Procurement · 5 min read
How to Verify a Research Peptide Vial and Spot Counterfeits
A practical verification routine for incoming research peptide vials: label, lot, QR code, certificate, laboratory accreditation, and red flags for counterfeit product.
Counterfeit and mislabeled peptides are a documented problem in the research-reagent market. A short receiving routine, done every time a shipment arrives, catches most problems before a vial reaches an experiment.
The receiving routine
- Check that the outer seal and vial cap are intact.
- Read the label: compound name, label mass, lot number, and a research-use statement.
- Scan the QR code and confirm it opens a page on the supplier's own domain, not a file-sharing link.
- Confirm that the lot number on the certificate matches the vial exactly.
- Check that the certificate date is after the lot was manufactured and before it shipped.
- Confirm the testing laboratory is named, then look up its accreditation and scope.
- Log the vial, lot, and certificate in your inventory records.
Red flags
- A QR code or link that opens a generic PDF used for every lot
- A certificate with no named laboratory, or one issued only by the seller
- Lot numbers that are hand-written or missing
- Powder that looks different from previous lots of the same compound
- Pricing far below the market for the stated purity and mass
When something does not match
Quarantine the vial, photograph the label and certificate, and contact the supplier with the lot number. A credible supplier can produce the laboratory's raw data for the lot.
Every North Wall vial carries a QR code that opens the certificate for that exact lot in the COA library. See the supplier checklist and the reference pages for BPC-157 and NAD+.
Educational content for laboratory professionals. North Wall products are for in-vitro research only and are not for human or veterinary use.