Are peptides all over your feed, too?

Summary

Style-ish Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Are peptides all over your feed, too?
Hosts: Madison Sullivan Thorpe (“Mads”) & Rhiannon Joyce (“Ray”)
Release Date: February 26, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Style-ish dives headfirst into the hype and controversy surrounding peptides—particularly oral and injectable forms—currently dominating social media feeds, especially TikTok. The hosts aim to clarify what peptides are, why they’re everywhere, the difference between regulated and unregulated peptides, their legal status, the risks involved, and how the online conversation reflects and drives broader beauty and wellness trends.

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Main Discussion Points

1. Setting the Scene: The Peptide Craze

• Hosts’ Excitement & Urgency (00:43-02:13)
  • Both Mads and Ray emphasize this is the most “buzzed” topic in their friend groups and feeds.
  • Acknowledge the topic’s complexity and evolving nature, pledging open-mindedness ("I don't know if I will actually get to the end of this episode and have a conclusive outcome of where I sit and what I think..." – Ray, 02:13).

Quote:

"We always have these conversations at the wine bar, but… this is dominating so many of my friendship groups at the moment. It is peptides. Peptides are everywhere." – Ray, 00:50-01:03

• Not everyone is seeing peptides on their feeds; awareness varies by social circles and algorithms.

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2. Definitions and Distinctions

• What are peptides? (10:56-12:02)
  • Short chains of amino acids; naturally occurring in the body with essential roles (e.g., insulin is a peptide).
  • Not all peptides are the same: topical (skincare) peptides are regulated and safe; oral/injectable forms are not.
• Legal & Regulatory Clarity (07:07-07:48, 09:47-10:56)
  • In Australia, peptides (in oral/injectable format for non-approved uses) are Schedule 4 prescription medicines—possession without prescription is illegal.
  • The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) regulates these and has issued several safety advisories.

Quote:

"We are going to be focusing on the rise of unregulated peptides as a health and wellness supplement and how that’s exploded in popularity, mostly on TikTok… we are talking oral and injectable peptides." – Ray, 07:02

• Unregulated peptides: imported, sold, or used outside medical prescription are illegal and potentially unsafe.

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3. Medical and Social Context

• GLP-1 (e.g., Ozempic, Mounjaro): (11:16-12:13)
  • Many assume GLP-1 drugs are different, but they're peptides too; difference is their regulation and prescription status.
  • Other peptides discussed: BPC-157, IGF-1, TB-500 (popular for muscle growth, “biohacking,” and recovery).
• Input from Dr. Sophie Hogan, a GP registrar and clinical trialist:
  • The process for medical approval is extensive—most peptides marketed online have never reached human trials (15:00-15:52).
  • Even approved drugs come with unresolved long-term risks.

Notable Expert Quote:

"Some of the peptide medications… have only been tested on animals, and have not even made it to phase one trials yet. This means we really have no idea at all if they actually do anything beneficial and what kind of harm they might do… Even with medications that have had phase three trials and are on market, like Semaglutide, we still don't know what the long-term effects might be." – Dr. Sophie Hogan via Mads, 14:59-15:52

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4. The Social Media Dilemma & Normalization

• Why are peptides so visible despite being illegal? (18:30-21:38)
  • Many creators in Australia and globally are “monetizing” peptides, actively selling or linking to unregulated products.
  • Creators are normalizing and demonstrating self-injection on platforms like TikTok, with little-to-no expertise.
  • The hosts discuss conflicting feelings of curiosity and skepticism from themselves and their audiences.
  • Comparative frustration: You can’t promote SPF (proven safe) benefits on social, but can easily find illegal peptide promotions.

Quote:

"The normalization of injecting yourself on camera for beauty results in a TikTok is wild to me. I cannot believe some creators’ posts are still live when others have posts removed that are nowhere near as damaging." – Listener DM read by Ray, 20:09

• Notable: The positive, almost celebratory comments under such videos shock both hosts.

Professional Perspective:
A nurse listener notes the pressure of normalization—even as a health professional, she admits to feeling “left behind the curve” (23:02).

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5. The Pressures Driving the Trend

• Beauty Standards and Aging Anxiety (23:23-25:42)
  • Both hosts discuss the amplified pressure on women to "keep up" with emerging beauty treatments, especially as they age.
  • Online algorithms can intensify FOMO or insecurity.
  • Dating and social competition exacerbated by youthful standards—injecting something “illegal” feels like a last resort, but the pressure is real.

Quote:

"This feels like the next iteration… This is going to be normalized as part of a standard beauty routine in order to prevent aging. I’m feeling a lot of pressure from this." – Ray, 23:43

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6. Safety, Regulation, and Social Responsibility

• Lack of Regulation on Social Media (26:14-27:17)
  • Despite explicit TGA rules against advertising prescription medicines to the public (including testimonials and endorsements), social enforcement lags.
  • Most in regulation/collagen or supplement industries are frustrated—their highly scrutinized communication contrasts with the free-for-all of peptide influencers.

