FAQ

The minimum sample size we require is 5g for powder-based supplements, 24 units for capsule/tablet form supplements, and 120ml for liquid-based supplements.

Currently, we only accept sealed retail packs for testing – meaning they have to be new and unopened. So if your pack size is less than the volumes/sizes referenced above, you will need to send us a larger pack size to accommodate our minimum sample requirements.

The typical turnaround time for most tests is 5-7 business days from delivery of the sample, to receiving your results in digital format.

Extensions to this turnaround may be applied in circumstances where needed and dependent upon the selected labs from our network.

Yes, we may be able to offer discounts for regular testing commitments or for larger scale projects.

Contact us to discuss.

Since we only currently accept sealed packs for testing, no preparation/sterilisation is required when preparing to send your samples to us.

Just simply ensure your product is packaged well, so it doesn’t get damaged in transit.

Whilst GMP is a recognised mark of Good Manufacturing Practice (what the acronym stands-for), it relates more to business practices, staff training/competency and appropriate record-keeping than it does to scientifically testing and quantifying ingredients in the end product.

The source documents outlining GMPs are often written at a high level to allow flexibility in implementation to ensure that the expectations are effective for a broad range of products. And because of GMP’s lack of product or industry specificity, this leaves gaps in the requirements to meet GMP standards vs delivering a fully-verified, thoroughly-tested end product.

So, in summary – GMP is absolutely a positive sign, and should lend confidence to your purchase decisions when it comes to which food supplement brands to choose, but it doesn’t guarantee absolute safety, integrity, and lack of contamination. This requires a far more specific set of tests/verification – which is what our verification mark proves.

You receive 1 vote per week while your Insider membership is active.

If you don’t use your vote, it rolls over, so your available votes accumulate over time.

You can submit 1 new product each week.

This helps keep the leaderboard manageable while ensuring everyone has an opportunity to suggest products.

Yes. When submitting a new product you’ll be asked whether you’d like to use one of your available votes on that entry immediately.

Yes, provided you have enough votes available. Each vote is applied to a single product.

No. Once a vote has been cast it cannot be changed or removed.

At the end of each voting period, the top three products move into our Testing Underway section.

These products are then purchased anonymously and submitted for laboratory analysis.

Testing normally begins shortly after the voting period ends.

Results are typically published within approximately one week, although some laboratory analyses may take longer depending on the type of testing requested.

Almost any supplement sold in the UK can be submitted.

We may reject, edit or merge submissions that are:

• Duplicate products
• Incorrectly named
• Not supplements
• Impossible or impractical to test
• Inappropriate or abusive

Each submission can request one specific analysis.

For example:

• Vitamin C
• Magnesium
• Creatine Monohydrate
• Curcuminoids
• Icariin
• Protein
• Heavy Metals
• Microbiological Screening

Requests for “test everything” cannot be accepted.

We’ll always aim to perform the requested analysis where practical.

If a requested test isn’t scientifically appropriate, we may substitute the closest suitable analysis or contact the laboratory to determine the most meaningful approach.

Using a consistent format (Brand > Product > Variant > Pack Size) ensures we purchase and test the exact product the community voted for.

No.

Whenever possible, products are purchased anonymously through normal retail channels, just as any consumer would buy them.

This gives an honest representation of the storage conditions, storage time and other environmental variables that most items are exposed-to before reaching the consumer.

Exceptions to this are only made where a brand sells exclusively direct-to-consumer and we cannot source through a third-party retailer.

If a product has already been tested, we may decline duplicate submissions for a period of time to allow the community to prioritise new products.

Unless a sufficient period of time has passed (to the point we would expect a new batch to have entered the marketplace), or a different analyte/compound is selected for testing than what the product has been tested-for previously.

No.

Members decide what gets tested, but they have no influence over the laboratory results or how they’re reported. Every published result reflects the independent findings of the laboratory.

It is also explicity prohibited for an Insider member to share results of tests publicly – either online or otherwise. Doing so may lead to account suspension and/or further action depending on the nature of the situation. Test results are intended to benefit members only, and sharing results publicly undermines the value of exclusivity and privelege being offered to our members.