How We Review Supplements
The supplement industry has a transparency problem. Proprietary blends hide actual doses. Marketing claims outrun the research. And most "review" sites are thinly disguised affiliate operations that rank products by commission rate, not quality.
Daily Supplement Review exists because we got tired of it. We are an independent editorial team that evaluates supplements the way they should be evaluated: against the published science, at clinical doses, with full ingredient disclosure.
Our Core Principles
- Evidence-based evaluation grounded in published clinical research
- Complete editorial independence from supplement brands
- No brand sponsorships, no paid placements, no free product samples
- Full transparency about how we score and what we check
Our Testing Methodology
Every product we review goes through the same structured evaluation process. No exceptions, no shortcuts.
We Buy Every Product Ourselves
We purchase every supplement at full retail price through the same channels you would. We do not accept free samples, gifted products, or "review units" from brands. This removes any pressure to write favorably about a product just because someone sent it to us.
We Verify Label Claims
We cross-reference label claims against third-party testing databases including ConsumerLab, Labdoor, and NSF International. If a product has been independently tested and the results are publicly available, we factor those findings into our evaluation. If a product has never been third-party tested, we note that too.
We Evaluate Ingredient Forms
Not all forms of an ingredient are equal. Magnesium oxide is cheap and poorly absorbed. Magnesium glycinate or threonate costs more but your body actually uses it. We identify whether a product uses bioavailable, research-backed forms or budget alternatives that look good on the label but underperform in your body.
We Compare Doses Against Clinical Research
Listing an ingredient is meaningless if the dose is too low to do anything. We compare every dose against the amounts used in published clinical trials. A product that includes 50mg of an ingredient studied at 500mg gets called out for it.
We Flag Proprietary Blends
Proprietary blends let manufacturers list ingredients without disclosing individual amounts. This makes it impossible to know whether you are getting an effective dose or a trace amount for label decoration. We flag every proprietary blend and explain exactly why it matters.
We Test Taste and Mixability
This part is subjective and we say so upfront. But if a product clumps, tastes terrible, or requires a blender to mix, that affects whether you will actually take it every day. We note our experience with taste, texture, and mixing across multiple team members where possible.
We Track Pricing Over Time
Supplement pricing fluctuates. Introductory offers expire. Subscription discounts vary. We track pricing over time so our cost comparisons reflect real-world spending, not promotional pricing that disappears after your first order.
Our Rating System
Every product receives a weighted score across five categories. Here is how each category contributes to the final rating:
| Category | Weight | What We Evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Ingredient Quality | 30% | Bioavailable forms, clinically studied doses, research backing for each ingredient |
| Transparency | 25% | Full label disclosure, no proprietary blends, third-party testing availability |
| Value | 20% | Cost per day, cost versus buying ingredients individually, subscription vs single pricing |
| Formulation Intent | 15% | Does the formula make sense as a whole? Are ingredients complementary or is it just a long list? |
| Usability | 10% | Taste, mixability, convenience, serving size, packaging |
Ingredient quality and transparency together account for over half the score. That is deliberate. A supplement either contains what it claims at the doses that matter, or it does not. Everything else is secondary.
Editorial Independence
We are not sponsored by any supplement brand. No company pays us for favorable coverage. No brand has editorial input on our reviews.
We buy every product at retail price. We do not accept free products, gifted samples, or discounted review units from manufacturers.
Some links on this site are affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships never influence our scores, rankings, or editorial conclusions. Products that score poorly are published with affiliate links removed.
Our reviews are based on publicly available ingredient data and published research. We cite our sources. If a claim cannot be verified through published literature, we do not make it.
About the Team
Our review team includes practitioners with clinical nutrition backgrounds, researchers with experience in biochemistry and sports science, and writers who specialize in translating complex health data into clear, actionable analysis.
We are not influencers. We do not sell supplements. Our only product is the analysis itself.
Contact Us
For editorial inquiries, corrections, or questions about our methodology:
Email: editorial@dailysupplementreview.com
We read every email. If we have made a factual error, we want to know about it and we will correct it publicly.
Suggest a Product for Review
Want us to review a specific supplement? Send your suggestion to reviews@dailysupplementreview.com with the product name and where to buy it. We prioritize products based on reader interest and market relevance.
A few things to note:
- We do not guarantee coverage of suggested products
- We do not accept payment for reviews
- Brands cannot request or influence the content of a review
- We purchase all products ourselves regardless of who suggests them