The supplement industry is shady.
Not as shady as the pharmaceutical industry, but still they try.
Being involved in the supplement industry I have a good view of what takes place. And today I want to pull back the curtain to reveal some of what goes on.
You know that we at Lost Empire Herbs are committed to doing things with quality and transparency. Unfortunately, for many, these are just buzzwords used by slick salesmen to reel in the suckers.
NOW is a big supplement brand. I’ve used many of their products over the years. They tend to have good stuff.
And recently, they’ve been doing their part to shine some light on the industry. I shared some of their research showing why you shouldn’t buy supplements on Amazon, due to a problem of counterfeiting products including their own.
More recent research expanded to other product lines sold on both Amazon and Walmart.
What they found was shocking…
Here’s what NOW did:
- Purchased supplements from 22 different brands on Amazon and Walmart.
- Identified astaxanthin sources using HPTLC and determined its amount with HPLC in their in-house labs.
- Collaborated with Alkemist Labs for independent testing. [FYI, Alkemist Labs is who we use for a lot of our independent lab testing.]
What did they find?
- Many brands were not consistent in their labeling.
- Brands like aSquared and We Like Vitamins have had a track record of not meeting potency claims.
- Out of 22 samples, 14 didn’t pass potency tests. 13 of these 14 had less than 1mg of astaxanthin, even when claiming much higher potencies.
Takeaways:
- Be Cautious: Some brands may not live up to their potency claims, especially if the prices are suspiciously low.
- Read Labels Carefully: Inconsistencies between the front and side labels can be a red flag.
- Opt for Reputed Brands: Lesser-known brands sold primarily online, and primarily on places like Amazon, were the main culprits.
Amazon created a gold mine opportunity in the supplement space as well as many others. Unfortunately, this niche was filled with so many that were just out to make a buck, the consumer be damned.
Sadly, it’s really easy to private label a supplement and lie about what is in it.
Many times the glitzier the marketing, the less that actually goes into the product. And it’s not just astaxanthin either.
There’s a reason most supplement companies don’t post their independent lab testing on their website like we do.
We’ll continue to focus on quality and transparency, as well as bring you knowledge you need to know about the dark corners of the industry we’re in.
Sources:
- https://www.nowfoods.com/healthy-living/articles/now-tests-astaxanthin-purchased-amazoncom-and-walmartcom
- https://myemail.constantcontact.com/MARKET-ALERT–NOW-Tests-on-Astaxanthin-Purchased-on-Amazon-com-and-Walmart-com-Confirms-Quality-Failings-Continue-to-be-Signific.html?soid=1101334774265&aid=Gyh3IcJJbC0
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