Quote:

“You cannot be a girl with a hundred followers in your bedroom saying [SPF] gives your skin a nice natural sheen. …But you can get on and inject yourself with [a] blue peptide and talk about how your skin’s been transformed in 30 days.” – Mads, 21:22

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7. Root Causes and Social Commentary

• Why Now? (26:46-27:17)

  • “Biohacking,” “wellness,” and “self-optimization” trends, plus celebrity promotion (e.g., Hailey Bieber, Real Housewives’ Heather Dubrow) fuel demand and normalization.
  • The desire for longevity and aesthetic improvement collides with the total ignorance of long-term risks ("What if all your hair falls out in five years, Mads?" – Ray, 27:36).

• Privilege and Access discussed at length:

  • The ability to buy and experiment with these substances is costly and exclusionary—contrasting with the accessible health actions (like meal prep or a gym membership) available to most people.

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8. Where Do We Go From Here?

• Social and Regulatory Prognosis (29:38-31:42)
  • Hosts believe illegal peptide promotion is at “peak” and likely to grow before it is seriously reined in, thanks to rising media coverage and influencer normalization.
  • Prediction: More TGA action and regulation as media/influencer chatter grows.
  • The hosts remind listeners: pressure is real, and they too feel its effects, but urge algorithm “detox”—"I want to see golden retrievers swimming in pools, not peptides" (Mads, 31:42).

Quote:

"Even after doing all the research for this… I was like, I want to go back to the little monkey. Get this off. Get me the monkey. Get me, like, funny memes. I want to see golden retrievers swimming in pools. I don't want to be served this because how it makes me feel isn’t nice." – Mads, 31:42

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Evolving Views:
  "Right now, what I’m saying with my chest might be very different six months down the line.” – Ray, 02:13

• On DMs' Sentiment:
  "A lot of people in the DMs… leaned more to this being a negative trend.” – Ray, 03:02

• Medical Warning:
  "We really have no idea… what kind of harm [unregulated peptides] might do both in the short term and the long term." – Dr. Sophie Hogan (quoted by Mads), 15:00

• On Algorithmic Influence:
  "It just goes to show the power of an algorithm, right? Because I’m not being served the danger videos from doctors, I’m having to search that in my TikTok bar to find it." – Mads, 25:31

• On Privilege:
  "To be able to spend this kind of money to lose weight… that’s the average person’s health journey. This is an additional cost, and they’re not cheap." – Mads, 29:07

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:55 – “We’ll explain peptides—buckle up, dolls.”
• 07:07 – Explicit statement of focus: oral/injectable, unregulated peptides.
• 09:47–10:56 – Explanation of the TGA and legal context.
• 12:02–15:52 – Medical risks and expert commentary from Dr. Sophie Hogan.
• 18:30–21:38 – How influencers and TikTok are fueling normalization.
• 23:23–25:42 – Personal and societal pressure around aging.
• 26:14 – Social media’s role and regulatory gaps.
• 27:17 – Paradoxes in the longevity & beauty conversation.
• 29:38 – Conversation around accessibility, privilege, and where regulation could go.
• 31:42 – Hosts’ feelings and algorithm fatigue.

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Memorable Moments

• Hosts’ Vulnerability: Both Ray and Mads admit to feeling pressure from beauty trends and algorithms, opening up honestly about their personal routines and insecurities.
• Listener & Nurse Insight: Hearing from a nurse who does Botox but is wary of at-home injections highlights the dilemma for even trained professionals.
• The Placebo Point: "We also don't know that it could be placebo… but I'm not getting on TikTok and then promoting that to other people." – Ray, 21:32
• Algorithm Commentary: “I want to go back to the little monkey... get this off…” – A relatable wish for less anxiety-inducing feeds.

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Takeaways

• Peptides are complex—some are proven and regulated, most are not.
• Current social media trends blur crucial distinctions and encourage risky behavior, with influencers often prioritizing profit over evidence or safety.
• The TGA and medical experts have sounded clear warnings: many peptides sold/used unregulated may be dangerous, with unknown short- and long-term effects.
• Users—especially women—are experiencing algorithmically-amplified pressure to engage in risky, expensive, and unregulated practices to “keep up” with beauty standards.
• A call for more regulation, media literacy, and personal algorithm curation is emphasized to safeguard mental and physical health.

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Final Thoughts

Both hosts reiterate the necessity for ongoing conversation, informed perspective, and collective pause before falling for peptide hype. They hope listeners feel seen in their doubts and encourage skepticism and caution regarding unregulated “wellness” trends.

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For continued discussion, listeners are invited to email the hosts or engage via the Stylish Pod Instagram DM.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign.

[B]

This episode of Stylish is brought to you by Maya. Topshop has returned to Australia and it's landed exclusively in store at Maya. Hello. Happy Friday. If you're new here, I'm Madison Sullivan Thorpe. I am joined, as always, by my lovely co host and dear friend, Rhiannon Joyce. Look, if you don't know by now, this is the corner of Stylish where we focus on brand campaigns, the how did they get their career stories, a few little giggles in between for good measure. And Ray, I'm not even going to pretend that this is not the most excited I've ever been to step in the studio together.

