Our peptides ship as lyophilised (freeze-dried) powder in a sealed vial. Freeze-drying freezes the peptide solution, then removes the ice under vacuum by sublimation, so the water passes from solid to vapour without melting.
Why remove the water
In solution, peptides break down through hydrolysis of peptide bonds, deamidation of asparagine and glutamine, oxidation of methionine and cysteine, and aggregation. Most of these reactions need water and speed up with heat. A dry powder slows them dramatically.
What this means in transit
Lyophilised peptides tolerate the short periods at ambient temperature that happen in transit. We still ship in insulated packaging, and we hold parcels in extreme weather (see Shipping in cold weather).
What it looks like
A freeze-dried peptide usually appears as a white "cake" or loose powder. GHK-Cu is blue because of its copper. The cake may shrink or break up in transit. That is a physical change, not a chemical one.
Quick quiz
For laboratory research use only. This article describes chemistry and handling. It does not describe human use.