There's something quite reassuring about walking into a well-known high-street health shop, isn't there? Shelves lined with supplements, beautifully packaged bottles, plenty of promises about what they're going to do for your health, and that underlying assumption that if a product has made it onto the shelves of a reputable retailer, somebody somewhere must have done their due diligence.
You'd certainly like to think so.
As we've been preparing for the launch of our very own Elle Sera Vitamin D, we've spent a considerable amount of time looking at what's already available on the market. Understanding the competition, comparing formulations, exploring different delivery methods and generally getting a feel for what's being offered to consumers. It's something we take incredibly seriously because, as you know, we're not particularly interested in bringing another supplement to market simply for the sake of it.
We want to understand exactly what we're up against and, more importantly, how we can do things better.
During one of these little investigative shopping trips, Elissa came across a Vitamin D supplement that immediately raised an eyebrow. It was being marketed as a liposomal formulation, which, for anyone unfamiliar with the terminology, involves a particular delivery technology designed to help protect and transport nutrients within the body.
Now, producing a genuine liposomal formulation properly isn't necessarily a straightforward or inexpensive exercise, so when Elissa spotted the £14 price tag, she was understandably intrigued.
How on earth were they managing to manufacture, package, distribute and retail a liposomal Vitamin D product for that price?
Of course, an affordable price doesn't automatically mean there's anything wrong with a product, but something about it warranted a closer look. And if there's one thing we know about Elissa, it's that when something doesn't quite add up, she's not particularly inclined to leave it alone.
So, naturally, she bought it and sent it off to the laboratory.
Well, That Wasn't Quite the Result We Were Expecting...
Initially, the intention was to explore the formulation itself. Was it genuinely liposomal? Did the product live up to the claims on its packaging? Was there anything particularly interesting about the way it had been manufactured?
What we weren't expecting was a conversation about bacteria.
When the laboratory came back with its initial findings, they reported concerns about microbiological contamination. Elissa, thinking perhaps the formulation had deteriorated or oxidised, asked a few more questions.
But no. According to the laboratory, the issue wasn't oxidation. Their microbiology testing had identified bacterial contamination.
Now, as you can imagine, that rather changed the direction of the conversation.
We'd gone looking for answers about formulation quality and ended up with questions about something far more fundamental: the microbiological condition of a supplement that had been purchased quite ordinarily from a high-street retailer.
And whilst it would have been very easy to get carried away with that initial finding, we were conscious that one bottle doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. There are any number of factors that can affect an individual product, and we wanted to understand whether this was an isolated incident rather than jumping to conclusions.
So we went shopping again.
Three Bottles, Three Different Locations...
Our original purchase had been made in Liverpool, so we decided to source the same product from elsewhere. Another bottle was purchased in Ireland and a third from a retailer in the south of England, with each being sent away for further laboratory analysis.
We genuinely hoped that the first result might turn out to be an unfortunate one-off.
Unfortunately, according to the findings reported back to us, all three samples showed bacterial contamination.
Now, it's important to be clear that identifying bacteria isn't, in itself, enough to determine whether a supplement is unsafe. That depends on the organisms present, the quantities detected and the relevant microbiological standards. Nor can three individual samples tell us what might be happening across every batch of a manufacturer's product.
Nevertheless, it certainly wasn't the outcome we'd anticipated, and it left us with some rather uncomfortable questions about quality assurance, manufacturing oversight and the checks taking place before products reach consumers.
Because whilst we might spend our days talking about ingredients, absorption, formulations and all the exciting developments within the supplement industry, surely the most basic expectation is that the product you're purchasing has been manufactured and tested to appropriate standards?
It shouldn't be an unreasonable thing to ask.
When Did We Start Accepting Marketing as a Substitute for Quality?
One of the things that has always fascinated me about the wellness industry is just how much faith we place in what's written on the front of a bottle.
We see words like premium, advanced, scientifically formulated and high absorption, and understandably assume that there's a considerable amount of expertise and evidence sitting behind them.
Sometimes there absolutely is. There are some fantastic businesses doing wonderful things within this industry, and we're certainly not suggesting otherwise.
But a beautifully designed label doesn't tell you how a product has been manufactured. A prominent position in a health shop doesn't guarantee that every batch has met the necessary quality standards, and a clever formulation claim is only as meaningful as the evidence supporting it.
What's particularly interesting is that food supplements in the UK are regulated, contrary to the impression that it's something of a free-for-all. There are legal requirements around food safety, manufacturing, labelling and the claims companies are permitted to make.
The bigger question, perhaps, is how effectively those standards are being demonstrated, monitored and upheld throughout the supply chain.
And as consumers, how much of that information are we actually given?
It's something we've discussed at considerable length within Elle Sera, particularly as we've been developing our Vitamin D, because we know how much trust our customers place in us.
You're not simply purchasing a bottle of capsules. You're choosing to make something part of your daily routine, often because you're actively trying to improve your health and wellbeing. You're investing your money, your time and your confidence in the people behind that product.
That's quite a responsibility when you think about it.
Why We're So Particular About Doing Things Properly
If you've followed Elle Sera for any length of time, you'll know that we're rather particular about what we put our name to.
Our products are manufactured here in the UK in GMP-certified facilities, with traceability throughout the manufacturing process. We spend an enormous amount of time exploring ingredients, questioning formulations, speaking with manufacturers and making sure we understand exactly what we're bringing to market.
And yes, that can sometimes make things more complicated, more time-consuming and more expensive than we'd ideally like.
But we're comfortable with that.
We're not interested in competing purely on who can produce the cheapest bottle or make the loudest promises. We want to create products that we're genuinely proud of, backed by appropriate manufacturing standards and a level of transparency that gives our customers confidence in what they're taking.
Our forthcoming Vitamin D has been a particularly interesting journey, and this little high-street investigation has certainly reinforced why we're so passionate about getting the fundamentals right.
Because ultimately, you shouldn't have to become a scientist, scrutinise every ingredient or commission your own laboratory testing simply to feel comfortable purchasing a supplement.
You should be able to ask questions, receive sensible answers and have confidence that the business you're buying from takes its responsibilities seriously.
And when something doesn't quite add up? Well, perhaps we should all be a little more willing to ask why.
And as always, we'd love to hear what you think. Have you ever questioned what's really inside the supplements you buy, or do you naturally trust that what's sitting on the shelf has already been thoroughly checked?
It's certainly a conversation worth having.
