SuppCo launches a certification program to verify active ingredients in dietary supplements
This new initiative complements SuppCo’s TrustScore rating system and builds on earlier testing efforts that uncovered a troubling pattern: about half of top-selling supplements bought off the shelf failed basic label accuracy checks.
“SuppCo began because I was frustrated by how hard it is to make informed supplement choices,” said Steve Martocci, co-founder and CEO of SuppCo, in a press release. “TESTED by SuppCo sets a clear, independent standard for transparency and accountability, so people can trust what they’re buying and brands can prove it.”
TESTED by SuppCo is launching in collaboration with brands such as Momentous, Thorne, Metagenics, Gaia Herbs, Designs for Health, Fatty15, Solaray, Niagen, Integrative Therapeutics, and Pendulum.
Certifying what’s on the shelf and identifying gaps
Jordan Glenn, SuppCo’s head of science, described the certification as a natural extension of the company’s work testing 44 popular Amazon-sold supplements last year, which revealed that roughly half failed to meet basic label accuracy standards.
The program adds another layer to the TrustScore feature, which highlights formulation choices, manufacturing practices, and transparency signals that suggest quality before a product reaches a laboratory.
“TESTED tells you exactly what’s in the bottle you buy,” Glenn said. “Together, TrustScore and TESTED create a closed loop: TrustScore helps consumers pick products that appear trustworthy, and TESTED confirms whether that trust is warranted once the product is in hand.”
SuppCo’s initial testing focused on creatine, NAD+, urolithin A, and berberine supplements. Results showed that 22 products contained 0% to 3% of their listed active ingredients. Failures were especially pronounced in brands claiming the largest serving sizes, a trend SuppCo says often masks weak or missing actives.
“These aren’t marginal misses,” SuppCo stated in its 2025 testing retrospective. “They point to breakdowns across quality control, from raw ingredient sourcing to final formulation verification.”
Causes ranged from manufacturing shortcuts and supplier variability to gaps in internal testing or deliberate deception within the supply chain, but the outcome remained consistent: products making strong claims yet delivering little of what they promise.
Testing rigor and public results
TESTED by SuppCo conducts all testing in an independent ISO 17025–accredited laboratory. Products that meet or exceed 95% of their labeled active-ingredient claims earn certification. Regardless of outcome, all results are published on SuppCo’s product pages so consumers can make informed choices.
With more than 650,000 users actively tracking their supplement routines on SuppCo, certification outcomes—including failures—are surfaced directly to shoppers, adding visibility that complements existing certifications which are valuable yet not always consumer-focused.
Testing is repeated annually to verify ongoing compliance, and products failing to meet the standard are guided through remediation before retesting. Brands pay a certification fee to cover independent testing, program operations, and licensing.
Addressing structural issues and closing a meaningful loophole
SuppCo isn’t alone in monitoring supplement labeling and identity standards, a trend that’s gaining momentum as self-regulation and good manufacturing practices come under closer scrutiny.
“The supplement industry is at a pivotal point,” Glenn noted. “Consumer expectations are rising, regulatory scrutiny is intensifying, and independent verification is becoming a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator.”
He added that brands partnering with TESTED at launch recognize that transparency is the only durable competitive advantage in a market that’s growing louder. Verification, accountability, and openness are now foundational, and brands that integrate quality into their operations and prove it independently are defining the category at scale.
“Talking about quality is easy; proving it is harder,” said Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous. “We joined TESTED by SuppCo because trust and accountability drive this industry forward. Transparency shouldn’t be optional, and brands that back their claims—like ours—must be ready to prove them.”
Like ConsumerLab, NSF International, and the United States Pharmacopeia, SuppCo aims to strengthen supplement label accuracy, identity, purity, and quality. But it frames its certification as solving a core structural issue in how testing is conducted.
“Most existing certifications rely on manufacturer-submitted samples or production lots,” Glenn explained. “TESTED purchases products anonymously, off the shelf, after typical retail aging—just as a consumer would. That approach closes a real loophole where a product could pass a test using a carefully chosen lot but underdeliver in the bottle.”
Other industry players have also conducted their own testing of Amazon-sourced supplements and uncovered broad labeling and potency problems. NOW Foods, for instance, has carried out multiple rounds of testing on no-name brands since 2017, examining ingredients like St. John’s Wort, methyl B-12, berberine, CoQ10, and many others, often labeling results as alarming or persistent warnings for buyers.
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