LOW BAR. The Slipping Supplement Standards.
What bar? More like a line of tape.
Maybe it's due to the economy. Changing consumer desires. A lack of education. Or perhaps because most businesses nowadays are just for profit and rarely nobody seems to give a shit about the consumer anymore.
But it's clear that today's supplement product standards are a very, very low.
And when it comes "high bar" supplements, we would hope they are somehow better; that they avoid budget ingredients, unhealthier alternatives, inflated prices, and/or cut corners. But they usually don't. The bar is so low for "top supplements" a baby could crawl over it, and the price bar so high you'd better start climbing now.
What bothers us the most is not that anyone with a 8th grade education and basic internet access could formulate these supplements, it's because they appear (in price, advertisement, hype, and more) to be something terribly that they are not.
Underneath the label, evidence shows they commonly serve to maximize dollar and hype for over real value, effectiveness, and quality. They ALWAYS rip customers off. And they always take advantage of you and your health, fitness, and performance like the half-assed written spam email that takes advantage of your sweet 95 year old grandma who's now sending her bank account savings number to Sir. Jumbuji III so he can finally buy his bus ticket home.
Do we have any proof many "top shelf" supplements are a rip off? Yes, yes we do. We are a team of professional supplement formulators, scientists, athletes, and doctors with decades of experience. There is too much proof.
Here are a few examples.
"Life is a patented blend of essential amino acids that works to improve quality of life and lengthen total lifespan so you can stay healthy and active as you age."
Okay.
But $95 for a bottle of 108g of artificially flavored Amino Acids that costs this company at most $4 per jar to make?
We sell 300g of EAA for $53!
Fortunately, the good thing is that there is an increased awareness that super $$$$ products aren't necessarily great products.
Like so many other shameless promotions, next up is Abel James and wildsuperfoods.
We thought this guy was one of the good ones, but when he got into supplements, it all got thrown out the window!
The WFH's PurePaleo Chocolate is above. They purchase for around $30 as we purchase around a similar price for the exact same product, but they sell it for $132! https://wildsuperfoods.com/products/collagen-cocoa-grass-fed-bone-broth-protein
We could even produce a vanilla version of this protein product and sell for just $15 more in this exact quantity PLUS add some glucosamine and glutamine for added benefits. As is, our PURECLEAN PROTEIN is priced at $37.00 vs. DFH's $132. But how would you know this is a rip off unless you know before?
James also talks about how unique one of the greens products on the website is; but, they are mostly just relabeling other products which are marked up 75% to his listeners! Even worse, the greens blend is a relabeled Amazing Grass product.
Listen minute 2 to 6 for the BS.
Similar to above, we have a deal here with EAA blend influencer Kion that sells amino acid packets for 70% more than FUNDAMINOS. Kion: $80 vs. FUNDAMINOS: $53
https://getkion.com/products/aminos-packets
Why? Influencer, cash needed to throw into the fire to keep the marketing hype running, to pay lots of employees, and so on.
The Kion jar is also at a 70% markup compared to FUNDAMINOS per gram of amino acids. Kion: $45 for 225g vs. FUNDAMINOS: $53 for 390g.
https://getkion.com/products/aminos-powder
Why? Influencer, cash needed to throw into the fire to keep the marketing hype running, greed, and so on.
Fortagen is also at a mark up of 50% more compared to FUNDAMINOS. Fortagen: $102 for 450g vs. FUNDAMINOS: $53 for 390g.
AG1, 12g per serving, 360g total for $110. Mostly spirulina, other low cost greens, and a dash of some other potentially helpful enzymes and herbs.
https://athleticgreens.com/en#offers
Influencer BS ALERT: "It’s really one supplement that covers so many bases and you’d be hard-pressed to find something else this comprehensive in one place.” - Mark Hyman Functional MD
Wut? Really? Ok, CHOCOBERRY, more active ingredients, 16g nutrition per serving, 480g for $53.
AG1 is almost 300% more expensive than CHOCOBERRY. No, nothing inside this AG1 formula warrants this product being that much more expensive than our very own physician formulated product, with more active ingredients and nutrition, by the way.
Four Sigmatic Instant Mushroom Coffee 500mg two mushrooms and 50mg caffeine per serving. $35 for 75g. 300% markup per gram vs. UNBEETABREW.
https://us.foursigmatic.com/products/30-serving-multiserve-instant-mushroom-coffee-with-lion-s-mane
UNBEETABREW 1500mg of 5 mushrooms, 5000mg beet juice, 75mg caffeine per serving, plus 5 other clinically proven energy boosting ingredients. $53 for 330g.
Human N beet juice powder. No CoA of beet strength, only 5g beets per serving and some added sweeteners and yet $36 per jar 150g total. That's almost a 200% markup compared to PURECLEAN BEET which has 10g beet juice per serving, not to mention with a 3rd party certificate for its premium beet juice strength every batch, 300g total.
https://humann.com/products/superbeets-superfood?variant=29389025935471
Human N beet chews. Once again, no CoA of beet strength, only 500mg beets and 3 to 4 drops of grapeseed oil. High in carbs and sugars. $36 per bag of 30 servings.
https://humann.com/products/superbeets-superfood?variant=29389025935471
BEETUMS has 3g of active ingredients starting with beet juice powder and still the 3rd party certificate for beet juice strength every batch. Plus BEETUMS is clinically proven to enhance the effects of beet juice through it's oral delivery system. $40 for 30 servings.
We could go on...but there's no other reason we are still in business after 16 years charging what we charging if our products didn't do what they say they do.
The Highest Bar. Life Elevated. PureClean Performance