CONSUMER FAQ's
This section of our FAQs is dedicated to consumers – covering off the most commonly asked questions by people looking to submit the supplements they consume on a regular basis, for a better understanding of their safety and integrity.
Once you select the testing service you’d like to order, and complete the checkout process – you’ll be redirected to a confirmation page that will provide you with an address to ship the product sample to (our lab is based in the US).
You’ll also receive an email confirmation of the address.
It is advisable that you pack your retail-sealed packaging in a suitably-sized box with sufficient padding to avoid damage during transit, then affix the ship label provided at the end of the checkout process.
The minimum sample size we require is 40z (or around 114g) 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 testing requirements are extensive (eg our Diamond-level verification package), or where the raw ingredient requires special test requirements.
You will be provided a turnaround expectation on completion of the checkout process (and via your order confirmation email).
During the checkout process, you will see a ‘grouping’ of tests into more comprehensive packages – for example, we group all individual metal and mineral contaminant testing into a fully-comprehensive contaminant test package that identifies and quantifies all potential contaminants – and in these circumstances we offer a volume discount vs purchasing each of these tests individually.
We also apply an additional 5% discount when purchasing more than one test during the same transaction, and a tiered multi-product discount when submitting more than one product for the same tests. Our multi-product discount extends up to an extra 15% off total cost (when submitting 20+ products for testing), with smaller discounts available when submitting more than 5 products for the same tests.
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.
INSIDER PROGRAM FAQ's
This section of our FAQs is dedicated to consumers – covering off the most commonly asked questions by people looking to submit the supplements they consume on a regular basis, for a better understanding of their safety and integrity.
Only active Verifier Lab Insider members can vote and submit products for consideration.
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.
BRAND/MANUFACTURER FAQ's
This section of our FAQs relates to queries that are often asked by brands/manufacturers looking to test and attain verification marks for their products.
Yes. In order to continue to display our verification mark on your products and/or marketing materials, you must maintain an active subscription plan (this can be purchased alongside your initial test requirements, and will continue to be charged on an annual basis thereafter).
Alongside the active subscription, you must also commit to re-testing your food supplement(s) for the same tests as required by your level of accreditation. A 50% discount on regular testing fees is offered for annual re-testing purposes.
On average, brands that display our Verified Badge on their product packaging, website, and promotional materials, experience a 7% directly-attributable uplift in sales*
With up to 12% uplift experienced by brands that display our Diamond and Platinum level verification.
*Measured over a 6 month period, across only long-established sales channels (with no extra marketing activity, beyond prior period activity, throughout)
Yes. Our lab holds Chemical Testing accreditation from A2LA in accordance with the recognized International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for both chemical and biological testing.
Not without your express permission.
If your tests receive positive results, you may opt for them to be included in our publicly available results database (that we share with our subscriber-base), to increase awareness and promotion of your product integrity/quality.
Consumer-submitted samples, on the other hand, will always have results added-to and shared in the results database – regardless of the outcome/results.
If a consumer has submitted one of your products for review within the past 12 months, and the results are positive/passed status – it may be possible for you to avoid initial testing fees and simply purchase a subscription on the basis of the consumer-submitted sample test results, to allow you to begin using our accreditation mark on your products. Or, should you wish to attain a greater level of accreditation than the level that the consumer-submitted test would permit, you can build upon the consumer sample results with further testing, in order to attain the accreditation level you desire.
Our accreditation mark subscription costs differ according to the scale of your business (turnover-dependent), but range from between £600-5,000 per annum.
Specific pricing tiers for subscriptions, and the testing prices, are all shown transparently during the checkout process, so you can perform accurate costing on attaining an accreditation mark before you commit.