Articles & Research
NutraBio
NutraBio: The Transparency Standard—with Prices That Mostly Add Up
You can look up a third-party lab report for the exact lot number on your NutraBio bottle—an unusually strong, consumer-facing transparency move in supplements. [1][2].
Ideal For
- Athletes and lifters who want to verify what's in the tub via batch COAs
- Shoppers who refuse proprietary blends and want exact dosages
- Consumers seeking OU-kosher options in dairy proteins
Best Products
- 100% Whey Protein Isolate
- Tongkat Ali (LJ100)
- Growth Peptides (for early adopters)
What Customers Say
- •Transparency and taste frequently praised
- •Pricing viewed as premium but fair for proteins.
- Sweetener preferences split users.
Nootropics Depot
A testing-first nootropics brand with a federal black mark
Investigation finds Nootropics Depot publishes lot-level COAs and runs its own ISO 17025 lab and cGMP manufacturer—yet pled guilty in October 2023 to distributing unapproved drugs and was sentenced in February 2024, a regulatory scar that still shadows the brand.
Ideal For
- Buyers who want lot-level COAs and deep testing detail
- DIY nootropics users who value named/branded ingredients
- Customers comfortable with unopened-only returns
Best Products
- Cognizin Citicoline Capsules
- Bacognize Bacopa Monnieri (ND)
- PrimaVie Shilajit Capsules
What Customers Say
- •Quality/trust praised
- •Effects vary by person
- Brand reputation strong on Reddit
- Shipping/returns friction at times
Pure Encapsulations
Practitioner-grade quality, opaque batch data: the Pure Encapsulations paradox
Investigation confirms Pure Encapsulations manufactures in an NSF-GMP registered facility in Sudbury, MA and advertises extensive third-party testing—gold-standard signals rarely found together—yet the brand does not publish lot-level Certificates of Analysis (COAs) for most products and has faced documented counterfeit activity on Amazon. [1][2][3][11]
Ideal For
- People with allergies/sensitivities who need hypoallergenic capsules and rigorous contaminant testing
- Patients working with practitioners who prefer professional-grade lines
- Shoppers willing to pay for NSF-audited manufacturing and tight allergen controls
Best Products
- O.N.E. Multivitamin (when purchased from authorized channels)
- Magnesium (Glycinate) 120 mg
- CurcumaSorb Mind (for targeted cognition/mood support)
What Customers Say
- Practitioner trust and perceived quality
- GI upset or odor with O.N.E. Multivitamin for some users
- Marketplace authenticity concerns
Life Extension
Life Extension's paradox: quality-control muscle, request-only proof, and a cleaned-up regulatory trail
Investigation reveals that Life Extension operates with unusually formal quality systems (NSF GMP–registered distribution, supplier audits, frequent independent lab work) yet withholds batch COAs from public view—providing them on request—leaving transparency a step short of industry-leading brands that publish results by default. [1][2][3][4][5]
Ideal For
- Buyers who want high-potency multis with methylated forms
- Consumers who will request COAs and appreciate audit-trail quality systems
- Shoppers who value ConsumerLab approvals and brand-wide recognition
Best Products
- Two-Per-Day Multivitamin
- Super Omega-3 EPA/DHA
- Super Ubiquinol CoQ10
What Customers Say
- •COAs provided on request
- •Response time often fast
- Customer service mixed but often praised
- Packaging/product handling quirks (e.g., broken capsules) and heavy marketing texts
Thorne
The Paradox: Sports-trusted testing, guarded transparency—and a recent certification misstep
Independent watchdog NSF issued a public notice stating Thorne's Daily Electrolytes Variety Pack bore the NSF Certified for Sport mark on specific flavor lots that NSF says were not tested or certified—an authorization problem the brand must address to retain athlete trust. [1]
Ideal For
- Drug-tested athletes needing NSF Certified for Sport assurances
- Practitioner-guided users prioritizing branded ingredients (e.g., Meriva curcumin)
- Buyers who value in-house testing and GMP auditing even without public COAs
Best Products
- Creatine (NSF Certified for Sport)
- Magnesium Bisglycinate Powder (NSF Certified for Sport)
- Curcumin Phytosome/Meriva SKUs (including NSF variants)
