# EGF serum (sh-oligopeptide-1)

Recombinant human growth factor in serums; users like the glow, but keep it off broken or microneedled skin.

- Page: https://peprank.xyz/peptides/oligopeptide-1
- Category: Skin & hair (Supplement)
- Also known as: sh-oligopeptide-1; human epidermal growth factor (EGF), recombinant; rh-oligopeptide-1; nepidermin (drug name); barley-produced EGF (BIOEFFECT)
- Routes: Topical
- Safety tier: Strict: Caution · Balanced: Clean · Evidence only: Clean
- Risk axes (0 none to 3 severe): Seen harm 0, Mechanism 1, Data gap 1, Silent harm 3, Product 0
- Positive: 59% of 24 graded reports glowing or positive, shrunk toward the 49% all-report average by 8 reports' weight
- Rank: #3 of 23 supplements
- Graded reports: 24 (Glowing 4, Positive 11, Mixed 3, Nothing 5, Negative 1)
- Evidence: Small human studies — the molecule is an approved wound-healing drug in Korea (topical rhEGF for diabetic foot ulcers, phase III placebo-controlled trial) and elsewhere, but the cosmetic evidence is a 29-woman open-label study of a barley-EGF serum and a 20-woman pilot RCT comparing two growth-factor serums, both without placebo; how much reaches living skin through an intact barrier is doubtful
- Access: Supplement
- Onset: A plumper, glowier look within days; texture and eyelid changes over 1-3 months
- Lasts: Gains fade over weeks after stopping
- Cost per month: ≈ €13–81 (researchers' estimate)
- Updated: 2026-10-30

## What users report

The most-discussed product by far is BIOEFFECT's barley-grown EGF serum and eye serum, then Le Mieux, Klairs and assorted Korean EGF essences. About 60% describe a gain: glowier, plumper, silkier skin within days to weeks, firmer upper eyelids and crepey under-eyes over months (several eye-serum users of 2-3 years), faster calming of redness after surgery or irritation, and in one case longer lashes. About a fifth used a whole bottle, sometimes three months of BIOEFFECT, and saw nothing worth the price ($150-180 per 15 ml), and others found the face serum greasy or broke out from the rich Korean creams. Nearly everyone also uses tretinoin, acids or other actives, so the EGF's own share is unclear, and several threads raise the cancer question; people with skin-cancer history or suspicious moles say they avoid it. Exosome and conditioned-media serums (TNS, Plated, Neogenesis) are not counted here. Felt nothing: ~21% of reports (5/24).

**Effects:** glowier, plumper, more hydrated skin, sometimes overnight; firmer, less crepey eyelids and under-eyes over months (eye serums); smoother texture; some say shallow acne scars softened; faster calming of redness after procedures or irritation

**Downsides:** expensive for an effect many can't see ($150-180 per 15 ml for the best-known serum); about a fifth notice nothing after a full bottle or months; greasy feel; breakouts from some rich EGF creams and essences; fragile protein: brands say to avoid acids, vitamin C and oils at the same time

**Risks:** Theoretical tumour promotion: EGF does not start cancers, but in animal co-carcinogenesis studies it can promote tumours, so applying it to a skin cancer, precancer (actinic keratosis) or suspicious mole could in principle speed its growth; this would be silent and delayed. On intact skin very little of this 6 kDa protein gets past the barrier, but microneedling, peels, lasers and broken skin deliver it straight to living cells.

**Caveat:** This verdict covers EGF serums on intact skin, where a 6 kDa hydrophilic protein barely penetrates and there is little sign it reaches the dividing cells it acts on; that low exposure is why it is not excluded. Used on microneedled, peeled, lasered or broken skin it does reach living epidermis and dermis, and a direct growth-factor agonist at that exposure would fall under the strict bar's exclusion (mechanism 2 with silent, delayed harm). Skip it entirely on or near skin cancers, actinic keratoses or changing moles, and after a skin-cancer diagnosis. Efficacy evidence is thin and mostly industry-linked; 'sh-oligopeptide-1' on a label says nothing about how much active protein survived formulation.

**Typical use:** Finished serums at a few ppm of EGF (one Korean ampoule advertises 10 ppm), 2-4 drops once or twice daily on clean, dry, intact skin, waiting before acids or oils.

**Getting it:** Over-the-counter cosmetic: BIOEFFECT EGF Serum and eye serum (barley-produced), Le Mieux EGF, Klairs Midnight Blue Youth Activating Drop, Isntree, Easydew and many Korean EGF essences and creams; EGF drug products (Easyef in Korea) are prescription wound treatments.

**Stacked with:** tretinoin (The usual base; users alternate nights and say EGF calms retinoid irritation.); microneedling (Commonly applied right after needling or peels; this pushes a growth factor past the barrier and is outside this entry's verdict.)