[A]

I am chomping at the bit to finally be able to have this conversation with Mike. And I know we say this all the time, we always have these conversations

[B]

at the wine bar, but actually sometimes we have them on walks and at coffee shops and having a salad or a sandwich too.

[A]

The community's gonna be. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we get it. You're bringing from off mic to on mic. No, this conversation, not even just between us, is dominating so many of my friendship groups at the moment. It is peptides. Peptides are everywhere. And I feel like the news cycle is really picking up on this as well. I saw a piece drop from the cut last week. We'll reference a few other pieces throughout this episode. But honestly, I cannot escape peptides.

[B]

No. And I think what's so important to preface is we're gonna get into it, define all of it, explain what they are. Because we put a bit of a call out on each of our personal channels, just wanting people to let us know what they thought about it, if they were seeing it, if they weren't. What became really clear to us was we're in a bit of an echo chamber.

[A]

Yes. Which does happen sometimes, of course.

[B]

And you know, Ray and I have a lot of shared friends. We like doing a lot of the same things we asked, serve very similar algorithms and content. Usually hilarious memes we're sending each other. But this is something we keep seeing and that people are having discussions with us about personally and then we're seeing professionally. But we acknowledge that some people aren't being served this. So if you don't know what a peptide is, hold tight, we'll explain it all.

[A]

Buckle up, dolls. We've got a full breakdown. We've got a full debrief.

[B]

You said it so succinctly the other night when we on the phone going, no, no, no, we need to save this for the mic because we do Have a habit of spiraling and talking about all the things before we get in here. What you did say was that this is an ever evolving conversation. Yes. And I don't think this will be the last time we talk about peptides.

[A]

No. And to be honest, I don't know if I will actually get to the end of this episode and have a conclusive outcome of where I sit and what I think, because it is ever evolving. Like right now, what I'm saying and saying with my chest might be very different six months down the line. So I'm just going to say what I genuinely think right now, but also want to be given the grace that maybe that will change.

[B]

I think that's so important to say because so often I feel that we consume media looking for the author or the podcast host or the TV presenter to really have a firm opinion. I have opinions and thoughts. I mean, I've always got a natural thoughts, but I don't know that I will either get to the end of this and go, I said what I said full stop. You know, I'd never go back and revisit that. And I also think as individuals and people, it's important to revisit stances that you have. It's okay to change your mind. I just don't know that the climate right now really lends itself to giving people the grace to do it.

[A]

I fear that I might be pulling the cart before the horse, but a lot of people in the DMs, I would say the majority I received lent more to this being a negative trend or having a negative perspective of what is going on right now. It was sprinkled with a few positive experiences. But I would say the majority of my DMs weren't great.

[B]

Yeah. I also had randomly like quite a few people sort of responding, probably speaking about peptides in a different way to where I thought they would go. And we're going to get into all the different peptides. But before we do, re. Word of the week.

[A]

Word of the week. And again, I'm back with one word, bitches.

[B]

Well, not really because it's actually two.

[A]

I don't know what it is. Hey, technically it's okay. Don't you neg me straight off the top. Okay. I've been trying really hard to bring the one word back.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I'm going with my one word, which is Rolodex. Technically Rolodex media.

[B]

Because if I said shameless and not shameless media, how would you feel I

[A]

would be correcting you I'd be like Matt's Shameless Media. Yeah, I feel better. So for those of you who don't know what Rolodex Media is, it is a media company that is really doing a great job at capturing the mood of the Internet. They just recently ran a page. Community is a buzzword. Really similar themes to the episode that you and I did about community and how brands are really hijacking this word. God, when was that? Almost a month ago now.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I love, love, love their content. They also have a really great Instagram page that serves a lot of that bite size, snackable stuff sort of conversation. Similar. It reminds me of business, of fashion, like how they really capture their pieces and how they use strong visuals and headlines to bring you in.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But I think our people would really get around this Instagram page. I know you follow it because every time I go to read something it's Madison Sullivan Thorpe has already liked it.

[B]

Oh, good of the curve.

[A]

You're head of the curve, my chronically online friend.

[B]

I am chronically online. I really like them. I actually started following Mufaro, who is one of the co founders. I believe there's two founders. She is awesome on TikTok. She has like incredible content. She really pulls a look together. I loved following her and then sort of saw her breadcrumbing this. You know how much I loved that article that she published. Make Australia ambitious again. I honestly think I've revisited that 10 times over. Actually discovered that article through Sophie Hood who uploaded a TikTok talking about it. She is the founder of Sultonic, the electrolyte recovery drink brand and also just another cool person to follow on TikTok but love everything they pen. Think there's a really critical lens and deep analysis that still feels fun and lie.

[A]

Also good to have a localized perspective. I think I really gravitate to a lot of international pages. It's good to have people on our homegrown soil. A lot of the girlies in the shameless media office subscribe to their substack and follow them on Instagram. So I feel this will be a popular one for our community.

[B]

I think it's a great one. I would argue that it's like kind of overtaking a lot of the ones that I love. Like I'm a big business of fashion.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Consumer. I love the cut. I. I don't know, maybe there is just like. I like the local lens.

