Taken without a needle

Orforglipron is an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, and unlike most of this group it is a small molecule rather than a peptide, so it survives digestion as a pill. In plain terms: it gives the same appetite control as the injectable GLP-1 drugs without needles, and unlike earlier oral versions it does not need to be taken on an empty stomach.

Tesofensine is a small molecule, not a peptide, that blocks the reuptake of three brain chemicals: dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. In plain terms: it acts on the brain's appetite and reward system like a stimulant to suppress hunger, which also means more heart-related risk.

Danuglipron is an oral GLP-1 receptor agonist and a small molecule, not a peptide, so it works as a pill. In plain terms: it gives GLP-1-style appetite control without injections. It is in testing.

MK-677 (ibutamoren) is a ghrelin-receptor agonist and, unlike the injectable peptides here, a small molecule that works as a daily pill. In plain terms: it keeps your own growth hormone and IGF-1 raised around the clock for sleep, appetite, muscle, and skin, without needles.

VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) is a natural 28-amino-acid signaling peptide found in the gut, lungs, and nerves. In plain terms: it relaxes blood vessels and airways and calms the immune system, which is why a nasal-spray form is used to try to quiet chronic inflammation, though it can lower blood pressure.

Larazotide is an 8-amino-acid peptide that tightens the junctions between the cells lining your gut. In plain terms: it works locally in the intestine to seal a 'leaky' gut barrier and has been studied mainly for celiac disease. It is not absorbed into the body.

Semax is a 7-amino-acid peptide based on a fragment of ACTH, a brain-signaling hormone. In plain terms: it raises BDNF, a chemical that helps brain cells grow and connect, which is why it is used for focus and memory, and in Russia after strokes. The human studies and the Russian registration both use the nasal route. Vendors sell it as a vial of powder, which people also inject under the skin, though no published human study has tested it that way.

Selank is a synthetic version of tuftsin, a natural immune-and-brain peptide. In plain terms: it gently tunes the calming GABA and serotonin systems to lower anxiety without sedation or dependence. The human studies and the Russian approval both use the nasal route. Vendors sell it as a vial of powder, which people also inject under the skin, though no published human study has tested it that way.

N-Acetyl Semax Amidate is a chemically tweaked, more stable version of Semax. In plain terms: it does the same focus-and-memory job by raising BDNF, but resists breakdown so it lasts longer.

Methylene blue is a century-old synthetic dye, not a peptide, that can shuttle electrons inside cells' energy machinery. In plain terms: at low doses it helps mitochondria make energy more efficiently, which is why it is taken for focus and energy. It famously turns urine blue-green, which is harmless.

Oxytocin is a natural 9-amino-acid hormone made in the brain, released during touch, closeness, and childbirth. In plain terms: known as the 'bonding hormone,' it is used as a nasal spray or tablet for connection, mood, and sometimes libido, with subtle, short-lived effects.

Argireline (acetyl hexapeptide-8) is a cosmetic peptide that mildly limits the release of the signal muscles use to contract. In plain terms: applied topically, it softens fine expression lines a bit like a gentle, needle-free version of Botox.

SNAP-8 (acetyl octapeptide-3) is a longer cousin of Argireline used in skincare. In plain terms: applied to the skin, it relaxes the tiny muscles under expression lines to soften forehead and eye wrinkles.

Matrixyl (palmitoyl pentapeptide-4) is a cosmetic peptide that signals skin to rebuild collagen. In plain terms: used in serums over time, it firms skin and smooths fine lines.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-1 is a cosmetic collagen-signal peptide, often paired with Matrixyl. In plain terms: applied to skin, it tells the skin to make more collagen to firm and smooth.

Tetrapeptide-21 is a cosmetic peptide that boosts skin's production of collagen and hyaluronic acid. In plain terms: used topically, it helps skin look firmer and plumper.

Orexin-A (hypocretin-1) is a natural brain peptide that keeps you awake and alert; people with narcolepsy lack it. In plain terms: it is studied as a nasal spray for wakefulness and daytime energy, with limited data.

PTD-DBM is a peptide designed to switch a hair-growth signal back on. Your body uses a pathway called Wnt to decide when follicles grow, and a protein called CXXC5 acts as a brake on it. PTD-DBM gets in the way of that brake. In plain terms: it is meant to take the handbrake off hair growth. Everything published about it is from mice, and almost all of it comes from the one laboratory that invented it.

