I bought peptides with crypto. How my purchase helped fuel a $100 million gray-market, ‘looksmaxxing’ economy
A growing gray market for peptides, used for wellness and the "looksmaxxing" trend, is increasingly relying on cryptocurrency for transactions. Vendors in this space face challenges with traditional payment processors due to the legal ambiguity of many peptide products. Crypto analytics firm Chainalysis reports a significant increase in crypto flows to peptide vendors, highlighting digital assets as a preferred payment rail for these high-risk businesses. AI
IMPACT This trend highlights how cryptocurrency can facilitate unregulated markets, potentially impacting the adoption and regulation of both digital assets and wellness products.