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What are peptides?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids — the same building blocks that make up proteins. Your body produces thousands of them naturally; they act as signalling molecules that regulate healing, growth, metabolism, and more.

Synthetic peptides replicate or mimic naturally occurring ones. Researchers study them to understand these biological pathways, and many have been explored as potential therapeutics. Some, like semaglutide (Ozempic), have become approved medicines. Others remain in the research phase.

Why do people research peptides?

Common areas of interest include: tissue repair and recovery (BPC-157, TB-500), metabolic regulation and weight management (GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide), growth hormone axis support (ipamorelin, CJC-1295, MK-677), cognitive function (selank, semax), and skin/tanning (melanotan II, afamelanotide).

Research context

The research peptide market exists in a grey area. Vendors sell compounds for “research purposes,” which means they're not subject to the same manufacturing standards as pharmaceutical products — and quality varies enormously.

What sets vendors apart

The biggest differentiator is testing. A vendor who publishes Certificate of Analysis (COA) documents from independent third-party labs for every batch is meaningfully more trustworthy than one who provides no testing data. Beyond testing, community trust (built over years of consistent delivery and quality) and responsive customer service matter a lot.

The risk of untested product

Without independent testing, you have no way to verify purity, identity, or the absence of contaminants. Underdosed product wastes money. Mis-labelled product carries real risk. Community-submitted COAs and vendor-published COAs (verified by TVR where possible) are the primary signal we use to assess quality.

Reconstitution

Most research peptides arrive as freeze-dried (lyophilised) powder. Before use, this powder must be dissolved in bacteriostatic water (BacWater) — a process called reconstitution.

What you need

• Peptide vial (e.g. 5mg BPC-157)
• Bacteriostatic water (BacWater) — not plain water or saline
• Insulin syringes (U-100, 1ml)
• Alcohol swabs

Step-by-step

1. 1

   Decide your concentration

   Common: add 1ml BacWater to a 5mg vial → 5mg/ml (5000mcg/ml). Or 2ml → 2.5mg/ml. Lower concentration = easier to measure small doses.

2. 2

   Wipe both stoppers

   Swab the rubber stopper on the peptide vial and on the BacWater vial with an alcohol swab. Let dry for 10 seconds.

3. 3

   Draw up BacWater

   Using a fresh insulin syringe, draw the desired volume of BacWater from its vial.

4. 4

   Add water to peptide vial

   Insert the needle into the peptide vial and slowly inject the BacWater down the side of the vial — do not blast it directly onto the powder. Gentle swirling is fine; never shake.

5. 5

   Wait and swirl

   The powder should dissolve within 60 seconds of gentle swirling. The solution should be clear and colourless. If cloudy, do not use.

6. 6

   Store correctly

   Reconstituted peptides should be refrigerated (2–8°C) and are typically stable for 2–4 weeks. Lyophilised (unreconstituted) powder can often be stored at room temp for months if kept dark and dry.

Calculating your dose

If your vial is 5mg (5000mcg) and you added 1ml of BacWater, each 0.01ml (1 unit on a U-100 syringe) = 50mcg. So a 250mcg dose = 5 units (0.05ml). Use our peptide calculator to do this automatically.

Reading a Certificate of Analysis (COA)

A COA is a lab report documenting test results for a specific batch of product. Learning to read one is the single most useful skill for evaluating a vendor.

What a good COA shows

• ✓Lab name: Should be an independent third-party lab (Janoshik, Colmaric, LGC, etc.) — not the vendor's own lab
• ✓Test method: HPLC or mass spectrometry (or both). Mass spec confirms identity; HPLC confirms purity.
• ✓Purity result: ≥98% is good. ≥99% is excellent. <95% is a red flag.
• ✓Test date: Recent tests (within 12 months) on current batches are meaningful. Old COAs from 2019 tell you little about what you're buying today.
• ✓Batch number: Matches the batch you purchased. Vendors who reuse old COAs for new batches are a warning sign.
• ✓Identity confirmation: Mass spec report should show the correct molecular weight for the peptide.

Red flags

You can verify Janoshik COAs directly at public.janoshik.com — search by batch number to confirm a result is genuine.

Using The Vial Report

TVR aggregates vendor data, community trust signals, pricing, and COA records into a structured, searchable database. Here's how to get the most out of it.

Finding a vendor for a specific peptide

1. 1

   Find the peptide

   Go to Peptides and search for or browse to the peptide you're researching. The peptide page shows dosing data, research context, and a list of vendors who carry it.

2. 2

   Check vendor scores

   Each vendor has a radar chart showing six dimensions: Testing, Trust, Shipping, Payment, Range, and Price. Click any dimension label to understand what drives that score.

3. 3

   Read the COA log

   On the vendor page, open the Testing section and expand "View COA" to see lab results for that vendor. Check the test date — recent COAs carry more weight.

4. 4

   Compare vendors

   Use the Compare page to put up to three vendors side-by-side on the radar chart.

Understanding the Vial Score

The Vial Score (0–100) is our composite ranking: Trust 40% + Testing 35% + Price 25%. It's a starting point, not a final verdict. Read the full methodology page to understand exactly how each dimension is calculated.

AI-generated summaries

Vendor and peptide summaries marked with the AI indicator are generated from structured data in our database and updated regularly. They are factual summaries, not opinions. If you spot an error, the underlying data fields are the source — and we always link to primary sources.

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