/mol; XLogP −3.2 (PubChem — a computed value), i.e. very water-loving, so it goes into the water phase of gels and creams. The first two amino acids share the structure of the dipeptide carnosine — a structural observation only, implying no effect.
Solution percentage is not peptide percentage
If the raw material is a ready-made solution, the figure in the formula is the percentage of solution, not of peptide. The actual peptide content is read from the COA and technical data sheet (TDS); the COA must state the sequence, peptide content and assay method. The finished-product label lists the full INCI of the solvent and any preservative carried in; preservative in the solution is added to the formula total when checking Annex VI.
Sourced per order
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 is not in Butter-C's standing raw-material list: sourced per order with a mandatory COA, and no trade name in place of the INCI on the label. An unfamiliar name on supplier documents is checked against the INCI and sequence.
Light, fragrance-free eye-cream base
A thin oil-in-water emulsion with Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Olivate, or a Hydroxyethylcellulose gel; Glycerin, Panthenol and Sodium Hyaluronate as humectants; no fragrance, no essential oils, pH set close to neutral as on the general eye cream page. The humectant group is the main basis for the moisturizing claim.
Key technical points
Concentration, skin penetration, stability and the eye area
Concentration: no established level
The CIR Expert Panel (USA) has no report on Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, so there is no survey of use concentrations; the human sources do not state a concentration. The 100 μg/mL level in the experiment by Wu et al. (2021) is a cell-culture concentration, not a dose for a topical cream. Butter-C works from the supplier's TDS, calculated on the peptide content in the COA.
Skin penetration is a common weak point of peptides
The review by Pai et al. (2017) notes that clinical evidence for topical peptides is often weak and that absorption may be poor because peptides have low lipophilicity, high molecular weight and bind to other ingredients. No published data show acetyl tetrapeptide-5 reaching the dermis and the blood vessels under the eye in effective amounts.
Stability per TDS and studies on the formula
No published study covers the substance's stability by pH and temperature in a cosmetic base. The pH 5–7 range and cool-down-phase addition found in internal documents have not been verified — confirm with the TDS. Peptides in general are vulnerable to protein-degrading enzymes, so they are not combined with exfoliating enzymes (a cautious inference, not measured on this substance). Stability studies track sensory profile, pH, viscosity and, where possible, peptide assay.
Eye irritation and eye-area tolerance; ASEAN regulation
There is no CIR report or SCCS opinion; we found no case report of contact allergy naming the substance on PubMed — which does not mean “non-irritating”. For a product used close to the eyes, eye irritation testing (alternative method) and eye-area tolerance testing on the finished product are conditions before the formula is finalized. Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 (CAS 820959-17-9) is not listed in Annexes II, III, VI (06/2026 edition) or Annex VII (2025-2 edition) of the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive; finished-product safety must still be demonstrated in the PIF.
Three formulation directions
Three eye-area products with peptide
Moisturizing peptide eye gel-cream
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 in a thin oil-in-water emulsion with Glycerin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate and Squalane. For dry skin around the eyes; the cream must stay where it is applied and not migrate into the eyes as skin warms up.
Cooling peptide – caffeine eye gel
A high-water gel base (Hydroxyethylcellulose) with Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5, Caffeine and Glycerin; cool feel, quick absorption, suits metal applicator tips. This is a pairing Butter-C often suggests for eye gels; each ingredient has its own level of evidence. Caffeine must be fully dissolved so it does not recrystallize on cooling.
Peptide eye cream for dry skin around the eyes
A richer emulsion with Squalane, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Olivate, Cetearyl Alcohol and the humectant group; Tocopherol protects the oil phase. For dry skin, evening use; avoid bases heavy in waxes that cause tiny bumps around the eyes.
How it differs from the other eye cream pages
The general eye cream page chooses actives by the cause of dark circles and combines several groups. The horse chestnut eye cream page centers on a plant extract; the hesperidin methyl chalcone eye cream page on a flavonoid derivative. This page is for a synthetic peptide in solution: a COA with sequence and peptide content, and the gap between marketing descriptions and published data. The peptide serum is a facial product with other peptides.
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D team measures on every sample
Below are the parameters Butter-C monitors during formula development and scale-up. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product's in-house specification.
- Incoming raw-material documents
- Full INCI of the raw-material solution (solvent, preservative), sequence, CAS 820959-17-9, peptide content and assay method per the supplier's COA.
- Sensory, color & odor
- Color, odor and uniformity at each stability time point against the reference sample.
- pH
- Measured at 25 °C; set close to neutral following eye-product principles and within the pH range on the TDS; pH drift monitored.
- Viscosity & emulsion stability
- Rotational viscometer, checked at skin temperature to assess migration; centrifugation, freeze–thaw cycling, storage at 40 °C.
- Peptide content
- Assayed on the finished product at the start and after stability testing when the supplier has an analytical method, or when the label or literature states a content.
- Eye irritation test
- Alternative method on the final finished product, at a testing laboratory; mandatory for this product line.
- Eye-area tolerance
- Tested on volunteers using the finished product itself; to claim “moisturizes, helps the eye area look fresher”, assess it in the same study.
- Microbiology & preservative challenge
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; preservative efficacy (challenge) test per ISO 11930 on the final formula.
- Packaging compatibility
- Filled into the intended tube and applicator; seal integrity, squeeze force and residual product checked.
