Shopping Safer Supplements, Backed by the MADE WISE Seal
By Emma Martinez
Navigating dietary supplements — whether online or in stores — can be overwhelming. Flashy labels, confusing health claims, and unfamiliar ingredients make it hard to know what you’re really putting in your body. While supplements can offer valuable health benefits, many products on the market include substances that raise serious questions about purity, transparency, and long-term safety.
We created the MADE WISE Certification to raise the bar on ingredient safety and transparency. We screen dietary supplements using a science-based framework focused on eliminating harmful substances.
When shopping for supplements, we recommend looking for the MADE WISE Certification to ensure that products are meeting a list of over 15,000 banned ingredients. Below, we’ve included a breakdown of some of the requirements we look for in the certification process, rooted in our certification principles and over a decade of reviewing ingredient data. They can also help guide you on what to look for — and what to avoid — when choosing supplements.
The Importance of Ingredient Transparency
The first step in choosing safer supplements is to scrutinize ingredient lists to spot substances hiding behind catchall terms. Avoid products that use vague language such as “proprietary blends,” “natural flavors,” or “other ingredients.” These umbrella terms are often legal loopholes used to conceal individual ingredients, including synthetic additives, chemical processing aids, or substances with known or suspected health risks.
MADE WISE Certification requires transparent ingredient disclosure. This means that added ingredients — even inactive ingredients like binders, glidants, and colorants — must follow our packaging requirements bolstering transparency. If a manufacturer won’t tell you what’s in their product, that’s your first red flag.
Misleading Marketing Claims
Be wary of supplement products that boast claims like “pharmaceutical-grade,” “lab-tested,” or “doctor-recommended” without providing third-party evidence. Many of these phrases are not regulated and are used purely for marketing.
Our seal focuses on real data — not baseless claims. A product that meets the MADE WISE standard does so because it meets requirements for the MADE Banned List, a science-backed list of 15,000+ substances, and meets documentation requirements and ingredient-level transparency, not just marketing claims.
Common Red Flags in Supplements
While reading the back of a supplement label can often feel like reading another language, there are some common red flags that you can spot by looking for certain terms or ingredients. Based on extensive toxicological evidence and current regulatory shortcomings, here are several categories of ingredients or practices that MADE WISE either flags for review or outright prohibits that you should consider when shopping for supplements:
Proprietary blend / proprietary formula: A mix of ingredients grouped under a single name without individual quantities or identities disclosed.
The problem: Many supplement companies hide the concentration or identity of each ingredient under umbrella terms like “proprietary blend”, “matrix”, or other copyrighted ingredient names. This means you don’t know what or how much of each substance you’re ingesting — a serious issue if one of those ingredients is linked to health concerns or has little to no safety data at all.
MADE WISE solution: Composition disclosure, documentation verifying the identity of a substance and any added sub-ingredients, is required in certification. If we can’t verify the intentionally added ingredients, the product is ineligible for certification.
Shopping tip: Transparency is essential, so look for and avoid terms like "proprietary", "patented blend”, copyrighted ingredient names, and other similar terms, unless all ingredients are listed alongside it.
Pharmaceutical-grade: “Pharmaceutical-grade” refers to standards set forth to demonstrate purity and quality.
The problem: Companies may make a pharmaceutical-grade claim without achieving those standards. Without third-party verification, it’s impossible to know if supplements are actually pharmaceutical grade.
MADE WISE solution: We evaluate products based on documentation and do not take this claim at face value.
Shopping tip: Look for third-party verification that demonstrates ingredient purity.
Standardized botanical extract: A botanical extract that is adjusted to contain consistent amounts of a specific compound.
The problem: Some extracts are standardized using specific extraction methods and solvents, or by the addition of carriers or additives. The substances used in the standardization process are not typically disclosed on labels, making their identities inaccessible to consumers.
MADE WISE solution: In the certification process, we require disclosure of the extraction method, any extraction solvents, as well as the composition of the extract to account for additives.
Shopping tip: Look for supplements that disclose all ingredients and that use ingredients extracted using mechanical processes like cold-pressing and expeller pressing or that use safer chemicals like CO2 or ethanol. Ask the manufacturer for more detail, if methods are disclosed on packaging or the company’s website.
Undisclosed flavors, colors, or fragrances: Vague umbrella terms used to denote trade secret formulations on product labels that contain undisclosed flavor, color, or scent ingredients.
The problem: These terms can legally obscure dozens — sometimes hundreds — of individual components undisclosed on the label. Current U.S. federal regulations do not require manufacturers to break down these mixtures on labels, which means consumers have no way to know what they’re actually ingesting. This lack of transparency can pose significant health concerns, as undisclosed ingredients have been linked to various health concerns like allergies, reproductive toxicity, and endocrine disruption.
MADE WISE solution: Components of flavor and fragrance must be disclosed to 100 ppm.
Shopping tip: Look for and avoid supplements that contain “fragrance”, “flavor”, “color” – whether natural or synthetic – listed on labels, unless all ingredients in the mixture appear alongside the term.
Inactive ingredients / other ingredients: Inactive ingredients in supplements are those that are typically not intended to provide a specific effect or benefit. On product labels they can be listed as “other ingredients” and can include excipients, binders, fillers, and more used in the product.
The problem: Because the function these ingredients serve is varied, so are the ingredients that can appear on this portion of the label. Some red flag categories include PEGs, polysorbates, talc, synthetic colors, undisclosed flavors, ethoxylated ingredients, and more.
