BGT™ TDP-1 (Tridecapeptide-1): What This AI-Designed "Botox-Like" Peptide Actually Is

Every so often an ingredient arrives with enough noise around it that it is worth stopping to look properly. BGT™ TDP-1 is one of those. It is being marketed as a fast-acting, "Botox-like" peptide that visibly softens wrinkles within fifteen minutes of application, and it carries an unusual selling point on top of that: the sequence was designed by artificial intelligence rather than discovered the traditional way.

An AI-designed sequence and a fifteen-minute visible effect are both unusual things to find on a cosmetic ingredient spec, and both are worth understanding properly if you are thinking about building a product around it.

In our earlier piece on peptides I covered the four main classes of cosmetic peptide and looked at the neurotransmitter inhibitor group, the one that includes Argireline and SNAP-8. TDP-1 sits in that same broad family but works by a different route, and that difference is the most important thing to understand about it. This article is a closer look at what TDP-1 is, who makes it, how the mechanism actually works, what the evidence does and does not show, and how to think about it as a formulator.

What is BGT™ TDP-1?

TDP-1 is a tridecapeptide, which simply means a chain of thirteen amino acids.[1] Its INCI name is Tridecapeptide-1, and you may also see it listed under the trade names BGT™ TDP-1 or TP TDT 01.[4]

It was developed by Bio Genetic Technology, a US company based in New Jersey, and is distributed to formulators through DKSH, who hold it as an exclusive line.[1,2,3] The recommended use level is between one and ten percent, and the supplier states it is compliant for sale in China, which matters for brands planning to retail there.[1]

The part that gets the most attention is how the peptide was created. Bio Genetic Technology say TDP-1 was generated using their Cybelle™ system, an AI platform built to design protein and peptide sequences, which they describe as the first commercialised use of generative AI protein design in the professional cosmetic field.[2] Rather than starting from a fragment of a known human protein, as most cosmetic peptides do, the sequence was optimised by the model and then synthesised.

It is a genuinely novel approach. As with any peptide, the sequence is only one part of the picture: it still has to survive the formula, get through the skin, and reach its target, which is where thoughtful formulation does the work.

How the mechanism works

This is where TDP-1 separates itself from the better-known neurotransmitter peptides, so it is worth slowing down.

Facial expression lines form because muscles under the skin contract, over and over, for years. That contraction is triggered when a nerve releases acetylcholine, a signalling chemical, which then binds to a receptor on the muscle called the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, usually shortened to nAChR. Once acetylcholine docks, the muscle fires.[5]

There are two ways a peptide can interrupt that chain. The first is to stop the nerve from releasing acetylcholine in the first place. This is what Argireline (acetyl hexapeptide-8) does, by interfering with the SNARE complex that lets the nerve dump its signal.[5] The second way is to let the acetylcholine release happen, but block the receptor it is trying to reach, so the message never lands. This is the route TDP-1 takes.[1,2]

According to Bio Genetic Technology, TDP-1 penetrates the skin and binds directly to the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, occupying the site so that acetylcholine cannot, which keeps the muscle relaxed and softens the line above it.[1,2] In mechanism terms that places it in the same family as established ingredients like Syn-Ake and Vialox, which are competitive antagonists of the same receptor and are themselves modelled on waglerin, a peptide from snake venom.[6] In other words, TDP-1 is a new, AI-designed entrant into a mechanistic category that is already well understood, which gives formulators a helpful frame of reference for how it behaves.

What the evidence shows

It is worth being clear about where the evidence for TDP-1 currently comes from.

The performance data comes from the supplier's own testing rather than from independent, peer-reviewed journals.[2] That is common for a new ingredient at this stage, and the figures are best read as manufacturer testing while independent work catches up.