Claims
Claims matched to the evidence for the peptide
The marketing description of the mechanism (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition resulting in “drainage, decongestion”) appears in the review by Rovero et al. (2022), but it cites another review rather than an original study; we have found no published study demonstrating this chain of mechanism in human skin. Cell data: Wu et al. (2021) chose 100 μg/mL as the optimal concentration of acetyl tetrapeptide-5 for angiotensin-converting enzyme 1 activity (the abstract does not state the degree of inhibition); a mixture of carnosine, acetyl tetrapeptide-5, hexapeptide-11 and acetyl hexapeptide-3 reduced oxidative markers in human skin fibroblasts in the laboratory — a result of the mixture. In humans: the review by Rovero et al. summarizes an unpublished trial, open-label, single-center, without a control group, in 20 women aged 45–60 using a multi-active eye cream (with decapeptide SA1-III, acetyl hexapeptide-8, acetyl tetrapeptide-5, hyaluronic acid…) twice daily: blue-violet or brown coloration of dark circles fell 10.7% (colorimetry), crow's-feet roughness fell 19.2% from baseline, and 62% of participants reported medium to very marked improvement in puffiness; the results belong to the whole formula, and the review received an educational grant from a company. A 2026 narrative review of eye-area cosmetics also notes that most studies use multi-ingredient finished products, are short-term and industry-sponsored (Prudkin et al., 2026). Butter-C does not base claims on these data. Annex 03-MP of Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT lists “reducing/controlling swelling and edema” and “preventing, reducing or reversing physiological changes and degeneration due to aging” among claims not accepted for skin care products.
Moisturizes the skin around the eyes (to be tested on the finished product)
Basis: the formula's humectants and an assessment on volunteers using the finished product itself. Instead of: reduces edema, reduces swelling, eliminates eye bags, “lymphatic drainage”.
Helps the eye area look fresher (to be tested on the finished product)
An appearance claim, measured on the finished product. Instead of: fades or erases dark circles, reduces wrinkles, “enzyme inhibition”, comparisons with injections or surgery.
Contains the peptide Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5
An ingredient statement, with the correct INCI in order of content and the full INCI of the raw-material solution. Instead of: rejuvenates the eye area, “the peptide for eye bags”.
Figures on the label
Only data from testing of the finished product itself. Instead of: copying percentages from supplier documents, review articles or other formulas.
Directions for use
Dab a small amount around the orbital bone morning and evening, keeping the product out of the eyes; if it gets into the eyes, rinse immediately with clean water. Do not apply to broken skin. Use sunscreen during the day. Instead of: can be used on the eyelid, at the lash line, on damaged skin.
Label caution
Test first on a small area of skin; stop use if redness or itching occurs and see a dermatologist if allergy is suspected. Eye puffiness that appears suddenly or comes with swelling elsewhere is a reason to see a doctor. Pregnancy and breastfeeding: insufficient data, ask a doctor. Keep out of reach of children. Instead of: non-irritating, safe during pregnancy, gentle for all skin types.
Manufacturing specifications
Current capabilities
- Texture
- Light emulsion eye gel-cream, clear eye gel or a richer eye cream for dry skin.
- Pack format
- Nozzle tube, metal-tip tube, small pump bottle. Volume agreed when packaging is selected.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order — depends on the formula direction, pack format and raw-material lot.
- Testing
- Performed at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, with a certificate of analysis for each lot; eye irritation and eye-area tolerance tests per plan.
- Dossier
- Product Information File (PIF) and notification dossier prepared by Butter-C, with a COA stating sequence, peptide content and the raw-material solution's INCI, plus the eye irritation test report.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with the formula; the label carries directions to keep the product out of the eyes.
Suggested product concept
Fragrance-free moisturizing peptide eye gel-cream
One product direction to help you picture the result — not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is built around your brand's positioning and price range.
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-5 as the named ingredient
Solution level per TDS, converted to actual peptide per the COA; sourced per order.
Humectants and a light base
Glycerin, Panthenol, Sodium Hyaluronate; a small amount of Squalane; no fragrance, no essential oils.
Testing before sign-off
Eye irritation test on the finished product, eye-area tolerance test, ISO 11930 preservative challenge, stability study.
15 ml nozzle tube
Label with full INCI, directions to avoid the eyes and test first on a small area; claims stop at “moisturizes the skin around the eyes, helps the eye area look fresher” after testing on the finished product.
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can serve very different customers. Tell us your requirements in the areas below and our pharmacists will build the matching formula.
Texture
Light gel-cream, cooling eye gel or richer cream for dry skin.
Raw-material documents
A supplier with a COA stating sequence, peptide content and assay method; the solution declares its full INCI.
Co-actives
Caffeine for the cooling gel version — each ingredient has its own data and concentration; claims are measured on the finished product, not added together.
Applicator
Nozzle, cooling metal tip or ceramic tip.
Additional testing
Beyond the mandatory eye irritation and eye-area tolerance tests, assessments in contact-lens wearers or skin hydration measurements can be added — tell us early so we can plan.
Ingredient preferences
Fragrance-free, alcohol-free, paraben-free — please state these at the outset so we can choose suitable raw materials.
Further reading
Related topics
Acetyl tetrapeptide-5 in cosmetics
The marketed mechanism, limited evidence, safety, ASEAN status and how to word eye-area claims (in Vietnamese).
Dark circles and puffy eyes
Pigment, vascular and structural causes and what cosmetics can help with (in Vietnamese).
Caffeine in cosmetics
An active often combined with peptides in eye gels (in Vietnamese).
Eye cream manufacturing
A different approach: eye creams that choose actives by cause and combine several groups.
Hesperidin methyl chalcone eye cream manufacturing
An eye cream named for a flavonoid derivative in the same signature ingredient line.
Peptide serum manufacturing
A facial serum with other peptides — raw-material solution concentration differs from peptide concentration.
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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