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Quality & safety
Grey market / Research chemical
Grey market / Research chemical - The sale of substances outside regular drug approval, often labelled „for research only". Such labels dodge regulation and say nothing about quality.
Also called research chemicalRCgrey marketnot for human usefor research only
Grey market refers to selling substances outside regular drug approval. They are often labelled research chemical („for research only", „not for human use").
What the label means - and doesn't
The „for research only" declaration is mainly a legal workaround: it removes the product from medicines oversight. It is not a proof of quality, purity or safety. Identity, purity and dosing are not officially verified.
Real risks
- Wrong or variable amount of active substance, contaminants, wrong compound.
- No verified safety, a legal grey area, no guarantee.
This is exactly where independent verification comes in - for example, through a laboratory analysis certificate (Certificate of Analysis, or CoA; see CoA).