Anti-fraud

How to verify a peptide COA is real

By The Merit Research Team

To verify a peptide COA is real: look up the lab independently to confirm it exists, check that a test method is listed (not just a stated purity number), and for Janoshik COAs — the most common in the market — verify the test ID on their public portal. Fabricated COAs share predictable patterns.

Six verification checks

Look up the lab independently

The most important check. Search the lab name in isolation — not through the vendor's website, but directly in Google or a search engine. A legitimate independent lab has its own website, a physical address, and contact information that exists separately from any vendor. If the "lab" only appears in vendor marketing, or leads back to the vendor's own domain, treat the COA as unverifiable.

For Janoshik COAs — verify the test ID on their portal

Janoshik Analytical maintains a public COA lookup by test ID. A legitimate Janoshik COA will return a match on their portal. A COA that claims to be from Janoshik but doesn't appear in their lookup has almost certainly been fabricated or altered. This is the fastest and most reliable check for any document claiming Janoshik provenance.

Check that the test method is explicitly listed

A real COA identifies its testing method — typically HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) or HPLC-MS (HPLC with mass spectrometry). A document that states a purity number without identifying the method, instrument, or methodology is not a COA — it's a purity claim. Fabricators often skip the technical detail because it's harder to fake convincingly.

Look for instrument identifiers and chromatogram data

Stronger COAs include the instrument model number or serial number, raw retention time data, and a chromatogram — the visual trace of the HPLC separation. Fabricated COAs rarely include these because they require actually running the sample on the instrument. Their absence doesn't prove a COA is fake, but their presence is meaningful evidence it's genuine.

Match the lot number to current inventory

Each COA covers a specific production lot. Ask the vendor which lot number corresponds to your order and check that it matches an available COA. A vendor with a single COA from two years ago and rapidly turning inventory has a meaningful evidence gap — either the COA doesn't match current stock, or new stock isn't being tested.

Check the test date against stock turnover

A legitimate vendor refreshes COAs when lots change. A COA older than 18–24 months for a product the vendor claims to continuously stock is a yellow flag. Either they're re-testing the same old batch (which doesn't make sense commercially), or new batches aren't being independently tested.

Red flags to watch for

No single flag is definitive, but several together significantly raise the probability of a fabricated or altered document.

✕ Lab name not searchable independently of the vendor
✕ No test method listed — just a purity percentage
✕ No lot number or batch identifier
✕ COA on the vendor's own website with no external lab reference
✕ Purity of exactly 99.9% or 100.0% across all tested compounds
✕ No chromatogram or instrument data available on request
✕ Janoshik test ID that doesn't return a match on the Janoshik portal
✕ PDF metadata showing the document was created in Word or Canva

Known forgery patterns Browse verified COAs

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a COA is from a real lab?

Search the lab name independently. A real lab has its own website, physical address, and contact information separate from the vendor. For Janoshik — the most common peptide testing lab — you can verify any COA by looking up its test ID on Janoshik's public COA portal. If a document claiming to be from Janoshik doesn't appear there, it's almost certainly fabricated.

What are signs of a fake peptide COA?

Common signs of a fabricated COA include: no test method listed (just a stated purity number), no lot number, a lab name that doesn't appear independently in search results, purity values of exactly 99.9% or 100% across all compounds, no chromatogram or instrument data, and — for Janoshik claims — a test ID that doesn't match in their portal. PDF metadata (right-click → Properties) sometimes reveals the document was created in Microsoft Word or Canva rather than lab software.

Can vendors fake COAs?

Yes, and it has happened. The most common methods are: creating a document that looks like a lab report without submitting any sample, altering a real COA (changing the purity percentage or compound name), and creating a fictional lab name that appears legitimate. The Janoshik verification portal closes most of the fabrication window for the dominant lab in the market. For other labs, the best protection is checking that the lab exists independently of the vendor.

What is HPLC on a peptide COA?

HPLC stands for High-Performance Liquid Chromatography — the standard method for measuring peptide purity. The sample is pushed through a column that separates its components; a detector measures each component's concentration; the result is expressed as a purity percentage. HPLC-MS adds a mass spectrometer that also confirms molecular identity. A COA that lists HPLC or HPLC-MS as its method — with an instrument identifier or retention time data — is significantly more credible than one that states a purity number without a method.

Does Merit Verified flag fake or suspect COAs?

Merit Verified does not independently audit every COA in the registry. COAs are indexed from public sources and independent aggregators; the platform surfaces the evidence, provenance label, and lab identity for each one. The /forgery page documents known forgery patterns observed in the market. If you suspect a specific COA is fabricated, the best check for Janoshik documents is the Janoshik public portal; for others, contact the lab directly.

More guides

COA basics