Ingredients

What is actually in the products

Our complete ingredient catalogue. Search for an ingredient or filter by category to read what each one is, what it does in the body and what the research looks at. Every entry links to the studies on PubMed and to the products in our range that contain it.

41 ingredients

Alpha-Lipoic Acid (ALA)

Antioxidants

An unusual antioxidant in that it is soluble in both water and fat, so it works in every compartment of the cell. The R-form is the one the body makes; racemic mixtures contain both.

What it does in the body

ALA is a cofactor for the mitochondrial dehydrogenase complexes, and it regenerates other antioxidants — vitamin C, vitamin E and glutathione — after they have been used up.

What the research looks at

  • Nerve symptoms in diabetic neuropathy
  • Insulin sensitivity
  • Regeneration of other antioxidants
Typical daily dose
300–600 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

Apigenin

Sleep

A flavonoid found in chamomile, parsley and celery. Chamomile tea is the traditional route to it, and the reason that tea is drunk at night.

What it does in the body

Apigenin binds weakly to benzodiazepine sites on GABA-A receptors. It is also studied as an inhibitor of CD38, an enzyme that consumes NAD+.

What the research looks at

  • Sleep quality and time to fall asleep
  • NAD+ levels in tissue
  • Markers of oxidative stress
Typical daily dose
50–100 mg
Time to effect
1–4 weeks
Usually taken
Evening

Astaxanthin

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The red carotenoid that makes salmon, shrimp and flamingos pink. It is produced by the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis, which the whole food chain ultimately draws on.

What it does in the body

Astaxanthin spans the full width of the cell membrane, with its ends protruding on both sides, so it can quench radicals in the water phase and the lipid phase at once. Most antioxidants sit in only one.

What the research looks at

  • Skin elasticity and moisture
  • Eye fatigue
  • Markers of oxidative stress after exercise
Typical daily dose
4–12 mg
Time to effect
6–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Boswellia (Indian frankincense)

Bones & joints

Resin from the Boswellia serrata tree, standardised on boswellic acids. Used alongside turmeric in ayurvedic practice for the same kind of complaint.

What it does in the body

Boswellic acids inhibit 5-lipoxygenase, an enzyme in the leukotriene pathway. That is a different route than the one anti-inflammatory drugs take, which is why the two are often studied together.

What the research looks at

  • Joint stiffness and walking distance in osteoarthritis
  • Markers of inflammation
Typical daily dose
300–500 mg extract
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Ceremonial Grade Matcha

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

Whole green tea leaves shaded for several weeks before harvest, then stone-ground. Because the leaf is drunk rather than steeped and discarded, the dose of everything in it is far higher than in brewed tea.

What it does in the body

Shading raises the leaf's theanine content, and matcha therefore delivers caffeine and theanine together — the combination associated with alertness without the edge of coffee.

What the research looks at

  • Attention and reaction time from caffeine with theanine
  • Catechin intake compared with brewed tea
  • Cardiometabolic markers
Typical daily dose
1–2 g
Time to effect
30–60 minutes
Usually taken
Morning or early afternoon

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus)

Immunity In the Blueprint protocol

A black, charcoal-like growth on birch trunks across northern Europe and Siberia. It has been brewed as a tea in Nordic and Russian folk medicine for centuries.

What it does in the body

Chaga is exceptionally high in melanin and in betulinic acid drawn from the birch it grows on, alongside the beta-glucans common to medicinal mushrooms.

What the research looks at

  • Antioxidant capacity in vitro
  • Immune modulation
  • Oxalate content, which is high enough to be worth noting
Typical daily dose
1–3 g extract
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
Any time of day

Chlorella

Liver & detox

A single-celled green alga with a cellulose wall too tough for human digestion — quality products have that wall physically cracked, which is what "broken cell wall" on a label means.

What it does in the body

The cell wall material binds certain compounds in the gut, and chlorella is unusually rich in chlorophyll. Unlike spirulina it does contain some bioavailable B12.

