How to Read a COA
We walk through a real Certificate of Analysis — Kovera Labs report #KVR-2026-46922E for a batch of GHK-Cu — so you can tell in under a minute what was tested, how it measured up, and whether the report can be independently verified.
Educational content only. A COA is a snapshot of lab testing for one specific batch — not a stamp of safety or a legal clearance. Treat it as one input in your wider sourcing checks, never the whole story.
A Real COA, Top to Bottom
Below is a Certificate of Analysis issued by Kovera Labs for a single tested batch of GHK-Cu, report #KVR-2026-46922E, certified 09/04/2026 for Axovera Labs. Every block on this page maps to a part of that report — work through them in order and you can judge any COA you are sent.
1. Who Issued It
The top of the report tells you who ran the tests and who they ran them for. A COA written by the seller themselves is a marketing sheet, not a certificate.
Issuing Laboratory
Kovera Labs is named at the top as the testing lab — the report should come from a third party, not from the seller.
Report Number
KVR-2026-46922E. A unique reference the lab can look up if you ask them to confirm the report.
Client
Axovera Labs — the party that submitted the sample. It should be the vendor you are actually buying from.
Certified Date
09/04/2026. Testing reflects the sample at the time of analysis, so a recent date matters.
The opening statement here says the sample was tested using validated analytical methods and met the stated specifications at the time of analysis — note that wording: it covers this sample, on that date, and nothing more.
2. Sample Information
This block identifies exactly what was in the vial the lab received. Every line should match the product in your hand.
Product
GHK-Cu. It must match exactly what the vial label and your order say.
Form
Lyophilized powder — the freeze-dried state the vial should arrive in.
Batch
AXV-CU100-001. This ties the report to one production run; a different lot needs a different COA.
Labeled Qty
100 mg — the amount claimed on the label, which the results table then measures against.
Cap & Crimp Colour
White cap, silver crimp. Small physical details that let you match the tested vial to the one delivered.
If the batch number on your vial is not the batch number on the COA, the report tells you nothing about what you received.
3. Test Results
This is the substance of the certificate: each test, the reference standard it was measured against, and the result. Check every row against its standard rather than trusting a pass mark.
Purity
Reference standard >98%; the result is 99.524%, comfortably clear of the threshold.
Net Content
Reference standard ~100 mg; measured at 107.76 mg. Slightly over the label is normal overfill; well under is not.
Identity Confirmation (LC-MS)
Expected GHK-Cu, reported as GHK-Cu — the molecule was confirmed by mass spectrometry, not just assumed.
Endotoxin Safety Screen
Limit ≤0.5 EU/mL; the screen is reported as PASS, meaning bacterial toxin load sat under the limit.
Note what is not here: this report does not include a sterility culture or a heavy-metals panel. A lab can only pass tests it actually performed, so read the list of rows as carefully as the numbers in them.
4. The Chromatogram
The purity percentage comes from this trace. It is the raw evidence behind the headline number, and it is worth a look even if you do not read chromatograms for a living.
Method
RP-HPLC on a C18 column with DAD detection at 214 nm — the method should be stated, not left implied.
One Dominant Peak
A single tall peak labelled GHK-Cu at roughly 3 minutes, reaching about 2,000 mAU, is what high purity looks like.
The Baseline
Across the 30-minute run the baseline stays essentially flat. Extra peaks of any real size would mean extra substances.
Sample Photo
The vial photographed alongside shows the GHK-Cu 100 mg label and lot AXV-CU100-001, so you can match it to what arrives.
A COA that quotes a purity figure but never shows the trace is asking you to take the number on faith.
5. Signature & Verification
The footer is where accountability lives. A genuine COA is signed, numbered and independently checkable.
Lab Director Signature
Signed by Lemar Arghandivai, Lab Director — a named person taking responsibility, not an anonymous stamp.
Report Number & Access Code
Report #KVR-2026-46922E with access code FZB43A9, used to pull the original report from the lab.
QR Code & Verify Link
The QR code and koveralabs.com/verify should open on the laboratory's own domain and show the same batch and results.
If the verification link is missing, dead, or hosted on the vendor's own site rather than the lab's, ask for the original PDF straight from the laboratory.
Quick reference checklist
- [01]Was the report issued by an independent laboratory — not the seller?
- [02]Does the product name and labeled quantity match exactly what you ordered?
- [03]Does the batch number on the COA match the vial in hand?
- [04]Is the certified date recent?
- [05]Does the purity result clear the stated reference standard?
- [06]Is the measured net content in line with the labeled quantity?
- [07]Was identity confirmed by a method such as LC-MS?
- [08]Was an endotoxin screen run, and did it pass?
- [09]Does the results table give a reference standard for every test, not just a result?
- [10]Is a chromatogram shown, with one dominant peak and a flat baseline?
- [11]Is the report signed by a named lab director, with a report number and a verification link that resolves?
A trustworthy COA is issued by an independent lab, names one specific batch, lists a reference standard alongside every result, shows the chromatogram behind its purity figure, and ends with a named signature and a verification link that actually resolves. If any of those are missing, vague, or point back to the seller instead of the laboratory, ask for the original report before you buy.
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