A Certificate of Analysis is only worth something if it was produced by a real lab, for the exact batch you hold. Because a CoA is just a document, it is easy to reuse across batches, edit, or replace with a generic spec sheet. Most of these problems can be spotted in a few minutes if you know where to look.
Why fake and recycled CoAs exist
Testing every batch costs money and time. Some sellers skip it and reuse one good report across many batches, edit the numbers on an old report, or present a manufacturer's generic specification as if it were a batch test. None of these tells you anything about the material in your vial.
Red flags
Treat any of these as a reason to ask questions before you rely on the material:
- No batch or lot number, or one that doesn't match the label exactly.
- The same CoA offered for different strengths or different products.
- No named testing lab, or a lab you can't find any trace of.
- A headline purity figure with no chromatogram or integration table behind it.
- No identity data (such as a mass spectrometry result) alongside the purity figure.
- A missing analysis date, or one that doesn't fit the batch's timeline.
- Blurry, cropped or obviously pasted-in traces and tables.
- A seller who won't share the CoA until after you've paid.
Checks you can do yourself
Start with the batch number: it should match the label character for character. Then look at the testing lab. A real lab has an address and contact details, and many can confirm whether a report ID was issued by them if you ask.
Next, read the data rather than the headline. An HPLC purity result should come with a chromatogram showing a dominant main peak and a table of peak areas. A mass spectrometry result should list an observed mass close to the compound's theoretical mass. If those parts are missing, the purity number is unsupported.
Finally, use any verification route the supplier offers. Nordapep's batch verification tool checks the reference printed on your label against our release records.
What a good CoA includes
A batch CoA you can rely on usually has:
- The compound name and the exact batch number from the label.
- The testing lab's name and contact details.
- The analytical methods used, typically RP-HPLC for purity and MS for identity.
- The chromatogram and peak table, not just the result.
- The date of analysis.
If something doesn't add up
Ask the supplier for the original report from the lab, and contact the lab directly if you can. Until the documentation checks out, treat the material as unverified and keep it out of your protocol.