Research peptides, explained — and priced.
In short: ClearCost Wellness explains four research peptides — MOTS-c, Semax, KPV, and Epithalon — in plain English, and tracks what vendors charge for them. None of the four is FDA-approved; all are sold for laboratory research use only. Prices here are tracked across vendors and date-checked, most recently on 24 October 2026.
Interest in research peptides is growing fast, but most of what ranks in search is sales copy. This site does two things instead: explains what each compound actually is and what the laboratory evidence does and does not show, and tracks what the market charges for it across vendors.
Start with the four most-researched compounds right now
What is MOTS-c?
A mitochondrial-derived peptide at the center of the longevity-research conversation. Tracked across 17 retail offers with a wide price spread, a sign of an immature market. In July 2026 an FDA advisory committee voted to recommend it for the compounding bulks list, against FDA staff opposition; that recommendation is advisory only and is not approval.
Lowest tracked listing (10 mg): $18.95 across 17 offers (PeptidePrices), checked 24 Oct 2026.
What is Semax?
A synthetic heptapeptide studied in cognitive research, sold in vial and nasal formats. It received one of the strongest votes at the FDA's July 2026 advisory committee, against FDA staff opposition, and has still never been reviewed by the FDA itself.
Lowest tracked listing (10 mg): $17.84 across 20 offers (PeptidePrices), checked 24 Oct 2026.
What is KPV?
A three-amino-acid fragment of alpha-MSH studied in preclinical inflammation models. Standalone supply is scarce — most buyers encounter KPV inside the KLOW blend — which makes pricing and quality harder to compare.
Found mainly in blends; blend vials are not tracked by major price indexes.
What is Epithalon?
A synthetic tetrapeptide studied for telomerase activity in cell cultures. The human evidence is the weakest on this list — we say so plainly — yet prices vary widely between vendors for the same catalogue item.
Retail prices carry a wide spread between vendors.
What the market charges
Retail prices for identical catalogue items routinely differ by 2–3× between vendors. Our price-comparison page tracks the compounds above plus market context items (BPC-157, GHK-Cu, GLOW/KLOW blends, NAD+, Selank), with the vendor count, the tracked range, and the date we checked — so you can see the spread yourself instead of taking any single store's word for it.
How we work
- Evidence first. Every explainer separates what has been shown in human studies, in animal and cell models, and what is simply claimed. Where the human evidence is thin, the page says so.
- Regulatory status, stated accurately. An advisory committee recommendation is not FDA approval, and "recommended for compounding" is not "legal to compound." We track the July 2026 votes and what they actually changed — which, so far, is nothing in law.
- Prices with dates and sources. Market figures come from published vendor listings and price trackers, date-stamped on the page. We never publish a placeholder as a real price.
- No protocols, ever. You will find no dosing schedules, no cycle plans, and no usage instructions here. That content is exactly what regulators cite when they act against sellers, and it has no place on an educational site.
Looking to buy? Our store is in preview and is not taking orders yet. Its planned catalog covers the compounds on this site, priced against the tracked market medians on the price page. Batch documentation requirements are still being verified with suppliers and publish before ordering opens.
See the store preview Partner store: Bench Grade Peptides
Partner store: Bench Grade Peptides (affiliate link; we may earn a commission). All products are intended for laboratory research use only.
Common questions
What "research use only" actually means, what happened at the FDA's July 2026 advisory committee, how to read a COA, and why we deliberately do not list certain high-demand compounds — answered on the FAQ page.
Last updated: October 2026