AHK-Cu is a copper peptide, the same family as GHK-Cu. It is three amino acids holding a copper atom, and copper is genuinely needed for building skin and blood vessels. It is sold mostly for hair rather than skin. In plain terms: it is the same idea as GHK-Cu with far less research behind it.

N-Acetyl Selank Amidate is a modified version of Selank, a Russian anti-anxiety peptide. Two small changes are made to the ends of the molecule so that enzymes take longer to break it down. In plain terms: it is Selank built to last a bit longer, usually sold as a nasal spray.

Noopept is a small molecule built from two amino acids joined together, made in Russia in 1996. It is not really a peptide: it is swallowed, absorbed like an ordinary drug, and broken down into a different active compound in the body. In plain terms: it is a memory and focus drug that gets sold beside peptides like Semax and Selank because it came out of the same Russian research world.

Endoluten is a peptide extract from the pineal gland of young calves, taken as a capsule. In plain terms: it is marketed for sleep, body clock and general aging, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Suprefort is a peptide extract from the pancreas of young animals, not a single molecule. In plain terms: it is marketed for blood sugar and digestion with age, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Visoluten is a peptide extract from the retina of young animals, not a single molecule. In plain terms: it is marketed for eyesight and retinal health with age, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Bonomarlot is a peptide extract from the bone marrow of young animals, not a single molecule. In plain terms: it is marketed for blood cell production and immune recovery, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Libidon is a peptide extract from the prostate of young animals, not a single molecule. In plain terms: it is marketed for prostate support in older men, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Glandokort is a peptide extract from the adrenal glands of young animals, not a single molecule. In plain terms: it is marketed for stress response and cortisol balance, but there is very little real human research behind it.

Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3 is a four amino acid peptide used almost entirely in scalp and hair products. It is meant to strengthen the tissue that anchors a hair follicle by prompting cells to make more of the surrounding matrix, particularly collagen and laminin.

Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1 is the same three amino acid sequence as GHK, the copper peptide, with a biotin molecule attached instead of copper. It is used almost exclusively in hair, eyelash and eyebrow products.

Palmitoyl Tetrapeptide-7 is a four amino acid sequence taken from immunoglobulin G, an immune protein, with a fatty palmitoyl tail added so it can cross the skin barrier. It is used for its calming effect rather than as a collagen builder.

Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5 is a three amino acid sequence with a fatty palmitoyl tail, sold under the trade name Syn-Coll. Unlike Matrixyl, which mimics a collagen fragment, this one is described as activating a growth factor that in turn drives collagen production.

SYN-AKE is a small synthetic peptide designed to imitate waglerin-1, a component of temple viper venom. It is sold for expression lines, working on the receiving side of the nerve-to-muscle junction rather than the sending side that Argireline targets.

GHK is the three amino acid sequence glycyl-histidyl-lysine, found naturally in human plasma. Sold without a copper ion attached, it is a different product from GHK-Cu, and the copper is not an inert addition.

Pielotax is a peptide extract taken from the kidney tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-9. It is marketed for kidney function and urinary health.

Testoluten is a peptide extract taken from the testicular tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-13. It is marketed for male reproductive function.

Ventfort is a peptide extract taken from the aortic tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-3. It is marketed for vascular health and circulation.

Thyreogen is a peptide extract taken from the thyroid tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-2. It is marketed for thyroid function, energy and hormone balance.

Svetinorm is a peptide extract taken from the liver tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-7. It is marketed for liver function and gall bladder health.

Vladonix is a peptide extract taken from the thymus tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-6. It is marketed for immune function and healthy aging.

Chelohart is a peptide extract taken from the heart tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-14. It is marketed for heart function and cardiovascular health.

Stamakort is a peptide extract taken from the stomach lining of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-10. It is marketed for digestion and the health of the stomach lining.

Gotratix is a peptide extract taken from the muscle tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-18. It is marketed for muscle performance, recovery and age-related muscle loss.

Zhenoluten is a peptide extract taken from the ovarian tissue of young animals, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-15. It is marketed for female reproductive health and menopause symptoms.

Bonothyrk is a peptide extract taken from the parathyroid glands of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-21. It is marketed for calcium balance and bone health.

Chitomur is a peptide extract taken from the bladder wall of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-12. It is marketed for bladder control and urinary health.

Taxorest is a peptide extract taken from the lung and bronchial tissue of young calves, sold in capsules as peptide complex A-19. It is marketed for breathing and airway health.

