NAD+ Certificate of Analysis (COA): How to Read It

What a COA is — and why it matters for NAD+

A Certificate of Analysis is a per-batch lab report a supplier (or an independent lab) issues for a specific lot of NAD+. It documents identity and purity from instrumental testing — typically HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for molecular identity. Without a batch-specific COA you are trusting a label, not data.

COA freshness matters more for NAD+ than for shelf-stable compounds. Most thermally fragile compound here. Refrigerate; typically used within 14 days reconstituted. Because this compound is in the longevity category and degrades on the timeline above, a COA tells you about the batch on the day it was tested — not necessarily the vial in your hand months later. That makes a recent test date and proper cold-chain handling part of how you read the document, not an afterthought.

What purity to expect on a NAD+ COA

In our 2026 blinded HPLC evaluation, the highest-scoring NAD+ sample tested at 98.4% via Colmaric Analyticals (batch NAD-2026-0402-R, tested April 2, 2026). A legitimate NAD+ COA should land at or above the community benchmark of 98% HPLC purity — research-grade material routinely clears it.

Purity is read off the HPLC chromatogram as the NAD+ peak area relative to total peak area. A COA that states a percentage but does not attach the chromatogram is giving you a claim, not evidence — see the red flags below. For the underlying method, our explainer on HPLC and visual guide to reading a chromatogram walk through what a clean NAD+ peak should look like.

What a real NAD+ COA must show

Run any NAD+ COA against this six-point checklist. A document that misses any line is incomplete for verification purposes:

• Compound identity — the document names NAD+ (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide; confirmed by mass spec, not just printed on the page).
• Batch / lot number — a unique identifier tying the COA to the exact lot the vial came from (e.g. NAD-2026-0402-R).
• Test date within 6 months — especially important for NAD+, which is most thermally fragile compound here. refrigerate; typically used within 14 days reconstituted.
• HPLC purity % — a number at or above the 98% benchmark, with the chromatogram attached.
• Testing lab name — a named third-party lab (this batch was run by Colmaric Analyticals).
• Mass spec confirmation — molecular-weight verification proving the vial holds NAD+ and not a cheaper or mislabeled substitute.

The 3 labs the community trusts

Not every “lab tested” claim carries the same weight. For research peptides, three independent labs have earned community trust for NAD+ and similar compounds:

• Janoshik Analytical — the most widely cited third-party peptide lab.
• MZ Biolabs — frequently used for independent HPLC and mass-spec work.
• Colmaric Analyticals — a recognized name for batch verification.

A NAD+ COA from an unnamed or in-house lab is a red flag: there is no independent party to hold accountable, and the result cannot be cross-checked. A named third-party lab is the difference between a COA you can verify and a COA you can only hope is honest. Our deep dive on Janoshik vs MZ Biolabs compares two of them directly.

Red flags on a NAD+ COA

Reject — or at minimum re-verify — a NAD+ COA that shows any of these:

• Generic, not batch-specific — one COA reused across every order, with no lot number tying it to your vial of NAD+.
• Missing test date — no date at all, so you cannot tell how old the result is.
• Test date older than 6 months — stale data, which matters more for NAD+ given its storage profile above.
• No lab name — “tested” with no named third-party lab behind the number.
• Purity claimed, no chromatogram — a percentage with no HPLC trace attached to back it up.

This is reference guidance for evaluating laboratory documentation, not medical or dosing advice. NAD+ and all compounds referenced are for laboratory research use only — not for human consumption.

Keep reading

The canonical reference for this whole topic is our guide on how to read a peptide COA — it covers the eight required elements, the independent-verification steps, and which 2026 suppliers ship batch-specific COAs, then links out to the deeper chromatogram, HPLC, and red-flag explainers as you need them.

Working with a NAD+ vial directly? Use our NAD+ reconstitution calculator to compute concentration per insulin-syringe unit. For background on the compound itself, see our NAD+ research guide.

Other compound COA guides

GHK-Cu COA guide