The headline study was an in-vivo test on thirty-five women aged between thirty and sixty.[2] A small amount of an anti-wrinkle essence containing the peptide was applied to the outer corner of the eye, and wrinkle volume and skin roughness were measured at fifteen minutes, one hour, two hours and four hours, then again across two and four weeks of daily use. The supplier reports a visible reduction in fine lines at the eye corner within fifteen minutes, holding steady out to four hours, alongside improved smoothness.[2]

Two points from the reported results are useful for formulators:

The instant effect is concentration-dependent. At one to three percent, the supplier says roughly a quarter to forty percent of users noticed a reduction within the first hour. At ten percent, that rose to ninety percent.[2] In other words, the dramatic fifteen-minute claim really belongs to the top of the dose range. A product formulated at two percent should not be expected to behave like one formulated at ten.

The long-term results are strong in the supplier's testing. At three, six and ten percent, the supplier reports that all users showed complete wrinkle reduction after four weeks of use.[2] As with any ingredient, the practical step for a brand is to substantiate its own marketing claims on the finished formula, since the on-pack claim needs to reflect the product as sold rather than the raw material's test conditions.

Helpfully, the mechanism itself does not rest on TDP-1's data alone. Receptor-blocking peptides have been studied independently for years, including the wider nAChR-antagonist class, which gives the underlying approach a well-documented foundation in the literature.[6,9]

The permeability question

Every neurotransmitter peptide runs into the same wall, and TDP-1 is no exception. To relax a muscle, the peptide has to reach the junction between nerve and muscle. That sits well below the surface, under the stratum corneum, which is built specifically to keep large water-loving molecules out.

A thirteen amino acid peptide is a reasonably large, polar molecule, so getting it through intact skin to where it acts is the key formulation variable for this whole class.[5,6] That is part of why topical peptides are gentler than an injection by nature, and it puts the emphasis on formulation design rather than on the raw material alone.

The practical takeaway is the one that applies to the whole class. The peptide on the ingredient list is not the same as peptide delivered to the target. Concentration, the surrounding formula, and any delivery system around it will all matter as much as the choice of peptide itself.

The lip version: BGT™ TDP-LIP

The same peptide has been brought to market in a second form aimed specifically at lips, sold as BGT™ TDP-LIP, where Tridecapeptide-1 is paired with pentylene glycol.[7,8] The pitch is fast, appearance-led smoothing of lip lines within fifteen to sixty minutes, with the lips looking fuller and better defined as the surface smooths.[8] One in-vivo evaluation (using PRIMOS surface imaging) reported by the supplier puts the reduction in lower-lip line appearance at around twenty-five percent at the one-hour mark.[8]

If you are formulating with the lip version, note the supplier's own guidance that it should be added to the base without heating, to avoid damaging the peptide.[7] That is a sensible reminder for the face version too, and leads neatly into the formulation side.

Formulating with TDP-1

Peptides are fragile, and the things that protect them are not exotic, just easy to get wrong. A few points worth holding onto:

Treat it as a leave-on active. The mechanism depends on the peptide reaching the muscle and staying in contact, so rinse-off formats make little sense for it. Serums, eye creams, targeted expression-line treatments and lip products are the logical homes.[1]

Mind the heat and the pH. As with most peptides, high processing temperatures and the wrong pH can degrade the molecule before it ever reaches a customer. Adding it during cool-down rather than to a hot phase is the safe default, and the surrounding formula needs to keep it in a window where it stays intact.

Concentration is a decision, not a detail. The supplier's own data shows the instant effect scaling sharply with dose. If the visible, fast result is the point of the product, that points towards the upper end of the one to ten percent range, with the cost implications that brings. If the product is really about gradual, longer-term smoothing, a lower level may be defensible. Either way the claim on the pack should match the level in the bottle.

Combinations are where this category usually earns its place. TDP-1 has been shown off in prototypes alongside other actives rather than on its own. A formula called Performer's Secret, pairing TDP-1 with another Bio Genetic Technology peptide, was a top-fifteen finalist at the 2025 Cosmet'Agora formulation awards, and the ingredient was presented again through DKSH at in-cosmetics Global in 2026.[2,3] As with the neurotransmitter peptides I have written about before, it often works best as one part of a considered blend, sitting alongside signal peptides for structure and good barrier support, so the different mechanisms complement each other.

