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How to verify that a peptide lab report is real

By the PeptideLabCheck team · Last reviewed 14 November 2026 · 13 sources

What does "real" mean for a lab report?

A lab report (often called a certificate of analysis, or COA) is a document that lists the tests run on a sample and the results. Three separate questions sit behind the word "real":

1. Source. Did the lab named on the report issue it?
2. Integrity. Is the copy you hold the same as the lab's own record?
3. Relevance. Does the report describe the lot in hand, and not another one?

A report can pass one question and fail another. A genuine report for a different lot tells you nothing about the lot in hand.

How do I check a report step by step?

1. Find the report's identifier. Look for a report number, job number, accession number or verification code. Good-practice guidance for pharmaceutical ingredients expects a certificate to carry the batch number, a date, each test with its result, a signature, and the name and address of the manufacturer or of the laboratory that did the analysis ⁶. Research peptide reports are not bound by that guidance, but it is a useful benchmark for what a complete report shows.
2. Go to the lab's own website yourself. Type the lab's address or find it through a search engine. Do not rely on a link or QR code supplied with the report, because a link can point anywhere.
3. Look the report up, or ask the lab. Use the lab's lookup tool if it has one (see the table below). If it has none, email the lab with the report number and ask it to confirm the report. One lab we checked handles verification this way ¹².
4. Compare the lab's copy with yours, line by line. Check the sample name, client name, lot number, dates and every result. They should be identical.
5. Match the lot number to the product in hand. The lot (or batch) number on the report should be the same as the one on the label. A test report speaks only for the items that were tested ⁵.
6. Check the dates. The test date and report date should make sense against the lot. A report dated before the lot existed, or a report reused across several later lots, does not describe the lot in hand.

If the report claims accreditation, add one more check: confirm the claim with the accreditation body (see below).

How do real labs let the public check a report?

Labs differ. The table shows what four independent labs that test peptides document on their own websites. We read these pages on 14 November 2026. The labs are listed as examples only, in no order, and listing is not an endorsement.

A lookup shows that a record exists in the lab's system. You still need to compare that record with your copy (step 4).

What does ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation mean, and what does it not guarantee?

ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard used to assess testing and calibration laboratories ^{1, 4}. Accreditation means an independent accreditation body has assessed the lab against it. Assessors look at the factors that affect results: staff competence, whether test methods are valid, equipment calibration and maintenance, traceability of measurements, and quality checks on data ¹. Accredited labs are re-examined regularly. They may also have to take part in proficiency testing programs as an ongoing demonstration of competence ¹.

It is not the same as ISO 9001 certification. ISO 9001 covers a quality management system and does not specifically evaluate a lab's technical competence ¹.

What accreditation does not guarantee:

• That every test is covered. Accreditation applies to specific tests. These are listed in the lab's Scope of Accreditation, which a lab may supply on request ¹. A peptide test only counts as accredited if it is in that scope.
• That the result applies to a whole lot. Accreditation guidance requires test reports to state that results relate only to the items tested, so that nobody reads a report as approval of a lot ⁵.
• That your copy is genuine. Accreditation is about the lab. It says nothing about a PDF that has passed through other hands.

To check a claim, find the accreditation body named on the report and search its directory. Accreditation bodies in many countries publish directories of the labs they have accredited ¹. ILAC, the global association for laboratory accreditation, runs a public search of the bodies that have signed its mutual recognition arrangement ³.

What are the signs that a report was edited or reused?

These signs come from comparing the copy with the lab's record and with the product:

• The report has no identifier, or the identifier is cropped, covered or unreadable.
• The lab's lookup finds nothing for the code, or the lab says it has no such report.
• The lab's record shows a different sample name, client, lot number, date or result from your copy.
• The same report number appears on reports for different lots or different products.
• The lot number on the report does not match the label on the product.
• The report names a lab, but the lab's website, address or contact details cannot be found or do not match.

One failed check is enough reason to treat the report as unconfirmed until the lab settles it.

Key facts

• Laboratory accreditation is a way of determining a lab's technical competence, using criteria based on ISO/IEC 17025 ¹.
• ISO 9001 certification confirms a management system and does not specifically evaluate a lab's technical competence ¹.
• Accreditation covers specific tests, which are normally listed in the lab's Scope of Accreditation ¹.
• European accreditation guidance says every accredited test report must state that results relate only to the items tested, so results are not read as lot approval ⁵.
• Over 114,600 laboratories were accredited in 2024 by bodies that have signed the ILAC mutual recognition arrangement ².
• ICH good manufacturing practice guidance expects a certificate of analysis to show the batch number, each test and its result, a date and signature, and the name and address of the manufacturer or of the lab that did the analysis ⁶.
• Freedom Diagnostics Testing documents a public lookup that takes a Search Code made of the first 4 characters of the company name plus the accession number ⁸.
• Chromate's website has a Verify form that asks for a Job Number and an Access Code ⁹.

Common questions

Sources

1. "Why Use an Accredited Laboratory?" (brochure), International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC); copy hosted by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. https://www.nist.gov/document/ilacwhyuseanal2015pdf — Used for what accreditation assesses, the ISO/IEC 17025 basis, the difference from ISO 9001, re-examination and proficiency testing, Scope of Accreditation, and accreditation body directories.
2. "Facts & Figures", International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). https://ilac.org/about-ilac/facts-and-figures/ — Used for the number of laboratories accredited by ILAC MRA signatories in 2024 and for ISO/IEC 17025 as the standard for testing laboratories under the arrangement.
3. "ILAC MRA Signatory Search", International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). https://ilac.org/signatory-search/ — Used for the existence of a public search of signatory accreditation bodies by economy.
4. "National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP)", U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology. https://www.nist.gov/nvlap — Used for ISO/IEC 17025:2017 as the standard against which testing and calibration laboratories are assessed.
5. "42.1 Question on Reporting – ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Cl. 7.8.2.1 l)", European co-operation for Accreditation (EA). https://european-accreditation.org/sp_accordion_faqs/42-1-question-on-reporting-iso-iec-170252017-cl-7-8-2-1-l/ — Used for the requirement that test reports state results relate only to the items tested, and that results are not to be read as lot approval.
6. "Good Manufacturing Practice Guide for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Q7" (Step 4 version, 10 November 2000), section 11.4, International Council for Harmonisation (ICH). https://database.ich.org/sites/default/files/Q7%20Guideline.pdf — Used for what a certificate of analysis is expected to show (batch number, tests and results, date, signature, name and address of the manufacturer or of the laboratory that performed the analysis).
7. Home page, Freedom Diagnostics Testing. https://freedomdiagnosticstesting.com/ — Used to confirm the lab tests research-use-only peptides and offers a public COA lookup.
8. "Certificate of Analysis Lookup", Freedom Diagnostics Testing. https://freedomdiagnosticstesting.com/?page_id=52 — Used for the lookup process (Search Code, accession number, company name search, Open PDF).
9. Home page, Chromate. https://chromate.org/ — Used for the Verify form (Job Number and Access Code fields) and the statement that results are made available from the Verify portal.
10. "Services", Chromate. https://chromate.org/services — Used to confirm the lab lists research peptide testing.
11. "Peptide testing", Krause Analytical. https://www.krauselabs.com/peptides — Used to confirm the lab offers peptide testing and links to its CoA verification page.
12. "CoA Verification", Krause Analytical. https://www.krauselabs.com/coa-verification — Used for the lab's verification route (contact by post or email; no lookup form on the page).
13. "Verify COA", ILS Laboratories. https://ils-lab.com/verify — Used for the lab's verification route (access code or QR code) and what the page says is shown. Read on 14 November 2026.