From chiselled muscles to sharp jawlines, many men have chased Hollywood looks for decades.
But now, a social media trend is driving the use of synthetic peptides among teenage boys.
One of the more popular types claims to boost growth hormones is classed as experimental and has not been approved by Medsafe.
It comes from 'looksmaxxing', an online subculture focused on improving physical attractiveness.
Worrying body image phenomenon on the rise among young Kiwi men - Watch on TVNZ+
Looksmaxxing advocates risky methods such as cosmetic surgery and substance use – including synthetic peptides.
Dr David Gerrard, an emeritus professor of sports medicine at the University of Otago's medical school, told 1News the peptides being sought be these young men are synthetic forms of naturally occurring hormones and neurotransmitters.
"There are no human studies that have been carried out to ensure us that these are safe for long-term use."
One Wellington mum, who spoke to 1News on the condition of anonymity, said her 17-year-old son had been influenced by social media to use them.
"He put them inside a chewing gum container which is what alerted me... I was like, 'that’s weird, who puts chewing gum in the fridge?'
"He talked about that he was too skinny and that he wanted to become bigger. He talked about the certain friend that was really buff and that was getting a lot of girls."
She claimed her son was easily able to buy the injectable substance online.
The mum immediately found the supplier of the substance and emailed them. However, she said their responses were "quite unbelievable".
"He basically said he tries to ID everyone but can’t and that if he did ID everyone, he would be flatlining his business."
The Drug Foundation has seen a sharp increase in people wanting these products tested.
The non-profit organisation's executive director Sarah Helm said she was “really concerned about the fact that there could be anything in them, including heavy metals and moulds and things that can do permanent damage to people”.
The trend had also has prompted a Wellington school to email parents with a warning which said peptides carried "significant potential for serious health effects".
Gerrard also had concerns about use over time.
"We know that long-term, this could produce irreversible damage to those organs."
He added purported benefits, such as muscle growth and fat loss, was also not backed by evidence.
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