Jacob Gorial pinches the skin on his belly, slides the needles, and presses the plunger. The 28-year-old has just injected himself with a peptide that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and that he ordered online without a prescription. He does this most mornings, believing that it’s the key to looking better and recovering faster after working out.
“It was a little scary the first few times until I got used to it,” Gorial told The Epoch Times.
Across TikTok, young men like Gorial are documenting their experiments with injectable peptides: concentrated compounds they purchase from unregulated online suppliers and inject at home. Some can even be purchased directly through the TikTok shop in just a few taps.
Peptides are marketed as shortcuts, replacing balanced nutrition, consistent gym training, and patience. The substances promise rapid muscle growth, clearer skin, faster recovery, and ultimately, a complete physical transformation. However, medical experts warn that these products can carry serious risks, from contamination to unknown long-term effects.
What Peptides Actually Are–and Aren’t
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, the same building blocks that make up proteins in the body. In skin care, they’re often used in creams and serums because they can make the skin look firmer and smoother. However, the injectable peptides trending online are entirely different. They’re concentrated, laboratory-made compounds designed to mimic or influence specific biological signals, from appetite regulation to growth hormone production.
A list of peptides Gorial has tried for a TikTok series reads like a pharmacology textbook: CJC-1295, ipamorelin, GHK-Cu, epithalon, kisspeptin, glutathione, and retatrutide.
“At the time, I was stuck in a rut with low motivation and low energy, and I wanted something that could help me make a real transformation,” he said.
Joseph Teegarden, 22, has been injecting GHK-Cu—also called copper peptides—for acne-related concerns for a little more than a month, and he claims that he has seen fascinating results.
“I’ve had the worst possible acne a human can have,” Teegarden told The Epoch Times. “I’ve done Accutane, laser treatment, and skin peels. Now, I’m finally seeing results for my acne scars.”
Although some studies suggest that topical copper peptides may help with skin healing and collagen production, injecting them is a different matter entirely. There are no clinical trials or safety data on injectable GHK-Cu, no approved medical guidelines for dosage or frequency, and no clear understanding of potential short- or long-term risks.
Teegarden has since added retatrutide, tesamorelin, and ipamorelin to his regimen. Retatrutide is associated with appetite and weight research, tesamorelin is linked to growth hormones, and ipamorelin is marketed for muscle recovery. Tesamorelin is FDA-approved only for reducing excess abdominal fat in people with HIV, not for general fitness or aesthetic use.
The Medical Reality
Although there are several peptide-based FDA-approved medications, including oxytocin, insulin, and growth hormones, none are approved for muscle gain, said Dr. Andrew Mock, a physician and delegate to the American Medical Association and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
“There is a rapidly growing ‘gray market’ and ‘black market’ peptide industry,” Mock told The Epoch Times. “These products are labeled ‘for research purposes only,’ are not FDA-approved, and have little to no high-quality human clinical data.”
Although some peptide-based medications—such as semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic—are approved for specific medical uses, none are approved for muscle gain or aesthetic purposes.
Because many of these peptides have not been extensively tested in humans, experts warn of potential side effects, including hormonal imbalances, changes in metabolism, unexpected fat or muscle changes, increased risk of cardiovascular issues, and immune system reactions.
Products purchased online may also carry a risk of contamination or unlabeled or mislabeled ingredients, which can further increase the potential for harm. Manufacturers often provide a certificate of analysis, detailing a product’s purity and any detected contaminants. However, consumers have no way to verify that the vials in their hands actually match the batch that was tested, Mock said.
“Discussing warnings is not an endorsement of using unapproved peptides,” he said. “The safest approach is to avoid non-FDA-approved compounds entirely.”
Some integrative, functional, and naturopathic doctors prescribe non-FDA-approved peptides under medical supervision, sourcing them from regulated U.S. laboratories.
Why Young Men Are Taking the Risk
Peptides have become the latest obsession in a growing online subculture focused on “looksmaxxing,” in which young men focus on boosting their looks through any means possible. The community promotes extreme methods, including bonesmashing—repeatedly hitting bones with a hammer for a chiseled jaw—jaw-stretching devices, and now, unregulated injectable peptides.
The underlying message is consistent: faster, more dramatic results.
This environment creates fertile ground for what Matt Englar-Carlson, professor and chair of the Department of Counseling at California State University–Fullerton, describes as “bro-science”: advice based on anecdotal evidence and personal testimonies rather than empirical research.
“The images and information are fake yet presented as fact,” he told The Epoch Times.
Michael Parent, associate professor in counseling psychology at the University of Texas, told The Epoch Times, “If young men see their peers—or those they aspire to be like—doing the behavior, such as using peptides, they’ll be a lot more likely to want to try.”
The Psychology Behind the Trend
Roberto Olivardia, a clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital who specializes in eating disorders and body image in boys and men, identified several factors driving young men toward experimental and potentially dangerous procedures: low self-esteem, perfectionism, anxiety, low assertiveness, and impulsivity.
“Social media has undoubtedly influenced male body image,” Olivardia told The Epoch Times. “I have seen a noticeable shift in increased appearance-related issues, such as body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders in young men that coincides with social media.”
Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition in which someone perceives flaws in their physical appearance—often involving the body or face—even when those flaws are minor or nonexistent. A specific variant, called muscle dysmorphia, primarily affects men who worry that their bodies are too small or not muscular enough, even if they are objectively large and muscular. People with muscle dysmorphia often spend excessive time working out at the gym and carefully controlling their diet and supplements.
Yet when asked whether they feel pressured to look a certain way, many of the men said they do not.
“I don’t care about what other people are doing,” Teegarden said. “I just care about bettering myself and making myself look and feel better, whether that be from getting healthier internally or getting jacked on the exterior.”
This sense of self-directed improvement, common in fitness culture, can make unregulated peptide use feel like a personal choice rather than a risky medical decision. However, that framing obscures the underlying issue: These substances are unapproved by the FDA, are largely unstudied, and are sold in a marketplace in which purity, dosing, and long-term effects are impossible to verify.
In a landscape shaped by social media algorithms, success stories, and “looksmaxxing” communities that normalize extreme self-modification, young men may believe that they’re simply taking control of their health.
In reality, experts warn, they are experimenting on themselves with unknown consequences.