Methodology

Every score we publish should be auditable. This page documents how the Index Score™ is computed, how our laboratory program works, and exactly what happens when a company fails verification. Current version: v2.3.

The Index Score™

The Index Score™ is a 0–100 evaluation computed from seven weighted dimensions. Each dimension is scored independently against documented criteria, then combined using the weights below. Scores are recalculated on a review cycle — or immediately when new testing results publish.

DimensionWeightWhat it measures
Testing & Quality 25% Independent laboratory results: purity, content accuracy, identity verification.
Transparency 18% Batch COAs, named laboratories, manufacturing disclosure, verifiability.
Manufacturing & Sourcing 15% Synthesis partners, QC pipeline, sourcing documentation.
Customer Experience 12% Anonymous service testing, response times, resolution quality.
Shipping & Fulfillment 12% Dispatch speed, packaging quality, cold-chain practice, delivery reliability.
Community Feedback 10% Verified consumer reports and structured community intelligence.
Policies & Returns 8% Published policies and how they hold up in practice.

Score Tiers

90–100 Exceptional
80–89 Excellent
70–79 Good
60–69 Fair
Below 60 Low

Tier labels always accompany the numeric score — color is never the only signal. Movement against the previous review (+3 since May 2026) is displayed wherever a score appears.

The Testing Program

  1. Anonymous purchase. Standard retail checkout, unaffiliated shipping address. Companies never know an order is ours.
  2. Chain of custody. Samples are logged, photographed, and assigned a specimen ID (PI-LAB-2026-0042) on arrival, then shipped under seal to a partner laboratory.
  3. Analysis. RP-HPLC purity, mass-spectrometry identity, and — where a quantity is claimed — quantitative amino acid analysis.
  4. Confirmation before publication. A failed result is never published from one sample: we purchase a second sample from a different lot and test at a different laboratory. Only confirmed failures publish.
  5. Dispute window. Companies receive advance notice and a published dispute window. Disputes and outcomes appear on the report page.

Consequences of Failed Verification

A confirmed failure cascades beyond the Testing & Quality dimension: it triggers a Transparency reassessment, an editorial review of the full profile, and an under active review flag on the company page. Companies that remediate publicly and pass a follow-up test recover scores gradually across subsequent cycles — the history chart preserves the event permanently.

Consumer Reports

Structured consumer reports are triaged, verified against evidence, and — only after verification — feed the Community Feedback dimension. Individual reports never automatically change a score, and reporters remain anonymous to companies.

Independence

The Peptide Institute accepts no sponsorships, paid placements, ranking fees, or affiliate arrangements with covered companies. Companies cannot pay to be tested, ranked, re-ranked, or removed. Score history is immutable: prior scores are never overwritten, only superseded.

Methodology Versions

  • v2.3Jun 2026 — packaging methodology added to fulfillment scoring; failure-cascade rules formalized.
  • v2.2Jan 2026 — Community Feedback weight increased; verified-report pipeline launched.
  • v2.0Aug 2025 — seven-dimension model introduced with public weights.