Bloomingdale, IL—Since 2017, NOW has been conducting an industry self-policing program, testing unfamiliar brands sold on online in an effort to expose and address low-quality products in the marketplace. The company's testing has focused on products sold on Amazon.com and Walmart.com. Testing focuses on in-demand ingredients, such as berberine. NOW's latest round of testing (its 18th since the start of its efforts) focused on resveratrol products sold on Amazon.com.
“'Buyer beware' certainly applies to resveratrol, as we found significant problems with most products tested,” reported Dan Richard, NOW Health Group VP of Global Sales and Marketing. “Once again, NOW will share this info with Amazon directly and with the FDA, in hopes of further action.”
Fast Facts About Resveratrol
- This antioxidant supplement was first isolated in 1939.
- It is a polyphenol naturally found in grapes, red wine, peanuts, and herbs such as Japanese knotweed roots.
- There are two types of resveratrol: cis-resveratrol and trans-resveratrol. Both have the same molecular formula, NOW explains, but trans-resveratrol is more bioavailable and easier for the body to absorb.
- Japanese knotweed extract is the most common form of resveratrol in dietary supplements, and the trans-resveratrol portion is often found between 50-98%.
- Natural resveratrol also contains many trace levels of additional antioxidants.
- Synthesized resveratrol is isolated chemically and does not contain other synergistic components.
- NOW has sold resveratrol since 2005.
About NOW's Testing
NOW bought two bottles of each product from 30 brands, including NOW, on Amazon. According to the company, there were red flags: Most of products selected for testing "seemed suspicious due to inflated potencies and mislabeling on the front label panels."
In addition to in-house testing by NOW, one unopened bottle of each brand was sent to Alkemist Labs for an independent report on the same products. Both NOW and Alkemist performed high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) testing. As NOW explained, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet light detection (HPLC-UV) is the correct method to accurately measure the amount of trans-resveratrol in a sample.
NOW also noted: "Resveratrol is a very interesting natural compound to test due to its complexity and labeling options. It's important to note that labeling for resveratrol dietary supplements is inconsistent across different brands."
Findings on Resveratrol
NOW details its findings, including information on brands testing and results, here. Some highlights:
- Two-thirds of the 30 brands tested by NOW have confusing or dishonest labeling for Resveratrol, NOW reported.
- 21 out of 30 brands tested were below labeled potency
- 17 contained less than 10% of claimed potency. NOW explained that many brands display the highest potency number on the front panel and in Amazon search terms, but “tricky” labeling on the side panel may not match numbers.
Previous testing by NOW has been conducted on brands that sell:
NOW also has reported multiple supplements sold on Amazon impersonating the NOW brand, as well as another prominent industry supplement brand.
How can natural products retailers can help?
NOW generally does not test health food store brands or practitioner brands, as the company says quality issues do not seem to be a major issue with those brands. In 2022, WholeFoods Magazine recognized NOW and other industry leaders for such efforts, naming the Person of the Year: The Amazon.com Quality Activists. Dan Richard, VP of Global Sales and Marketing, NOW Health Group told WholeFoods: “Stores can publish NOW’s results to let consumers know ‘buyer beware.' They can share some of the many articles published about our testing programs in their newsletters or on social media. The low prices online are sometimes too good to be true. Local stores have many advantages that online stores can’t offer including service, in-person experience, sampling, and more. It’s not easy these days for any business, but many natural retailers still succeed by finding a worthwhile niche, providing quality health products and at a reasonable price."
