01 · How it ships
Reconstitution guide
Every peptide we ship is in lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder form. Before it can be tested, it needs to be dissolved into bacteriostatic water. Here's why we ship it this way, and how to prep a vial.
Why powder?
Stability.
Peptides in solution degrade. The bonds that make them biologically interesting are the same bonds that hydrolyze when sitting in water, especially at room temperature. Freeze-drying removes the water — what's left is a stable, glass-like cake of pure compound that holds its assay over months of cold storage and survives shipping without a cold chain.
The trade-off: every vial needs reconstitution before research can begin. The steps below take about five minutes and require three things — bacteriostatic water, a 31G insulin syringe, and alcohol wipes.
What you need
Three supplies.
Bac water
Bacteriostatic water for research. We sell a 10ml multi-dose vial (preferred) and a 3ml backup.
Browse bac water →Insulin syringes
1 ml syringes for reconstituting and 0.5 ml syringes for research use, plus 0.3 ml for amounts under 10 units. We don't sell these.
The ones we suggest →Alcohol wipes
Standard 70% isopropyl prep pads. Any drugstore or Amazon listing works.
Steps
Prep for research.
Each vial takes about five minutes once your supplies are out.
01
Bring everything to room temperature
Take the lyophilized vial out of cold storage and let it sit upright for 20–30 minutes. Cold powder mixed with cold water dissolves slowly and can foam.
02
Sanitize both vials
Wipe the rubber stopper on the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water vial with a fresh alcohol wipe. Let them air-dry for 10–15 seconds before touching.
03
Draw your bac water
With a 1 ml insulin syringe, draw the volume listed for that peptide on the cheat sheet — usually 2 ml or 3 ml per vial, which takes more than one draw. Always pull from the bac water vial first; never re-enter it after touching the powder vial.
04
Inject down the side of the vial
Insert the needle through the rubber stopper of the peptide vial and slowly trickle the bac water down the inside wall of the glass — not directly onto the powder cake. This minimizes foaming and protects the peptide structure.
05
Swirl, do not shake
Gently roll or swirl the vial between your palms until the cake fully dissolves. Shaking can denature the peptide. Most peptides go fully clear within 30–60 seconds.
06
Label and store
Label the vial with the reconstitution date. Once reconstituted, store at 2–8°C (refrigerator). Most peptides are stable refrigerated for 2–4 weeks; some shorter. When in doubt, treat as 14 days.
How much water?
Use the cheat sheet.
Every peptide has its own recommended reconstitution volume — typically 2 or 3 ml of bacteriostatic water per vial. The cheat sheet lists each compound, the mg per vial, and the recommended bac water volume so the resulting concentration is easy to measure on an insulin syringe.
Open the cheat sheet →For research and laboratory testing only
This guide covers laboratory prep — concentration math and stability. It is not medical, dosing, or protocol advice.