How we grade every seller.
Every seller is scored on the same 14 areas. Each is worth 0 to 100 points and has a fixed weight. Every test result is held to one published standard. The rules below are the complete method.
Each square is one point out of 100.
Every result is held to the same line
How much of the vial is the real compound. 99% means only 1% is anything else.
Confirms the vial holds the compound on the label, not something cheaper or different.
How much is really in the vial compared with the label, in milligrams.
A common contamination left behind by bacteria. Clean products have very little.
Checks that nothing is growing in the product, like bacteria or mold.
Checks for toxic metals: lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury.
A test earns Testing Depth points only when it appears on real reports. Purity and net content results are scored against this standard. A failed result from any source is recorded as a red flag.
Cheaper earns more points
We compare each seller's prices with the market average across common products. Cheaper earns more points, pricier earns fewer. Price is scored on its own, like every other area.
Prices under half the market average get an "Unusually cheap" note so you can double-check the testing grades. It does not change the price points.
- Reports from a named outside lab, for every batch
- Testing beyond purity: endotoxin, sterility, heavy metals
- Results that meet our standard
- Blind tests of products ordered anonymously
- A written testing protocol, and welcoming buyer testing
- Card payments, refunds and a reship guarantee
- Years in business with a clean regulatory record
- "Lab tested" claims with no report
- Star ratings and social media buzz
- Lab reports nobody can verify
- Low prices on their own
- Labels like "pharma grade"
- 39 No outside lab proof
- 59 Recent regulatory warning letter
- 69 Less than a year in business
- 19 Fake or reused report
- 49 Repeated outside test failures
The rules
- No proof, no points. A claim on a seller's website earns nothing until we can see the evidence. If we checked and the proof is not there, the score is zero.
- Missing proof never disappears. Some ranking sites drop the checks a seller has no evidence for, so a seller can earn an A from two facts. We never shrink the test. Unchecked items get a below-middle placeholder and lower the confidence label.
- Outside tests beat a seller's own reports. A seller picks which vial goes to its lab. Blind tests of products bought at retail are the hardest proof to fake.
- Serious problems cap the grade. A regulatory warning letter, a fake report or no outside testing at all limits the score no matter how good the rest looks.
- Every area is scored on its own. Price, shipping, testing and the rest each follow their own published rule. One area never changes how another is scored.
The math, using a real report card
This is exactly how Modern Aminos, currently ranked #1, gets its 75. Every vendor page shows the same block.
Step 1. Each of the 14 checks is scored 0 to 100 from the evidence: lab testing 93, testing depth 90, results against our standard 85, outside blind tests 24 and so on.
Step 2. The checks roll up into three areas. Each area is multiplied by its share of the total.
Community Rating (3%) is not counted yet, so the other checks are scaled up to fill 100%. That is why the shares above differ slightly from the 62 / 24 / 14 split.
Step 3. Score limits are applied last. None apply to Modern Aminos, so the final score is the sum, rounded: 75.
Step 4. 75 lands in the A band (70 and up). Confidence is high because 88% of the checks are verified rather than placeholders.
