Testing Standards & Enforcement
Every finalized, analytically valid result is published, pass or fail. Vendors cannot pay to hide a result, avoid consequences, or erase their testing history.
The core rule
- 98% or higher
- Pass
- 95% to below 98%
- Minor nonconformity — one corrective-action retest
- Below 95%
- Major failure — six-month suspension
- Wrong compound or represented peptide absent
- Critical failure — six-month minimum suspension
All classifications depend on analytically valid, method-appropriate results.
Pass
ACS confirms the correct peptide and reports purity of 98% or higher. The result is published and the vendor keeps active Verified status.
Minor nonconformity
Correct peptide identity is confirmed, but purity is between 95% and below 98%. The result is published, the profile displays “Corrective Action Required,” and the vendor temporarily loses active Verified status.
Within 45 calendar days of the determination, Source Standard independently purchases and tests another eligible product from that vendor. The vendor is not told the purchase date or product in advance.
If the retest passes, Verified status is restored and the profile shows corrective action completed. If it fails, the result is published and the vendor is suspended for a minimum of six months. Both results stay publicly accessible either way.
The 45-day retest applies only to minor nonconformities.
Major failure
Purity below 95%. The result is published, Verified status is lost immediately, and the vendor is suspended for a minimum of six months, with no corrective-action retest. This applies to first failures too.
Critical failure
The product contains a different peptide than advertised, or the represented peptide is absent. The result is published, verification is revoked immediately, and the vendor is suspended for a minimum of six months. Repeated critical failures can result in permanent exclusion.
Inconclusive
When identity or purity cannot be reliably determined — because of analytical limits, insufficient sample, or another testing issue — the result is inconclusive. It does not count as a failure. We review the circumstances and decide whether further testing is needed.
Public reporting
We publish all finalized, analytically valid results and rely on ACS Laboratory’s findings. A failed sample does not automatically trigger confirmation testing or a second purchase.
Vendors have a brief opportunity to identify factual or analytical errors before publication. They cannot suppress unfavorable findings or demand repeat testing because they disagree with the outcome.
Each report identifies the product tested, the laboratory findings, and the classification. A failed result applies to the tested sample, not automatically to every product the vendor sells.
Suspension and reinstatement
A suspension lasts at least six months from the date Source Standard finalizes the classification. Suspended vendors cannot advertise as Source Standard Verified, and their profile shows their suspended status. Failed results stay public throughout.
A vendor cannot pay to avoid suspension, remove a failed result, or regain verification early. After six months, a vendor may apply to rejoin with a new application, documentation of corrective action, and a new independently purchased product that passes testing. Reinstatement is not automatic.
Earlier failures stay visible in the vendor’s testing history, subject to legitimate corrections and our record-retention policy.
Thresholds and borderline results
These are Source Standard program thresholds, not universal scientific standards. They apply to suitable RP-HPLC area-purity measurements, which are not a measure of absolute chemical purity, and must be appropriate for the compound and method.
Borderline results, such as 94.99% versus 95.00%, follow predefined rounding, reporting-precision, and measurement-uncertainty rules — never one-off exceptions.
Vendor statuses
Active Verified. Current Source Standard participation and testing requirements are satisfied. Membership status and published testing history are shown separately.
Corrective Action Required. A minor nonconformity was published. Verified status is paused until an independent retest within 45 days passes.
Suspended. Verification revoked following a major or critical failure, or a failed corrective-action retest. Minimum six-month suspension.
Inactive. No longer participating in the program. Historical testing results remain accessible.
Unverified. Has not completed Source Standard verification requirements. Informational listing only, not a quality judgment.
Questions?
Email info@sourcestandard.org and we will respond.