What the research looks at

  • Binding of dioxins and heavy metals in the gut
  • Liver enzymes
  • Immune markers
Typical daily dose
3–6 g
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

Energy

A fat-soluble quinone found in every cell membrane, densest in heart tissue. Levels fall with age, and statins reduce them further because both share the same synthesis pathway.

What it does in the body

CoQ10 carries electrons between complexes I and III of the respiratory chain — the step at which food energy becomes ATP. In its reduced form it also protects membrane lipids from oxidation.

What the research looks at

  • Heart function and exercise capacity
  • Statin-associated muscle symptoms
  • Migraine frequency
Typical daily dose
100–300 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Curcumin

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The yellow pigment in turmeric, and roughly three per cent of the dried root by weight. On its own it is very poorly absorbed, which is why serious formulations pair it with piperine, phospholipids or a micellar carrier.

What it does in the body

Curcumin acts on NF-κB, the transcription factor that switches on much of the body's inflammatory signalling, and on Nrf2, which regulates the cell's own antioxidant defences.

What the research looks at

  • Markers of inflammation such as CRP
  • Joint comfort and mobility
  • Exercise-induced muscle damage
Typical daily dose
500–1500 mg
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate)

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The dominant catechin in green tea, and roughly half of its total polyphenol content. Concentrated extracts carry a liver-safety caveat that brewed tea does not.

What it does in the body

EGCG inhibits catechol-O-methyltransferase, which slows the breakdown of noradrenaline, and it interacts with several signalling pathways involved in cell growth.

What the research looks at

  • Fat oxidation and energy expenditure
  • Blood lipids
  • Liver safety at high extract doses
Typical daily dose
200–400 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

Fatty acids In the Blueprint protocol

Cold-pressed olive oil that has not been refined. What separates a good one is not the fat — that is much the same everywhere — but the polyphenol content, which ranges from near zero to over 500 mg/kg.

What it does in the body

Oleocanthal, the polyphenol responsible for the peppery catch at the back of the throat, inhibits COX enzymes in the same way ibuprofen does, at far lower potency. Hydroxytyrosol is the main antioxidant.

What the research looks at

  • Cardiovascular endpoints in Mediterranean diet trials
  • LDL oxidation
  • Blood pressure and endothelial function
Typical daily dose
20–40 ml
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
Raw, over food

Fisetin

Antioxidants

A flavonoid found in strawberries, apples and persimmon. It came to attention when a screen of senolytic candidates ranked it above the others tested.

What it does in the body

Fisetin appears to trigger apoptosis selectively in senescent cells while leaving healthy ones alone. It also crosses the blood-brain barrier, which most flavonoids do not.

What the research looks at

  • Senescent cell burden in animal models
  • Neuroprotection markers
  • Inflammatory signalling
Typical daily dose
100–500 mg
Time to effect
Unclear; often dosed intermittently
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Gut & digestion In the Blueprint protocol

The rhizome of the ginger plant. The pungency comes from gingerols, which turn into shogaols when the root is dried — a different compound profile in dried extract than in fresh root.

What it does in the body

Gingerols influence prostaglandin and leukotriene synthesis, the same enzymatic pathways involved in the body's inflammatory signalling, and ginger speeds up gastric emptying.

What the research looks at

  • Nausea, including motion sickness and pregnancy
  • Markers of inflammation
  • Muscle soreness after exercise
Typical daily dose
500–2000 mg
Time to effect
Same day for nausea
Usually taken
With food

Glutathione

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The body's own principal antioxidant, a tripeptide of glutamate, cysteine and glycine present in every cell. Oral glutathione is broken down readily, which is why liposomal delivery exists.

What it does in the body

Glutathione neutralises peroxides and regenerates vitamins C and E. It is also the conjugating molecule in phase II liver detoxification, which is how fat-soluble compounds are made excretable.

What the research looks at

  • Blood and tissue glutathione levels after supplementation
  • Oxidative stress markers
  • Liver detoxification capacity
Typical daily dose
250–1000 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

Hesperidin

Antioxidants

A flavanone concentrated in the white pith of citrus fruit — the part most people discard. It is the main bioflavonoid in orange juice.