The 14 areas and why they weigh what they weigh
Lab TestingDo they test every batch at a real outside lab, and let you see the reports?16%of score
A lab report (a COA, certificate of analysis) is the only paper proof of what is in a vial. We want reports from a named outside lab, for every batch, that are recent and easy to see before you buy.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Named outside labAn outside lab is a testing company the seller does not own. "Accredited" means an official body inspected the lab and certified its accuracy. | 35% | Accredited lab (ISO/IEC 17025): 100. Recognized independent lab: 75. Lab confirmed by an auditor but not named publicly: 40 to 60. Unrecognized or partly anonymous lab: 20. In-house testing or no lab: 0. |
| A report for each batchA batch (or lot) is one production run. A report for each batch shows the product you would get was tested, not just an old sample. | 25% | Verified batch or lot reports: 100. Claimed but not shown: 30. None: 0. |
| How many reports are publishedHow many lab reports the seller has published. More reports means more of its products have been checked. | 15% | 100+ reports: 100. 50 to 99: 85. 25 to 49: 70. 10 to 24: 55. 1 to 9: 30. None: 0. |
| How recent the newest report isHow recent the newest report is. Old reports may not match what is being sold today. | 15% | Within 3 months: 100. 6 months: 85. 9 months: 65. 12 months: 50. 18 months: 25. Older: 10. |
| Reports visible before you buyWhether you can see the lab reports before you buy, without making an account. | 10% | Public: 100. Behind an age check: 85. Account required: 30. Not shown: 0. |
Testing DepthDo their reports cover more than purity?12%of score
Purity alone does not tell you a vial is clean or correctly filled. A thorough seller also tests identity, net content, endotoxin, sterility and heavy metals. Each test counts only if it appears on real reports.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Purity (HPLC)How much of the vial is the actual compound. Measured with HPLC, the standard lab method for purity. | 20% | Shown on its reports with a result: 100. Mentioned without a measured result: 50. Not shown: 0. |
| Identity (mass spec)Confirms the vial holds the compound on the label and not something else. Measured with mass spec. | 20% | Shown on its reports with a result: 100. Mentioned without a measured result: 50. Not shown: 0. |
| Net content (mg in the vial)How many milligrams are really in the vial compared with what the label says. | 15% | Shown on its reports with a result: 100. Mentioned without a measured result: 50. Not shown: 0. |
| Endotoxin (LAL test)A common kind of contamination left behind by bacteria. Measured with the LAL test. Clean products have very little. | 20% | Shown on its reports with a result: 100. Mentioned without a measured result: 50. Not shown: 0. |
| SterilityChecks that nothing is growing in the product, like bacteria or mold. | 15% | Shown on its reports with a result: 100. Mentioned without a measured result: 50. Not shown: 0. |
| Heavy metalsChecks for lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. | 10% | Shown on its reports with a result: 100. Mentioned without a measured result: 50. Not shown: 0. |
Results vs Our StandardDo their own results meet a strict, fixed standard?8%of score
Having reports is not enough. Every result is held to the same published standard: 99% purity or higher, and net content within 10% of the label.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Purity of 99% or higherOur bar is 99% purity or higher, which means no more than 1% of the vial is anything other than the labeled compound. | 50% | Median purity across its reports. 99% or higher: 100. 98 to 98.9%: 65. 95 to 97.9%: 30. Under 95%: 0. Any single batch under 98% costs 15 points. |
| Net content within 10% of the labelOur bar is within 10% of the label. A 10 mg vial should hold between 9 and 11 mg. | 50% | Share of its reports within 10% of the labeled amount. A vial more than 10% under the label costs three times as much as one more than 10% over. |
Outside Blind TestsWhen someone else bought it anonymously and had it tested, did it match the label?16%of score
A vendor controls which vial it sends to its own lab. Blind tests of products bought at retail by independent testers are the hardest proof to fake. No outside tests means this category starts low.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Independent retail test recordSomeone buys the product anonymously, like a normal customer, and sends it to a lab. The seller cannot pick a "good" vial to send, so this is the hardest proof to fake. | 100% | Based on the share of independently tested samples that met a strict purity and fill standard, adjusted for how many tests exist. Few tests pull the score toward 30. No outside tests on file: 30. |
Report HonestyCan you check the report is real, and match it to the vial you get?10%of score
