Description
All of our food supplement testing is centred around confirming the presence and level of a specific compound. When it comes to core ingredient testing, we look for a specific marker compound – so it’s important, when you are selecting your core ingredient test, that you choose the most relevant product. We’ll then contact you once the order is placed, to confirm the specific marker compound to test for.
For example, if you are submitting a Magnesium supplement for testing, you’ll need to select ‘magnesium’ in the substance option dropdown, and we will the contact you to clarify the specific type of magnesium to be tested for: Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Oxide, Magnesium Chloride, Magnesium Lactate, Magnesium Malate, Magnesium Taurate, Magnesium L-Threonate, Magnesium Sulfate, or Magnesium Glycinate. So please try to have this information available upon ordering.
If your product contains a mix of core ingredients, it’s important you select the compound/ingredient that you need testing/quantifying – and the other compounds/ingredients will be ignored. If you’d like more than one type of compound/ingredient testing for and quantifying, then you will need to order multiple core ingredient tests to reflect this.
ACCREDITATION
If your test is for commercial purposes ie for the purpose of gaining an accreditation mark for your product, and is not a consumer order, please ensure you purchase through the product listing marked ‘Accredited’ and not through this product listing.
This product listing is for non-accredited testing – primarily for consumers wanting to test the food supplements that they consume (or intend to consume), for retesting purposes (where supplements have attained accreditation in prior years), or ad-hoc commercial testing where accreditation is not wanted/required.
LEADTIME
Order leadtime is 7-10 business days from sample arrival at our laboratory. This may be extended if ‘other’ is selected in the substance dropdown options, or if a substance with less-established testing methodology is selected. We will confirm projected leadtime with you once the order is placed and details are clarified.
DELIVERY OF RESULTS
Results are delivered in digital format only, via detailed PDF reports displaying raw data alongside commentary to translate the raw data into more easily understandable terms, and to explain test parameters/methodology used.
This will be delivered directly to the email address that you submit upon placing your order.
Since this is a test not linked to an accreditation process, a summary version of the test results will also be published publicly in our results database, and shared with our email subscribers.
LIMITATIONS OF TESTING
A marker compound is a molecule/chemical that is a key identifier in representing a substance. For example, Piperine is a classic marker compound for black pepper – and this is the compound we search for to confirm the presence of, and to quantify the amount of – since black pepper, as a whole, contains a range of molecules/chemicals that constitute the overall substance.
So in essence, and keeping with the example of Black Pepper, this is much more insightful if you are interested in understanding the strength/concentration of the specific compound Piperine – and does indeed, by virtue of Piperine being an integral compound present in black pepper, confirms the presence of the overall substance, black pepper – but this may be less helpful if you want to understand and verify the quantity/measurement of the overall substance, black pepper, in your food supplement.
Therefore it’s important to understand the specificity of our core ingredient testing, and note that the marker compound specified when our team member contacts you to confirm the order, will be the specific thing that gets tested and quantified – not the overall substance.
One final point regarding testing limitations is also that whilst some botanicals do have guidance by USP-NF or other compendial sources for testing – for other botanicals/substances, there is no significant research to draw from.
So, whilst we’ve identified the specific marker compounds that we offer testing for in our list of core ingredient testing options, we do still offer an ‘other’ option where the marker compound is to be agreed-upon/confirmed with you prior to finalising the order.
Our aim is to improve the transparency/safety of food supplements – across all products/substances available on the marketplace – so we welcome testing orders for all types of compounds/substances (including those not specifically listed ie by selecting the ‘other’ option) – but please note that compounds/substances without prior established testing methodology and/or significant prior research, become a mini R&D project in themselves in order to determine and agree upon testing parameters/methodology and focus prior to finalising the order – which can lead to a slight variance/extension in order leadtime on occasion.
This is a process that will ensue immediately after you place your order with us – a member of our team will be in-touch to discuss everything with you prior to finalisation.
Steve P –
I’ve was concerned about my Saw Palmetto supplement since I’d heard a lot of claims that a large percentage of brands were using ingredients that weren’t even true Saw Palmetto – and of course, I couldn’t just ask the brand, since they either wouldn’t know themselves (if it was private-label manufactured) or they would undoubtedly lie if they were purposely using different ingredients in their supplements.
I want to share this here for the benefit of others, and say the brand I was using was *REDACTED – DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THIS TEST WAS SUBMITTED* and it actually turned-out that they were using an unverified botanical that was 100% NOT Saw Palmetto. I was shocked!
Needless to say, I’ve switched to another brand of Saw Palmetto (which I also submitted for testing) that IS ACTUALLY genuine Saw Palmetto. I feel so much better having this insight and reassurance – it’s something I’ve always been concerned about, and now Verifier Lab offer a way to quickly and easily check things like this. Massive thumbs up from me.
Hannah Lynsey –
Quite an expensive service – especially if it turns-out the product you’re testing is not what it says it is (thankfully, mine was), since you’d have to test a different brand for reassurance (especially when you’ve just been told the brand you were using, is not what it says it is), and potentially more thereafter until you hit on one that passes! Plus, they need a full (sealed) retail pack of supplement (so if it’s an expensive supplement, add that to your actual testing cost too!)
Having said that, nothing wrong with the delivery of the service itself, very fast, efficient, and helpful – just very expensive for the average punter and I feel more brands should really be stepping-up to do this sort of testing themselves, rather than leaving it to us customers who already pay enough for the products themselves!!
thor –
Fantastic service. I’ve been looking for something like this for years! But have never been able to navigate all to complexities and costs of working directly with labs (not to mention finding one that can actually test the supplement I want to test). Verifier Lab simplifies the process of testing your own supplements to give you peace-of-mind and reassurance, their reports are super-detailed but they also have a very helpful commentary that explains the data and doesn’t just leave you to figure out what it all means yourself. I’ll definitely be using them again, and keeping an eye out for any supplement brands that carry their accreditation so I get peace-of-mind without incurring the cost of testing the product myself