diff --git a/src/edwards.rs b/src/edwards.rs
index 998af8d..d72ec28 100644
--- a/src/edwards.rs
+++ b/src/edwards.rs
@@ -338,15 +338,20 @@ impl Default for CompressedEdwardsY {
 impl CompressedEdwardsY {
     /// Construct a `CompressedEdwardsY` from a slice of bytes.
     ///
-    /// # Panics
+    /// # Returns
     ///
-    /// If the input `bytes` slice does not have a length of 32.
-    pub fn from_slice(bytes: &[u8]) -> CompressedEdwardsY {
+    /// An `Option<CompressedEdwardsY>` which is `None` if the input `bytes`
+    /// slice does not have a length of 32.
+    pub fn from_slice(bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<CompressedEdwardsY> {
+        if bytes.len() != 32 {
+            return None;
+        }
+
         let mut tmp = [0u8; 32];
 
         tmp.copy_from_slice(bytes);
 
-        CompressedEdwardsY(tmp)
+        Some(CompressedEdwardsY(tmp))
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/montgomery.rs b/src/montgomery.rs
index 4768451..14957d1 100644
--- a/src/montgomery.rs
+++ b/src/montgomery.rs
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ use field::FieldElement;
 use scalar::Scalar;
 
 use traits::Identity;
+use traits::ValidityCheck;
 
 use subtle::Choice;
 use subtle::ConditionallySelectable;
@@ -93,6 +94,24 @@ impl PartialEq for MontgomeryPoint {
 
 impl Eq for MontgomeryPoint {}
 
+impl ValidityCheck for MontgomeryPoint {
+    /// Decode the \\(u\\)-coordinate field element and re-encode it
+    /// to its canonical form to check whether the original was valid.
+    ///
+    /// There are no other required checks for the Mongomery form of the curve,
+    /// as every element in \\( \mathbb{F}\_{q} \\) lies either on the curve or
+    /// its quadratic twist.  (cf. §5.2 of "Montgomery Curves and Their
+    /// Arithmetic" by [Costello and Smith][costello-smith].)
+    ///
+    /// [costello-smith]: https://eprint.iacr.org/2017/212.pdf
+    fn is_valid(&self) -> bool {
+        let maybe_u: FieldElement = FieldElement::from_bytes(&self.0);
+        let u: [u8; 32] = maybe_u.to_bytes();
+
+        u.ct_eq(&self.0).into()
+    }
+}
+
 impl Zeroize for MontgomeryPoint {
     fn zeroize(&mut self) {
         self.0.zeroize();
@@ -110,6 +129,29 @@ impl MontgomeryPoint {
         self.0
     }
 
+    /// Attempt to create a `MontgomeryPoint` from a slice of bytes.
+    ///
+    /// # Returns
+    ///
+    /// An `Option<MontgomeryPoint>` which is `None` if the length of the slice
+    /// of bytes is not 32, or if the bytes did not represent a canonical
+    /// `FieldElement`.
+    pub fn from_slice(bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<MontgomeryPoint> {
+        if bytes.len() != 32 {
+            return None;
+        }
+
+        let mut array = [0u8; 32];
+        array.copy_from_slice(&bytes[..32]);
+
+        let P = MontgomeryPoint(array);
+
+        if P.is_valid() {
+            return Some(P);
+        }
+        None
+    }
+
     /// Attempt to convert to an `EdwardsPoint`, using the supplied
     /// choice of sign for the `EdwardsPoint`.
     ///
diff --git a/src/ristretto.rs b/src/ristretto.rs
index c4b6170..485c01f 100644
--- a/src/ristretto.rs
+++ b/src/ristretto.rs
@@ -230,15 +230,20 @@ impl CompressedRistretto {
 
     /// Construct a `CompressedRistretto` from a slice of bytes.
     ///
-    /// # Panics
+    /// # Returns
     ///
-    /// If the input `bytes` slice does not have a length of 32.
-    pub fn from_slice(bytes: &[u8]) -> CompressedRistretto {
+    /// An `Option<CompressedRistretto>` which is `None` if the input `bytes`
+    /// slice does not have a length of 32.
+    pub fn from_slice(bytes: &[u8]) -> Option<CompressedRistretto> {
+        if bytes.len() != 32 {
+            return None;
+        }
+
         let mut tmp = [0u8; 32];
 
         tmp.copy_from_slice(bytes);
 
-        CompressedRistretto(tmp)
+        Some(CompressedRistretto(tmp))
     }
 
     /// Attempt to decompress to an `RistrettoPoint`.