How to Read and Verify a Peptide COA (Certificate of Analysis)

What's a COA?

A COA (Certificate of Analysis) is a lab's report on a sample it tested. For peptides, it usually answers two questions: is it the right compound, and how pure is it?

The catch: it covers one sample, so it's only useful if you can link it to your product.

What's on a COA

A good one usually shows:

• The lab's name: a real lab with a website you can find yourself.
• A batch or lot number: links the report to an actual product.
• A report number or code: the lab's reference, used to look it up.
• The test date: older reports may not cover today's stock.
• Tests and results: actual numbers, not just “PASS”.

The two tests you'll see most:

• HPLC: a test for how pure it is.
• Mass spec (MS or LC-MS): a test that confirms it's the right compound.

You want both. A purity test alone can't tell you what is pure.

Also, “99% purity” doesn't mean the vial is 99% peptide. It means 99% of what the test picked up was the main compound.

How to check a COA is real

PDFs are easy to edit, so compare it with the lab's own records:

1. Find the code on the report (a key, task number, access code or QR code).
2. Go to the lab's website yourself. Don't just click the seller's link.
3. Enter the code on the lab's verify page.
4. Compare everything: product, batch, dates and results should match exactly.
5. No verify page? Contact the lab through its own website.

How some well-known labs do it, per their own sites:

• Janoshik Analytical: enter the task number and unique key, or scan the QR code.
• Freedom Diagnostics Testing: search its public database by report number or company name.
• Chromate: use the Verify portal at the top of its website.

Red flags

These don't prove a fake, but they're reasons to dig deeper:

• Blurred or blacked-out verification code: if you can't check it, it counts for little.
• Batch number doesn't match your vial: it's about a different product.
• Old test date: that stock may be long gone.
• Same COA on several sellers' sites: at most one of them sent that sample.
• Only on the seller's site: with no lab record, it's just their word.
• Looks edited: odd fonts, wonky numbers, blurry patches.
• Purity but no identity test: you still don't know what it is.

What a COA doesn't tell you

The seller picks which sample to send, so a COA covers that one sample, not every vial. That's why blind testing is valued: a buyer or community group buys the product like any customer and sends it to a lab without the seller knowing.

Most COAs also skip some tests:

• Endotoxin test: checks for leftover bits of bacteria.
• Sterility test: checks whether any germs grow from the sample.
• Heavy metals test: checks for metals like lead and mercury.

If a test isn't listed, assume it wasn't done.

Quick checklist

• Lab is named and you found its website yourself
• Verification code is visible
• Lab's record matches the PDF exactly
• Batch number matches your product
• Test date is recent
• Both HPLC and mass spec were done
• Results are real numbers
• Same report isn't on other sellers' sites

How we handle reports

Peptide Directory Australia is a directory, not a ranking. When a seller publishes a test report, we note the lab, date and batch, and link back to the original on our reports page so you can check it yourself.

We didn't pay for these tests, and a link isn't proof a report is genuine. Affiliate codes and links are clearly labelled. We may earn a commission, but it never changes the facts shown. See how we work or browse vendor profiles.