Most of what you've read about peptides was written to sell you something.

The evidence ledger

Every major peptide, honestly graded.

Two questions get constantly confused: is it legal, and does it work. A compound can be perfectly legal and useless, or promising and prohibited. We grade them separately.

Metabolic

Weight, glucose, and body composition.

14 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
Semaglutide	FDA approved	Strong	Approved for diabetes and obesity. Large cardiovascular outcome trials. Failed in early Alzheimer's (EVOKE, 2026).
Tirzepatide	FDA approved	Strong	Approved. Removed from the shortage list in April 2026, which largely closed the compounding route.
Dulaglutide	FDA approved	Strong	Approved for type 2 diabetes.
Retatrutide	Not approved	Trials only	Phase 3. Roughly 28% mean weight loss at 80 weeks in TRIUMPH-1. Gray-market versions are not the trial drug — 37 samples failed independent testing.
Cagrilintide / CagriSema	Not approved	Trials only	Investigational. Phase 3 data reported; no approval.
Mazdutide	Not approved	Limited	Approved in China. Not approved in the United States.
Survodutide	Not approved	Trials only	Phase 3 investigational.
MOTS-c	Under review	Minimal	Advisory panel voted favorably July 2026 for obesity and osteoporosis. Not yet listed. Human data is thin.
AOD-9604	Not approved	None	Removed from Category 2 in April 2026 but never moved to Category 1. No human efficacy evidence.
HGH Fragment 176-191	Not approved	None	Unapproved. No controlled human trials.
Adipotide (FTPP)	Safety signal	Halted — harm	Development stopped after kidney toxicity and dehydration in primate studies. This is a known harm signal, not an open question.
5-Amino-1MQ	Not approved	None	Preclinical research compound.
Lipo-C / MIC blends	Not approved	Minimal	Compounded lipotropic mixtures. Evidence for injectable fat loss is weak.
Lemon Bottle	Safety signal	Warnings issued	Subject of specific FDA and state warnings as an unapproved injectable lipolytic.

Performance & recovery

Growth hormone axis and muscle.

13 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
Tesamorelin	FDA approved	Strong	Approved as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Off-label use is a different question from approval.
Sermorelin	Under review	Moderate	The most defensible GHRH analogue — historically compoundable, unlike most of this category.
CJC-1295 (with or without DAC)	Not approved	Limited	Off Category 2 since April 2026 but never moved to Category 1. Neither prohibited nor authorized. The most misrepresented status in the market.
Ipamorelin	Not approved	Limited	Same posture as CJC-1295. Off the restricted list is not the same as cleared.
GHRP-2 / GHRP-6	Not approved	Limited	Remain restricted for compounding.
IGF-1 LR3	Not approved	None	Unapproved. WADA prohibited.
PEG-MGF / MGF	Under review	None	Advisory review scheduled before the end of February 2027. Nothing decided.
Follistatin 344	Not approved	None	Preclinical. Myostatin pathway manipulation has no human safety record.
ACE-031	Safety signal	Halted — harm	Development was discontinued after bleeding and telangiectasia events in human trials. This is a known safety signal, not an unknown.
GDF-8 / myostatin agents	Not approved	None	Investigational only.
Hexarelin	Not approved	None	Unapproved secretagogue.
CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin	Not approved	Limited	A combination, not a compound. Stacking two unapproved agents does not improve the evidence for either.
AICAR	Not approved	None	WADA prohibited. No approved human use.

Tissue repair

Healing, connective tissue, inflammation.

10 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
BPC-157	Under review	Animal only	Advisory panel voted 8–6 in favor July 24, 2026. FDA's own scientists opposed listing, citing poor characterization. First human RCT began recruiting April 2026.
TB-500	Under review	Animal only	Advisory panel voted favorably July 2026. Widely used on essentially no controlled human data.
KPV	Under review	Minimal	Advisory panel voted favorably for wound healing and inflammatory conditions.
GHK-Cu	Legal OTC	Moderate	Topical is a legal cosmetic ingredient with the best evidence in the category. Injectable is on a separate, unfinished track.
LL-37	Under review	Minimal	Off Category 2. Advisory review before end of February 2027.
ARA-290 (cibinetide)	Not approved	Limited	Investigational for neuropathic pain. Not approved.
B7-33	Not approved	None	Preclinical only.
BPC-157 + TB-500	Not approved	Animal only	A marketed combination. Neither component has controlled human efficacy data, so the pairing has none either.
GLOW / KLOW blends	Not approved	None	Proprietary multi-peptide blends. Blends are not separately studied — evidence for a mixture is not the sum of its parts.
Cortagen, Cartalax, Crystagen, Cardiogen	Not approved	None	Russian bioregulator peptides. Essentially no peer-reviewed Western clinical data.

