We have reached peak peptide. Silicon Valley tech bros swap insider info about Chinese peptide guys, Upper East Side moms can rattle off their peptide stacks, and, lest you forget, that P in GLP-1s, the appetite-suppressing class of drugs that we collectively cannot stop consuming, is for peptide, too. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that curb inflammation and temper hormones, and with each passing day, there are more people giddily turning themselves into human pincushions to experience their purported benefits.
Or, as is evidenced in the wellness and optimization corner of TikTok, they’re putting them up their noses. “Peptides without pinning” reads a post by a guy who rarely posts without a shirt on and describes his account as “skin care and fitness.” Another video of a man completing a stack of paperwork tasks at a breakneck speed is captioned: “nasal sprays, the easiest way to ascend.” But are nasal peptides another TikTok-fueled wellness scam (remember okra water? Exactly.) or are they actually a viable and genius delivery system?
According to Amanda Kahn, MD, the New York–based longevity doctor known as the “peptide princess,” they are indeed a viable delivery system; in fact, she says, there are some peptides that simply don’t exist as an injection, only intranasally. She adds that nasal peptides enter our system differently than an injection: A nasal spray rides on a direct nose-to-brain pathway, while a shot has to meander through the bloodstream. That amino acid chain that comprises a peptide can vary in size (a length of three looks different than a 45). “If they’re long, they’re typically not administered intranasally because the nasal environment will just destroy it,” explains Jamie Gabel, MS, PA-C, a licensed physician assistant at +Advitam, a longevity clinic in Manhattan. “Peptides in general are very fragile, so there are really only a few that should be used intranasally.”
One of the peptides that does excel intranasally is Selank. “It’s a potent mood booster and nootropic designed to enhance cognition and alleviate brain fog,” says Kahn, adding that many of her patients who don’t want to use an SSRI do a daily spritz of it instead. “It’s ideal for those seeking enhanced mental performance, improved emotional well-being, or support during times of high stress.” That TikTok-er who was talking about ascending? He was using Selank (in combination with MT2, or Melanotan II which increases melanin to make the user look tanner, and Semax, another one that Gabel says will work intranasally). Kahn points also to three others that are efficient nasal peptides: the peptide VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide), which is meant to reduce systemic inflammation, support the gut, and help with brain health and focus; DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide), which is supposed to calm the central nervous system and promote deep sleep; and oxytocin, the well-known feel-good molecule.
Online, peptide pushers are suggesting many more acronyms to add to your nasal regimen, but despite what TikTok insists, not everything should be stuck up your nose. BPC-157, a peptide most often used for healing and repair that earned initial notoriety as part of the so-called “Wolverine stack” beloved by people like Joe Rogan, is frequently tagged online as a nasal peptide. But Gabel says he has never prescribed it intranasally and wouldn’t recommend it in that format. “Hands down, injection is the way that it’s been studied and should be delivered,” he adds. PT-141 and GHKCU are two other nasal peptides name-checked online. The former, says Gabel, is an exciting advancement for increasing libido in men and women. “It works on the melanocortin receptors in the brain, an area involved with sexual arousal,” says Gabel. “It can be administered intranasally, but the gold standard for efficacy is injectable.” The same is true for GHKCU, a collagen-boosting, inflammation-reducing peptide that, says Kahn, is getting a lot of attention in skin-care circles. “It’s something I typically use as an injection because it’s more bioavailable that way and tends to be better absorbed and distributed through the body,” says Kahn. “But for a more needle-averse patient, I’d rather they use a GHK nasal spray than nothing at all.”
But where people are getting that GHK, and other peptides, from matters. Peptides, much like supplements, are highly unregulated. “It’s the wild west,” says New York–based dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD. “There are a lot of unknowns, and injecting peptides or putting them up your nose is very different than applying them to the skin.”
While some things in the wild world of wellness are innocuous to DIY (again, okra water), self-prescribing and independently sourcing and cocktailing substances that you inject or sniff should not qualify. “Even though peptides have become popular and are all over social media and the internet, they should be used under the guidance of someone experienced,” says Gabel. A disclaimer at the bottom of a detailed TikTok video about making your own nasal peptides at home says the same: This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. I am not a doctor, and nothing in this video should be taken as a recommendation to use any substance for human consumption. The peptides discussed are sold as research chemicals and are not FDA-approved for human use. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any decisions regarding your health.
Sourcing in particular is a concern. “You can’t prove efficacy or that you’re actually getting the peptide that you ordered, and that’s at best,” says Kahn. “At worst, that peptide, which isn’t third-party-tested or regulated, could have contaminants or heavy metals.” Licensed prescribers are often working with specific compounding pharmacies or getting a product directly from a manufacturer. Some peptides like cerebrolysin, another one focused on cognitive function that’s mentioned often online, should, says Gabel, never be administered intranasally or otherwise, unless they came from the manufacturer. Others like melanotan II, which increases skin pigmentation (and that dermatologists like Zeichner have cautioned against using), are, as the New York Times just reported, booming on the gray market.
The analogy Kahn often uses is: Would you pick up a pill off the street and pop it in your mouth? Many people are, perhaps unsurprisingly, willing to take that risk in the name of optimization.
When we as a society are collectively comfortable using supplements conceived of by a Kardashian and ordering pretty much anything off of Amazon, it’s easy to understand how it’s not a giant mental leap to click-and-buy peptides too. But it’s important to remember that no matter how any of these peptides are administered, most of them are unstudied or understudied, so their effects are still simply anecdotal. For some people, that’s convincing enough. But if the goal is optimizing your health, how you’re getting and using the products intended to do that, feels like an absurd roll of the dice. Says Gabel: “You want these things to help you.”
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