Step-by-step: how to confirm a research peptide COA is genuine using the lab's own lookup tool, plus red flags that suggest an edited or recycled report.
For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use.
Quick answer: A Certificate of Analysis (COA) only means something if the laboratory that issued it can confirm it. Most independent peptide testing labs print a unique code on each report (a task number and key, an accession number, an access code, or a report ID). Enter that code on the lab's own website, open the record the lab returns, and compare it line by line with the PDF you were given. If the lab can't find it, or any value differs, treat the COA as unverified.
A COA is easy to copy and easy to edit. The lab's own database is not. That is why verification, not the PDF itself, is the real proof. This guide walks through how to check reports from the labs that appear most often in research peptide documentation, including the labs listed in the QC Labs COA Library.
New to COAs? Start with How to Read a Peptide Certificate of Analysis, then come back here.
Why verify a COA at all?
A PDF can be altered in minutes: a new product name, a better purity number, a different date. Reports also get "recycled," meaning a genuine report for one batch is shown for a different batch or even a different seller. Verifying with the issuing lab answers three questions:
- Did this lab actually issue this report?
- Do the results on the lab's record match the results on the copy you have?
- Does the report belong to the material you're looking at (same compound, amount and batch or lot)?
The general method (works for any lab)
- Find the lab's name and the report's unique identifier. It's usually in the header, the footer, or next to a QR code.
- Go to the lab's official website yourself. Type the address or search for it. Don't rely on a link or QR code supplied by the seller, since a link can point to a look-alike page.
- Use the lab's verification or lookup page and enter the code exactly as printed. Codes can be case-sensitive.
- Compare the lab's record with your copy, field by field: client or submitter name, sample description, batch or lot, test date, method, and each numeric result.
- Record what you checked. Save the date you verified it and a screenshot of the lab's record with your batch documentation.
Lab-by-lab instructions
Lab websites change, so if a tool has moved, use the lab's contact page and ask them to confirm the report number.
Janoshik Analytical
- What's on the report: a task number near the top and a unique verification key near the bottom.
- How to verify: open the Verification page on Janoshik's official site (janoshik.com), enter the task number and the key, and open the report it returns. The key must be typed exactly, including capital letters.
- What to compare: sample name, client, test date, purity and identity results, and (if reported) quantity per vial.
Freedom Diagnostics Testing
- What's on the report: a unique accession number, often combined with a short client prefix as a "search code."
- How to verify: use the Certificate of Analysis Lookup on freedomdiagnosticstesting.com and enter the accession number or full search code. If an accession number matches more than one record, use the full search code printed on the COA.
- What to compare: the returned PDF should match your copy exactly, including product, lot, dates and results.
ILS Laboratories
- What's on the report: an access code, typically printed near the QR code or in the footer.
- How to verify: go to the Verify page on ils-lab.com and enter the access code (or scan the QR code, then check that the page you land on is really ils-lab.com).
- What to compare: client, product, lot, results and analysis date.
Kovera Labs
- What's on the report: a report ID that starts with "KVR" followed by the year and a short code.
- How to verify: use the verification tool on koveralabs.com and enter the full report ID, including the suffix.
- What to compare: client, product, lot, purity, net content (if reported) and date.
Other labs
If a lab doesn't offer an online lookup, email the lab directly (using contact details from its own website, not from the report) and ask it to confirm the report number, sample name and results. A real lab can answer that question.
Red flags that a COA may not be genuine
- No lab name, or a lab you can't find outside the seller's own website.
- No unique report code, or a code the lab's lookup can't find.
- Mismatched details: the lab record shows a different compound, amount, client, date or result.
- Missing method: a purity number with no HPLC (or other method) named. See HPLC vs. Mass Spectrometry for why the method matters.
- Identity not tested: purity is reported but identity (mass spectrometry) isn't, so the report doesn't confirm which molecule was measured.
- Same report on many batches: one report presented for several lots or several years.
- Visual editing signs: misaligned text, mixed fonts, blurred areas around numbers, or a "too round" result.
- Purity confused with content: a high HPLC purity doesn't tell you how much peptide is in the vial. See Net Peptide Content vs. HPLC Purity.
What verification does not tell you
Even a fully verified COA has limits:
- It describes the sample that was tested, from one batch, on one date. It doesn't describe other batches.
- It reports only the tests listed. If endotoxin, sterility or heavy metals aren't on the report, they weren't reported.
- It doesn't replace proper storage and handling in your own lab. See Lyophilized Peptide Storage and Handling.
How QC Labs handles verification
QC Labs publishes third-party COAs in the COA Library with each report's laboratory, report identifier and test date, so you can check them yourself with the issuing lab. Our Quality Verification page explains how reports correspond to the products we list. COAs are available for each listed batch. If you need the report that matches your lot, contact us and include the lot number from your vial label.
Product pages link to their documentation, for example MOTS-c, NAD+, GHK-Cu, KLOW Blend and Tesamorelin.
Frequently asked questions
Is a QR code on a COA enough proof? Not by itself. Scan it, then check that the page you land on is the lab's official domain and that the record matches your copy.
What if the lab's record and my PDF differ only slightly? Any difference in a result, date, lot or sample name means the copy you have isn't the report the lab issued. Ask the supplier for the correct report.
Does a verified COA mean every vial is identical? No. It documents the tested sample from a specific batch. Match the batch or lot on the COA to the label on your material.
Can I ask a lab to confirm a report by email? Yes. Most labs will confirm whether a report number is genuine. Use contact details from the lab's own website.
For research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. QC Labs products are laboratory reagents and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. See our Research Disclaimer.
For Research Use Only • Not for Human Consumption
This article is provided for educational purposes. QC Labs products are intended for laboratory research only.
