The present invention relates to novel peptide compounds having the following formula [R1R2N—CH(Ra)—CO]a-(AA1)m-(AA2)b-X1—X2—X3—Y1—Y2—Y3—X4-(AA3)n-[NH—CH(Rb)—COOR3]c. It also pertains to cosmetic and dermatological compositions comprising one or more of these peptide compounds and to their uses in the cosmetic whitening of human skin and for the manufacture of a dermatological preparation intended to depigment human skin.