Label Literacy in Five Minutes
Check serving size, confirm every active has its own amount, compare each against its studied range, read the other-ingredients line, a
15 July 2026Read →
Supplement Facts panels, serving sizes, proprietary blends and what to do when no ingredient list is published at all.
Check serving size, confirm every active has its own amount, compare each against its studied range, read the other-ingredients line, a
The front of a bottle carries marketing claims; the Supplement Facts panel carries the regulated facts. When they disagree, the panel i
Good Manufacturing Practice standards govern how a product is made — cleanliness, documentation, consistency — not whether the formula
FDA-registered means a manufacturing facility is on file with the agency; FDA-approved means a product has been reviewed and authorised
A certificate of analysis reports laboratory results for a specific batch — identity, potency and contaminant screening — and can be re
Independent testing verifies that a product contains what its label says and is free of specified contaminants — it does not evaluate w
A lot number identifies the production batch, the expiry date reflects tested stability, and storage conditions affect how well content
If one bundle implies a regular price of $179 a bottle while the same page's footer says $149, at least one figure is invented.
Anchor pricing shows a high crossed-out figure so the real price looks like a saving — even when the product never sold at the referenc
The useful price comparison converts everything to cost per day of supply, accounting for serving size, unit count and shipping.
A headline total combines every ingredient regardless of relevance, so a large figure can be dominated by ingredients unrelated to the
Standardisation guarantees a stated percentage of a named active compound in an extract, which is how research materials are defined an
A ratio such as 10:1 describes how much raw material was concentrated into the extract; it does not tell you how much you are taking.
Gummies require sugar or a sugar alcohol to work as a chewable, and the amount should be declared — which matters for anyone managing b
The other-ingredients line declares fillers, sweeteners, colours, gelatin or pectin and any allergens, and it is the only place some di
The %DV shows how much of a recommended daily intake a serving provides, and it exists only for nutrients with established reference va
A gram is 1,000 milligrams and a milligram is 1,000 micrograms — and confusing them is the fastest way to misjudge whether a dose is me
“Fairy dusting” describes including an ingredient at an amount far too small to do anything, so it can appear on the label and in the m
An under-dosed but published formula can be evaluated and rejected; an unpublished formula cannot be evaluated at all, or checked again
A proprietary blend lists several ingredients under one combined weight, so you can see what is present but never how much of each.
If a brand's own material and a seller's page state different daily servings, at least one is wrong — and every downstream figure depen
Thirty gummies sounds like a month until you read the serving size: at two a day it is fifteen days, and at three it is ten.
Supplement Facts amounts are given per serving, and a serving may be one, two or more gummies — so per-gummy content is a fraction of t
If no Supplement Facts panel is available before purchase, you cannot check the product against research, against your medication, or a
A Supplement Facts panel lists serving size, each ingredient with its amount, and where relevant a percentage of the Daily Value — the