[A]

I think it's the local lens but also a lot of the traditional media outlets I consume here. Being the AFR skew a bit older. Also can be a bit highbrow where they don't capture a lot of the fashion beauty. I don't want to say Zeitgeist. I feel like guys breaking the fourth wall here. Zeitgeist has been banned in our office. As a word of jargon. Not allowed to say it anymore.

[B]

Yeah, also someone DM'd me and was like, say Zeitgeist one more time, either of you. I dare you. And I scrolled up. That also sent me like a lot of other mean DMs. I was like, okay, get it. Really making you feel uncomfortable.

[A]

I don't get that many mean DMs. Maybe it's because people just saying it behind my back and not to my face, but that's fine. Keep doing that, please. I'm not interested in you coming to my. My DMs and my safe space.

[B]

Glad to report that they're mainly nice.

[A]

Mainly. Okay, well, yeah, Zeitgeist is banned, but yes, Internet culture.

[B]

What.

[A]

What is the alternative? Send your alternatives to Zeitgeist. Thank you. But let's finish it there. Great page to follow. Great substack to subscribe to. If you like this podcast, you'll probably like Rolodex Media. Before we dive into this discussion, we really do want to flag that in this episode we are going to be focusing on the rise of unregulated peptides as a health and wellness supplement and how that's exploded in popularity, mostly on TikTok. I've seen this not really hitting my Instagram, if I'm being honest. But we're focusing on oral and injectable peptides.

[B]

And I just want to say big, bold, underlying unregulated peptides.

[A]

A lot of these haven't been regulated or tested. For those that have, they have to be prescribed by a doctor. So in the context of this conversation, we're solely focusing on the unregulated, illegal oral and injectable peptides.

[B]

Yeah, we're not going to be getting into topical peptides. That's completely separate. So if you're thinking about peptide lip balms or serums, it's a completely separate thing. They are not hitting the bloodstream in the same way. Park that discussion. We are talking oral and injectables.

[A]

Yeah. And those very clear distinction are tested and are approved. And a lot of skincare brands are utilizing peptides.

[B]

And look, I want to flag peptides as a skincare ingredient are fantastic. Tick, tick, tick. And worth disclosing as well that we have in the past worked with sponsors that have skin care lines that contain peptides. This is completely different from that.

[A]

Yes, very important distinction, Mads. Next, we'll be explaining what peptides actually are. But that will be right after a word from today's sponsor.

[B]

Okay, major fashion news incoming. Topshop has returned to Australia and it's landed exclusively in store at Mija. If you, like us have been waiting years for this announcement, you'll know it's cause for celebration. Topshop is one of the world's most recognizable fashion brands. In fact, it's been influencing trends since way back when with its iconic denim, sharp tailoring and fashion LED pieces. I'm guessing you have some vintage pieces in your wardrobe. But the revival of Topshop in Australia marks an opportunity to get more creative with our personal style for the years ahead. And Maya is giving us the perfect platform to do just that. They've recently launched their latest fashion campaign featuring style icons Olivia DeYoung, Bella McCaldrick and Guy Vidas as they inspire us to shop with intention, curate unique looks and own our personal style. Maya is a one stop shop, bringing together the most recognizable fashion brands. And now that includes Topshop. Shop Topshop now in store or online. And a huge thank you to Maya for making this episode as stylish possible. Okay, so up the top, I think it's really important we note that peptides are classified as a Schedule 4 prescription only medicine here in Australia. This means it's illegal to possess them without a prescription. And there will be a lot of words and jargon I think we use today that maybe it feels like we're over explaining, but we do feel like the context is really important. We will be using the term the TGA a lot. That is an abbreviation for the Therapeutic Goods Administration. So they are the governing body here in Australia that oversee supplements, ingestibles, medicines, SPFs, all of the claims and registrations for those products as well.

[A]

Yeah, they've come up quite a bit when we've spoken about advertising on the podcast and brand campaigns going wr. Usually the TGA gets involved famously or not so famously. We have spoken about the broader issues with Choice when they were doing all the SPF testing and the likes of Ultraviolet were part of that. So you would have heard us talk about the TGA before. I think it's important up top that we acknowledge that the TJ is also covering this already and they're very much across the challenges of peptides. So the TGA has issued several safety advisory warnings about unregulated peptide use. And in 2024, a Victorian was actually fined for allegedly importing unapproved peptides. So they're across it, they're very much aware of it. It's interesting to me that this conversation is surging and going back and doing the research that there is action being taken. I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see more crackdowns locally from the TGA on the misuse of illegal peptides. But let's start with the basics, because there is a bit of medical jargon for us to get through to make sure that we're doing our job properly. So, peptides are short chains of two or more amino acids, and amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and are essential for certain bodily functions, including things like skin health and cell signaling.

[B]

Yeah, and WebMD says that our bodies make peptides that serve important functions in some of your body's necessary processes. For instance, Insulin is a 51amino acid long peptide hormone that helps your cells take in sugar from your food to use for metabolism and store them in your liver. So peptides, I think, safe to say, are very important.