Fake, edited and reused lab reports are the biggest trick in this market. We reward reports you can confirm on the lab's own website and batch numbers printed on the vial.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Report can be confirmed at the labWhether the lab's own website confirms the report is real. Fake and edited reports are common in this market. | 40% | Confirmed on the lab's site: 100. Lab verification available: 70. Checked but could not confirm: 30. Only a vendor-hosted file: 15. |
| Batch number on the vial matches the reportWhether the batch number printed on the vial matches a published report, so you know which report applies to your vial. | 25% | Yes: 100. No: 0. Not yet checked: 35. |
| Old reports kept onlineWhether older reports stay online. Sellers that delete old reports can hide bad results. | 15% | Yes: 100. No: 20. |
| No red flags on reportsSigns that a report was faked, edited or reused for a different product. | 20% | No flags: 100. Minor unresolved question: 60. Confirmed fake or reused report: 0 and a hard cap. |
Track RecordHow long have they been around, and is their history clean?9%of score
Vendors that vanish take your money with them. Regulators also shut down sellers who market peptides for human use, so a regulatory warning letter is a real risk to buyers.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Time in businessHow long the business has been around. New sellers have no track record yet. | 45% | 10+ years: 100. 7 years: 90. 5 years: 80. 3 years: 65. 2 years: 50. 1 year: 35. Under 6 months: 5 to 15. |
| No recent regulatory warning lettersWhether a government regulator has sent the seller a warning letter in the last two years. | 40% | None found: 100. Letter older than 24 months: 50. Letter in the last 24 months: 0 and a score cap. |
| No documented problemsDocumented problems, like orders that never arrived or sudden ownership changes. | 15% | None: 100. Minor documented concern: 60. Serious pattern (non-delivery, exit risk): 20. |
Buyer ProtectionIf something goes wrong, can you get your money back?7%of score
Credit cards let you dispute a charge. Zelle, crypto, Cash App and bank transfers do not. A written refund policy and a reship guarantee matter too.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Takes credit or debit cardsPaying by credit or debit card lets you ask your bank to reverse the charge if something goes wrong. Crypto, Zelle and Cash App cannot be reversed. | 45% | Cards accepted: 100. PayPal only: 50. Only payments you can't dispute: 0. |
| Reship for lost or seized ordersA promise to send your order again if it gets lost or seized in shipping. | 30% | Written guarantee: 100. Case by case: 55. No policy found: 10. |
| Written refund policyWhether the seller promises, in writing, to give your money back, and how much. | 25% | Full refunds: 100. Partial: 60. Store credit only: 40. No refunds: 0. |
Testing PolicyDo they have a written testing protocol, and do they welcome buyers testing for themselves?4%of score
A seller with nothing to hide says exactly what every batch is tested for and where, and welcomes buyers who send vials to their own lab. Sellers that refund or replace a product that fails an outside test earn full points.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Written testing protocolA written policy that says what every batch is tested for and which lab does the testing. | 50% | A published, verified per-batch testing policy: 100. Claimed but not verified: 50. None found: 0. |
| Backs buyer testingWhether the seller welcomes customers sending products to their own lab, and refunds products that fail. | 50% | Encourages buyer testing and refunds or replaces products that fail: 100. Encourages testing only: 60. Discourages or forbids it: 0. |
Business TransparencyIs it a real company you could find and contact?4%of score
Real businesses publish a legal name, a real address and a way to reach them. Mailbox and registered-agent addresses score lower. Being made or finished in the USA earns a small bonus.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Legal company name publishedThe official registered company name, like "Example Labs LLC". Real businesses publish it. | 20% | Yes: 100. No: 0. |
| Real business addressA real street address, not just a mailbox or a registered-agent office. | 20% | Street address: 100. City only: 55. Registered agent: 35. Mailbox: 30. None: 0. |
| Phone and emailA phone number and an email address you can actually reach. | 20% | Both: 100. One: 60. None: 0. |
| Named owner or teamWhether the people behind the store are named. | 15% | Named: 100. Anonymous: 0. |
| Made or finished in the USAWhether products are made or finished in the USA. A small bonus. | 25% | Documented: 100. Claimed: 60. Not claimed: 0. This is a small bonus by design. |
ShippingDoes your order ship fast and tracked, with real options, and get replaced if it goes missing?4%of score
