What percentage of supplements sold on major platforms are fake or adulterated?

Studies cited in this Qredible Live broadcast found that 66% of dietary supplements sold on major e-commerce platforms are either fake or adulterated. This means a majority of supplements consumers purchase through mainstream online channels may not contain the ingredients listed, may contain substitute ingredients of lower quality, or may be outright fraudulent products. Specific examples discussed include CoQ10 supplements that contain only glycerin and coconut oil with no active CoQ10 ingredient, and products listing liposomal glutathione at doses that are economically impossible to source at the listed price point. This fraud is enabled by the relatively low enforcement risk for individual product listings in a market generating hundreds of thousands of supplement SKUs across major platforms, and by easy-to-execute COA manipulation techniques that allow fraudulent companies to present convincing documentation.

How do supplement companies falsify Certificates of Analysis?

COA falsification in the supplement industry typically involves taking a legitimate Certificate of Analysis from a compliant product and modifying it — using standard image editing software — to change product names, potency values, test results, or contaminant levels. As Brian Fitzpatrick describes, companies falsify COAs by overlaying results from a different product or substituting values to hide the presence of mycotoxins, heavy metals, or other contaminants, or to inflate active ingredient concentrations. The manipulation can be accomplished with commonly available software, making it accessible to bad actors without specialized technical skills. Blockchain verification directly addresses this fraud vector by recording each lab result as an immutable cryptographic entry at the point of laboratory issuance — any subsequent modification of the document changes its hash value, making the alteration detectable. MyCOA's direct laboratory integration captures test results before they reach manufacturers, anchoring each result to the blockchain at the source.

What is proprietary blend fraud and how do consumers identify it?

Proprietary blend fraud exploits a DSHEA labeling provision that permits supplement companies to list multiple ingredients under a single proprietary blend designation without disclosing the quantity of each individual ingredient. This allows brands to list premium, expensive ingredients — such as liposomal glutathione, which is costly to source at efficacious doses — at apparently generous total blend weights while actually providing negligible amounts of the premium ingredient. Consumers cannot calculate individual ingredient doses from the label. James Garland identifies a practical detection method: if a product lists an expensive ingredient at a dose that would be economically impossible to produce at the listed price, the dose is almost certainly not what the label implies. Consumers can also look for brands that disclose full ingredient quantities rather than proprietary blends, seek COAs that confirm ingredient identity and concentration, and check the price per serving against market rates for the listed ingredients — dramatically underpriced products often reflect ingredient substitution or underdosing.

How does blockchain technology verify supplement lab reports?

Blockchain verification for supplement lab reports works by recording each Certificate of Analysis as an immutable, cryptographically secured entry in a distributed ledger at the moment of laboratory issuance — before the document ever reaches manufacturers, distributors, or retailers. Qredible's Q-Trust platform connects directly to testing laboratories so that results are anchored to the blockchain at the source via smart contract IDs. Once a lab result is recorded, any subsequent attempt to modify the document — changing potency values, removing contaminant flags, or substituting results from a different product — produces a hash mismatch that is immediately detectable as evidence of tampering. This prevents the downstream COA falsification that Fitzpatrick describes — where a compliant lab report gets altered as it passes through the supply chain. Consumers and retail partners can verify a COA's authenticity by checking it against its blockchain record, confirming that the document they see is the original unaltered laboratory output.

Who is watching supplement companies for compliance violations?

The ecosystem of entities monitoring supplement companies for compliance violations is expanding significantly. Brian Fitzpatrick identifies four active watchdog categories. Plaintiff's attorneys actively monitor supplement marketing for unsubstantiated health claims that can support civil litigation, particularly following adverse events or consumer harm. Insurance companies evaluate supplement brand compliance posture when underwriting product liability coverage, with non-compliant brands facing coverage restrictions or higher premiums. Banks and payment processors are enforcing compliance by proxy — terminating accounts of merchants making unverified health claims or selling non-compliant products before formal regulatory action occurs. Major e-commerce and advertising platforms including Google and Amazon are implementing increasingly strict content policies around health claims, disease references, and certain keywords, with algorithmic and human review systems removing non-compliant listings or restricting ad delivery. James Garland adds that Amazon in particular is getting exceptionally strict about personalized marketing claims and disease references. Fitzpatrick notes that technology has made compliance violations increasingly difficult to conceal from any of these parties, with automated scanning making the kind of widespread undiscovered fraud that previously went unchecked far less viable.

How Technology Is Rebuilding Trust in the Supplement Industry

Category: Videos

Author: The Qredible Team

Date: October 22, 2025

Would you believe that 66% of dietary supplements sold on major platforms are either fake or adulterated? This alarming statistic reveals why new verification systems are urgently needed to protect consumers. During a recent Qredible Live Broadcast, James Garland, a seasoned marketing strategist with over 20 years in health and e-commerce, joined Brian Fitzpatrick, CEO of Qredible, to discuss how the supplement industry's crisis of credibility is being addressed through technological verification and transparency. Their conversation revealed how emerging technologies are creating accountability in a marketplace where bold marketing claims often overshadow product integrity.