[A]

Look, I would say that most peptides that people are familiar with are in relation to weight loss. So GLP1 mounj are actually a form of peptides. I didn't know that until we started researching extensively for this episode. Did you, Mads?

[B]

No, I did not. I also may or may not have in our editorial, like, pre call gone. No, what we need to differentiate is GLP1s and peptides. And then I think someone on the call, it might have been head of podcast Lucy or our senior podcast producers. Kate was like, I do think GLP1's a peptide. I was like, please hold call while I was googling the. But I was like, ah, yes, yes, yes.

[A]

Yep, yep, yep.

[B]

I think because for me, one feels like this rogue cowboy item and one felt like it was being prescribed by doctors for people.

[A]

That's exactly what it is. So one is, like, available in the black market, one is not.

[B]

We did a call out on socials for commentary for an experienced doctor in this field. And we were lucky enough to receive a response from Dr. Sophie Hogan, who's a GP registrar working in New South Wales. For a little bit of context, a GP registrar is a fully qualified doctor who's undertaking further specialist training to become a GP doctor. Sophie has previously worked in clinical trials testing the safety and effectiveness of GLP1 type medications. Look, there's so many that fall under this one that you have likely heard of. If you're kind of in the peptide sphere.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Being served it on socials is retiride red or Tide?

[A]

I feel like I'm like, anyway, call it retta. That's what it keeps coming up on. TikTok is red.

[B]

Totally. I would say 99% of people who know about some form of peptide would say it's Retta that they're hearing it about.

[A]

So Dr. Sophie said, aside from GLPS peptides that I have come across, people taken are BPC157, which claims to help with athletic performance and recovery healing. I'm seeing this a lot from the gym Bros IGF1LR3, which supposedly helps with muscle growth, and TB500 which is meant to also promote fast healing. There are others out there too that claim to do a whole host of other things. A lot of the videos that I'm seeing from creators online, you know, they're promoting these alleged benefits and they're sharing their own personal anecdotes and stories about how it's changed their lives, whether that be in a beauty so more of a vanity capacity or if a health rejuvenation capacity. They then go one step further though.

[B]

They do. And I've seen a lot of creators and a month ago I would have said a lot of creators offshore in the U.S. sitting here in February 2026, I now say there are creators I've seen locally with links in their bios linking to either their own brand of peptides or other brands of peptides. And I feel that that's a really important thing for people to remember when they're consuming this content. These creators are likely monetizing and benefiting financially from someone purchasing these alleged benefits and alleged, you know, results.

[A]

I have seen so many videos on TikTok from personal trainers, people who are going through their health journey sharing that they have been doing this for that muscle Marshall Mushroom, that muscle rejuvenation. Muscle rejuvenation. But also someone I know who went to the Vogue Forces of Fashion event in Sydney. I was supposed to go, but then I had to pull out last minute because of work commitments, said that Hailey bieber actually referenced BPC157 as a peptide that she takes as part of her routine.

[B]

Yeah. And it was referenced in terms of recovery.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And a lot of people DM'd me mentioning that they had injuries while training for things like marathons or wanting to get back into getting to their marathon date and that, you know, they were using this for muscle recovery and ailments along those lines, which is wild to

[A]

me, BPC157 is not TGA or FDA approved for human use.

[B]

We got Dr. Sophie Hogan to also give us some quotes. And look, these are really long quotes, so bear with me because they might sound a little bit clunky, but she spoke a a lot about the process of testing before a medication becomes available and I thought this context was really helpful. She said it takes a very long time and is very comprehensive to ensure that only medications which actually do what they claim to do make it onto the market. Some of the peptide medications which are being advertised have only been tested on animals and have not even made it to phase one trials yet. She goes on to say, this means we really have no idea at all if they actually do anything beneficial and what kind of harm they might do both in the short term and the long term with any integrity would recommend a medication as unresearched as these are. Even with medications that have had phase three trials and are on market, like Semaglutide, we still don't know what the long term effects might be. Mic drop.

[A]

There's a lot of mic drop moments in this. I think that's the main thing that I keep coming back to is that uncertainty around what will this look like in the future and also how will this actually affect people? We don't know. It hasn't gone through enough vigorous testing. If people are experiencing positive results, how long will they sustain for? How long do you have to keep taking this? How long do you have? Is it a forever thing?

[B]

Is it a lifetime drug? Is it something you take for a year and it retrains your body and muscle? We have no idea. Ray. I know that Dr. Sophie had also said some interesting things about the GLP1s that are approved and registered and available if given a prescription.

[A]

So she told us people who otherwise might have had sugars that were out of control and increasing their risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, et cetera, now are getting sugars that are in the non diabetic range. They really can be life changing when they are used correctly as prescribed by a medical professional. And again, coming back to the DMs, I maybe had one or two people share with me that they had had really positive experience since they were prescribed GLP1. But again, the distinction for me is that that is medically proven, it's been trialed, it's being issued out to address real health issues.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely. And I probably had a lot more than that, to be honest.

[A]

Yeah, Okay.

