Taken without a needle

Used for anxiety without sedation. The human studies and the Russian approval use the nasal route, not injection.

Used for focus and memory, and in Russia after strokes. The human studies use the nasal route, not injection.

The 'bonding hormone', used as a nasal spray or tablet for connection and mood. Effects are subtle and short-lived.

A natural signal that relaxes airways and calms the immune system. Used as a nasal spray, and can lower blood pressure.

A longer cousin of Argireline, used on skin to soften forehead and eye lines.

A copper peptide from the GHK-Cu family, sold mostly for hair, with far less research behind it.

Suppresses hunger through the brain's reward system, the way a stimulant does, and carries more heart risk for it.

A daily pill that keeps growth hormone and IGF-1 raised around the clock, with no injections.

A century-old dye taken at low doses for focus and energy. It turns urine blue-green, and that is harmless.

A chemically modified Semax, built to resist breakdown and last longer.

Selank with both ends modified so enzymes break it down more slowly. Usually sold as a nasal spray.

The Adamax that weighs about 1032: Semax with an acetyl group on one end and an adamantane group on the other.

A GLP-1 pill that survives digestion, so there are no needles and no empty-stomach rule.

An abandoned metabolic drug. Animal testing found tumors across multiple organs, and it is still sold for endurance.

Semax with an acetyl group on one end, added to slow how fast the body breaks it down.

Sold as a Selank relative. One seller describes N-Acetyl Selank Amidate, and the others state no structure.

A Russian memory and focus drug taken by mouth. Not really a peptide, though it is sold beside Semax and Selank.

Selank with an acetyl cap on one end. N-Acetyl Selank Amidate is a different product, with an amide on the other end.

Mildly limits the signal muscles use to contract. On skin it softens fine expression lines.

Signals skin to rebuild collagen. Used in serums over time for firmness and fine lines.

A sedative for the same receptor as baclofen, still prescribed in Russia and Latvia. Tolerance builds quickly.

Raises dopamine and protects dopamine cells in cell and animal studies. No human has been studied taking it.

Blocks a brake on the hair-growth signal Wnt. All published work is in mice, nearly all from the lab that invented it.

A mimic of a temple viper venom component, sold for expression lines. Acts where the muscle receives the nerve signal.

Sold as a cleaner successor to MK-677, also called Acetamoren. There is no published research on it at all.

A collagen-signal peptide for skin, often paired with Matrixyl.

Acts on the body clock and is sold as exercise in a capsule. Published work found it is barely absorbed by mouth.

Tightens the junctions between gut-lining cells. Studied mainly for celiac disease, and not absorbed into the body.

A piece of an immune protein with a fatty tail to cross skin. Used for calming, not collagen building.

Slows the enzyme that makes skin pigment. Used on dark spots and uneven tone.

Modeled on enkephalin, and meant to quiet the nerve that tells a facial muscle to contract.

Blocks the hormone signal that tells skin cells to make pigment. Used on dark spots and uneven tone.

The copper-free cousin of AHK-Cu, with a fatty tail to get through skin. Sold in scalp and lash serums on thin evidence.

Sold as Syn-Coll. Described as switching on a growth factor that drives collagen, a different route from Matrixyl.

A copy of collagen's most common three-amino-acid unit. Plausible in theory, with almost no published human evidence.

Meant to soften expression lines by blocking the signal that tells a facial muscle to contract.

A lab-built version of fisetin, a strawberry compound, developed at the Salk Institute and aimed at brain aging.

A synthetic dipeptide that blocks the receptor that triggers panic, instead of damping the brain down like a sedative.

A family name for any peptide with a fatty tail, not one compound. Two products so labeled can be different molecules.

A bile acid that helps bile flow and takes strain off liver cells. Taken alongside things that are hard on the liver.

The brain's wakefulness peptide, missing in people with narcolepsy. Studied as a nasal spray on limited data.

The single peptide in Matrixyl synthe'6: a palmitoyl tripeptide with an oxidised methionine, sold at parts per million.

The GHK sequence with biotin attached in place of copper, used in hair, lash and brow products.

An oral analog of the brain hormone TRH, approved in Japan and South Korea for loss of coordination in spinocerebellar degeneration, with small measured benefits.

Kalohexis's oral peptide that switches on both the MC3 and MC4 appetite receptors, now in a phase 1 for obesity.

The most-used peptide in a 2021 survey of 88 sensitive-skin face products, sold as Calmosensine; its one peer-reviewed human test did not beat a competitor's ingredient.

A Lubrizol hydration peptide said to boost aquaporin-3 water channels in skin; its 131% hydration claim comes with no published panel or method.

BASF's Syniorage peptide for firmer mature skin: four amino acids from a pig antimicrobial protein, backed by supplier data only.

A BASF soothing peptide for sensitive skin, built from the opioid peptide endomorphin-2; every efficacy claim comes from the supplier, with no numbers published.

A thymopentin fragment sold as Thymulen 4 for skin regeneration and as Uplevity for firming; its only independent study used cultured skin cells.

Meant to strengthen the tissue anchoring a hair follicle. Most of its evidence belongs to a combination product.

Used in eye creams for puffiness and bags, not for wrinkles.

A four-residue skin peptide aimed at lumican, a proteoglycan that organizes collagen. The supplier's own human study was 17 women with no control group.