Vialox is the trade name for pentapeptide-3, a five-amino-acid cosmetic peptide. In plain terms: it is meant to soften expression lines by blocking the signal that tells a facial muscle to contract.

Leuphasyl is the trade name for pentapeptide-18, a five-amino-acid cosmetic peptide modelled on enkephalin. In plain terms: it is meant to quiet the nerve that tells a facial muscle to contract, softening expression lines.

Progeline is the trade name for trifluoroacetyl tripeptide-2, a three-amino-acid cosmetic peptide. In plain terms: it targets slackness along the jaw and neck rather than fine lines, by acting on a protein linked to cell aging.

Decapeptide-12 is a ten-amino-acid cosmetic peptide sold as Lumixyl. In plain terms: it slows the enzyme that makes skin pigment, so it is used on dark spots and uneven tone.

Nonapeptide-1 is a nine-amino-acid cosmetic peptide sold as Melanostatine-5. In plain terms: it blocks the hormone signal that tells skin cells to make pigment, so it is used on dark spots and uneven tone.

Hexapeptide-11 is a six-amino-acid cosmetic peptide originally identified in yeast extract and now made synthetically. In plain terms: it is sold for skin elasticity and firmness, with little published to back it.

Acetyl tetrapeptide-5 is a four-amino-acid cosmetic peptide sold as Eyeseryl. In plain terms: it is used in eye creams for puffiness and bags rather than for wrinkles.

Myristoyl pentapeptide-17 is a cosmetic peptide with a fatty acid attached, used in eyelash and eyebrow serums. In plain terms: it is meant to make lashes look longer and thicker by supporting keratin production.

Oligopeptide-1 is the cosmetic name for epidermal growth factor, a 53-amino-acid human protein made by recombinant methods. In plain terms: it is a genuine growth signal used in repair-focused skincare, and it is not a small peptide like the rest of this category.

SR9009 is a small molecule that acts on REV-ERB, part of the machinery running the body clock. In plain terms: it is sold as exercise in a capsule, and published work found it is barely absorbed when swallowed.

GW501516 is a PPAR-delta agonist developed as a metabolic drug and abandoned. In plain terms: animal testing found tumours across multiple organs, development stopped, and it is still sold as an endurance supplement.

Anamorelin is an oral drug that activates the ghrelin receptor, the same target as GHRP-2 and ipamorelin. In plain terms: it raises appetite and lean mass in people with cancer wasting, it is approved in Japan for exactly that, and US regulators were not convinced.

Macimorelin is an oral ghrelin receptor agonist approved by the FDA. In plain terms: it is given once, as a test to find out whether someone's pituitary can release growth hormone, not as something anyone takes repeatedly.

TUDCA is tauroursodeoxycholic acid, the taurine conjugate of ursodeoxycholic acid, a water-loving bile acid that reduces endoplasmic reticulum stress and blocks the mitochondrial pathway to cell death. In plain terms: it helps bile flow and takes strain off liver cells, which is why people take it alongside things that are hard on the liver.

Urolithin A is a small molecule your gut bacteria make from ellagitannins in pomegranates, walnuts and berries, and it triggers mitophagy, the process that clears out worn-out mitochondria. In plain terms: it tells cells to recycle their broken batteries.

Nicotinamide riboside is a form of vitamin B3 and an NAD+ precursor, sold almost entirely as the patented chloride salt Niagen. In plain terms: it is another raw material for making NAD+, one step further back than NMN.

CMS-121 is a synthetic derivative of fisetin developed at the Salk Institute, acting on fatty acid synthase and lipid peroxidation rather than on amyloid. In plain terms: it is a lab-built version of a strawberry compound, aimed at brain ageing.

Phenibut is beta-phenyl-GABA, a GABA-B receptor agonist developed in the Soviet Union and still prescribed in Russia and Latvia for anxiety, insomnia and alcohol withdrawal. In plain terms: it is a sedative that works on the same receptor as baclofen, and tolerance builds quickly.

GB-115 is a synthetic dipeptide, N-(6-phenylhexanoyl)-glycyl-L-tryptophan amide, built as a retro-analogue of cholecystokinin-4 and acting as an antagonist at cholecystokinin receptors. In plain terms: it blocks the receptor that triggers panic, rather than damping the brain down the way a sedative does.

MK-777, also sold as Acetamoren, is marketed as a second-generation ghrelin receptor agonist and successor to MK-677, with claimed improvements in receptor selectivity and side effect profile. In plain terms: it is sold as a cleaner version of MK-677, and there is no published research on it at all.