How We Rank Vendors
We don't test peptides. We test vendors — on whether they're willing to show you the receipts.
Our Vendor Transparency Score (A-E) is based entirely on independently verifiable signals. We don't license third-party testing data. We don't factor in affiliate relationships. Every signal we use can be checked by anyone with a web browser.
Five transparency signals
We evaluate vendors on five signals, split into two categories. Core evidence signals directly measure whether a vendor is willing to show you proof of testing. Supporting trust signals add context about business legitimacy.
How We Score Transparency
How signals become grades
Each signal is scored 0 (not found), 0.5 (partial or claimed but unverifiable), or 1.0 (confirmed). The total score ranges from 0 to 5.
Negative signal overrides
Some behaviors override the additive score entirely:
- Fabricated COAs or fake lab claims — automatic E grade, regardless of other signals.
- Verifiably false claims (e.g., inflated years in business) — one-grade deduction from the calculated grade.
- Official enforcement action + closure — vendor is marked “Archived” and removed from the active grading ladder.
What we don't factor in
- Product purity or quality. We grade transparency, not peptides. We are not a testing lab.
- Third-party testing data. We don't license data from testing services. Our scores are based on what vendors themselves publish and what we can independently verify.
- Reddit/community sentiment. We read it. We reference it as flavor. But we never let anonymous forum posts move a score.
- Affiliate status. Whether we earn commissions from a vendor has zero effect on their score. See our full affiliate disclosure.
Industry context
No vendor in the peptide space currently holds ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for peptide assay testing. Our methodology accounts for this industry-wide gap — we evaluate vendors relative to what's achievable, not against pharmaceutical-grade standards that no one meets.
Versioning
Our methodology is versioned. Every vendor profile shows which version was used to calculate their score and when it was last updated. When we change the methodology, we re-score all vendors and publish what changed.
Current version: v2.0 · Last updated: March 14, 2026