A pill that raises appetite and lean mass in cancer wasting. Approved in Japan, and US regulators were not convinced.

Ascletis's amylin peptide, made as a monthly depot injection and a daily tablet; both entered US phase 1 trials in 2026.

Ascletis's triple agonist, built as a weekly tablet and a monthly depot injection. Mouse and monkey data only, with INDs expected by the end of 2026.

A bone marrow extract from young animals, sold for blood cell and immune recovery on very little human research.

A calf parathyroid extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-21, marketed for calcium balance and bone health.

A calf heart extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-14, marketed for heart and cardiovascular health.

A calf bladder-wall extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-12, marketed for bladder control.

A GLP-1 pill whose development was stopped over a liver-injury signal.

A calf pineal gland extract in capsules, sold for sleep and body clock, with very little human research.

The first PCSK9 pill: a three-ring peptide that cut LDL cholesterol by 56 to 59% on top of statins, approved in the US in July 2026.

An adrenal gland extract from young animals, sold for stress and cortisol balance on very little human research.

A calf muscle extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-18, marketed for muscle performance and recovery.

Gan & Lee's once-weekly GLP-1 tablet, a peptide rather than a small molecule, in its first human trial since September 2026.

Gilead agreed to pay $1.275 billion in upfront cash for this oral IL-23 receptor peptide in October 2026. Not one number about how well it works has ever been published.

First found in yeast extract and now made synthetically. Sold for firmness, with little published to back it.

A collagen-style cosmetic peptide sold as Collaxyl. The 2025 wrinkle trial everyone cites for it tested a different molecule, and that paper's own data say this one is destroyed on contact with collagenase.

The first targeted peptide pill for psoriasis: it blocks the IL-23 receptor and was approved in the US in March 2026.

An investigational eye drop made from a 19-residue fragment of lacritin, a natural tear protein, now in phase 2 for neurotrophic keratitis.

A prostate extract from young animals, sold for prostate support in older men on very little human research.

An FDA-approved capsule peptide that stays in the gut and draws water into the bowel to treat constipation.

Given once by mouth, as a test of whether the pituitary can release growth hormone. Nobody takes it repeatedly.

A peptide with a fatty acid attached, used in lash and brow serums to support keratin production.

A modified GnRH sprayed into the nose that shuts down sex hormone production, approved in the US for endometriosis and early puberty in children.

A form of vitamin B3 the body turns into NAD+, one step further back than NMN. It is sold mostly as Niagen.

Epidermal growth factor, a 53-amino-acid human protein. A real growth signal, and far larger than its neighbors here.

A 12-amino-acid antimicrobial peptide gel tested to prevent catheter infections and treat rosacea; both catheter phase 3 trials missed, and it was never approved.

A skin-firming cosmetic peptide sold as Biopeptide EL: a fatty-tailed copy of a repeating stretch of elastin, backed by one small supplier study.

A soothing cosmetic peptide sold as Neutrazen: a fatty-tailed piece of alpha-MSH aimed at redness and sensitive skin.

A frog-peptide antibiotic cream for infected diabetic foot ulcers that failed FDA review in 1999 and phase 3 in 2016.

A calf kidney extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-9, marketed for kidney and urinary health.

A seven-residue cyclic MC1R peptide in a capsule that releases in the colon. Its ulcerative colitis trial stopped at 12 patients, and the company reported a p-value from a study it called underpowered.

A melanocortin eye drop for dry eye. Its 575-patient phase 3 missed both co-primary endpoints as planned, and hit one only after the analysis was adjusted for age and sex.

Linaclotide's rival: a copy of the gut hormone uroguanylin with one change, approved for chronic constipation and IBS with constipation.

An experimental oral peptide from Protagonist that blocks IL-17A and IL-17F, aimed at psoriasis; it has completed only a phase 1 in healthy volunteers.

Targets slack skin along the jaw and neck, not fine lines, by acting on a protein linked to cell aging.

A calf stomach-lining extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-10, marketed for digestion.

A pancreas extract from young animals, sold for blood sugar and digestion, with very little human research.

A calf liver extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-7, marketed for liver and gall bladder health.

A calf lung and bronchial extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-19, marketed for breathing.

A calf testicular extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-13, marketed for male reproductive function.

Used on skin to raise collagen and hyaluronic acid production for a firmer, plumper look.

A calf thyroid extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-2, marketed for thyroid function and energy.

A cosmetic peptide mimicking decorin, a skin protein that orders collagen; alone, it was not significantly better than placebo in its one independent trial.

A three-amino-acid hair peptide from Amorepacific, in COSRX hair products. The parent company says tensile strength rises up to 44%; the brand's own page says 11.1%.

The first FDA-approved Rett syndrome drug: a modified three-amino-acid fragment from the start of IGF-1, taken by mouth.

Made by gut bacteria from pomegranates, walnuts and berries. Tells cells to clear out worn-out mitochondria.

A calf aorta extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-3, marketed for vascular health and circulation.

A retina extract from young animals, sold for eyesight with age, with very little human research.

A calf thymus extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-6, marketed for immune function and aging.

An ovarian tissue extract sold in capsules as peptide complex A-15, marketed for menopause symptoms.