Product Selection Guide · 01 of 04
What to Consider When Choosing Supplement Brands
The supplement industry is largely self-regulated. That puts the burden on the consumer to distinguish between responsible manufacturers and those cutting corners. Here is what actually matters.
Manufacturing standards — the foundation
Look for brands that manufacture under current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) — the minimum quality standard regulated by the FDA in the US and equivalent bodies in the EU. This covers cleanliness, testing, documentation and process controls.
Full article in development. A detailed breakdown of what cGMP means in practice and how to verify it will be published here.
Key criteria when evaluating a brand
- Third-party testingNSF International, USP, Informed Sport or Consumerlab certification. Means an independent lab has tested the actual product — not just the manufacturing process.
- Label transparencyFull ingredient disclosure — no proprietary blends that hide individual dosages behind a combined weight figure.
- Dosage vs. evidenceDoes the ingredient amount match what clinical trials use? Many products are technically "formulated with" an ingredient at a fraction of the studied dose.
- Bioavailable formsNot all forms of a nutrient are equally absorbed. Magnesium glycinate vs. magnesium oxide is a classic example — same mineral, very different absorption.
- Company longevityHow long has the company been operating? Do they have a history of recall notices or FDA warning letters?
Red flags to watch for
Proprietary blends with no individual dosages, claims that exceed regulatory limits, extreme price undercutting (often signals cheap inputs), celebrity endorsements as the primary credibility signal, and vague "clinical strength" language with no cited studies.