MADE WISE solution: All ingredients, whether active or inactive, must meet the same disclosure and documentation requirements in the certification process.
Shopping tip: Look for and avoid red flag ingredients overviewed in this guide in the “Other Ingredients” section of the supplement label.
Broad claims like “all-natural,” “additive-free,” or “free of harmful chemicals”: Claims that insinuate the product does not contain harmful substances.
The problem: These phrases may sound reassuring, but they are often unregulated and vague. Without third-party verification, they don’t guarantee the product meets any such claims.
MADE WISE solution: We evaluate ingredients and products based on data and documentation, not marketing claims. Every ingredient is subject to substance-specific standards to verify compliance with the MADE Banned List and MADE WISE Certification standards.
Shopping tip: To find safer and more sustainable options, look for products certified by third-parties like MADE WISE.
Artificial dyes & colorants: Synthetic ingredients used to color supplements.
The problem: Synthetic dyes are often added to supplements purely for aesthetic appeal, but have no functional or nutritional benefit. Many artificial colors have been linked to a range of health concerns, including potential carcinogenicity, hyperactivity in children, and environmental issues.
MADE WISE solution: Products certified to the MADE WISE standard are screened against the MADE Banned List, a compilation of over 15,000 substances linked to human health and environmental hazards. Artificial dyes identified on this list are ineligible for use in certified products due to their documented links to these risks.
Shopping tip: Look for and avoid synthetic dyes by looking for the term FD&C followed by a number on labels (such as FD&C Red No. 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5, and FD&C Blue No. 1) or looking for vague terms that include a color and sometimes a number (such as Brilliant Blue 1, Solid Green FCF, etc.).
PEGs and polysorbates: Ethoxylated compounds used as emulsifiers, stabilizers, delivery agents, or other functions.
The problem: The production process used to manufacture PEGs and polysorbates, called ethoxylation, can leave behind residues like 1,4-dioxane and ethylene oxide — both associated with cancer.
MADE WISE solution: Ethoxylated ingredients are prohibited in certified products, including supplements.
Shopping tip: Avoid these ingredients by looking for the terms “PEG” and “polysorbate,” typically followed by a number (ex: polysorbate 80), as well as the term “polyethylene glycol”.
Plant oils, extracts, and isolates: Ingredients extracted from plants, which can occur in many forms including oils, essential oils, extracts, isolates, hydrosols, and more.
The problem: These may use hazardous extraction solvents in processing.
MADE WISE solution: Companies must disclose the extraction method used for plant ingredients in the certification process to ensure the use of compliant solvents and processes.
Shopping tip: Look for ingredients extracted using mechanical processes like cold pressing and expeller pressing or that use safer chemicals like CO2 or ethanol. Labels don’t often tell you what type of extraction method is used, so ask the manufacturer for more detail when in doubt.
Talc: Mineral used as anti-caking agent.
The problem: Talc is a naturally-occurring mineral that can be contaminated with asbestos, a known human carcinogen. Even when suppliers claim their talc is “asbestos-free,” this cannot be guaranteed. This concern is especially important with products that are ingested or inhaled. It is not a nutritionally necessary substance and safer alternatives are readily available.
MADE WISE solution: The use of talc in certified supplements is prohibited.
Shopping tip: Look for and avoid supplements that list talc on the ingredient label, typically found in the “Other Ingredients” section.
Ethoxylated ingredients: Ingredients that undergo a manufacturing process called ethoxylation and serve a wide range of functions in supplements.
The problem: These ingredients undergo a process that utilizes carcinogenic ethylene oxide that can give rise to contaminating by-product 1,4-dioxane, another ingredient associated with cancer.
MADE WISE solution: Due to potential contamination, these ingredients are ineligible for use in certified supplements.
Shopping tip: Because ethoxylation is a manufacturing process, you can’t always spot impacted ingredients on labels. Look for and avoid PEGs and polysorbates (see section above) or ingredients with the suffix “-eth”. Another common potentially ethoxylated ingredient in supplements is hypromellose (aka HPMC), which can serve as a capsule shell, tablet binder, and more. This ingredient is not always ethoxylated, so ask the company if they use this process in manufacturing. Shopping for MADE WISE Certified supplements is the easiest way to know products are not made with added ingredients that undergo ethoxylation.
Risks Beyond the Ingredient List
Even ingredients with strong safety support can become problematic if extracted with toxic solvents or contaminated during manufacturing. That’s why our evaluation doesn’t stop at the label. We dig deeper to identify intentionally added harmful ingredients and flagged manufacturing concerns.
For example, ingredients like citric acid and ascorbic acid are common and typically safe when used on their own — but when combined with sodium benzoate, another preservative that’s typically safe on its own – under the wrong manufacturing conditions, the combination can produce benzene, a known carcinogen. To combat this, we require documentation to demonstrate that our certified supplements are manufactured to avoid this potential unintended consequence or do not contain detectable benzene.
MADE WISE Supplements for Safety and Sustainability
Supplements can be powerful allies for health — but only when formulated with care and transparency. We leave the potency to the makers while making sure pollution isn’t in the mix. The MADE WISE Certification exists to help both consumers and manufacturers raise the bar on supplement quality.
When shopping for supplements, look for the MADE WISE seal to have confidence that a product has met a rigorous ingredient standard.
Explore our catalog to see the full list of certified products.
If you found this post valuable, please share it below. Follow us on social to let us know what you like, what you need, and what you want to see more of. Also, don’t forget to ask the companies making your favorite products to become #MADESAFE Certified. Remember, your voice matters!