We Analyzed 525 Supplements. 62% Are Underdosed.

For each product in our database, we compared every listed ingredient against its dose-response threshold. That's the minimum amount shown to produce measurable benefits in peer-reviewed clinical trials.

We pulled these thresholds from over 47,000 studies indexed on PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov. Not manufacturer claims. Not influencer recommendations. Published research with actual control groups.

An ingredient counts as 'underdosed' when it falls below 75% of the lowest effective dose from clinical literature. We used that 75% cutoff rather than an exact match because individual variation means some people respond to slightly lower doses. Even with that generous threshold, 62% of products had at least one ingredient that didn't make the cut.

For context: that's 326 out of 525 products containing ingredients at doses too low to reasonably expect the benefits they're marketed for.

Not all ingredients are equally likely to be shortchanged. Here are the worst offenders:

1. Magnesium (73% of products underdosed)
Clinical studies use 200-400mg elemental magnesium. Most products contain 50-100mg because higher doses take up more capsule space. And many use oxide form (4% absorption) rather than glycinate (80%).

2. Vitamin D3 (58% underdosed)
Studies use 2,000-5,000 IU. Most multivitamins include 400-1,000 IU. That was the RDA from 1997. Research has moved on. Most products haven't.

3. Omega-3 EPA/DHA (54% underdosed)
Effective dose: 1,000-2,000mg combined EPA and DHA. Most fish oil capsules contain 300mg per softgel. You'd need 3-6 capsules to hit clinical doses. The label says 'Fish Oil 1000mg' but that's total oil, not EPA/DHA.

4. Ashwagandha (47% underdosed)
KSM-66 studies use 300-600mg. Many products use 100-200mg of generic ashwagandha root powder (which has different withanolide concentrations than standardized extracts).

5. Zinc (41% underdosed)
Studies use 15-30mg elemental zinc. Many formulas include 5-10mg. The form matters too. Zinc picolinate and zinc citrate absorb well. Zinc oxide does not.

Here's a pattern we see constantly: a product with 15, 20, sometimes 30+ ingredients. The marketing says 'complete formula.' The reality? Almost every ingredient is underdosed.

The average product in our database contains 8.3 ingredients. Research suggests optimal supplement stacks use 3-5 targeted ingredients at clinical doses. More isn't better. In fact, it's usually worse.

Why? Simple math. A standard capsule holds about 750mg. If you're cramming 15 ingredients into 2 capsules (1,500mg total), each ingredient gets around 100mg. That's below the effective dose for almost everything except a few vitamins and minerals.

Companies do this because a longer ingredient list looks more impressive. '25 ingredients!' sounds better than '3 ingredients!' on a label. But three ingredients at clinical doses will outperform twenty-five underdosed ones every single time.

The products that score highest in our database tend to be focused. They pick 3-5 ingredients for a specific purpose and dose them properly. That's it. No fairy dust.

We calculated the correlation between product price and our quality score. The result: r=0.12. For non-stats people, that's basically zero correlation.

Expensive doesn't mean better. Cheap doesn't mean worse. Price tells you about packaging, marketing budget, and brand positioning. It tells you almost nothing about what's inside.

We found products scoring 9/10 at $0.35 per serving. And products scoring 4/10 at $2.50 per serving. The $2.50 product had a prettier label, a bigger influencer deal, and worse ingredients.

The most reliably overpriced category? 'Greens powders.' Average score: 6.2/10. Average price: $2.80 per serving. Most contain dozens of ingredients, each at trace amounts, with a couple of well-dosed vitamins carrying the entire formula.

The best value category? Simple single-ingredient supplements. Creatine monohydrate, magnesium glycinate, vitamin D3. Boring labels. Clinical doses. Pennies per day.

You don't need a database of 525 products to spot underdosing. Here are three things to look for on any label:

1. Proprietary Blends
The label says 'Proprietary Blend: 500mg' followed by 10 ingredients. You don't know how much of each. Companies use this to hide the fact that most ingredients are present at meaningless amounts. If a company is proud of their doses, they list them individually.

2. 15+ Ingredients in a 2-Capsule Serving
Do the math. Two capsules hold maybe 1,500mg total. Divide that by 15 ingredients. That's 100mg each, maximum. Most ingredients need 200-600mg to work. The math doesn't math.

3. No Form Specified
The label says 'Magnesium 200mg' but doesn't say which form. That almost always means oxide (4% absorption). Glycinate (80% absorption) is something companies advertise because it's a selling point. If they don't mention the form, assume the cheapest one.

One more thing: if the product has more marketing claims than ingredient transparency, that's a red flag on its own.

It's not all bad news. 38% of products we analyzed do hit clinical doses. And some do it exceptionally well.

Products scoring 8/10 or above on IngredientMD share a few traits. They use patented, bioavailable ingredient forms (KSM-66 for ashwagandha, Albion chelates for minerals, Cognizin for CDP-Choline). They focus on 3-5 ingredients rather than cramming in 20. And they list every dose transparently.

Some categories are better than others. Creatine supplements score highest on average (8.1/10) because there's really only one form that matters (monohydrate) and the dose is well-established (3-5g). Hard to mess up.

Single-ingredient supplements generally outperform combination products. When a company is selling just one thing, they tend to dose it correctly. When they're building a '27-ingredient super formula,' corners get cut.

The bottom line: good products exist. You just need to look past the marketing and check the actual doses against the research. That's exactly what we built IngredientMD to do.