What is third-party tested?

A supplement is third-party tested when an independent lab (not the brand, not the manufacturer, not paid by either to produce a favorable result) runs analysis on a finished product batch and publishes the certificate confirming identity, potency, purity, or banned-substance status.

What is the difference between USP Verified and NSF Certified Dietary?

Both cover identity, potency, and contaminants. USP Verified explicitly tests dissolution / performance; NSF Dietary does not. NSF Dietary has a stronger GMP audit footprint. They are peer-level programs, not strictly stronger or weaker than each other.

Do USP Verified or NSF Dietary cover banned substances?

No. Neither program screens for the WADA Prohibited List. If you are in a drug-tested sport, look for NSF Certified for Sport or Informed-Sport instead.

What is a Certificate of Analysis (CoA)?

The published lab document showing the result of a third-party test for a specific batch of a specific product. A real CoA names the lab, the batch number, the date tested, the analytes (what was tested for), the results, and the lab's signatory.

How does ScanCheck use these terms?

ScanCheck cross-references public certificates against the bottle in your camera. Each verdict (green, amber, red) is grounded in the vocabulary on this page. Green = batch on file; amber = brand known, batch unseen; red = no public independent lab certificate.

Supplement testing glossary

The working vocabulary of third-party supplement verification, explained. If you have read a lab certificate, a brand's marketing page, or a sport-governing-body advisory and gotten lost in jargon, this glossary is for you. Every term links back to the surfaces on ScanCheck where the concept shows up.

Third-party tested Identity Potency Purity Dissolution Banned-substance screen WADA Certificate of Analysis Batch certificate GMP FDA recall NSF USP Informed-Sport / Informed-Choice Clean Label Project Blueprint PowderHaus

Third-party tested: A supplement product, ingredient, or batch tested by an independent laboratory that is not the brand, not the manufacturer, and not paid by either to produce a favorable result. The lab publishes a certificate confirming one or more of identity, potency, purity, or banned-substance status.; If a brand claims "third-party tested" but cannot produce a public certificate, the claim is unverifiable. ScanCheck only counts published, independently published certs as evidence. See our pillar post on third-party testing.
Identity: Confirmation that the active ingredient listed on the label is, chemically, the substance that is actually in the bottle. Identity testing distinguishes, for example, real vitamin D3 from a cheaper substitute or a contaminated batch.
Potency: Confirmation that the amount of active ingredient in the bottle matches the amount on the label, within a stated tolerance. A 100 mg-labeled capsule that measures 60 mg fails potency; a 105 mg capsule passes within a 10% tolerance.
Purity: Confirmation that contaminant levels are below published thresholds. Common contaminants tested for: heavy metals (lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium), microbial counts (yeast, mold, total aerobic bacteria), pesticide residues, plasticizers (phthalates, BPA), and solvent residues.
Dissolution: The rate at which a finished supplement breaks down in the body so the active ingredient can be absorbed. USP Verified explicitly tests dissolution; most other dietary supplement programs do not.
Banned-substance screen: Testing a product against a published list of substances drug-tested athletes are not allowed to use. The list comes from WADA (international), NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NCAA, or sport-specific bodies. NSF Certified for Sport and Informed-Sport both run banned-substance screens.
WADA: The World Anti-Doping Agency. WADA publishes the Prohibited List that governs Olympic-level sport and is the baseline list for most national professional sports leagues. WADA does not test products directly -- it publishes the list that third-party labs screen against.
Certificate of Analysis (CoA): The published lab document showing the result of a third-party test for a specific batch of a specific product. A real CoA names the lab, the batch number, the date tested, the analytes (what was tested for), the results, and the lab's signatory.; ScanCheck cross-references public CoAs against the bottle in your camera. See the CoA index if you want to inspect raw certificates, or read the practical guide on reading a CoA to spot the difference between a real CoA and a marketing PDF.
Batch certificate: A CoA tied to a specific production run identified by a batch / lot number printed on the bottle. Batch-level certification (e.g. Informed-Sport) is stronger than product-level certification because each manufacturing run is independently tested.
GMP -- Good Manufacturing Practice: An audit standard for the manufacturing facility itself, not the finished product. cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practice) means the facility passes an audit covering sanitation, batch documentation, raw-ingredient handling, and equipment calibration. The FDA requires cGMP compliance for supplement manufacturers; NSF and USP independently audit cGMP as part of their certification programs.
FDA recall: An advisory issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removing a supplement product from the market because of contamination, adulteration, or label-claim violation. ScanCheck mirrors the FDA dietary-supplement recall feed at /recall/.
NSF International: A US-based independent testing organization with two major dietary supplement programs: NSF Certified Dietary Supplements (NSF/ANSI 173) for identity + potency + contaminants + cGMP audit, and NSF Certified for Sport which adds a banned-substance screen against ~280 substances.
USP -- United States Pharmacopeia: The US nonprofit that sets official quality standards for prescription drugs. USP Verified is its consumer dietary supplement program covering identity, potency, purity, performance / dissolution, and cGMP. Compare to NSF Dietary in this pillar post.
Informed-Sport / Informed-Choice: Informed-Sport is LGC Group's batch-by-batch banned-substance test program for athlete-grade supplements. Informed-Choice is the consumer-grade peer that tests representative monthly samples. Compare to NSF Certified for Sport in this pillar post.
Clean Label Project: Clean Label Project tests finished consumer products for industrial and environmental contaminants (heavy metals, pesticide residue, plasticizers) above and beyond FDA monograph requirements. Common on baby food and "clean" supplement brands.
Blueprint third-party: Blueprint third-party is the public test program for the supplements in Bryan Johnson's Blueprint protocol. Every supplement in the stack publishes a CoA for identity and contaminants.
PowderHaus Labs: PowderHaus Labs is the independent testing partner for Nootropics Depot. Every batch they ship carries a public CoA covering identity, potency, and contaminants.

Frequently asked

What is third-party tested?: A supplement is third-party tested when an independent lab (not the brand, not the manufacturer, not paid by either) runs analysis on a finished product batch and publishes the certificate confirming identity, potency, purity, or banned-substance status.
What is the difference between USP Verified and NSF Certified Dietary?: Both cover identity, potency, and contaminants. USP Verified explicitly tests dissolution and performance; NSF Dietary does not. NSF Dietary has a stronger GMP audit footprint. They are peer-level programs, not strictly stronger or weaker than each other. See the pillar post.
Do USP Verified or NSF Dietary cover banned substances?: No. Neither program screens for the WADA Prohibited List. If you are in a drug-tested sport, look for NSF Certified for Sport or Informed-Sport instead.
What is a Certificate of Analysis (CoA)?: The published lab document showing the result of a third-party test for a specific batch of a specific product. A real CoA names the lab, the batch number, the date tested, the analytes (what was tested for), the results, and the lab's signatory.
How does ScanCheck use these terms?: ScanCheck cross-references public certificates against the bottle in your camera. Each verdict is grounded in the vocabulary on this page. Green = batch on file; amber = brand known, batch unseen; red = no public independent lab certificate.

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