## Risk profile

- **Seen harm 0/3:** No serious harm documented despite real exposure: topical rhEGF has been used on open wounds since 1989 with 6-24 month follow-ups and a 15-year Cuban burn-patient survey showing no excess cancer, a 1,172-patient radiation-dermatitis series reported no severe adverse events, and EGF cosmetics have been mass-market for two decades. First-hand reports are breakouts and greasiness only.
- **Mechanism 1/3:** EGF is itself a growth factor and a direct EGF-receptor agonist, and in animal co-carcinogenesis work it promotes (though does not initiate) tumours, so on open skin this would be a 2. But the dominant use is a serum on intact skin, where a 6 kDa hydrophilic protein barely crosses the stratum corneum, so under the topical convention it scores 1; applied after microneedling, peels, lasers or on broken skin it reaches living cells and would score 2, which with latency 3 is excluded under the strict bar.
- **Data gap 1/3:** The same molecule is an approved wound drug in Korea (Easyef, topical rhEGF; phase III placebo-controlled trial) and has controlled wound trials well over a hundred patients, but no stringent-regulator approval and no CIR assessment; for chronic cosmetic use on the face there are only a 29-person open-label study and a 20-person pilot.
- **Silent harm 3/3:** The harm that matters is promotion of an existing skin cancer, precancer or atypical mole, which would be silent and delayed and invisible to testimonials; the everyday reactions (breakouts) are immediate and minor.
- **Product 0/3:** Bought as finished over-the-counter serums and creams (BIOEFFECT, Le Mieux, Korean essences); DIY EGF concentrates and microneedling 'slips' are a minority channel.
- **Never if:** active or past skin cancer (melanoma, basal or squamous cell carcinoma), actinic keratoses, or changing or atypical moles in the treated area; use on microneedled, peeled, lasered or broken skin (delivers the growth factor to living cells; outside this entry's verdict); pregnancy and breastfeeding (no reproductive data for chronic cosmetic use)

## Top reports

- Glowing, skin-hair: “I received the 15ml bottle in a skincare curated box and my skin has never been this glowy, hydrated, and silky soft. It even cleared up a gnarly bit of eyelid eczema I was dealing with for weeks from irritation using another product.” — [r/SkincareAddictionLux](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddictionLux/comments/1nbosem/didnt_want_to_like_the_bioeffect_egf_serum_this/)
- Glowing, skin-hair: “I was flipping through pics and noticed before I started the serum the wrinkle was super prominent, while now I just have a very small crease in my inner eyelid! Huzzah!” — [r/KoreanBeauty](https://www.reddit.com/r/KoreanBeauty/comments/171c78b/egf_really_works/)
- Glowing, skin-hair: “I have been using product for 3 months and am literally amazed... My skin is beautiful but seeing the fine lines disappearing that have recently been showing up as I am almost 50...” — [r/30PlusSkinCare](https://www.reddit.com/r/30PlusSkinCare/comments/17ya604/have_you_tried_bioeffect_serum_and_do_you_think/ljc4ot6/)
- Glowing, skin-hair: “After several months of daily use, it honestly looks like it took several years off of my eyes. Will definitely be repurchasing.” — [r/SkincareAddictionLux](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddictionLux/comments/1aj4yzw/thoughts_on_bioeffect_efg/krbqk84/)
- Positive, skin-hair: “I suppose my experience with the Le Mieux EGF, where I found it helped heal my persistent redness after surgery could’ve been coincidental or from other ingredients in that serum.” — [r/SkincareAddictionLux](https://www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddictionLux/comments/1dj28kk/egf_debunked/l98dp2e/)

## Studies

- [Schouest et al., Improved texture and appearance of human facial skin after daily topical application of barley produced, synthetic, human-like EGF serum (J Drugs Dermatol 2012)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22527430/) (open-label, n=29, 2012): Women aged 39-75 using a barley-EGF serum twice daily for 3 months: significant improvement in fine lines, texture, pore size and dyschromia from month one; well tolerated. No control group.
- [Abud et al., A randomized, double-blinded pilot study comparing synthetic versus human-derived topical EGF for facial rejuvenation (J Cosmet Dermatol 2026)](https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70927) (rct, n=20, 2026): Women aged 50-65, 12 weeks: the recombinant oligopeptide-1 serum beat a human-derived growth-factor serum on investigator-rated texture and firmness, but global wrinkle severity barely changed in either group. No placebo arm.
- [Park et al., Topical EGF spray for chronic diabetic foot ulcers: a phase III multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2018)](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2018.06.002) (rct, 2018): The Korean drug trial behind topical rhEGF's wound approval; relevant to safety of the molecule on open skin, not to cosmetic efficacy.
- [Berlanga-Acosta et al., Epidermal growth factor in clinical practice: a review of its biological actions, clinical indications and safety implications (Int Wound J 2009)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7951530/) (review, 2009): EGF does not initiate malignant transformation but shows tumour promotion in experimental oncology; no reports link clinical EGF use with cancer, and a 15-year Cuban follow-up of burn patients treated with EGF found cancer incidence no different from controls. Follow-up may be too short for malignancy.
- [The use of epidermal growth factor in dermatological practice (Int Wound J 2023)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10333026/) (review, 2023): Reviews rhEGF in wounds, scars, radiation dermatitis and cosmetics; a 1,172-patient observational study of rhEGF cream for radiation dermatitis reported no severe adverse events.
- [Challenges and effective routes for formulating and delivery of epidermal growth factors in skin care (Int J Cosmet Sci 2020)](https://doi.org/10.1111/ics.12685) (review, 2020): Low transdermal delivery, protein instability and interactions with emulsion ingredients limit what cosmetic EGF can do.

## Sources

- [Epidermal Growth Factor in Aesthetics and Regenerative Medicine: Systematic Review (PMC)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8423211/)
- [CGBIO: EASYEF topical rhEGF (Korean diabetic-foot-ulcer drug)](https://www.cgbio.co.kr/product/wound/easyef-saesal-ointment)
- [BIOEFFECT EGF Serum (plant-derived EGF, 7 ingredients)](https://www.bioeffect.com/products/egf-serum)
- [r/AsianBeauty: EGF products and safety (cancer question)](https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/comments/esw0ak/egf_epidermal_growth_factor_products_and_safety/)