Peptides Made Clear: The Honest Evidence Guide

284 pages. 52 products. 352 sources. The honest answers to the peptide questions people actually search.

Are peptides safe? Are they steroids? Are they legal? Will they show up on a drug test? Most of the peptides sold online rest on animal and cell studies, a few tiny human reports, or nothing at all. A small group are licensed medicines. This guide sets out which is which, peptide by peptide, so you can walk into a conversation with your doctor knowing what to ask.

Written by Georgina Sookias, Clinical Facialist, London. Evidence first. Claims second.

Start with your concern

Weight · Muscle · Recovery · Skin · Libido · Energy · Sleep · Mind · Immune

Find your worry on the "What's your concern?" hub, tap the page, and start there.

Every peptide gets a card

• How it gets in: on the skin, by mouth or by injection
• Licence status across the UK, EU, US, Canada, Australia and Brazil
• An evidence badge showing how it was actually tested: licensed medicine, fair trials in people, small human studies, animals or cells only, or no studies
• The biggest known risk, in a "Heads up" box you can't miss
• Sport status against WADA's 2026 Prohibited List
• A plain English summary, with the trial detail in a skippable "Geek corner"

Also inside

• Five things to know before anything else
• Three ways in: what skincare peptides, tablets and injections really are, and why the same word means very different things
• Copper uglies: why skin can get worse on GHK-Cu, the look-alikes, and what to do
• If you're using it: 12 check-ins with fill-in forms, including retatrutide, Mounjaro and Wegovy, GLOW and KLOW, GHK-Cu, MK-677 and NAD+ drips
• Who must not use these: pregnancy, breastfeeding, under 18s, medical conditions and more
• The grey market: "research use only" labels, purity testing, seller red flags and how to report a side effect
• Sport and drug tests: what WADA names and what tested athletes need to know
• Reference: short answers to the most searched questions, a quick status table of every product, an A to Z of names and nicknames, and questions to take to your doctor

Made to be used

• Fully clickable, with side tabs on every page and a hub to jump straight to your concern
• Every figure numbered and linked to one list of 352 sources
• Correct as of 26 October 2026, with a "Watch this space" section on decisions still to come

What you get

Instant PDF download, A4. For personal use only. Not for sharing or resale.

Please note

This is general education about published research and regulatory decisions. It is not medical advice. It never gives doses and does not tell you how to get, prepare or use any substance. Speak to a registered doctor, prescriber or pharmacist about your own health.

Part of the Made Clear series.