The use of unapproved peptide injections has moved from niche interest to mainstream wellness marketing, with influencers and celebrities touting them as a way to build muscle, shed pounds and look younger. The trend is amplified by online storefronts and clinics that offer in-office evaluations and shots, at a price that can add up quickly for people seeking repeated “stacks” of different compounds.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that perform essential functions in the body, including signals involved in metabolism. The weight-loss drugs GLP-1s, for example, are based on glucagon-like peptides found in the intestines that help regulate blood sugar, and insulin—also a peptide-based biological mechanism—controls blood sugar and supports food breakdown into energy. While some peptides are approved by the FDA, many of the injectable peptides marketed as wellness interventions have not been approved by regulators as safe and effective.
Interest in peptides has grown as wellness influencers and public figures have promoted obscure compounds and unapproved uses, including claims about healing injuries, improving appearance and even extending life. The pitch often includes a wide range of injectable peptides—such as BPC-157, thymosin alpha and GHK-Copper—alongside warnings from experts that people may be combining multiple peptides at once. Dr. Eric Topol, of Scripps Research Translational Institute, said those influencer recommendations can mean patients are taking “two, three, four different peptides,” which he described as dangerous.
Celebrities have helped normalize the idea of using particular peptides. The AP reported that Joe Rogan has talked about using BPC-157 to recover from injuries, and that Jennifer Aniston has discussed weekly peptide injections for skin and has served as a paid spokesperson for a company selling peptide-enriched supplements. Clinic operator Kay Robins, who runs Pure Alchemy Wellness outside San Diego, said that when a celebrity uses a peptide and says it worked, “of course it’s going to be more mainstream and people are going to be looking into it.” Robins also told the AP she no longer offers BPC-157 and other peptides targeted by the FDA.
For people considering these products, the central issue is whether they qualify as regulated drugs and whether they have evidence of safety in humans. The AP reported that most of the unproven peptides promoted online are sold illegally: the FDA treats any injectable substance meant to provide a health benefit or prevent a medical condition as a drug that cannot be sold without approval. The agency also considers many peptides to be biologics, which are among the more complicated—and potentially higher-risk—types of drugs that require extra precautions in manufacturing and storage.
Some companies market peptides as dietary supplements, particularly those sold as pills, gummies or powders, but the FDA still limits supplements to ingredients on approved lists. Experts generally agree that swallowing most peptides is unlikely to have much effect because they dissolve in the gut, shifting the concern to the growing market for injections. The AP reported that the trend has also drawn attention to the U.S. regulatory gray zones involving manufacturing and distribution.
Much of the supply for injectable peptides comes through compounding pharmacies, which custom-mix medications not produced by drug manufacturers at standard scale. While pharmacies are regulated at the state level, they are generally not overseen in the same way as companies that make products under FDA review. In recent years, compounding pharmacies also began producing custom versions of blockbuster drugs like GLP-1s during shortages, and the AP reported that the FDA later determined the GLP-1 shortage had ended—yet many compounding pharmacies continued making custom versions, sometimes adding extra ingredients such as vitamin B.
The legal and business incentives for expanding that kind of activity may help explain the broader shift into unapproved peptide production, the AP reported. Nathaniel Lacktman, a lawyer specializing in FDA-related issues, said there had “never been the monetary incentive to push the envelope” of what compounding can do, and that “the dollars weren’t there,” before new profitability arrived. The AP also said the FDA has moved to restrict manufacturing and added more than two dozen peptides to an interim list of substances that should not be compounded due to safety concerns.
The story of peptide marketing now intersects with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement and its health-focused messaging. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has promoted peptides and vowed to end “FDA’s war” on peptides, according to the AP. The report also described peptide marketers tied to Kennedy’s circle—including self-described “biohacker” Gary Brecka and functional medicine physician and author Dr. Mark Hyman—and noted that some in the peptide field expect Kennedy could push for rollbacks of FDA restrictions.
Robins said her own clinic response reflects those regulatory pressures: she told the AP she no longer offers BPC-157 and other peptides targeted by the FDA. Topol’s warning underscores why, as demand grows for injectable wellness products without extensive human study, experts remain concerned about the safety of using unapproved compounds—especially when people seek multi-peptide regimens rather than single, standardized therapies. MSI previously reported on the debate over how far FDA limits on unproven peptides could be eased.