Glutathione: research, legal status and who sells it
Glutathione is the body's most abundant antioxidant tripeptide. Oral supplements can raise body stores; evidence for skin lightening is modest, and a 2025 review concluded that intravenous use is contraindicated.
By Editorial team. Updated Oct 14, 2026.
Awaiting expert review
This page is information, not medical advice. Some Glutathione products are approved prescription drugs; research-grade versions sold online are not those products. We don't publish dosing or usage instructions.
- Also known as
- GSH, Reduced glutathione
- Category
- Antioxidant tripeptide
- Evidence level
- Approved drug (in at least one market)
- Approved products
- Injectable glutathione (Italy, national authorisations) (EU)
- Price range
- $0.017/mg to $0.167/mg, median $0.047/mg across 57 vendors (compare)
- Our lab tests
- None yet (how testing will work)
Legal and regulatory status
| Where | Status |
|---|
| United States | Not FDA-approved as a standalone drug; FDA lists glutathione in Category 1 (under evaluation) for pharmacy compounding [1][2]. |
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| United Kingdom | No UK-licensed medicine containing glutathione appears in the MHRA products database [3]. |
|---|
| European Union | Injectable glutathione medicines are authorized nationally in Italy [4]. |
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| Canada | No standalone glutathione medicine is marketed; Health Canada lists a marketed ophthalmic irrigation solution containing glutathione disulfide [5]. |
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| Australia | Glutathione for parenteral use is Schedule 4 (prescription-only) in Australia's Poisons Standard [6]. |
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| Sport (WADA) | Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List, but intravenous infusions or injections of more than 100 mL in 12 hours are banned at all times (method M2.2), except in hospital treatment, surgery or diagnostic tests [7]. |
|---|
Summaries of official sources, checked Oct 14, 2026. Rules change; follow the source links. Not legal advice.
What it is
Glutathione is a tripeptide and the most abundant antioxidant made by the body, with roles in regulating oxidative stress and immune function [8].
Research status
A six-month randomized trial in 54 adults found that oral glutathione supplements raised glutathione levels in blood, red cells, plasma, lymphocytes and cheek cells; levels returned to baseline a month after stopping [8]. For skin lightening, a 2019 systematic review called the evidence inconclusive because of study quality and inconsistent findings, though oral and topical forms may lighten sun-exposed skin [9]. A 2025 systematic review found moderate but unsustained lightening with oral and topical glutathione, only one placebo-controlled study of intravenous glutathione, and concluded that intravenous use is contraindicated because of lack of efficacy and side effects [10].
Regulatory status
Glutathione is not FDA-approved as a standalone drug [1]; FDA lists it in Category 1 (under evaluation) for pharmacy compounding [2]. Several injectable glutathione medicines are authorized nationally in Italy [4]. No standalone glutathione medicine is licensed in the UK [3] or marketed in Canada [5]. In Australia, glutathione for parenteral use is a Schedule 4 prescription-only medicine [6]. It is not named on WADA’s 2026 Prohibited List, but intravenous infusions or injections of more than 100 mL in 12 hours are banned at all times (method M2.2), except in hospital treatment, surgery or diagnostic tests [7].
Quality and testing considerations
Category 1 status applies to state-licensed pharmacies compounding under federal conditions, which include using bulk ingredients from FDA-registered manufacturers with a valid certificate of analysis [11][2]. It does not cover vials sold by research-chemical vendors [11]. For any injectable product, sterility and endotoxin results matter as much as purity.
Where it’s sold
Glutathione is sold as oral supplements and, by peptide vendors, as vials; the tables below track vendor listings.
Glutathione prices: cheapest listings
The five lowest $/mg listings out of 84. See all Glutathione prices
Prices come from each vendor's public product feed and were last fetched Oct 15, 2026.
They exclude shipping and discounts. $/mg uses the labeled amount, not measured content. A transparency score marked * is based on fewer than six checks; checks we couldn't complete score 0. How we compare prices.
Sources
- Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved Drugs (database searched by active ingredient). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- 503A Categories Update for May 2026: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- MHRA Products: licensed-medicine search for "glutathione". Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (UK). Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- EMA Article 57 product data: medicines authorised in the EU/EEA (data as of 9 October 2026). European Medicines Agency. Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Drug Product Database: BSS Plus (contains glutathione disulfide), marketed. Health Canada. Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01327, registered 30 September 2026). Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Government. Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026 (in force 1 January 2026). World Anti-Doping Agency. Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Randomized controlled trial of oral glutathione supplementation on body stores of glutathione. European Journal of Nutrition (2015). Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- The clinical effect of glutathione on skin color and other related skin conditions: A systematic review. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology (2019). Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Glutathione as a skin-lightening agent and in melasma: a systematic review. International Journal of Dermatology (2025). Accessed Oct 14, 2026
- Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Accessed Oct 14, 2026