The short version: a vial label tells you the compound, the
total mg of powder inside, that it's a freeze-dried (lyophilised)
powder, sometimes a batch/lot and a date or two. The mg figure is a
mass, not a dose or a concentration — concentration only exists once you add water. The date
that matters most isn't printed at all: it's the day you mix it.
Vial labels are short, a bit cryptic, and easy to misread. Here's what each line
is actually telling you.
Line by line
Compound name
What's inside — e.g. Retatrutide, BPC-157. Worth checking against the
library so you know what class it is and how it's stored.
Strength — e.g. "10 MG"
The total mass of dry peptide in the vial. Not a dose. Not a concentration. It's the
number you feed into a cost-per-dose or reconstitution
calculation once you decide how much water to add.
"Lyophilised powder"
Freeze-dried. Water removed under vacuum to leave a stable powder or small pellet. This is
why it keeps so long before you mix it.
"Preservative free"
No added preservative in the vial itself. It's a hint about handling — preservative
(usually in bacteriostatic water) is part of what lets a mixed vial last, which is why the
water you choose affects shelf life.
"Research use only"
A regulatory/labelling status, not a chemistry statement. It says how the product is sold,
not what it is — see what actually counts as a peptide.
Batch / lot number
Identifies the production run. Worth recording in your log so you can tell one vial from
another later, especially if you keep more than one on the go.
Dates
A manufacture date and/or an expiry for the sealed powder. Useful, but the clock that
governs day-to-day use starts when you reconstitute — so write the mix date on the glass.
The number that isn't on the label
Everything on the label describes the vial as it arrived. The moment you add water you create
two new facts it can't show: the concentration (mg per ml, which depends on how
much water you added) and the mix date (which starts the
reconstituted shelf-life clock). Capture both, or
you'll be guessing within a fortnight.
Rather than read and type all this by hand, the app's
label scanner photographs the label and pulls out the compound,
strength and dates for you — and handles several vials in one shot. You can also print
your own mix-date labels to stick on the glass.
Common questions
Does "10 mg" mean my dose is 10 mg?
No. It's the whole vial's worth of powder. Your concentration and any per-use amount depend
on how much water you add — the label can't tell you either.
Is a "research use only" peptide different from any other?
Chemically, no — it's the same molecule. The phrase is about how it's sold, not what it is.
What should I copy into my log?
Compound, mg, batch/lot, and the date you mixed it. That's enough to track cost, age and
which vial is which.