Healthy aging

Longevity and cellular research.

6 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
Epitalon	Under review	Minimal	Advisory panel voted 7–4 in favor July 2026. Longevity claims rest largely on older Russian-language work.
SS-31 (elamipretide)	Not approved	Trials only	Investigational, in late-stage trials for Barth syndrome. Not approved.
NAD+ (injectable)	Not approved	Minimal	Injectable NAD+ is unapproved. Oral precursors are a separate regulatory question, and NMN has its own drug-preclusion history.
FOXO4-DRI	Not approved	None	Preclinical senolytic. No human data.
Thymalin, Pinealon	Not approved	None	Bioregulator peptides with minimal Western evidence.
Glutathione (IV)	Not approved	Limited	Compounded IV use has drawn FDA attention. Oral is a supplement.

Dermal & cosmetic

Skin, hair, pigmentation.

4 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
Matrixyl (pal-KTTKS)	Legal OTC	Good	Legal cosmetic ingredient. A 12-week double-blind split-face trial in 93 women — the strongest topical peptide evidence available.
SNAP-8 / Argireline	Legal OTC	Moderate	Legal cosmetic ingredients. Real but modest effect on expression lines. Not topical Botox.
AHK-Cu	Legal OTC	Limited	Cosmetic ingredient. Less studied than GHK-Cu.
Melanotan I / II	Safety signal	Adverse reports	Off Category 2, advisory review pending before February 2027. Documented adverse events including pigmented lesion changes and priapism.

Cognitive

Memory, mood, sleep.

5 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
Semax	Under review	Limited	Advisory panel voted 8–5 in favor July 2026, reviewed for cerebral ischemia — not the nootropic use it is marketed for.
Selank	Not approved	Limited	Off Category 2, not authorized. Limited Russian trial data.
DSIP / Emideltide	Not approved	Minimal	The one rejection of the seven — advisory panel voted against, 6–7. If you see this marketed as newly cleared, the seller misread the vote.
Cerebrolysin	Not approved	Mixed	Not FDA approved. Used in some other countries; trial results are mixed.
P21, PE-22-28, Adamax	Not approved	None	Preclinical only.

Hormonal & reproductive

These are mostly real prescription drugs.

7 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
PT-141 (bremelanotide)	FDA approved	Strong	Approved as Vyleesi for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Prescription only.
hCG	FDA approved	Strong	Approved prescription drug. Dispensing without a prescription is a violation independent of any claim made.
Triptorelin	FDA approved	Strong	Approved prescription GnRH agonist.
hMG / menotropins	FDA approved	Strong	Approved prescription fertility drug.
Oxytocin	FDA approved	Strong	Approved prescription drug.
Gonadorelin	Under review	Moderate	Previously approved as LutrePulse; on the Category 1 list. Prescription route only.
Kisspeptin-10	Not approved	Limited	Unapproved. Research use in reproductive endocrinology.

Immune support

Immune and respiratory research.

3 compounds

Compound	Legal status	Human evidence	What that means
Thymosin Alpha-1	Not approved	Limited	Removed from Category 2 in April 2026 but not moved to Category 1. Approved in some other countries, not the US.
VIP	Not approved	Minimal	Unapproved. Limited data outside niche indications.
Vitamin B12	FDA approved	Strong	Approved and widely available. Oral supplementation is legal and unremarkable.

Evidence tiers reflect controlled human trial data — not popularity, mechanism, or anecdote.
A favorable advisory vote is a recommendation, not an approval. FDA must still issue a proposed rule, take public comment, and publish a final rule.
Several compounds above are approved prescription drugs. Approval is not the same as availability without a prescription.
Status verified 19 Aug 2026 against FDA and Federal Register records. Regulatory status changes; re-check before relying on anything here.