The supplement and vitamin world have been widely unregulated for the last decade or so, contributing to the hesitation of many to trust any brand in that space. However, a viral video exposed many supplements sold on eBay and Amazon after reviewing research that showed they didn’t contain what they claimed on their labels, causing even more Americans to question the supplement market.

The Problem

In an article published back in 2020 on Consumer Reports, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reportedly tested dietary supplements sold on Amazon and eBay categorized under weight loss and sexual enhancement. The results showed that more than 50 products contained active pharmaceutical ingredients, including prescription drugs, that weren’t listed on the label. Many of these ingredients are restricted for use only under the supervision of a licensed healthcare professional.

Additional ingredients aren’t the only issue when it comes to labeling for dietary supplements. A 2015 lawsuit listed several popular AREDS 2-based supplements as missing ingredients that they claimed on their labels. An article on Science News published in 2023 reviewed science that looked at sports-specific supplements and revealed that just 11% of the 57 tested products had accurate labels. Those that did contain ingredients claimed varied dramatically, from 0.02% to 334% compared to the amounts indicated on the label.

How Amazon Is Improving Its Quality Regulations

Amazon has since updated its quality requirements for dietary supplements sold on its platform. Its new regulations require products in this category to be tested by a third party, ensuring that they don’t have any missing or hidden ingredients. Diving deeper, third-party organizations must review:

• Manufacturing facility: every product must be manufactured in a facility compliant with current good manufactural practices (cGMPs), which must review:
  • All processes for calibrating instruments and controls
  • All records of calibration for instruments and controls
  • All records for calibrations, inspections, and checks of automated, mechanical, or electronic equipment
  • Controls to ensure that automated, mechanical, or electronic equipment functions in accordance with its intended use
• Contaminants: products must be tested for heavy metals, pesticide residue, microbial or other contaminants in accordance with NSF or USP guidelines.
• Ingredient claims: all products must clearly list all ingredients found in any/every dose.
  • According to the FDA, a product complies with this regulation if “The nutrient content of the [product] is at least equal to 80 percent of the value for that nutrient declared on the label.”
• Pharmaceutical ingredient screens: all products must be screened for active pharmaceutical ingredients according to NSF/ANSI 173 guidelines.

What Does Third-Party Testing Mean for You?

Ensuring dietary supplements go through third-party testing helps customers feel better when purchasing products. They know that what they read on the label is accurate in the sense that there’s nothing hidden in the formulation, and they know that the ingredients they’re looking for are delivered in the amounts promised. It also helps health care practitioners prescribe more confidently knowing that the critical review work has been done.

What About EyePromise®?

EyePromise is no exception to these new regulations. Like the other brands sold online, we, too, must undergo rigorous third-party testing through an approved organization to prove that our products are delivering everything we say and nothing we don’t. The main difference for us: we’ve already been doing this.

For over a decade, all EyePromise eye vitamins have been stringently tested by NSF® International, an organization that’s been approved by the FDA, Amazon, and eBay as a third-party tester. The NSF is well-known for their thorough testing protocols, and their sports-specific requirements are the standard for every professional and collegiate league.

Learn more about the NSF regulations followed by EyePromise.

When it comes to dietary supplements, especially for protecting and enhancing vision, you need to look for a name you can trust. EyePromise is that name for eye care professionals, professional and collegiate athletes, and people like you across the country. Start your eye health regimen today and get the trusted nutrition you’re looking for.