Vendor Rankings
— demonstration data
This page shows the scorecard format. The vendors and the scores are examples. We do not publish real vendor scores yet. We start real scores when we have a public COA for each vendor.
Demonstration data
The vendors and scores below are examples that show the scorecard format. We do not publish real vendor scores yet. We buy no placement and we accept no payment for rank. When we score a real vendor, we link the certificate behind the score. If we cannot see the certificate, we do not score the vendor.
Four checks before you trust a vendor
Run these four checks before every order. They take about five minutes.
Match the COA to your lot number
Find the lot number on the vial. Find the same lot number on the certificate. A certificate without your lot number tells you nothing about your vial.
Find the name of an independent laboratory
Look for a named laboratory with ISO 17025 accreditation. You cannot audit an in-house result.
Read the analytical method
The certificate must show the HPLC result and the mass spectrometry result. Ask for the chromatogram. A purity percentage on its own is a claim, not data.
Check the country of origin
The vendor must state where it makes the product and where it sends it from. Vendors that hide this often hide more.
The scorecard, in the open
| Check | Weight | What we look for |
|---|---|---|
| Independent laboratory | 30 | A named ISO 17025 laboratory on the certificate |
| Lot-matched COA | 30 | The lot number on the certificate matches the vial |
| Method disclosure | 20 | HPLC and mass spectrometry results, with the chromatogram |
| Origin and fulfilment | 20 | Country of manufacture and country of despatch, both stated |
Example weights, shown to illustrate the method. We publish the date of each check and we check every vendor again each quarter.
Helix Research
99.1%
Purity
2–4d
Ships
$$$
Price
The most transparent operator we track. Every lot ships with a batch-matched HPLC and mass-spec report from an ISO-accredited lab, and their COA archive is fully public.
Full scorecard →Meridian Peptides
98.4%
Purity
3–5d
Ships
$$
Price
Consistently high purity at mid-tier pricing. COAs are batch-specific and searchable, though endotoxin testing is only run on select product lines.
Full scorecard →Apex Biolabs
97.9%
Purity
4–7d
Ships
$$
Price
A long-running vendor with a deep catalog. Third-party testing is solid but their public COA archive lags current lots by several weeks.
Full scorecard →Northwind Labs
97.2%
Purity
5–9d
Ships
$
Price
Aggressive pricing with in-house testing only. Purity is respectable but the absence of independent verification places more trust burden on the buyer.
Full scorecard →Cobalt Chem
95.8%
Purity
7–14d
Ships
$
Price
Low pricing but multiple transparency red flags: undisclosed country of origin, generic COAs not tied to lot numbers, and inconsistent labeling.
Full scorecard →Demonstration data. The vendors and scores above are examples, not real scores. Regulatory status varies by jurisdiction; many listed compounds are sold for laboratory research use only.
Walk away when you see these
One of these is a reason for caution. Two or more is a reason to stop.
The COA shows no lot number.
A certificate without your lot number tells you nothing about the vial you received. Legitimate testing is batch-matched and verifiable by lot.
The vendor names no independent laboratory.
In-house numbers cannot be audited. Look for a named laboratory with ISO 17025 accreditation on the certificate.
The vendor shows a purity figure but no method and no chromatogram.
A purity percentage on its own is a claim, not data. The certificate must show the HPLC result and the mass spectrometry result.
The vendor hides the country of origin.
The vendor must state where it makes the product and where it sends it from. Vendors that hide this often hide more.
The product page gives a human dose or a medical claim.
A research chemical carries no human-use approval. A vendor that prints a dose on the product page shows you how it treats the rules.
The price sits far below every other vendor.
Peptide synthesis costs real money per gram. A price far below the market usually means a short fill or degraded material.
On the dose flag
A research chemical carries no human-use approval. A vendor that prints a dose on the product page shows you how it treats the rules.
On the price flag
Peptide synthesis costs real money per gram. A price far below the market usually means a short fill or degraded material.
The bottom line
A vendor earns a high score when you can check its claims yourself. We publish the certificate we used. You can open it.