[B]

I probably think I had about 25 people who told me they were on GLP1 medications that they had been prescribed by their GP and it was a really positive experience for them. I don't want to come at this conversation at any point with shame or judgment because there are people who it has immensely helped on weight loss journey to get them into a place where they are not susceptible to strokes or heart attacks and things like that, because the harm and side effects of obesity cannot be denied. And this drug is now proving to help people who are, as defined by a medical professional, considered obese or for those obviously struggling with diabetes who have been dealing with this for years. This is, you know, an insulin assistance drug.

[A]

I think that's a very important distinction, Mads. And I really want to preface that it's not about judging the people who are taking these. I will get into my actual gripe about this conversation after a word from today's sponsor. I know so many of you are going to be very excited about Topshop being officially back in Australia. And yes, it's as good as you remember. You can expect all the classics, Topshop's iconic denim, sharp tailoring and of course, those trend led pieces. The best part, it's available exclusively at M, which means you can mix and match your top shop finds with so many other recognizable brands all in one place. Maya really is the home of Australian style. You can shop Topshop and all the new season arrivals in store or online now. And a big thank you to Maya for making this episode of Stylish possible.

[B]

So after Ray's cliffhanger, what we really want to get into is why if a peptide is illegal, you might be seeing it all over your feed. I can't keep up with all the names. I'm gonna start by saying that I was trying to talk about this with a couple of girlfriends on Friday night at dinner and I was like, the cmyk you. And they were like, what are you saying? I was like, I don't even know. It's blue. I've seen it. Ck Cy. I know the redder one. I've seen that enough.

[A]

I just say peppies. Yeah, I said, I'm just saying I'm seeing the peppies everywhere, babe.

[B]

And it's all over social media. I am seeing them talk to me about it. Like they're talking to me about a blush from Morphe. It's just very bizarre to me. And I would have had no idea that they were illegal up until that point. But we did ask a lot of you if you were seeing it in your feeds. And a lot of people responded being like, I don't even know what the hell these are, but they're everywhere on my feeds.

[A]

Majority of the people in my DMs did agree with what I take an issue with. And my biggest gripe is a lot of these people on the Internet, predominantly TikTok, are promoting the illegal use of peptides and showcasing what they take, how they take. They have no medical certification to be doing this.

[B]

No, they don't. And it was much the same for me. A lot of people going, look, I'm not going to sit in my. I had so many people say, I'm not going to sit in my ivory tower. And I was like a real Day One listener, but they were saying, I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm not intrigued by it. Anything that could potentially make me fitter, increase muscle mass or make my skin look better. Like I'm sitting up and listening.

[A]

Yeah, I understand that.

[B]

But they were like, do I want to hear it from an influencer? No, I would like to be sitting in a doctor's room having them tell me it's safe to use. And they were like, this is wild. I didn't even know that they were illegal until I started falling down a Google rabbit hole because they were seeing it so much from content they were interacting with.

[A]

One of my DMs said, the normalization of injecting yourself on camera for beauty results in a TikTok is wild to me. I cannot believe some creators posts are still live when others have posts removed that are nowhere near as damaging. Let's talk about the SPF thing because this has come up so much between us, but also wider friendship groups. We cannot believe that you cannot promote or advertise sbf, which is proven to help prevent skin cancer. Yet people are on the Internet and on TikTok promoting and injecting themselves with illegal peptides and nothing's being done about it.

[B]

And I want to put a caveat on what you're saying. You are allowed to talk about SPF on the Internet. You are not allowed to talk about the benefits outside of the UV claim. So what you couldn't get on and say as a creator or an individual. This is not just. You can't be a girl with a hundred followers in your bedroom saying this, that it feels nice on the skin, that it sits well under makeup. You can't say that it gives your skin a nice natural sheen. You can't say that it gives you a glowing effect. What you can say is whatever is on the carton UV 50 plus UVA UVB. You cannot get on and talk about material benefits of an spf. So it is wild. Like wild.

[A]

This isn't.

[B]

You can't say it sits nice under makeup, but you can get on and inject yourself literally blue peptide and talk about how your skin's like been transformed in 30 days.

[A]

We also don't know that it could be placebo. Look, I'm a big believer in placebo.

[B]

Yeah, me too, I always have been.

[A]

But I'm not getting on TikTok and then promoting that to other people. It's just such a grey murky area for me. Particularly as I said up top that none of these people have medical certifications to be doing this.

[B]

I do want to say as well, obviously when we reached out to our communities we promised them anonymity. So there are a lot of conversations I had with a lot of very interesting, well informed people in this space that I can't disclose. But it was very interesting speaking to people who work in or own supplement businesses. So collagen powders, like you can't get on and say a lot of things about that. That's very hotly heavily regulated by the tga. I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be selling like hair, skin and nails or collagen powders and watching all of this play out right now when you're held to such a high standard and feeds are being inundated with this kind of content as well. Because it's pretty wild.

[A]

It's wild. Also I had a look on a few videos that had kept coming up for me and there were some consistent creators who I was seeing it come from. The comments sections were mostly positive.

