VyalLabs
New member
A COA is only useful if you know what you are looking at. A few things worth checking every time:
1. Match the lot. The batch or lot number on the report should match what is printed on the vial or packaging. A report with no lot number, or a lot that does not match, tells you nothing about what you are actually holding.
2. Purity and identity are different tests. Purity is usually measured by HPLC, which shows how much of the material is the intended compound versus impurities. Identity is usually confirmed by mass spectrometry, which confirms the compound is actually what the label says. A report showing only one of these is incomplete.
3. Check the lab, not just the logo. Look up the lab name independently. Real analytical labs exist outside the report itself, and some let you verify a report number with them directly.
4. Date matters. A report from years ago may have nothing to do with current stock. Recent, batch specific reports are the only ones that mean anything.
5. Watch for recycled documents. The same report reused across different products, blurry scans, or edited PDFs are all red flags.
Companies that publish batch specific third party reports for every lot make this easy. Companies that post one old PDF for everything do not.
1. Match the lot. The batch or lot number on the report should match what is printed on the vial or packaging. A report with no lot number, or a lot that does not match, tells you nothing about what you are actually holding.
2. Purity and identity are different tests. Purity is usually measured by HPLC, which shows how much of the material is the intended compound versus impurities. Identity is usually confirmed by mass spectrometry, which confirms the compound is actually what the label says. A report showing only one of these is incomplete.
3. Check the lab, not just the logo. Look up the lab name independently. Real analytical labs exist outside the report itself, and some let you verify a report number with them directly.
4. Date matters. A report from years ago may have nothing to do with current stock. Recent, batch specific reports are the only ones that mean anything.
5. Watch for recycled documents. The same report reused across different products, blurry scans, or edited PDFs are all red flags.
Companies that publish batch specific third party reports for every lot make this easy. Companies that post one old PDF for everything do not.