What Customers Say
- COA and sourcing transparency frustration
- Perceived quality among athletes and fans
- Service/discount confusion (isolated)
Designs for Health (DFH)
Practitioner-grade manufacturing power with a transparency blind spot: the real story of Designs for Health supplements
Evidence confirms DFH makes supplements in its own NSF 455-2 GMP–listed plants in Montana and Nevada—labs and processes clean enough for court-grade scrutiny—yet the brand does not provide a public, lot-level certificate-of-analysis portal for consumers, and prices often carry a hefty practitioner-channel premium. [2][1][18][17]
Ideal For
- Patients working with functional/integrative clinicians who prefer practitioner-only lines
- Shoppers seeking branded ingredients like annatto tocotrienols or ImmunoLin in clinician-guided protocols
- Buyers who value NSF 455-2 GMP–listed, company-owned manufacturing
Best Products
- Annatto-E 300 (tocotrienols) [ingredient-driven evidence]
- IgGI Shield (ImmunoLin + NAG)
- ProbioMed line with disclosed strains/CFUs
What Customers Say
- Practitioner trust but price sensitivity
- Perceived formula changes/fillers
- Low formal complaint volume
Momentous (Project One Nutrition, Inc. dba Momentous)
Momentous is a testing-first supplement brand with real R&D credentials—and recurring complaints about price and subscriptions
Our analysis confirms unusually broad NSF Certified for Sport coverage across Momentous' line (over 50+ SKUs listed), a level of third-party oversight most brands don't reach. At the same time, customers report subscription surprises and slow international shipping, raising value and service questions that testing alone can't fix.
Ideal For
- Tested athletes and military personnel who must avoid banned substances
- Consumers who prioritize formal third-party certification across most of their stack
- Users who want brand-curated stacks aligned to popular protocols (e.g., sleep)
Best Products
- Creatine Monohydrate (NSF Certified for Sport)
- Omega-3/Vegan Omega-3 (NSF Certified for Sport)
- Sleep components (Mag Threonate, L-Theanine, Apigenin)
What Customers Say
- Polarized service experience
- Athlete trust in testing
Carlson (J.R. Carlson Laboratories, Inc.)
Carlson: Sea-to-Store Omega-3 Specialist—Elite Third-Party Testing, Solid Value, and a Transparency Gap
Evidence shows Carlson controls a key part of the omega-3 supply chain via its own Norway facility and routinely earns top external test marks (IFOS, ConsumerLab), yet it still doesn't publish batch COAs across its supplement line—leaving a surprising visibility gap for a brand built on quality claims. [1][3][4]
Ideal For
- Shoppers who want independently verified omega-3 purity/potency.
- Users who prefer high-concentration softgels or palatable liquids.
- Sustainability-minded buyers seeking FOS certification.
Best Products
- Maximum Omega 2000 (softgels)
- The Very Finest Fish Oil (liquid)
- Norwegian Cod Liver Oil (for users who need A & D)
What Customers Say
- •Quality/taste satisfaction for liquids
- •Brand trust on forums.
- Occasional rancidity/odor complaints tied to shipping or storage.
- •Employee culture feedback is mixed but leans positive on work–life balance
- •Small sample sizes.
Seeking Health
Testing-forward nutrigenomics brand with gold-standard facility certs—but COAs on request and premium price tags
Investigation confirms Seeking Health holds an NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP certificate for its Bellingham, WA site—documentation most brands never publish—while select products carry marquee certifications like IFOS and NSF Certified for Sport. At the same time, batch COAs are generally provided only upon request and several flagship formulas command higher prices than comparable peers. [1][2][5][7][8][4].
Ideal For
- Buyers who prioritize third-party certifications (NSF/IFOS/Clean Label Project) and practitioner-style formulations.
- Athletes needing a certified electrolyte (NSF CFS).
- Prenatal shoppers wanting methylation-focused, feature-rich formulas.
Best Products
What Customers Say
- Histamine/MCAS users split between 'game-changer' and 'flare' stories on ProBiota HistaminX.
- Low complaint volume and timely resolutions via BBB.
Showing 9 of 36 brand articles