What it does in the body

Hesperidin improves endothelial function and capillary resistance, and its metabolite hesperetin is the form that actually reaches tissue after gut bacteria have processed it.

What the research looks at

  • Endothelial function and blood pressure
  • Capillary fragility
  • Markers of inflammation
Typical daily dose
500 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Lutein

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

A xanthophyll carotenoid found in kale, spinach and egg yolk. Along with zeaxanthin it is one of only two carotenoids the eye concentrates in the macula.

What it does in the body

Lutein absorbs blue light before it reaches the photoreceptors and neutralises the singlet oxygen that light exposure generates in retinal tissue.

What the research looks at

  • Macular pigment optical density
  • Contrast sensitivity and glare recovery
  • Cognitive measures in older adults
Typical daily dose
10–20 mg
Time to effect
12 weeks or more
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Lycopene

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The carotenoid that makes tomatoes red. Unusually, cooking increases how much of it the body can absorb — passata delivers more than a raw tomato does.

What it does in the body

Lycopene has no vitamin A activity but is among the most efficient quenchers of singlet oxygen of any carotenoid, and it concentrates in prostate tissue and skin.

What the research looks at

  • Prostate health markers
  • LDL oxidation and blood pressure
  • Skin resistance to UV-induced redness
Typical daily dose
10–30 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Manganese

Minerals In the Blueprint protocol

A trace mineral present in wholegrains, nuts and tea. Requirements are small and intakes are usually adequate, which is why it appears in multivitamins at modest amounts.

What it does in the body

Manganese is the metal at the core of mitochondrial superoxide dismutase, the enzyme that neutralises superoxide where most of it is produced. It is also needed to build cartilage.

What the research looks at

  • Antioxidant enzyme activity in mitochondria
  • Bone and cartilage formation
Typical daily dose
2–5 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Melatonin

Sleep

The hormone the pineal gland releases when light fades. In several EU countries it is available over the counter at low doses and is a prescription medicine at higher ones.

What it does in the body

Melatonin is a timing signal, not a sedative: it tells the body which part of the day it is. That is why the timing of the dose matters more than the size of it, and why very large doses are not more effective.

What the research looks at

  • Time to fall asleep and jet lag
  • Shift work and circadian realignment
  • Antioxidant activity in mitochondria
Typical daily dose
0.5–3 mg
Time to effect
Same evening
Usually taken
30–60 minutes before bed

Milk Thistle (Silymarin)

Liver & detox

A thistle from the Mediterranean whose seeds contain silymarin, a group of flavonolignans. It is the most-studied botanical in the liver category by a wide margin.

What it does in the body

Silymarin stabilises hepatocyte membranes and supports glutathione levels in liver tissue. It also acts as a direct antioxidant in a tissue that handles a high oxidative load by design.

What the research looks at

  • Liver enzymes such as ALT and AST
  • Fat accumulation in the liver
  • Antioxidant status in liver tissue
Typical daily dose
200–600 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Molecular Hydrogen (H2)

Antioxidants

The smallest molecule there is, dissolved in water from an effervescent tablet. Its size is the whole argument: it diffuses into places larger antioxidants cannot reach.

What it does in the body

H2 selectively reduces hydroxyl radicals, the most damaging reactive species, while leaving the signalling radicals the body uses deliberately alone. It also crosses cell membranes and the blood-brain barrier without a transporter.

What the research looks at

  • Markers of oxidative stress
  • Recovery and perceived exertion after exercise
  • Metabolic markers
Typical daily dose
1–2 tablets in water
Time to effect
Minutes to weeks
Usually taken
Drink immediately after dissolving

N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)

Liver & detox In the Blueprint protocol

A stabilised form of the amino acid cysteine. In hospitals it is the standard antidote for paracetamol overdose, given precisely because it restores liver glutathione quickly.