The Scope of the Problem: Marketing Over Substance

The supplement industry is booming, with global projections reaching $755 billion by 2029. Yet this growth comes with significant challenges. As Fitzpatrick pointed out during the broadcast, "Supplement marketing is oftentimes ahead of the science."

This marketing-first approach creates serious issues for consumers. Garland explained that when companies prioritize marketing over quality, "The marketplace rewards people making their product as cheap as possible and then advertising it as loudly as possible with the boldest claims possible."

The results are troubling. According to studies referenced in the broadcast, "66% of dietary supplements that are sold on these major platforms are either fake or adulterated." This means consumers might purchase CoQ10 supplements that contain "just glycerin and coconut oil mixed together" with "no CoQ10 in it," as Garland revealed.

How Fraudulent Practices Undermine Consumer Trust

The discussion highlighted several common deceptive practices in the industry:

Falsified Lab Reports

Fitzpatrick explained how some companies manipulate their Certificates of Analysis: "They're airbrushing a different product from a different lab report. They're changing if there's miccotoxins or lead." This fraudulent behavior can be accomplished easily, as "any six-year-old can do that in an Adobe program."

Misleading Claims

Despite regulatory restrictions under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, many companies make illegal disease claims. Garland noted that while legitimate companies follow the rules, "a lot of our competitors do do it and the reason they do it is because it's so easy to do it and get away with it."

Proprietary Blends

Another deceptive tactic involves proprietary blends where companies claim high amounts of expensive ingredients while actually providing minimal quantities. Garland cited an example: "I'll see a listing that says 800 milligrams of liposomal glutathione... I know how much liposomal glutathione costs. It's impossible. It's literally impossible."

The Technology Solution: Verification and Transparency

The conversation highlighted how technology rebuilding trust in the supplement industry is creating new standards of accountability:

Blockchain Verification for Lab Reports

Fitzpatrick described how blockchain technology can verify the authenticity of testing: "Take those [lab reports] and put them in our blockchain, lock it down with a smart contract ID, and then we can tell the world that you didn't monkey with it."

Third-Party Testing Verification

Legitimate companies are increasingly providing verified third-party test results. As Fitzpatrick noted, "Every one of your product pages on your website has a lab report that goes with it. So you don't always see that easily accessible."

Comprehensive Digital Verification

The most effective approach combines multiple verification methods. Fitzpatrick explained Qredible's approach: "We're helping to rebuild trust in the supplement industry by verifying everything on these websites from the content to the things they're saying to the things they're doing to the lab reports and then also validating these products in the back end."

Who Pays the Price for Industry Deception?

The ultimate victims of supplement industry fraud are consumers. As Garland pointed out, "At the end of the day the American consumer, our neighbors, are paying the price. It's people that have not been empowered by the information needed to educate themselves to make an educated decision."

The health impacts can be significant. Beyond wasting money on ineffective products, consumers may be exposing themselves to harmful additives or missing out on needed therapeutic benefits from supplements they believe they're taking.

The Watchdogs Are Watching

Companies engaged in deceptive practices should be aware that scrutiny is increasing. Fitzpatrick emphasized, "If they think nobody's watching, that's not true. Who's watching? Well, plaintiff's attorneys are watching. Insurance companies are watching. Your bank is watching."

Additionally, major platforms are implementing stricter oversight: "Google and Amazon are watching and that is helping in many ways," Garland added, noting these platforms are "getting incredibly strict as well about personalized marketing and disease claims and even certain keywords."

How Consumers Can Protect Themselves

Until technology rebuilding trust becomes universal in the supplement industry, consumers need strategies to identify quality products:

Look for Verified Lab Reports

Seek out companies that provide accessible Certificates of Analysis for their products.

Check for Balanced Reviews

Garland advised caution if you don't see any negative reviews: "If there are no one, two, or three star reviews, I personally would find that to be a pretty big red flag."

Investigate the Company

Research the company's manufacturing practices and commitment to compliance before purchasing.

The Future of Supplement Industry Trust

Technology is creating a pathway toward greater accountability in the supplement space. Fitzpatrick stated, "To me this is compliance made transparent. It turns data into trust. It turns data and trust into accountability."

This technological approach also benefits ethical companies by providing "a competitive edge where you don't have to outspend them on marketing. You just have to do what you said you're doing and actually deliver the results in the product."

Build a Healthier Supplement Ecosystem

The supplement industry's future depends on rebuilding consumer confidence through verified transparency. As Fitzpatrick concluded, "If brands want to lead in the future, it starts with truth and quite frankly, it takes the courage to hold yourself accountable to a higher standard."

Through technology rebuilding trust in the supplement industry, consumers can make informed decisions based on verified facts rather than marketing claims. This shift toward accountability benefits both consumers seeking genuine health solutions and ethical companies committed to quality and transparency.