How to Navigate the “Wild West” of Supplements: What to Know Before You Buy
How to Navigate the “Wild West” of Supplements: What to Know Before You Buy
Author: Emily Grochowski, Dr. Kim Celmer, and The Grove Team
Walk into any wellness aisle — or scroll your social feed — and you’re bound to be bombarded with promises: better sleep, boosted energy, flawless skin, stronger immunity. The vitamin, minerals, and supplement industry is booming, but behind those glossy labels and social media posts lies a harsh reality: the U.S. supplement market is still largely underregulated.¹ ²
For anyone trying to make informed, healthy choices, this lack of adequate oversight and evidence can make the supplement realm feel like the Wild West. Given its nebulous nature, we brought in our Wellness Advisors, Naturopathic Physician Kim Celmer and Registered Dietician Nutritionist Emily Grochowski, to help you navigate the noise and marketing claims — because putting your health first shouldn’t be a guessing game.
Supplements are regulated... kind of
Most people are surprised to learn that dietary supplements in the U.S. aren’t regulated like medications. The FDA treats them more like food, which means they don’t require approval before hitting shelves. Instead, the FDA’s Human Foods Program steps in after a supplement is on the market — inspecting facilities, monitoring for adverse effects, and stepping in only when problems arise.
This less rigorous approach leaves a lot of gray areas. While organizations like the NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements, US Pharmacopeia (USP), NSF International, and trade associations like the Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) aim to raise standards, there’s no guarantee that the bottle you’re holding contains what it claims — or that it’s effective, or even safe.
Why this lack of oversight puts you at risk
Without stronger government regulation, standards or required certifications, or a universal language about what certain words, phrases, and terms mean, supplement quality is still a mixed bag. Here's why:
Weak evidence base: Many supplements haven’t been rigorously tested or studied, especially in gold standard, randomized, placebo-controlled, human trials.
Scientific literacy gaps: Even when data exists, it’s often inaccessible to the many consumers who often lack the knowledge and skills to draw appropriate conclusions from study findings
Misinformation overload: Social and mass media coverage of science is prone to mis-interpretating and sensationalizing a single scientific study results, which is particularly problematic when combined with slick marketing masking weak or misleading claims.
Systemic health gaps: Inadequate healthcare access pushes people to seek hope in pills — sometimes without a clear understanding of the risks or benefits.
The result? Products with questionable ingredients, confusing labeling, and/or outsized promises flood the market, making it hard to know who — or what — to trust.
A silver lining: faster innovation and access
While the downsides are real, there’s one upside: less regulation means faster access to potentially beneficial products. Unlike prescription drugs, which must undergo years of extremely expensive clinical trials and testing before coming to market, supplements can move from formulation to shelf in a fraction of the time. If herbs and supplements were regulated the same way, we would have very limited access to them.
But faster access only helps when quality and transparency are present.
How to shop smarter in a murky market
Our Wellness Advisors recommend a few grounded, actionable steps to shop safer and smarter:
1. Work with one or more healthcare professionals
When it comes to supplements, we recommend working with at least one licensed practitioner who has verifiable training in the arena of supplements (e.g. ND, MD who has training in “functional medicine”, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist) and who can work with you one on one to assess your unique potential supplement needs, interactions with medications you may be taking, possible symptoms, other risks and/or side effects.
2. Look for third-party testing
Reputable brands should post certificates of analysis (COAs) from third-party labs on their websites. Trusted certifiers include: NSF International, USP Verified, Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA), ISO 17025 Accreditation, and ConsumerLab.Com.
3. Do a transparency check
A good supplement brand will clearly list all ingredients, including dosage and sourcing. Bonus points if they share details about their formulation team — ideally including certified healthcare professionals or scientists.
4. Test the customer service
Reach out and ask questions. See how knowledgeable and transparent the brand is. If they’re cagey about providing details, it may be best to move on.
5. Be skeptical of hype
Lastly, avoid brands that claim to be miracle cures or replacements for proven lifestyle practices. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
How experts vet the research
For those who want to dig deeper, experts use tools like PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library to analyze scientific studies — especially systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials. For everyone else, leaning on third-party testing organizations and trusted medical professionals is the safest path.
Wellness that works for you
Your wellness journey is personal — and that means the ingredients you choose should work for you and your unique wants and needs. In a market flooded with bold claims and vague labels, making informed decisions can feel overwhelming. Conversely, learning about supplement regulation, label reading, and how to ask the right questions can help empower and improve our choices.
While having a science background is certainly an asset in helping navigate this space, you don’t have to be a healthcare provider or scientist to make informed health decisions. What is essential is having the right healthcare team, tools, and evidence-based health information from trusted sources like Home Planet or credible publications. Other key mindset factors include remaining skeptical yet curious and above all, listening to your body. Whether you're reaching for a multivitamin or a trendy adaptogen, remember: the best supplement is one that’s safe, effective, and aligned with your unique health needs.
Be mindful of the distractions of the boom and bust cycles of so many “wellness” trends, and do your best to stay focused on consistency with the foundational health habits that years of research suggest are our best investments of our long-term wellbeing.
Sources
1 Hardy, M. L. (2015, February 1). Dietary supplement use and safety. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4330859/
2 Resnik, D. (2022, May). What should dietary supplement oversight look like in the U.S.? AMA Journal of Ethics.https://journalofethics.ama-assn.org/article/what-should-dietary-supplement-oversight-look-us/2022-05