What it does in the body

Cysteine is the rate-limiting ingredient in glutathione synthesis — the body has plenty of the other two amino acids and not enough of this one. NAC also breaks disulphide bonds in mucus.

What the research looks at

  • Glutathione levels in liver and lung tissue
  • Mucus viscosity in airway conditions
  • Markers of oxidative stress
Typical daily dose
600–1800 mg
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide)

Energy In the Blueprint protocol

One step away from NAD+ in the salvage pathway. NAD+ levels decline substantially with age, and raising them is one of the more actively pursued ideas in longevity research.

What it does in the body

NMN is converted to NAD+ by the NMNAT enzymes. NAD+ is consumed by the sirtuins and by PARP enzymes during DNA repair, so demand rises exactly when supply is falling.

What the research looks at

  • Blood NAD+ levels after supplementation
  • Insulin sensitivity and physical function
  • Sirtuin activity in animal models
Typical daily dose
250–1000 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
Morning, on an empty stomach

NR (Nicotinamide Riboside)

Energy

The other common NAD+ precursor, one step further back than NMN. It has been through more human trials than NMN has, largely because it reached the market earlier.

What it does in the body

NR enters cells intact and is phosphorylated to NMN before conversion to NAD+. Whether NR or NMN raises tissue NAD+ more effectively is not settled.

What the research looks at

  • Blood NAD+ levels
  • Muscle function in older adults
  • Metabolic markers
Typical daily dose
250–500 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
Morning, with or without food

PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline Quinone)

Energy

A small quinone found in fermented soy, kiwi and human breast milk. It is redox-stable enough to cycle thousands of times, where most antioxidants are consumed after one.

What it does in the body

PQQ activates PGC-1α, the transcription coactivator that signals a cell to build new mitochondria. That is a different mechanism from CoQ10, which supports the mitochondria already present.

What the research looks at

  • Mitochondrial biogenesis markers
  • Sleep quality and fatigue
  • Cognitive performance
Typical daily dose
10–20 mg
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
Morning, with food

Pterostilbene

Antioxidants

A close relative of resveratrol found in blueberries. Two methyl groups make it considerably more fat-soluble, and its half-life in blood is several times longer.

What it does in the body

Acts on the same sirtuin and AMPK pathways as resveratrol, but reaches tissue at higher concentrations for the same dose because it resists first-pass metabolism better.

What the research looks at

  • Blood lipids and blood pressure
  • Cognitive markers
  • Bioavailability compared with resveratrol
Typical daily dose
50–250 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Quercetin

Antioxidants

The most abundant flavonoid in the diet, concentrated in onion skin, capers and apples. Absorption is low unless it is formulated with phospholipids or enzymatically modified.

What it does in the body

Quercetin stabilises mast cells, which is the basis of its use for seasonal complaints, and acts as a senolytic in laboratory work — selectively clearing cells that have stopped dividing.

What the research looks at

  • Histamine release and seasonal symptoms
  • Senescent cell clearance in animal models
  • Blood pressure
Typical daily dose
500–1000 mg
Time to effect
4–8 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Raw Honey

Antioxidants

Honey that has not been heated or filtered, so it keeps its pollen, enzymes and the compounds that pasteurisation drives off. It is still sugar, and should be counted as such.

What it does in the body

The enzyme glucose oxidase produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, which is why honey resists spoiling and why it is used on wounds. Raw honey also contains flavonoids and phenolic acids from the nectar source.

What the research looks at

  • Cough and throat irritation in children
  • Wound dressing in clinical use
  • Antioxidant content by floral source
Typical daily dose
1–2 teaspoons
Time to effect
Same day for throat use
Usually taken
Any time; not added to boiling liquid

Resveratrol

Antioxidants

The polyphenol in grape skin that started the red wine argument. A glass of wine contains around a milligram; the doses used in research are hundreds of times that.

What it does in the body

Resveratrol activates SIRT1 and AMPK, two of the pathways that respond to calorie restriction. Bioavailability is poor — it is metabolised within minutes of absorption.

