Guide

How to spot counterfeit supplements online.

A counterfeit can use the same photos and the same name as the real product. These checks help you tell them apart before you buy and after the box arrives.

1. Buy from the brand or a retailer it names

The safest source is the brand's own website or a retailer the brand lists as authorized. Many brands have a "where to buy" page. If yours doesn't, email the brand and ask which stores and marketplace sellers are authorized. A legitimate brand can answer that question quickly.

Be more careful with marketplaces, social media shops and sites you reached through an ad or a text message. Online marketplaces are among the places FDA says it has found products with hidden drug ingredients marketed as supplements.

2. Check who is actually selling it

On a marketplace, the brand name on the listing and the seller are often different businesses. Look for the seller's name, usually shown as "sold by" or in a seller profile, and check:

  • Does the seller match the brand or an authorized retailer? If not, the seller may be reselling, or the product may not be genuine.
  • Is there a business name, address and contact method? Under the federal INFORM Consumers Act, online marketplaces must show the name, physical address and contact information of high-volume third-party sellers with $20,000 or more in yearly sales on that marketplace, on their product listings or in order confirmations. Missing or vague details on a busy listing are a warning sign.
  • How long has the seller been active, and what do recent reviews say? Read the low-star reviews. Complaints that the product looks, smells or works differently from before are worth taking seriously. Remember that reviews can be faked.

3. Be skeptical of a price far below normal

Check the price on the brand's own site. A listing far below it, especially for a popular product, can mean a counterfeit, an expired or diverted product, or one stored badly. Large discounts from an unfamiliar seller deserve extra checks before you buy.

4. Inspect the package when it arrives

Compare what you receive with photos on the brand's website or with a bottle you bought from the brand before.

  • Seals and packaging. The safety seal should be intact. Look for blurry printing, misspellings, crooked labels, a label stuck over another label, or a box and bottle that don't match.
  • Company name and address. Federal rules require a supplement label to show the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor, and a U.S. address or phone number for reporting serious side effects. A label without these is misbranded.
  • Supplement Facts panel. It should match the brand's published label, including serving size and amounts.
  • Lot number and date. Check that the lot number and any expiration or "best by" date are printed clearly and match between the bottle and the box. FDA does not require supplements to carry an expiration date, but if the brand normally prints one and yours has none, or the date looks altered, ask the brand.
  • The product itself. Capsules or tablets that differ in color, size, shape, smell or markings from your last bottle are a reason to stop and check.

If anything doesn't match, contact the brand with photos and the lot number before you take the product. Brands can usually tell you whether a lot number is real.

5. Watch for claims that sound like drugs

FDA warns about products that claim to be alternatives to prescription drugs, that promise results in minutes or dramatic weight loss in weeks, or that are marketed mainly in a foreign language or through mass emails. FDA has found products sold as "all natural" that contained hidden prescription drug ingredients. Sexual enhancement, weight loss and bodybuilding products come up often in its warnings.

Supplements can't legally claim to treat, cure or prevent a disease. A label or listing that does is a red flag regardless of who sells it.

6. Search FDA's Health Fraud Product Database

FDA keeps a Health Fraud Product Database of products it has named in warning letters, recalls and public notifications, many of them sold as supplements. Search it for the product name. FDA notes that the list covers only a small fraction of potentially hazardous products, so a product's absence from the list doesn't mean it is safe.

7. Check a PillWatch seal ID

If a product shows the PillWatch Seal, it should have a seal ID printed with it: PW- followed by five letters and numbers.

  1. Go to pillwatch.com/verify, or scan the QR code on the package, and enter the seal ID.
  2. Make sure the brand and product name on the verify page match what you are holding.
  3. Check the status. "Verified source" means the seal is active. "Inactive" means the product's sourcing is no longer verified.
  4. Note the "last checked" date and whether lab results are on file. Products from brands owned by PillWatch's parent company are labeled "Affiliated."

If the ID isn't found or doesn't match the product, the seal may be used without permission. .

Keep in mind what the seal covers: it confirms the product is made by a licensed manufacturer and sourced through licensed distributors. It is not FDA approval and isn't a claim about what the product does. A seal on a marketplace listing also doesn't prove that the specific unit a seller ships you is genuine, which is why the checks above still matter. Read what a supplement seal can and can't tell you for more.

8. Report a problem

  • If you feel unwell after taking a supplement, stop taking it and contact a health care provider. Call 911 in an emergency.
  • Report it to FDA through the Safety Reporting Portal. FDA uses it for both side effects and product quality problems with supplements. Your health care provider can report too.
  • Tell the marketplace. Listings from high-volume sellers must include a way to report suspicious activity.
  • Tell the brand, with photos, the lot number and where you bought it.
  • Tell PillWatch if a PillWatch Seal is involved, at Marketing@securemedical.com.

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