Speed, tracking, shipping options and what happens when a package goes missing.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Speed, tracking, options and lost packagesHow fast orders ship, whether you get tracking, what shipping options exist, and what happens if a package goes missing. | 100% | From shipping audits and published policies. Not yet checked: 40. |
Price CompetitivenessHow do their prices compare with the market average?4%of score
Lower prices are better for buyers. We compare each seller's prices with the market average across a basket of common products. Price is scored on its own, like every other area, and never changes how testing is scored.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Price compared with the marketWe compare the seller's prices with the market average across common products. Cheaper earns more points. | 100% | 60% of the market average or less: 100. At the market average: 75. 30% above: 45. 70% above: 15. Higher than that: 10. Points in between are scaled smoothly. |
SupportCan you reach a person, and do they actually help paying customers?2%of score
We count the ways to reach the seller, and we measure how support treats buyers: how fast it answers and whether the problem gets solved, from our own test messages and screened buyer ratings.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Ways to reach themHow many ways you can reach a person: phone, email or live chat. | 50% | Phone, email and chat: 100. Phone and email: 85. Phone or chat: 70. Email only: 45. None: 0. |
| How support treats buyersHow support treats paying customers: how fast it answers and whether the problem gets solved. | 50% | Fast and helpful: 100. Slow or partial answers: 50. No answer: 0. Documented support problems cost points. Not yet measured: 40. |
WebsiteCan you see prices, products and reports easily?1%of score
Hidden prices and locked catalogs make it harder to compare and check.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Prices visible without an accountWhether you can see prices without making an account. | 50% | Yes: 100. No: 30. |
| Reports easy to findWhether lab reports are easy to find on the site. | 30% | Public: 100. Age check: 85. Account: 30. Hidden: 0. |
| Catalog open to browseWhether you can browse products without logging in. | 20% | Open: 100. Behind a login wall: 20. |
Community RatingWhat do verified buyers say, privately?3%of score
Reviews are submitted privately and screened for fakes and competitor attacks. Only the positive and negative totals are public. This counts only after 10 screened ratings, and it can never outweigh the proof above.
| What we check | Share | How points are awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Share of positive screened ratingsWhat screened buyers tell us privately. It counts for only 3 of 100 points because reviews are easy to fake. | 100% | Share of positive ratings, pulled toward 50% until there are many ratings. Needs at least 10 screened ratings to count. |
Hard limits
These limits apply after the math. They are what make the rankings strict. A limited vendor's page shows both numbers: what the checks add up to, and where the limit holds it.
| Problem | Score limit |
|---|---|
| No outside lab proof No named outside lab, no audited reports and no outside test results. No matter how good the rest looks, the score cannot pass 39 (an F). | max 39 |
| Recent regulatory warning letter A regulatory warning letter in the last 24 months. The score cannot pass 59 (a C) until 24 months have passed. | max 59 |
| Less than a year in business Under 12 months old. No vendor earns an A in its first year. | max 69 |
| Fake or reused report A confirmed fake, edited or reused lab report. The score cannot pass 19. | max 19 |
| Repeated outside test failures Fewer than half of 20 or more outside tests passed. The score cannot pass 49 (a D). | max 49 |
Grades
Our scale is strict. A 70 is excellent here. Missing proof scores zero, and no seller has passed 80 yet.
70+3
60+12
50+46
40+22
<4021
Confidence
Every report shows how much of it we verified. High (75% or more): We verified most of what we check. Medium (55% or more): Some checks are still in progress. Provisional (under 55%): Limited evidence so far. Treat this score as a first look. We only grade a seller once at least 45% of its checks are verified. Below that, it is listed as Not yet rated.
When we have not checked something yet
When we have not finished checking something, it gets a below-middle placeholder and lowers the vendor's confidence level. When we checked and the vendor does not publish it, it gets zero. Placeholders: lab checks 30, trust checks 35, buying-experience checks 40. No outside tests on file scores 30 in that category. When another tracker has already audited something we have not, we may use its published audit as an estimate, labeled "Estimated", until we confirm it ourselves.
Community ratings
- Anyone can rate a vendor with a thumbs up or down, and add a private 1 to 5 star review.
- Written reviews are never published. Only the positive and negative totals are public.
- Weights: a review with order proof counts 3, an email-confirmed review counts 2, a quick vote counts 1.