What the research looks at

  • Endothelial function and blood pressure
  • Insulin sensitivity
  • Sirtuin and AMPK activation
Typical daily dose
150–500 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Scutellaria baicalensis (Baicalin)

Antioxidants

Chinese skullcap, one of the fundamental herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. The root is rich in the flavones baicalin, baicalein and wogonin.

What it does in the body

Baicalin is a flavonoid antioxidant that influences several enzymes in the inflammatory cascade. It is also studied for how it interacts with liver detoxification enzymes.

What the research looks at

  • Markers of oxidative stress
  • Liver enzyme activity
  • Airway and seasonal complaints
Typical daily dose
250–1000 mg
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Selenium

Minerals In the Blueprint protocol

A trace mineral whose content in food depends entirely on the soil the crop grew in. European soils are comparatively poor in it; a single Brazil nut can cover a day's requirement.

What it does in the body

Selenium is built into selenoproteins, including glutathione peroxidase and the deiodinase enzymes that convert thyroid hormone T4 into the active T3.

What the research looks at

  • Thyroid antibody levels
  • Antioxidant enzyme activity
  • Immune function
Typical daily dose
55–200 µg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Spermidine

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

A polyamine found in wheat germ, aged cheese and natto. It is one of the few dietary compounds with population data linking higher intake to longer life.

What it does in the body

Spermidine induces autophagy, the process by which cells dismantle and recycle damaged components. Autophagy declines with age, and most of the interest in spermidine follows from that.

What the research looks at

  • Markers of autophagy
  • Cognitive performance in older adults
  • Cardiac function in animal models
Typical daily dose
1–6 mg
Time to effect
12 weeks or more
Usually taken
Morning, on an empty stomach

Spirulina

Protein

A blue-green cyanobacterium rather than an alga, grown in alkaline lakes. It is around sixty per cent protein by dry weight, which is higher than any common food.

What it does in the body

Phycocyanin, the blue pigment, is the main antioxidant and gives spirulina its colour. It also supplies iron and, notably, no usable B12 — the form it contains is a pseudo-vitamin the body cannot use.

What the research looks at

  • Blood lipids and blood pressure
  • Exercise-induced oxidative stress
  • Iron status in anaemia
Typical daily dose
3–10 g
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
With food

Sulforaphane

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

Formed when broccoli is chewed or chopped and the enzyme myrosinase meets glucoraphanin. Broccoli sprouts contain up to a hundred times more of the precursor than the mature head.

What it does in the body

Sulforaphane is the most potent known natural activator of Nrf2, the transcription factor that switches on the cell's own antioxidant and phase II detoxification enzymes. It works indirectly, by making the cell defend itself.

What the research looks at

  • Nrf2 target gene expression
  • Detoxification of airborne pollutants
  • Markers of oxidative stress
Typical daily dose
10–40 mg
Time to effect
4–12 weeks
Usually taken
On an empty stomach

Tocotrienols

Vitamins

The other half of the vitamin E family, and the half normally left out. Annatto is the only common source that contains tocotrienols without any tocopherol alongside them.

What it does in the body

The unsaturated side chain lets tocotrienols move more freely within cell membranes than tocopherols can. They also inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme statins target.

What the research looks at

  • Blood lipid profile
  • Liver fat
  • Bone metabolism
Typical daily dose
150–300 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal, away from tocopherols

Trans-Resveratrol

Antioxidants

The biologically active isomer. Resveratrol exists as cis and trans forms, and only the trans form has meaningful activity — which is why the label should say which one it contains.

What it does in the body

Same mechanisms as resveratrol, but the trans configuration is what binds the targets. It is also unstable in light and heat, so packaging and storage matter more than for most ingredients.

What the research looks at

  • Stability and isomer content in commercial products
  • Bioavailability with piperine or fat
Typical daily dose
150–500 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Ubiquinol

Energy

The reduced, already-active form of CoQ10. Younger bodies convert ubiquinone to ubiquinol without difficulty; that conversion becomes less efficient with age, which is the argument for buying it pre-reduced.

