Glutathione
Research highlights
- ✓Central antioxidant in cellular redox and oxidative-stress research
- ✓Studied in liver detoxification and phase-II conjugation pathways
- ✓Investigated for skin-tone and pigmentation models
- ✓Supports research into cellular ageing and immune function
What is Glutathione?
Glutathione is a tripeptide (glutamate, cysteine, glycine) and the body's principal intracellular antioxidant, studied across redox biology, detoxification and pigmentation research. Supplied for laboratory research use only.
What purity is it supplied at?
Where we hold an independent Janoshik report for a compound we publish it in full - batch number, purity and a verification key you can check against the lab yourself. Where we do not hold one the product is marked research grade and we say so, rather than claim a report we cannot produce.
Glutathione, explained
The short version: Glutathione is a tripeptide that the body makes for itself and its most abundant built-in antioxidant. Whether adding more from outside changes much is a lot less settled than the marketing suggests.
What it is
Glutathione is three amino acids joined together: glutamic acid, cysteine and glycine. Cells make their own and keep most of it in the reduced form, where it soaks up reactive molecules and keeps internal chemistry in balance. The sulphur in its cysteine does most of that work.
What has been studied
For a long time the assumption was that swallowed glutathione gets broken down or oxidised in the gut before it can do much. Two placebo-controlled trials of oral glutathione then reached different answers. Allen and Bradley (2011) gave it to 40 healthy adults for four weeks and saw no change in oxidative stress markers or in red blood cell glutathione. Richie and colleagues (2015) ran a six-month trial in 54 non-smokers and found blood stores rose by 30 to 35% at the higher dose tested, then fell back to baseline a month after stopping.
Skin lightening is the other big use, often by drip. A 2016 review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology, Venereology and Leprology counted three randomised trials supporting topical and oral glutathione for this, but found no evidence that intravenous glutathione works. It also noted that the Philippines' food and drug regulator had issued a public warning against using it that way, because of side effects.
Where the evidence stops
The trials are small and short, and they measure blood levels or skin tone rather than health. Injected glutathione has the weakest evidence of any route. How long any effect lasts, and whether higher blood levels matter for anything, is still an open question.
Handling and storage
It arrives as a freeze-dried powder. Once bacteriostatic water goes in, it belongs in the fridge. Our reconstitution and storage guide covers the details, and the calculator does the maths.
The body's own main antioxidant, with a mixed case for topping it up and almost none for the drip.
Sources (checked 7 October 2026)
For research use only. Not for human consumption. Nothing on this page is medical advice.
Reviews from people who ordered Glutathione
No reviews from orders with Glutathione yet. Here is what recent customers said about ordering from us.
★★★★★
Great service as always
Nico V. · 6 Oct 2026
★★★★★
I am happy with my product
Kholofelo L. · 30 Sep 2026
★★★★
Small checkout glitch, but after following up it was quickly sorted out and everything went smoothly from there. Good customer service - thank you.
Tonia K. · 30 Sep 2026
★ 4.8 across all 16 JP Research reviews, good and bad. See them. Every reviewer gets R100 store credit, whatever they rate.
