How to read a supplement label

Supplement labels are designed to be skimmed. Most people look at the front, recognise an ingredient they have heard of, and buy. Here is what to look at instead — it takes about twenty seconds once you know where to look.

1. Read the serving size before anything else

Every number on the panel is per serving, and the serving is whatever the brand decided it is. A label showing an impressive amount of something may be counting four gummies, not one. Check what a serving is, then do the arithmetic on what you will actually take.

2. Look for the words "proprietary blend"

A proprietary blend lets a brand list ten ingredients and give you one number — the total weight of all of them combined. It is legal and it is common, and it means you cannot tell whether the ingredient you are buying it for makes up most of that number or a trace of it.

There is a reason brands use it, and it is rarely the one they give. If each ingredient has its own number in milligrams, you can compare it to anything. If they are pooled, you cannot compare it to anything at all — which is the point.

3. Find out who tested it, and whether you can see the result

"Third-party tested" on the front of a pack means little on its own. What matters is whether the results are published and whether the facility is GMP-certified. Good manufacturing practice covers the boring things that decide whether what is on the label is what is in the jar.

What our label says

One gummy: maca 250 mg, mango 250 mg, ashwagandha 150 mg, ginseng 100 mg, L-theanine 100 mg, L-citrulline 100 mg, saffron 15 mg. No blends, no pooled numbers, nothing hidden behind a word. Made in GMP-certified facilities with published lab results.

You do not have to take our word for any of it. That is rather the point of printing it.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.