A long ingredient list can look impressive.

Some brands even have a nickname for it.

Fairy dusting.

That’s when ingredients are included in such small amounts they’re unlikely to make a meaningful contribution.

Rather than counting ingredients, look at the dosage.

For vitamins and minerals, one useful reference point is the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV).

The NRV is a reference value shown on nutrition labels. It indicates the amount considered sufficient to meet the daily requirements of most healthy adults for that nutrient.

Looking at the % NRV won’t tell you everything about a supplement, but it gives you a much better understanding than the ingredient list on the front of the pack.

What to look for

Turn the pack over.

Read the nutrition panel.

Look beyond marketing claims and check whether key nutrients are present in meaningful amounts.

Ashwagandha.

Sea moss.

Collagen.

Mushroom blends.

These ingredients all have their place.

But many people jump straight to specialist supplements before building a solid nutritional foundation.

If your everyday nutrition isn’t where it needs to be, adding more specialist ingredients isn’t always the best place to start.

What to look for

Build your routine around everyday nutrition first.

Specialist supplements can have a role, but they shouldn’t necessarily be the starting point.

Many nutritional changes happen gradually.

Your body often changes internally before you notice changes externally.

That’s why judging a supplement after two or three weeks can be misleading.

Consistency gives your body the opportunity to benefit.

What to look for

Choose a daily routine that’s simple enough to stick with.

The best supplement is often the one you’ll still be taking consistently a few months from now.

Here’s something many people never hear.

Black people make up less than 5% of participants in many clinical trials.¹

That doesn’t mean every product is ineffective.

But it does mean that much of the research underpinning modern health products hasn’t always included representative Black populations.

It’s one reason more people are beginning to ask whether products should better reflect the communities they’re designed to support.

¹ Drug Trials Snapshots Summary Report, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2020.

What to look for

Consider who helped develop a product.

Look for transparency about the people, expertise and thinking behind the formulation, not just the marketing on the front of the pack.