What it does in the body

Same role in the respiratory chain as ubiquinone, but ubiquinol is the form that actually donates electrons to lipid radicals, so it is the antioxidant-active state of the molecule.

What the research looks at

  • Plasma CoQ10 levels compared with ubiquinone
  • Cardiac output in heart failure
  • Oxidative stress markers
Typical daily dose
100–200 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)

Vitamins In the Blueprint protocol

Humans are among the few mammals that cannot make their own vitamin C — a broken enzyme, shared with guinea pigs and fruit bats, is the reason it has to come from food.

What it does in the body

Ascorbate is a cofactor for the enzymes that hydroxylate collagen, which is why deficiency shows up first in connective tissue. It also regenerates vitamin E and keeps iron and copper in the right oxidation state.

What the research looks at

  • Duration of common colds
  • Collagen synthesis and skin firmness
  • Non-haem iron absorption
Typical daily dose
80–1000 mg
Time to effect
2–8 weeks
Usually taken
Split across the day

Vitamin E (Tocopherols)

Vitamins In the Blueprint protocol

A family of eight related compounds, not one substance. Most supplements contain only alpha-tocopherol, which is the form the body retains preferentially but not the only one that matters.

What it does in the body

Vitamin E sits inside cell membranes and stops the chain reaction of lipid peroxidation — it takes the hit so the membrane fat does not. Vitamin C then regenerates it.

What the research looks at

  • Oxidation of LDL particles
  • Skin barrier and photodamage
  • Membrane stability in red blood cells
Typical daily dose
12–268 mg
Time to effect
8–12 weeks
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Wild Blueberries

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

The small, dark northern berry, not the cultivated kind. It has a much higher skin-to-flesh ratio, and the skin is where the anthocyanins are — roughly twice the concentration.

What it does in the body

Anthocyanins cross into brain tissue in small amounts and are studied for their effect on cerebral blood flow and on signalling in the hippocampus.

What the research looks at

  • Memory and executive function
  • Cerebral blood flow after a single dose
  • Blood pressure and endothelial function
Typical daily dose
100–250 g fresh equivalent
Time to effect
2–12 weeks
Usually taken
Any time of day

Zeaxanthin

Antioxidants In the Blueprint protocol

Lutein's structural isomer, differing by the position of a single double bond. It is concentrated at the very centre of the macula, where lutein sits further out.

What it does in the body

Same blue-light filtering role as lutein but in the region of highest visual acuity. The two are taken together because the eye deposits them in different zones.

What the research looks at

  • Macular pigment density in the central fovea
  • Visual performance in bright light
Typical daily dose
2–4 mg
Time to effect
12 weeks or more
Usually taken
With a fat-containing meal

Why the form and the dose matter

Two products can name the same ingredient on the label and behave completely differently. Magnesium oxide and magnesium glycinate are both magnesium; only one of them is absorbed properly. Ethyl ester fish oil and triglyceride fish oil are both omega-3. Folic acid and methylfolate are both folate, but not for everyone.

That is the difference this page is written to make visible. Where a form matters we have given it its own entry rather than hiding it inside a general one, and the dose listed is the one used in the research — not the smallest amount a manufacturer can put on a label and still name the ingredient.

We only describe a product as third-party tested when there is documentation behind the claim. Below is what each of our brands actually documents, brand by brand.

Third-party testing

Certificates of analysis

Pick a brand to see what is actually tested and who tests it. Four of the seven publish reports you can open right here — and they publish different amounts, from a certificate for every batch down to a single lot. The other three document their testing and hand over the paperwork for a specific batch when you ask. That difference is worth knowing before you buy, so we have not smoothed it over. Every report is also linked from the product it covers.

Blueprint 24 reports published

Every batch goes to an independent accredited laboratory in the United States, which checks the contents against the label and screens for heavy metals, microbes and other contamination. Blueprint publishes the full report for every batch, and a new one follows each production run.

