How Products were Selected:
Products tested represent those popular among readers of ConsumerLab.com and commonly sold and/or available in the U.S. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, online retailers, and direct sales companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.Testing Methods:
Products were analyzed in one or more independent laboratories for the following. Identities of products were not disclosed to laboratories performing the testing.- Products claiming to contain ingredient levels of at least 10% of the adult recommended Daily Value (DV) at their maximum suggested daily serving size were analyzed for their vitamin and mineral index elements (one oil-soluble vitamin, one water-soluble vitamin by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and one mineral by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS); prioritized in the order shown in paragraph 1 of "Passing Score" below) using methodologies from the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC), United States Pharmacopeia Dietary Supplement Compendium (USP-DSC 2024) or other appropriate methods for multivitamin/Multimineral formulations.
- Prenatal products were additionally analyzed for iodine content by appropriate methodology.
- Analyses for lead, cadmium, arsenic, and mercury by ICP-MS for products containing whole plant material, rice bran, cocoa and/or any vitamin supplement containing more than 130 mg of minerals per daily serving including any product with a declared amount of dicalcium phosphate.
- Disintegration of tablets (excluding orodispersible, chewable, sublingual, capsulated and time-release formulations) was analyzed utilizing United States Pharmacopeia (USP) <2040> recommendations entitled "Disintegration and Dissolution of Dietary Supplements".
- Disintegration of orodispersible tablets (ODTs) were analyzed utilizing European Pharmacopeia recommendations (European Pharmacopeia 7th edition 2010).
- Disintegration time of enteric coated, time-release, and sustained release tablet, caplets and softgel formulations utilizing USP <2040> methodology for delayed-release (enteric-coated) tablets.
ConsumerLab.com may modify or use other appropriate test methods if necessary to test special product formulations.
Identities of products were not disclosed to laboratories performing the testing.
Passing Score:*
To be approved by ConsumerLab.com, a product must meet the following requirements:- Contain at least 100% and no more than 165% of its claimed amount of oil soluble index vitamins, no more than 150% of its claimed amount of water soluble index vitamins and no more than 125% of the index minerals (as described below). For products claiming less than 10% of the adult DV for calcium or magnesium, or less than 50 mg of vitamin C, must contain at least 100% and no more than 25 mg over the claimed amount. All formulations, including gummies, were held to the same standards, which are largely based on requirements for tablets and capsules as these are the most stringent standards.
Products were tested for at least one index element in each category. The first element within each applicable category is selected unless not claimed in the product, in which case, the next claimed element is selected. Any product claiming vitamin A must meet its claimed amount for total vitamin A (beta-carotene and retinol combined) as well as meet any claimed ratio of beta-carotene to total vitamin A. However, an overage must not cause the product to exceed any Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL).- Oil-soluble vitamins
- Vitamin A (levels of beta carotene and retinal (retinyl acetate or palmitate evaluated independently) 100% (FDA) to 165% (USP-DSC 2024). For products with combinations of beta carotene and retinol, a 20% difference in the stated percentages of beta carotene and the type of retinol are allowed only if the product passes for total vitamin A.
- Vitamin D 100% (FDA) to 165% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Vitamin E (natural and synthetic forms) 100% (FDA) to 165% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Water-soluble vitamins
- Folic acid (folate) 100% (FDA) to 150% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) 100% (FDA) to 150% (USP-DSC 2024).
- B Vitamins - Niacin or Pyridoxine or Riboflavin 100% (FDA) to 150% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Minerals
- Iron 100% (FDA) to 125% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Zinc 100% (FDA) to 125% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Calcium 100% (FDA) to 125% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Magnesium 100% (FDA) to 125% (USP-DSC 2024).
- Oil-soluble vitamins
- Prenatal products must contain at least 100% (FDA) and no more than 165% (USP-DSC 2024) of its claimed amount of iodine per daily serving.
- Heavy Metals: Products containing whole plant ingredients, rice bran, cocoa or any vitamin supplement containing more than 130 mg of minerals per daily serving including any product with a declared amount of dicalcium phosphate must not exceed the following limits:
Lead:- Products marketed for use by children under 12 years of age or by pregnant or nursing women may not exceed the State of California's Prop 65 limits for lead in dietary supplements of 0.5 mcg per recommended daily serving with an additional allowance of 0.8 mcg if the product contains more than 1,000 mg/day of calcium.
- Products with a single serving weight of less than 5 grams that are not marketed for use by children under 12 years of age, may not exceed the State of California's Prop 65 limits for lead in dietary supplements of 0.5 mcg per recommended daily serving (above which a warning regarding reproductive harm, birth defects, or cancer risks is required in California) with an additional allowance of 0.4 mcg if containing 250-999 mg/day of any combination of elemental calcium, magnesium and potassium or 0.8 mcg if containing more than 1,000 mg/day of any combination of these minerals. An additional allowance of 0.5 mcg is provided if containing 250-999 mg/day of whole herb (not extract) or 1.0 mcg if containing 1000 mg/day or more of whole herb (not extract). However, total lead allowance must not exceed 2 mcg per daily serving.
- Products with single serving weights of 5 grams or more that are not marketed for children under 12 years of age may not exceed 2.5 mcg per serving nor 4.0 mcg per daily serving.
- If marketed for use by children under 12 years of age, may not exceed 3.0 micrograms of cadmium per recommended daily serving (based on Canada's limit for a child weighing 75lbs). If not marketed for use by children under 12 years of age, may not exceed 4.1 micrograms of cadmium per recommended daily serving (above which California's Prop 65 law requires a "reproductive harm" warning due to developmental toxicity and male reproductive harm.
- Contain less than 10 micrograms of total arsenic per daily serving (based on Canada’s limit per daily serving of a natural health product, and U.S. EPA and state of New Jersey limit in 1 liter of water). Products found to exceed this amount were tested for inorganic arsenic and must not contain more than 2.1 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per daily serving (Canada's additional limit in natural health products).
- May not exceed 2 micrograms of inorganic mercury per daily serving (based on EPA limit for mercury in 1 liter of water).
- If applicable to the product, it must meet recommended USP <2040> parameters for disintegration for dietary supplement tablets (excluding ODTs, chewable, sublingual, and time-release products).
- ODTs must meet recommendations of European Pharmacopeia 7th edition, 2010 (Brniak et.al, SPS 2015).
- Enteric coated, time-release, and sustained release tablet, caplet and softgel formulations must meet recommended USP <2040> parameters for delayed-release (enteric-coated) tablets, caplets and softgels by visual inspection.
- Be in compliance with FDA labeling requirements.
* Passing scores allow for specific margins of technical error associated with each analysis. ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to display unacceptable variation in quality, present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.
