05/22/2024
We received an interesting email from our rep at Ortho Molecular this past week. We felt this was important information to share and keep in mind when shopping for supplements. Read below:
There are many dangers to buying supplements on Amazon. As I've shared in the past, Ortho Molecular will purchase our own products being sold on Amazon (as we do not have a store front on that site) and will both screen for the source of purchase, as well as the quality within the formula.
On several occasions, we have found product tampered with, fake labels and lot numbers, and other scary things you can think of... This is not something to take lightly, in any capacity. I attached an image of an adulterated label and bottle we received from Amazon, which if you are familiar with your labeling you will notice that the font, sizing of the logo and other details do not match our product labels. I also attached the Ortho Molecular product bottle for reference of the differences.
Now Foods, a largely known retail supplement brand that has their own store front set up, but also found resellers who were selling Now Supplements on Amazon. They purchased those products and found similar things that we did (adulterated, tampered, etc.) and published an article regarding that. LINK: : NOW Discovers Impersonator Fraudulent Products Sold on Amazon | NOW Foods
Additionally, there was a study done a few years ago that looked at various immune support supplements purchased from Amazon. This study showed that more than half of the products purchased there did NOT meet label claim... LINK (patient-friendly article): Don't Rely on Amazon for Legitimate Supplements, Study Finds (verywellhealth.com)
What this tells me, is that although Amazon claims to require a certificate of analysis and other quality checks for products sold, they are not thoroughly looking at the information being provided to them. This is concerning, because that points to a lack of accountability from the retail website, which puts both patients, and the companies those patients think they are buying from, in jeopardy.
It is not just supplements that are being affected by this. I have learned that hair care products, lotions, makeup, etc. are also adulterated.
Essentially, if you plan to purchase something to ingest or apply to your skin, it should be in a controlled environment that takes absolutely necessary quality checks seriously.
It is a shame something we have become so used to using has become such a risk to health!