How to position TDP-1

The "Botox-like" shorthand is helpful for explaining what the peptide is reaching for, but it is worth handling with care, because topical peptides and injectables are different categories rather than direct substitutes. An injectable places its active straight into the muscle. A topical peptide like TDP-1 works from the surface, by the receptor-blocking route described above, and is suited to leave-on products used consistently over time.[6]

That difference is a positioning opportunity rather than a drawback. The appeal of a peptide like this is precisely that it is topical and needle-free: an option for customers who want to work on the look of expression lines as part of a daily routine, without a clinic visit. Framed that way, it has a clear and attractive story.

The one genuine pitfall to flag is regulatory rather than performance-related. In the UK, drawing too direct a line to Botox, or implying a medicinal or muscle-paralysing action, can push a cosmetic claim into territory it is not allowed to occupy. The safe and effective approach is to lead with the cosmetic benefit, smoother-looking skin and softened fine lines, and to substantiate whatever you say on your own finished formula. That keeps the marketing both compelling and defensible, which is exactly where a brand wants to be.

Final thoughts

TDP-1 is one of the more interesting peptides to appear recently, partly for the AI design story and partly because it brings a receptor-blocking mechanism into a space long dominated by the acetylcholine-release inhibitors. The early supplier data is encouraging, and the lip version has a clear, well-defined role of its own.

It sits in a familiar place for a new active: backed by the supplier's own testing, built on a mechanism that is well documented in the wider literature, and ready to be developed into finished products with the usual care over concentration, formulation and claims. Used thoughtfully, and especially as part of a considered blend, it is a genuinely interesting tool for expression-line and lip products.

If you are weighing up TDP-1, or any of the expression-line peptides, for a product, the value is in matching the active, the concentration and the claim to what the evidence actually supports. That is exactly the kind of decision we help brands get right.

At Beauty Formulation, we support brands with bespoke cosmetic formulation, white label skincare, cosmetic bases, and cosmetics manufacturing, turning strong product ideas into stable, compliant, market-ready skincare.

Thinking about an expression-line or peptide product? Get in touch with Beauty Formulation to talk through your brief and build a formula grounded in real evidence rather than label marketing.

References

1. Bio Genetic Technology LLC. BGT™ TDP-1 (Tridecapeptide-1) product information. biogtech.com/tdp-1 (accessed June 2026).

2. CosmeticOBS - The Cosmetics Observatory. A Cutting-Edge Polypeptide Offering an Instant Anti-Aging Effect for Skin Care: BGT™ TDP-1 (Tridecapeptide-1). 10 February 2025.

3. DKSH Discover / DKSH Performance Materials. BGT™ TDP-1 and BGT™ TDP-LIP product listings and in-cosmetics Global 2026 presentation. dkshdiscover.com (accessed June 2026).

4. Cosmetic Ingredients Guide. Tridecapeptide-1 (BGT™ TDP-1) ingredient profile. ci.guide/peptides/tridecapeptide-1 (accessed June 2026).

5. Bang J, Hwang Y-L, Kim MY, Yun JN, Hyun E, Chang MY, Shin DH, Kim S, Lee J-H. Wrinkle-Improving Effect of Novel Peptide That Binds to Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024;25(14):7860. doi:10.3390/ijms25147860. (PMID: 39063099)

6. Mechanism context for the nAChR-antagonist class (Vialox, Syn-Ake / dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate, both modelled on waglerin-1): US Patent Application US20150361137A1, Peptide inhibitors of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor; and DSM-Firmenich, SYN-AKE® product information (dsm-firmenich.com).

7. SpecialChem / UL Prospector. BGT™ TDP-LIP (Tridecapeptide-1 and Pentylene Glycol) by DKSH technical listing. (accessed June 2026).

8. Deveraux Specialties. Lip Plumping Peptide Breakthrough: Tridecapeptide-1 in TDP-Lip. 26 December 2025.

9. Pintea A, Manea A, Pintea C, et al. Peptides: Emerging Candidates for the Prevention and Treatment of Skin Senescence: A Review. Biomolecules. 2025;15(1):88. doi:10.3390/biom15010088.