Peptide evidence matrix
The peptides people actually search for, graded by how strong the human evidence is for the use they’re marketed for — not their mechanism, not their hype. Filter by evidence tier or family, and tap through to the primary source on every grade.
- FDA-approved
- Approved by the FDA for a defined indication, on the strength of pivotal human trials.
- Clinical data
- Tested in humans — but investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker (not the marketed outcome).
- Preclinical / minimal
- Evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.
- FDA-approved
Semaglutide
Wegovy / Ozempic
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
~15% mean weight loss in STEP 1; the benchmark that opened modern obesity medicine.
- FDA-approved
Tesamorelin
Egrifta
Marketed for: Visceral fat (often sold for 'fat loss')
FDA-approved specifically for HIV-associated visceral fat — not a general weight-loss drug.
- FDA-approved
Tirzepatide
Zepbound / Mounjaro
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
Up to ~21% mean weight loss in SURMOUNT-1 — the most effective FDA-approved weight-management drug.
- Clinical data
CagriSema
Marketed for: Weight loss
~20% in REDEFINE 1; amylin plus GLP-1 in one shot — promising, not yet approved.
- Clinical data
CJC-1295
Marketed for: Muscle, recovery, 'anti-aging'
Sustained GH/IGF-1 rise shown in humans — a surrogate marker, not the body-composition outcome it is sold for.
- Clinical data
Ipamorelin
Marketed for: Muscle, fat loss, 'anti-aging'
Raises GH, but failed its one rigorous human efficacy RCT; no body-composition outcome data.
- Clinical data
Orforglipron
Marketed for: Weight loss, type-2 diabetes
~11% in ATTAIN-1; a scalable oral pill whose appeal is access, not peak efficacy. Investigational.
- Clinical data
Retatrutide
Marketed for: Weight loss
~24% in its Phase 2 trial — the largest figure reported for any incretin, but still investigational.
- Clinical data
Sermorelin
Geref
Marketed for: GH deficiency, 'anti-aging'
A former FDA-approved GHRH analog (now compounded); real GH-axis data, no anti-aging outcome evidence.
- Preclinical / minimal
BPC-157
Marketed for: Healing, recovery, gut health
Almost entirely animal data; no validated human dose and no controlled efficacy trials.
- Preclinical / minimal
GHK-Cu
Copper tripeptide
Marketed for: Skin, hair, 'anti-aging'
Real tissue-remodeling biology, mostly in-vitro and topical; a cosmetic signal, not systemic anti-aging proof.
- Preclinical / minimal
TB-500
Thymosin β4
Marketed for: Recovery, tissue repair
Mechanistic and early-stage human work (e.g. ophthalmology); no performance or recovery outcome trials.
Evidence grades are editorial and deliberately conservative — they reflect the strength of the human evidence for the use each peptide is marketed for, not its mechanism or popularity. Tap any source to read the primary literature.
How we grade
Each peptide gets the tier that matches the strongest human outcome evidence for its marketed use. A peptide that reliably moves a lab marker (say, growth hormone) but has never shown the body-composition or anti-aging result it’s sold for stays in “Clinical data,” not “Approved” — because a surrogate marker is not an outcome. We grade conservatively on purpose: the point of this matrix is to not inflate. Every grade links to a primary source you can read yourself, and to our full evidence review where we have one. See our methodology for how we source every claim, and our peptides-for-weight-loss explainer for the most-searched version of this question.
The tiers
- FDA-approved.
- Approved by the FDA for a defined indication, on the strength of pivotal human trials.
- Clinical data.
- Tested in humans — but investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker (not the marketed outcome).
- Preclinical / minimal.
- Evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal. Little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.
Common questions
- Which peptides actually have evidence for weight loss or fat loss?
- Only the GLP-1 and incretin peptides — semaglutide and tirzepatide (approved), and retatrutide, CagriSema and orforglipron (investigational) — have controlled human weight-loss trials. The peptides commonly marketed for 'fat loss' (ipamorelin, CJC-1295, BPC-157, AOD-9604) have no human outcome trials for that use.
- Are BPC-157, TB-500, and GHK-Cu proven in humans?
- No. Their evidence is largely animal, in-vitro, or early-stage. None has a controlled human trial proving the recovery, repair, or anti-aging benefits they are marketed for, and they are sold as unregulated 'research-use-only' products with unverified purity and dose.
- What do the evidence tiers mean?
- FDA-approved means the peptide is approved for a defined indication on the strength of pivotal human trials. Clinical data means it has been tested in humans but is investigational, discontinued, or proven only on a surrogate marker. Preclinical/minimal means the evidence is mostly animal, in-vitro, or anecdotal, with little or no controlled human outcome data for the marketed use.