Evidence review: Open Peptide Project (verified against primary PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov & FDA records) · Last checked 2026-10-27. ← Back to Evidence Library

sh-Oligopeptide-1 (recombinant human EGF, rhEGF): what the evidence says

Name: sh-Oligopeptide-1 (recombinant human EGF, rhEGF)
Published: 2026-10-27

At a glance

What it is: the cosmetic ingredient name for recombinant human epidermal growth factor (EGF), a 53-amino-acid protein that signals skin cells to grow and repair. ^{R1, R2} Drug-grade rhEGF has been tested for diabetic foot ulcers outside the US.

What the evidence says: 🟨 for cosmetic use, one 12-week pilot RCT (20 women) found investigator ratings of skin texture and firmness favored a recombinant EGF serum over a human-derived growth factor serum; wrinkles changed little. ^R2 Human For diabetic foot ulcers, meta-analyses of RCTs found drug-grade rhEGF improved complete healing vs placebo. ^{R3, R4}

Biggest risks: cosmetic use appears well tolerated in short studies. Because EGF makes cells grow, a theoretical concern about use on precancerous or cancerous skin has been raised, but no human evidence was found. UNVERIFIED Growth factors fall in a prohibited class for athletes. ^R5

Rating


Human Human evidence	Very limited (cosmetic): one pilot RCT, n = 20 ^R2 · Moderate (diabetic foot ulcers): meta-analyses of RCTs ^{R3, R4}
Animal Animal / lab evidence	Not reviewed
Regulatory	Cosmetic ingredient; no FDA-approved EGF drug found ^R6 · not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page ^{R7, R8, R9} · growth factors prohibited under WADA S2.3 (EGF not named) ^R5
Established human dose	No (study amounts only; see Study details)

Evidence verdict: Cosmetic anti-aging serums: Very limited (one 20-person pilot RCT) · Diabetic foot ulcers (drug-grade rhEGF, not cosmetic products): Moderate (meta-analyses of RCTs; not FDA-approved)

This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.

Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source

About the evidence: the cosmetic pilot was tiny and compared two active serums (no placebo). Foot-ulcer trials used drug-grade products given by clinicians, so they say nothing about cosmetic serums.

What is it?

Related pages: ghk-cu, matrixyl, bpc-157.

Does it work?

🟨 Cosmetic (pilot RCT, 20 women, 12 weeks): investigator ratings favored recombinant EGF for texture and firmness; wrinkle severity barely changed in either group. ^R2
Human Diabetic foot ulcers: 9 RCTs (720 people) showed higher complete healing with rhEGF (odds ratio 2.79). ^R3 A second meta-analysis of 8 RCTs (620 people) also favored EGF. ^R4
Human Injected into ulcers: a 149-patient RCT found faster granulation and healing. ^R10 UNVERIFIED whether this product is the one sold as Heberprot-P.

Is it safe?

Human No significant difference in adverse events vs placebo in foot-ulcer trials. ^R3
Theoretical concern about growth-promoting effects on abnormal skin. UNVERIFIED

Gray-market vials: extra risks

A gray-market vial has no quality control and no guarantee of identity, strength or sterility. We test retail vials blind under the Open Peptide Standard; see /tests/. A passing test covers one batch on one date and does not mean the compound is safe.

Is it legal?

US: sold as a cosmetic ingredient. Cosmetics do not need FDA approval before sale; products making drug-type claims can be regulated as drugs. ^R6 No Drugs@FDA application found (openFDA searched Oct 27, 2026).
Compounding: not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page. ^{R7, R8, R9}
Sport: EGF is not named, but WADA S2.3 prohibits growth factors that affect tissue regeneration, an open-ended class. ^R5

Study details

These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.

Study	People / model	Route	Amount used	Follow-up	Reported	Citation
Abud 2026 (pilot RCT)	20 women, 50 to 65, photoaging	Topical serum	Per study	12 weeks	Texture and firmness favored recombinant EGF vs human-derived serum	PMID 42152512
Fernández-Montequín 2009	149 adults, Wagner 3 to 4 diabetic foot ulcers	Intralesional	25 or 75 µg, per study	8 weeks	Granulation ≥50% at 2 weeks: 44/53 (high dose) vs 19/48 (placebo)	PMID 20051095
Zhao 2020 meta-analysis	9 RCTs, n = 720	Topical or intralesional	Varied	Varied	Complete healing OR 2.79	PMID 32343054
Rahim 2022 meta-analysis	8 RCTs, n = 620	Varied	Varied	Varied	Higher healing with EGF vs placebo	PMID 37867626

Full reference list (PubMed, CT.gov, FDA and WADA checked Oct 27, 2026)

^R1 PubChem CID 177865760, SH-OLIGOPEPTIDE-1 (synonyms rh-EGF, RH-OLIGOPEPTIDE-1), checked Oct 27, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/177865760
^R2 Abud B, et al. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2026. PMID 42152512
^R3 Zhao DY, et al. Int Wound J. 2020. PMID 32343054
^R4 Rahim F, et al. F1000Res. 2022. PMID 37867626
^R5 WADA. The 2026 Prohibited List, S2.3, Growth factors and growth factor modulators (open-ended class; EGF not named). https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf
^R6 FDA. Is It a Cosmetic, a Drug, or Both? (Or Is It Soap?) Content current as of Sep 11, 2024. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-laws-regulations/it-cosmetic-drug-or-both-or-it-soap
^R7 FDA, 503A bulk drug substances categories list (updated May 14, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download
^R8 FDA, 503B bulk drug substances categories list (updated Mar 21, 2025). https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download
^R9 FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (content current Apr 22, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
^R10 Fernández-Montequín JI, et al. Int Wound J. 2009. PMID 20051095

Disclaimer

This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use sh-Oligopeptide-1 (recombinant human EGF, rhEGF). This is a cosmetic ingredient, not an FDA-approved drug. Cosmetic products are not reviewed by FDA for effectiveness before sale. Report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).