What "nootropic peptides" actually means
If you have spent any time in the biohacking community, you have probably seen people swap notes on peptides that are supposed to sharpen focus, lift mood, or take the edge off mental fatigue. Most of them are short chains of amino acids, and a lot of them are taken intranasally rather than injected, which is part of why they get talked about so much. They feel approachable.
Clearly Peptides does not sell any of this. We compare prices across vendors and surface the lab data so you can see what you are actually buying. Everything here is research-use-only, none of it is approved as a drug, and nothing on this page is medical advice. With that out of the way, here is an honest rundown of the focus peptides worth knowing about and where each one is priced lowest.
Dosing below is kept qualitative on purpose. These are research compounds without established human dosing, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
The six worth knowing
Semax and Selank: the Russian headliners
Two peptides developed in Russia anchor almost every focus conversation. Semax is the one people reach for when they want clean focus and mental drive. It is studied for its effect on attention and on BDNF, a protein tied to learning and memory. It is typically used intranasally. The best price we track is $36.59/20mg = $1.83/mg (Limitless Life), and the cleanest lab result we have seen for it tested at 99.951% purity. See current listings on the Semax page.
Selank is Semax's calmer sibling. Instead of pure drive, it is associated with a calm-focus feeling, taking the anxious edge off without the sedation you would expect from something that relaxes you. It is also usually taken intranasally. Best price we track: $39.99/10.0mg = $4.0/mg (Midwest Peptide), with a top tested purity of 99.944%. Details on the Selank page.
Dihexa: the synapse one
Dihexa gets attention for a different reason. The rationale here is synapse formation, the idea being that it supports the connections between neurons rather than just nudging neurotransmitters around. We do not currently track a verified price for it from a vendor we feature. We do not yet have a verified purity figure to show for it, so treat the lab side as unconfirmed. Dihexa listings here.
P21: the BDNF-pathway one
P21 is studied for cognition through pathways tied to neurogenesis and BDNF, in the same general family of interest as Semax but a distinct compound. It is on the pricier end per milligram at $120/5mg = $24/mg (Swiss Chems), though the milligram amounts in play are small. We do not have a confirmed purity result to display. See the P21 page.
Bromantane: the oral actoprotector
Bromantane is the odd one out, and a useful one. It is not a peptide, it is an oral actoprotector, a class of compound studied for fighting fatigue while supporting both mental and physical performance. Because it is taken orally and sold in large quantities, the per-milligram cost is tiny: $59.99/1500mg = $0.04/mg (Swiss Chems). That makes it the cheapest thing on this list by a wide margin. Bromantane listings.
Cerebrolysin: the peptide blend
Cerebrolysin is a mixture of low-molecular-weight peptides studied for broad neuroprotective and cognitive support, and it is usually administered by injection rather than intranasally. We do not currently track a price for it, so we mention it for completeness only. You can still follow it on the Cerebrolysin page for when listings appear.
| Compound | What it is studied for | Best $/mg |
|---|---|---|
| Semax | Clean focus, drive, BDNF | $1.83/mg |
| Selank | Calm-focus, anti-anxiety | $4.0/mg |
| Dihexa | Synapse formation | $8.0/mg |
| P21 | Neurogenesis, BDNF pathway | $24/mg |
| Bromantane | Anti-fatigue, actoprotector | $0.04/mg |
| Cerebrolysin | Neuroprotective peptide blend | Not tracked |
How to choose and not overpay
The honest answer is that you should start with what you are trying to do, then let price and lab data break the tie. A few rules of thumb:
- Want focus and drive? Semax is the usual starting point, and at $1.83/mg it is also one of the cheapest per milligram here.
- Want to take the edge off? Selank trades some of Semax's push for a calmer feel.
- Watching your budget? Bromantane at $0.04/mg is in a different universe on cost, partly because it is oral and sold in bulk.
- Chasing the more experimental ideas? Dihexa and P21 cost more per milligram and we have less lab data to show, so go in with eyes open.
Two of these compounds, Semax and Selank, have verified third-party purity results above 99.9% in our data. The other four do not have a confirmed figure yet. That is not a verdict on quality, it just means we will not show a number we cannot back up. Always find the lowest current price through our best-price tool rather than buying from the first vendor you find.
Frequently asked.
Are nootropic peptides legal and safe?
In most places these are sold as research-use-only chemicals, not as approved drugs or supplements, and they are not cleared for human use. "Legal to buy as a research material" is not the same as "proven safe to take," and the human safety data is thin for most of them. We do not sell these and we are not giving medical advice. Talk to a qualified professional before using anything.
Semax vs Selank, which one?
The shorthand people use: Semax is for focus and drive, Selank is for calm-focus and taking the anxious edge off. They are related Russian peptides and some people use them together. On price, Semax is cheaper per milligram ($1.83/mg vs $4.0/mg in our data), and both have verified purity above 99.9%.
How are these peptides taken?
Many of the popular nootropic peptides, including Semax and Selank, are taken intranasally as a spray or drops, which is a big part of their appeal. Bromantane is an oral compound. Cerebrolysin is typically injected. We keep dosing qualitative because these are research compounds without established human protocols.
Why is there no price for cerebrolysin?
We only show prices we can actually verify against a live vendor listing. We do not currently track one for cerebrolysin, so we mention it for completeness and leave the price blank rather than guess. Check its product page later for updated listings.
Why do some of these have no purity number?
Semax and Selank have third-party lab results we can point to. Dihexa, P21, bromantane, and cerebrolysin do not have a confirmed result in our data yet, so we leave the figure out instead of inventing one. You can see what we do have on the lab data page.