Supplements

Nutrition

Skincare

Haircare

Lineage Provisions 9 reports published

Samples from every batch are run on ICP-MS, LC-MS and GC-MS and screened for more than three hundred contaminants, among them heavy metals, glyphosate, pesticides and mycotoxins. The analyses are done by Light Labs, who publish a running report per product with every test result in it — not a single certificate but the whole series, with the date of the most recent test.

Supplements

Nutrition

Designs for Health 14 reports published

Raw materials are tested for identity, purity and potency at external ISO-certified laboratories and screened for heavy metals, pesticides and microbiological contamination. A supplier’s own certificate is treated as a claim to verify rather than a result to accept. Certificates are published per lot rather than for the product as a whole, so the one below covers the lot number printed on it and no other — for a different lot, ask us and we will request it.

Supplements

SALTE 1 report published

Each batch is sent to Eurofins, an independent accredited laboratory, which confirms that the sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride in a sachet match the amounts on the packet. The published report covers five flavours in one document and is the laboratory’s own, in Swedish.

Supplements

ARMRA Testing documented

Every production run is audited by ISO/IEC-accredited third-party laboratories for heavy metals, glyphosate, other contaminants and microbiology before any of it is released for sale. ARMRA documents the programme and its certifications publicly; the report for a specific batch comes from the manufacturer on request.

Quicksilver Scientific Testing documented

Made in an NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP-certified facility in Colorado with its own ISO/IEC 17025-accredited testing laboratory. Every batch is tested both in-house and by outside laboratories for potency and purity; the certificate for a batch comes from the manufacturer on request.

Solgar Reports on request

Solgar tests raw materials on arrival and finished products before release in its own quality laboratory, and manufactures to GMP. That is an in-house programme, not an outside verification: Solgar carries no NSF or USP certification, so we do not describe it as third-party tested. Batch documentation is available from the manufacturer on request.

Vital Nutrients Testing documented

Vital Nutrients documents a Quality Assurance Programme that engages third-party laboratories — every batch of GMO-susceptible ingredients, for example, is tested for GMO markers at an independent genetics laboratory, and even the bottles are third-party verified BPA-free. Individual lot certificates are not published; documentation for a batch comes from the manufacturer on request.

T.A. Sciences Testing documented

T.A. Sciences documents an end-to-end testing and analysis programme across sourcing, formulation and US manufacturing, and TA-65 has been determined Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by an independent expert panel. That safety assessment is not batch testing, and no lot certificates are published — documentation comes from the manufacturer on request.

Why testing matters

Why does a supplement need testing at all?

Because nothing else verifies the label. A supplement is regulated as a food, not as a medicine, which means no authority checks each batch before it reaches a shelf. Testing is what turns the number on the tub into something you can look up.

What is being tested for?

Two separate things. Identity and quantity — is the ingredient present, and in the amount the label states. And contamination — heavy metals, microbes, solvent residues and traces from the packaging, which can come from the raw material, the production line or the container.

How often is the label actually wrong?

Often enough to be worth checking. Of 272 supplements implicated in liver injury in the United States, 51 per cent had contents that did not match the label (Hepatology Communications, 2019). Among 57 botanical sports supplements, 89 per cent were inaccurately labelled and 40 per cent contained none of the labelled ingredient at all (JAMA Network Open, 2023).

What can I ask you for?

The report for the batch you were sent. Where a manufacturer does not publish one, we ask them for it — tell us the product and the batch number on the tub and we will come back with what they give us, or with the fact that they would not.

The certificates are the property of the manufacturers and their laboratories, and are linked here in their original location. Blueprint’s reports may not be reused without Blueprint’s permission.

This page is general information about ingredients, not advice for you. Food supplements are not medicines and do not cure, treat or prevent disease. They do not replace a varied diet, sleep, movement or medical care. Doses and timings are those used in published research and on product labels; they are not a recommendation. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or living with a medical condition, talk to a doctor or pharmacist before starting anything new.