- We screen every rating: one per person per vendor, email confirmation, and checks for seller email domains, bursts from one network, copy-paste text and reviews that attack one vendor while praising another.
- Flagged ratings are held for a person to review. Removed ratings are counted in our monthly integrity report.
- The community check only counts after 10 screened ratings, and even then it is 3% of the score. Until then the other checks are scaled up to fill 100%. The share is pulled toward 50% until there are many ratings, so a few angry or glowing votes can't swing a grade.
Words we use, in plain English
- RUO (research use only)
- Products sold for laboratory research, not for people to use. Every seller on this site sells under this label.
- COA (certificate of analysis)
- A lab report that shows what was found in a product. It is the main proof a seller can show you.
- Outside lab
- A testing company the seller does not own. Its results are harder to fake than a seller testing its own products.
- Accredited lab (ISO/IEC 17025)
- A lab an official body has inspected and certified for accurate testing.
- Batch or lot
- One production run. Each batch can come out different, so each one should have its own report.
- Blind test
- A product bought anonymously, like a normal customer would, then sent to a lab. The seller cannot choose a "good" vial.
- Purity (HPLC)
- How much of the vial is the real compound. HPLC is the standard lab method for measuring it.
- Identity (mass spec)
- A lab test that confirms which compound is actually in the vial.
- Net content
- How many milligrams are really in the vial compared with the label.
- Endotoxin (LAL test)
- A common contamination left behind by bacteria. The LAL test measures how much is there.
- Sterility
- A test that checks nothing is growing in the product, like bacteria or mold.
- Heavy metals
- Toxic metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury.
- USP
- The United States Pharmacopeia, which publishes the standard methods labs use. Numbers like <85> and <71> are the chapters for specific tests.
- Market median
- The middle price across sellers for the same products. Half charge more, half charge less.
- Reship guarantee
- A promise to send your order again if it gets lost or seized in shipping.
- Card dispute
- Asking your bank to reverse a card charge when an order goes wrong. Crypto and cash apps cannot be reversed.
- How sure we are
- The share of facts behind a score that we have confirmed. High means most of the score rests on checked facts.
- Score limit
- A serious problem, like faked reports, sets a ceiling on the score no matter how good everything else looks.
Where the evidence comes from
Our system reads each seller's public lab reports, policies and contact pages, public regulatory warning letters, outside testing programs, and published audits from other trackers. Every fact on a report carries its source and the date we captured it. Every change is checked by a person before it goes live, and anything that touches lab evidence, a warning letter or a score limit gets a closer look. Every score change is logged publicly with the reason.
Labs we recognize
Labs that appear across multiple independent audits as third-party analytical labs. Being on this list is not an endorsement. Vendors named as their own lab, individuals, manufacturers and anonymized labs are not recognized.
APIGENEX s.r.o., AV Analytics, Accumark Labs, Analytical Formulations Inc, Anthony Burke PhD Lab, BTLabs, BioChex, BioRegen, Bioviridian Inc., Chromate, Colmaric Analyticals, Ethos Analytics Laboratory, Freedom Diagnostics Testing, FreedomDiagnostics, Horizon Analytical, ILS Laboratories, Ichor Life Sciences, Janoshik Analytical, KMD Analytical (KMD Group LLC), Kovera Labs and/or ILS Labs, Krause Analytical LLC, Liquilabs, MDx BioAnalytical Laboratory, MZ Biolabs, Natural Health Product Research Group (NRG) at BCIT, North American Diagnostics, Pass Analytical, Peptology Labs, PharmLabs, SR Biolabs, SafeCert Labs, TrustPointe Analytics LLC, Vanguard Laboratory, Verum Analytics.
Corrections, disputes and history
Anyone can report an error with a source. We reply within 7 days, and every correction is logged. Vendors can send new evidence at any time. Past scores are kept, so changes are visible.
What we do not do
- We don't sell rankings, badges or removals.
- We don't grade products for human use or give dosing advice.
- We don't publish a written review, a name or an email from a rating.
- We don't guess. If we can't verify it, it doesn't earn points.