[B]

It really shocked me because same. There was probably one video I saw which I am gonna bring up which was a girl taking clean needles from a safe injecting. Oh, that was clean needle dispensary site. That is the only peptide related TikTok. I would say I've seen really negative and justified comments.

[A]

I want to bring back to the medical professionals who were in your dm Mads, because you actually had a nurse reach out to you and say some interesting things.

[B]

I did. So this nurse said. As a nurse myself, I feel skeptical of online injections to be done at home. I am always after a more youthful look and I do Botox filler to achieve this. I do worry about being left behind the curve due to being worried about it and when everyone else seems to be doing it, it's crazy. It's become so normalized.

[A]

This feels very similar to like what is going on in my head.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I want to speak very candidly. I'm 33, I am very conscious of aging at the moment and I do get injectables, I do get Botox. This feels like the next iteration. This is going to be normalized as part of a standard beauty routine in order to prevent aging. I'm feeling a lot of pressure from this.

[B]

Yeah, it was interesting as well. As I mentioned, I had a dinner party on Friday with some girlfriends. There were about seven or eight of us at the end of the table and we had come off having our conversation. It's all I could think about. It's all I've really thought about all weekend. Cause I just feel like I've consumed as much content as I can in preparation for this. And I was asking all of them and really interestingly, one of them turned around and was like, well, you're single. Do you feel this pressure to look as great as you possibly can to date? And I'm like, yeah, I'm like nearly 31, like, and I'm competing with like 24 year old girls. Like, I hate the word competing, but that is the reality, right? Like I'm gonna date someone who is probably at that time dating other people at the same time until they decide to date one. And she was like, do you feel like you're running in an unfair race? And I was like, I think women in general, I don't think that's about being single. But it was very interesting, like line of questioning to ask to be like, do you feel this pressure to look the best you can? And I'm like, yeah, but I don't wanna get to the point that I feel pressured by my algorithm to be trying something that is illegal. Because to me, injecting on myself with something is really serious as well. Because I have done that a lot through fertility treatment, you know, and you have to be trained on that. Like I had to go in and do a nurse session every time I did a round so that I knew how to safely do it in a spot and dispose of your needles safely. Like this just feels so diy. I don't know. I, like, I just worry about what it says as us as a society right now, that we. And I feel this pressure too. Like I'm not gonna sit here and act like I haven't interacted with the cmky. The blue one. I keep calling it the Blue Peppy.

[A]

The Blue Peppy. No, I think that's it. It's honestly, it's been dominating my newsfeed, it's been dominating my friendship conversation, it's been dominating my mental load. At the end of the day, when I'm watching these videos by these social media creators who are sharing their alleged results, it absolutely is impacting me. And I'm not gonna say for better, it's for worse right now.

[B]

Yeah. And it disappoints me because I kind of. It just goes to show the power of an algorithm, Right. Because I'm not being served the danger videos from doctors, I'm having to search that in my TikTok bar to find it.

[A]

Same. According to an article in the Guardian about the rise of un regulated peptides in Australia, social media is driving a boom in the use of peptides to improve appearances and physical performance. Many are experimental and come with risk of serious side effects. There is limited evidence for the safety and efficacy in humans of some of the peptides most often mentioned on social media. So, guys, there's so much noise around this at the moment. And, you know, it's not just me in my head thinking about it. A lot of you were thinking about it. When I say you, I mean the listeners, I mean the Guardians picking it up.

[B]

It's news.

[A]

It's news.

[B]

Interestingly, you might be listening to this going, well, where's the TGA in all of this? Like, why does it feel like it's no man's land unregulated at the moment? But that is definitely not the case because in that same article from the Guardian, a TGA spokesperson told the publication, in general, prescription medicines and unapproved therapeutic goods cannot be advertised to the public, including via testimonials and endorsements. So to circle back all of this, there's obviously been a lot of information we've shared in this, this EP so far. What do you think is behind the rise of unregulated peptide supplements on social media?

[A]

I think it comes off the back of this surge in wellness as a trend that we're seeing the themes of biohacking that are dominating most podcasts, predominantly male podcasts as well. But a lot of female podcasters are also talking about this. It just feels like everyone is obsessed at the moment. We're trying to live for as long as possible. People are more experimental. They're open to taking extraordinary measures to try to achieve their best selves or extend their lives. So I am not surprised that this has now formed part of that conversation.

[B]

The irony's not lost on me though, that people Want to live for as long as possible and look as good as long as possible. And yet this is something you know nothing about the long term side effects of. You don't know how you will look by taking this and receiving the short term benefits is where the juxtaposition sits quite interestingly for me. Like, what if all your hair falls out in five years, Mads?

[A]

I really just want to leave that there because I think that gives a lot of people things to think about. It also does remind me a lot of the film, the substance.

[B]

I still haven't watched that because I'm so scared of it.

[A]

Well, you probably should after this episode. Okay, moving on to our final segment. Where do we go from here? I do think it's fair for us to say that we've officially hit peak Peptides illegal promotion. We're there.

