Research peptides, explained - and priced.
Interest in research peptides is growing fast, but most of what ranks in search is sales copy. This site does two things instead: explains what each compound actually is and what the laboratory evidence does and does not show, and tracks what the market charges for it across vendors.
Start with the four compounds covered first
What is MOTS-c?
A mitochondrial-derived peptide at the center of the longevity-research conversation. Tracked across 252 vendors with a wide price spread - a sign of an immature market. In July 2026 an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend it for the compounding bulks list; that recommendation is not approval.
Tracked: 252 vendors, lowest 10 mg listing $15.31 (PeptidePrices, checked 23 Oct 2026).
What is Semax?
A synthetic heptapeptide studied in cognitive research, sold in both vial and nasal formats. It received one of the strongest votes at the FDA's July 2026 advisory committee - against FDA staff's recommendation - and remains unapproved.
Tracked price: listings vary widely by vendor; figures checked 24 Oct 2026.
What is KPV?
A three-amino-acid fragment of alpha-MSH studied in preclinical inflammation models. Standalone supply is scarce - most buyers encounter KPV inside the KLOW blend - which makes pricing and quality harder to compare.
Found mainly in blends; blend pricing varies widely by vendor, checked 24 Oct 2026.
What is Epithalon?
A synthetic tetrapeptide studied for telomerase activity in cell cultures. The human evidence is the weakest on this list - we say so plainly - yet prices vary widely between vendors for the same catalogue item.
Tracked price: retail listings vary widely by vendor; figures checked 24 Oct 2026.
What the market charges
Retail prices for identical catalogue items routinely differ by 2-3× between vendors. Our price-comparison page tracks the compounds above plus market context items (BPC-157, GHK-Cu, GLOW/KLOW blends, NAD+, Selank), with the vendor count, the tracked range, and the date we checked - so you can see the spread yourself instead of taking any single store's word for it.
How we work
- Evidence first. Every explainer separates what has been shown in human studies, in animal and cell models, and what is simply claimed. Where the human evidence is thin, the page says so.
- Regulatory status, stated accurately. An advisory committee recommendation is not FDA approval, and "recommended for compounding" is not "legal to compound." We track the July 2026 votes and what they actually changed - which, so far, is nothing in law.
- Prices with dates and sources. Market figures come from published vendor listings and price trackers, date-stamped on the page. We never publish a placeholder as a real price.
- No protocols, ever. You will find no dosing schedules, no cycle plans, and no usage instructions here. That content is exactly what regulators cite when they act against sellers, and it has no place on an educational site.
Looking to buy? Our own store is in preparation. When it launches it will carry the compounds covered on this site, priced against the tracked market medians on the price page, with a published certificate of analysis (COA) per batch.
Partner store: Bench Grade Peptides
Bench Grade's published affiliate terms give first-time referred customers an extra 10% off their first order. All products are sold for laboratory research use only.
Common questions
What "research use only" actually means, what happened at the FDA's July 2026 advisory committee, how to read a COA, and why we deliberately do not list certain high-demand compounds - answered on the FAQ page.