Ever picked up a supplement and thought, “Wow - so many ingredients, it must be powerful”? Not so fast. A long label can hide a common trick called fairy-dusting, where fashionable ingredients are sprinkled in tiny amounts to list them on the pack. The result? A product that looks impressive but isn’t going to do much.
This quick, reader-friendly guide will show you how to skim a label in under three minutes and tell the difference between clever marketing and formulations that are genuinely evidence-aligned, without needing a science degree.
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The 3-minute label test
1) Can you see the dose for each active?
If a brand uses a “proprietary blend” and only shows a total (e.g., “Focus Complex 1,000 mg”), you can’t know how much of each ingredient you’re getting. If you can’t see the numbers, you can’t compare them to research - simple as that.
2) Is the extract standardised?
For botanicals, look for a percentage of the key actives, e.g., Bacopa monnieri (≥50% bacosides) or Rhodiola rosea (≥3% rosavins, ≥1% salidroside). Standardisation helps ensure you’re getting consistent active compounds, not just ground plant.
3) Does the wording follow UK claim rules?
In Great Britain, nutrients with authorised claims must use precise phrasing (e.g., “Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels.”). You’ll never see disease-treatment language on compliant sites because that’s not allowed. For a quick sense check, keep an eye out for the word “contributes” - that’s the NHC (Nutrition & Health Claims) style.
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What “evidence-aligned dosing” actually means
You don’t need to memorise study tables. Just remember this: good products use amounts and forms that reflect what’s been tested in people (not only in test tubes or animals), and they tell you exactly what’s inside.
The form matters. “Magnesium” is vague; magnesium L-threonate or magnesium citrate provides more information about absorption and use case.
The standard matters. “Bacopa 300 mg (≥50% bacosides)” is far more informative than “Bacopa 300 mg” alone.
The numbers matter. If the dose is significantly lower than what human studies typically use, think twice.
> One practical example:
Bacopa monnieri (a memory-support botanical) is often studied at around 300 mg/day when the extract is standardised to roughly 50–55% bacosides, taken for about 12 weeks. That’s a handy benchmark when scanning a cognitive formula.
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Red flags (buyer beware)
Kitchen-sink formulas: 20+ actives squeezed into one capsule, all “proprietary blends,” no standardisation listed.
Hero buzzwords, tiny numbers: A trendy ingredient gets star billing on the front, but the back shows a minimal dose or none at all if it’s hidden in a blend.
Vague forms: “Magnesium,” “phospholipids,” or “herbal complex” with no further detail.
Green flags (quality cues)
Per-ingredient amounts disclosed (every active, every time).
Standardised botanical extracts (e.g., % bacosides, rosavins/salidroside).
Explicit nutrient claims that use NHC wording for authorised nutrients (e.g., zinc, vitamin B6, vitamin D).
Manufacturing and testing: look for GMP/ISO, third-party testing, and UK company details.
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Quick myth-busting: extract ratios vs standardisation
Extract ratio (e.g., 10:1) tells you how much raw plant becomes the extract.
Standardisation (e.g., ≥50% bacosides) tells you how much of the active is guaranteed.
The best labels often show both, because each tells a different part of the quality story.
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How this plays out in real life (and what to compare)
Let’s say you’re comparing two focus formulas:
Formula A lists a “Cognitive Blend 1,200 mg” with 8 ingredients. No individual doses, no standardisation.
Formula B lists each active with exact amounts and standards, e.g., Citicoline 500 mg, Bacopa 300 mg (≥50% bacosides), Rhodiola 200 mg (≥3% rosavins, ≥1% salidroside).
Even before reading a single study, Formula B is easier to trust because you can map the label to known study ranges and judge value for money. That’s transparency. That’s dose integrity.
If you want to see how we present this in practice, check our Neurofocus+ (Brain Stack)—we disclose each ingredient and its amount clearly.
(Prefer a sleep example? Our Sleep Stack shows the exact forms and amounts—like magnesium L-threonate, L-theanine, and apigenin—so you can understand exactly what you’re taking.)
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A simple shopping checklist you can screenshot
- Every active shows an exact mg (no hiding in blends)
- Botanicals list a standardisation (e.g., ≥50% bacosides)
- Ingredients match human-study ranges (at least in the same ballpark)
- Any nutrient benefits use NHC-style phrasing (“contributes to…”)
- Manufacturer quality cues: GMP/ISO, third-party testing, UK company details