How to Spot a Fake Certificate of Analysis (COA)

A Certificate of Analysis is supposed to prove that a specific batch of peptide is the compound it claims to be, at the purity it claims. In practice, half of the COAs floating around the gray market are recycled, edited, or completely fabricated. Here is how to tell.

What a real COA contains

• Testing lab name, address, and contact info (not just a logo).
• Batch or lot number that matches the vial you received.
• Test date within the last 6 months of the manufacture date.
• HPLC purity percentage with the actual chromatogram attached.
• Mass spectrometry (MS) result showing molecular weight within tolerance.
• Signature of the analyst — not a stock signature graphic.

The seven red flags

1. No lab identity, only a vendor logo

If the top of the document says 'ExamplePeptides Quality Report' instead of naming an independent lab (Janoshik, Anresco, Element Materials Technology, etc.), it is a marketing document, not a COA.

2. The chromatogram is a JPEG, not an embedded PDF page

Real HPLC output comes out of the instrument software as a vector graphic. If the peak trace looks pixelated or is clearly a screenshot, someone copied it from another COA.

3. Purity is suspiciously round

Genuine HPLC reports something like 99.14% or 97.83%. Round numbers (99.0%, 98.0%) are the giveaway of a fake — the tester is guessing.

4. Same batch number on multiple products

Check the vendor's product page — if the BPC-157 and TB-500 COAs both show 'Batch #241108', they reused one document and changed the compound name.

5. Mass spec result is missing or 'within range' with no number

MS is what actually identifies the molecule. A COA without the observed m/z value is only telling you 'the powder is pure', not 'the powder is the peptide it claims'.

6. The lab does not exist

Google the lab name plus 'peptide analysis'. Janoshik Analytical, Anresco, and a handful of others come up immediately. If the lab has no web presence, no phone number, and no other clients, it is fabricated.

7. Date mismatch

Manufacture date is January 2026, COA test date is July 2025. This one is common and almost always means the vendor is attaching an old batch's COA to a new batch.

Third-party test yourself if it matters

If you are running a serious protocol, send a sample to Janoshik ($60–$90 per test). It takes 5–10 business days and is the only way to be certain. Split a vial with two other people to spread the cost.