How to store peptides: powder, solution and finished sprays

01The short version

Freeze-dried peptide powder: freezer or fridge, dark, sealed, good for months to years. Reconstituted peptide: fridge, upright, use within two to four weeks. Finished preserved products like FOCUS-01: room temperature in use, fridge for spares. Heat, light, repeated freeze-thaw and time are the four enemies.

02Lyophilised powder

Sealed vials of freeze-dried peptide are stable. Manufacturers typically specify minus 20 degrees and protection from light, with a retest date one to two years out. A domestic freezer is fine; a fridge is acceptable for a few months. Let a vial reach room temperature before opening it so condensation does not form on the powder.

03After reconstitution

Once in water, degradation starts. Bacteriostatic water slows microbial growth but not chemical breakdown. As a rule: fridge at 2 to 8 degrees, upright so the solution is not against the stopper, away from the door where the temperature swings, and use within two to four weeks. Do not freeze a reconstituted vial; ice crystals damage the peptide, and a partially thawed vial is worse still.

Peptides vary. Some (BPC-157, Semax) are relatively robust; some (many secretagogues, oxytocin) are fragile. When in doubt, shorter.

04Signs a peptide has degraded

Cloudiness, visible particles, a colour change, or a solution that no longer dissolves cleanly. Absence of these does not prove it is fine; presence of any of them means bin it.

05Travelling

Powder travels well at room temperature for days. Solutions need a cool bag with an ice pack for anything longer than a few hours. A finished spray in a bag is fine for a working week.

06FOCUS-01 specifically

Cap on, out of sun, room temperature while in use; fridge for unopened bottles; not the freezer. Details in how to store Semax.