We have reached peak peptide. Silicon Valley tech bros swap insider info about Chinese peptide guys, Upper East Side moms can rattle off their peptide stacks, and, lest you forget, that P in GLP-1s, the appetite-suppressing class of drugs that we collectively cannot stop consuming, is for peptide, too. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that curb inflammation and temper hormones, and with each passing day, there are more people giddily turning themselves into human pincushions to experience their purported benefits.
Or, as is evidenced in the wellness and optimization corner of TikTok, they’re putting them up their noses. “Peptides without pinning” reads a post by a guy who rarely posts without a shirt on and describes his account as “skin care and fitness.” Another video of a man completing a stack of paperwork tasks at a breakneck speed is captioned: “nasal sprays, the easiest way to ascend.” But are nasal peptides another TikTok-fueled wellness scam (remember okra water? Exactly.) or are they actually a viable and genius delivery system?
According to Amanda Kahn, MD, the New York–based longevity doctor known as the “peptide princess,” they are indeed a viable delivery system; in fact, she says, there are some peptides that simply don’t exist as an injection, only intranasally. She adds that nasal peptides enter our system differently than an injection: A nasal spray rides on a direct nose-to-brain pathway, while a shot has to meander through the bloodstream. That amino acid chain that comprises a peptide can vary in size (a length of three looks different than a 45). “If they’re long, they’re typically not administered intranasally because the nasal environment will just destroy it,” explains Jamie Gabel, MS, PA-C, a licensed physician assistant at +Advitam, a longevity clinic in Manhattan. “Peptides in general are very fragile, so there are really only a few that should be used intranasally.”
One of the peptides that does excel intranasally is Selank. “It’s a potent mood booster and nootropic designed to enhance cognition and alleviate brain fog,” says Kahn, adding that many of her patients who don’t want to use an SSRI do a daily spritz of it instead. “It’s ideal for those seeking enhanced mental performance, improved emotional well-being, or support during times of high stress.” That TikTok-er who was talking about ascending? He was using Selank (in combination with MT2, or Melanotan II which increases melanin to make the user look tanner, and Semax, another one that Gabel says will work intranasally). Kahn points also to three others that are efficient nasal peptides: the peptide VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide), which is meant to reduce systemic inflammation, support the gut, and help with brain health and focus; DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide), which is supposed to calm the central nervous system and promote deep sleep; and oxytocin, the well-known feel-good molecule.
Online, peptide pushers are suggesting many more acronyms to add to your nasal regimen, but despite what TikTok insists, not everything should be stuck up your nose. BPC-157, a peptide most often used for healing and repair that earned initial notoriety as part of the so-called “Wolverine stack” beloved by people like Joe Rogan, is frequently tagged online as a nasal peptide. But Gabel says he has never prescribed it intranasally and wouldn’t recommend it in that format. “Hands down, injection is the way that it’s been studied and should be delivered,” he adds. PT-141 and GHKCU are two other nasal peptides name-checked online. The former, says Gabel, is an exciting advancement for increasing libido in men and women. “It works on the melanocortin receptors in the brain, an area involved with sexual arousal,” says Gabel. “It can be administered intranasally, but the gold standard for efficacy is injectable.” The same is true for GHKCU, a collagen-boosting, inflammation-reducing peptide that, says Kahn, is getting a lot of attention in skin-care circles. “It’s something I typically use as an injection because it’s more bioavailable that way and tends to be better absorbed and distributed through the body,” says Kahn. “But for a more needle-averse patient, I’d rather they use a GHK nasal spray than nothing at all.”