[B]

There's so many things we've unpacked here. And as we said, I think this is an ever evolving conversation. As I mentioned, I was at dinner on and one of my friends who is there is Dr. Krista Fisher. She has done her PhD and she's a research fellow now at Movember Institute of Men's Mental Health who's leading a program of research investigating young men's online worlds. You can imagine she's seen some things

[A]

in that search the manosphere.

[B]

The manosphere, yes. And so she gave me some really great insight because this is something they're talking about as well. And this summarises it really well. It's that the public discourse often blurs the definitions of peptides and that the risk profile of a medically supervised approved peptide is not comparable to something bought from an illegal, unregulated site or place. And what was baffling to me was people were like, let me go and do my research on this weekend for you. It was almost like all seven of these girlfriends were like out then asking other people. One girl had a guy at work who'd bought them off Facebook Marketplace and lost seven kilos in three weeks. I'm like, what is in there? And a really interesting point that got brought up at this dinner was a girlfriend kind of was really quiet. And then she just sort of said, this comes from a real place of privilege. And I said, how so?

[A]

Yeah, interesting.

[B]

And she said, well, Ozempic had been hailed as the wonder drug, the Hollywood drug. And it was expensive to access and it became expensive for people with diabetes to access. These are also a privilege, like to be able to spend this kind of money to lose weight like most people are like buying some extra chicken fillets and like getting, you know, their basmati rice in some containers to like meal prep. That's the average person's health journey. Or like, you know, getting a gym membership. This is an additional cost and they're not cheap.

[A]

No.

[B]

Ray, with all of this said, where to from here?

[A]

I don't think it's going to slow down. I think it's just going to become more and more prevalent and prominent on more and more feeds. Particularly if news outlets are starting to pick this up and we're seeing the normalization of it, particularly from celebrities like Hailey Bieber, anyone who watches Real Housewives of Orange county, there's actually a great podcast. I listened to that. One of your DMs actually recommended this. So thank you to that listener. It's called Between Us podcast and it's a married couple, Heather and Terry Dubrow. Dr. Terry Dubrow is also the doctor that is one of the two on Botched.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And she's famously on Real Housewives Orange County. But during that episode they go back and forth from the perspective of him being a medical doctor, very anti peptides and her being someone who admits to taking peptides.

[B]

Yes, it was very interesting and big thank you to the follower who did send it through. This follower also mentioned that the peptides were being sold at her children's school. Oh. And so that is really where it is at at this point.

[A]

Look, I think an interesting place to finish is this isn't new terrain for the TGA. Back in 2019, federal court ordered the Peptides Clinic Australia, which was listed as Peptide Clinics P T y Ltd pay 10 million to the Commonwealth for breaches of the mandatory rules for advertising of medicine, including the ban on advertising prescription only medicine to the public. This has been going on for a while. It's definitely on their radar. I wouldn't be surprised with the surge of this becoming popular on TikTok and the promotion of illegal peptides now, you know, dominating our algorithms, publications likes of the Guardian are covering it. I feel we will see the TGA start to crack down a bit more.

[B]

Yeah, I agree. And also just a note on anyone who is maybe feeling like Ri and I like we've been pretty vulnerable to be like we feel this pressure as aging women more so than we probably, you know, any generation before us. I'm like trying to retrain my algorithm. I'm like, I don't want to see this anymore. Even like after doing all the research for this, I was like, I went on last night And I was like, I want to go back to the little monkey. Like, I'm like, get this off. Like, get me the monkey. Get me, like, funny memes. I want to see golden retrievers swimming in pools. I don't want to be served this because how it makes me feel isn't nice.

[A]

Yeah, I'm definitely with you. I need to get off this algorithm.

[B]

Get me off this ride.

[A]

Everyone start sending me golden retriever videos. Please, please, please.

[B]

That's all for today though, right, isn't it?

[A]

Yeah, we've covered a lot, and again, this has been very medical heavy, but it's really important to us that we're doing our best to come at this from a perspective that is well informed. So, you know, bear with us as we get through the medical jargon. And thank you so much to everyone that did contribute to this episode. When we have listeners engage and really, you know, open up their perspective and share their opinions, know that we are never there to judge and it's always an open conversation. And I've really, really enjoyed understanding it from different people's perspectives.

[B]

Yeah, and thank you so much again. Honestly, by far the biggest response ever received for individual call outs wanting responses. So really do appreciate everyone that reached out. I don't think Ri or I had time to get back to every single one of you because we were so inundated. So thank you again.

[A]

And a special thank you to Dr. Sophie Hogan, who did come back before our recording on Monday with detailed quotes for us to refer to throughout this episode. It's been very, very, very helpful.

[B]

That's all for today's episode, isn't it, Ray?

[A]

It is. You'll hear from Mads, Joe and Annika back on Wednesday. Guys, feel free to email style-ishamelessmedia.com or slide into our DMS over at Stylish Pod to keep the conversation going with us. Big thanks to the show's production team, head of podcast Lucy Hunt, and senior podcast producer Kate Emma Burke. We'll be back in a fortnight.

[B]

Bye. Bye.

[A]

This podcast was recorded on Wurundjeri land. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.