Skip to main content

Blog

Lab Testing Insights

Regulatory updates, testing guides, and quality assurance insights for supplement brands, cosmetic companies, and manufacturers.

Dietary Supplements

Saffron Supplement Testing: Why Safranal Claims Are Harder to Verify Than Brands Think

Saffron is among the world's most adulterated botanicals. Learn what supplement brands must test for, which methods actually work, and why supplier COAs routinely miss the mark.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Kratom Testing: What Labs Find, What States Require, and What a Single COA Can't Cover

Kratom lab testing: heavy metals, Salmonella risk, and alkaloid profiling explained for brands selling across KCPA states, California, and Amazon.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

NSF, USP Verified, and Informed Sport: What Third-Party Supplement Certifications Actually Test — And What They Don't

Think your NSF or USP Verified seal covers everything? We break down what each certification program tests — and the testing gaps brands routinely miss.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Microbiology

Protein Powder Microbial Testing: What Whey and Plant-Based Brands Need From a Food Safety Testing Laboratory

Protein powders carry higher microbial risk than most supplements. Learn what USP <61>, <62>, 21 CFR Part 111, and an ISO 17025 food safety testing laboratory demand.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Cosmetic Testing

PFAS Testing for Cosmetics: Why the Method Your Lab Uses Determines What It Actually Finds

LC-MS/MS vs. total fluorine screening vs. the TOP assay — a technical breakdown of PFAS testing options for cosmetic brands navigating California AB 2771 and growing state bans.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Beet Root Supplement Testing: Why Nitrate Content Claims Are Harder to Verify Than Most Brands Realize

Beet root supplements depend on inorganic nitrate for their efficacy — but most brands aren't accurately testing for it. Here's what proper nitrate and nitrite analysis demands.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Functional Mushroom Supplement Testing: What Lion's Mane, Reishi, and Cordyceps Lab Results Actually Show

Lab testing of functional mushroom supplements reveals frequent identity and potency failures. Here's what DNA barcoding and beta-glucan analysis actually show.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Dissolution Testing for Supplement Tablets and Capsules: The Bioavailability Test Most Brands Never Order

Potency tests confirm what's on the label. Dissolution testing reveals what the body actually gets. Here's what USP <711> and <2040> show about supplement tablets.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Microbiology

Yeast and Mold Testing for Cosmetics: What the Microbial Limits Actually Mean

How accredited cosmetic testing laboratories measure yeast and mold counts, what ISO 17516 limits apply, and how MoCRA changed safety substantiation requirements.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Fish Oil: The Contamination Risk Omega-3 Brands Rarely Test For

Most omega-3 brands test for rancidity but skip PAH testing. Here's what GC-MS analysis of fish oil reveals — and why Prop 65 makes it a California compliance issue.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Lab Insights

Out-of-Specification Results in Supplement Testing: What FDA Expects You to Do Next

When your supplement testing lab flags an OOS result, FDA has specific requirements. Here's the investigation protocol most supplement brands don't know.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Kratom's Regulatory Patchwork: What Supplement Brands Need to Test Before Selling Across State Lines

Kratom's state-by-state regulatory patchwork creates real compliance risk. Here's what the Kratom Consumer Protection Act requires from your testing program.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Cosmetic Testing

1,4-Dioxane in Personal Care Products: The Byproduct Contaminant California's Prop 65 Keeps Catching

1,4-dioxane forms as a manufacturing byproduct in personal care products. Here's what California's Prop 65 NSRL means for beauty brands and how labs test for it.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Microbiology

Rapid Microbiology Methods for Supplement Testing: What They Can (and Can't) Replace

Rapid micro methods promise faster supplement testing turnarounds. Here's what ATP, qPCR, and flow cytometry can actually replace — and what they can't.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Food Safety

Synthetic Food Dye Testing as FDA Phases Out Certified Colors: What Food Brands Must Verify Now

FDA's Red 3 revocation takes effect January 2027. Here's what food safety labs test for in color additive compliance and how US food brands should prepare.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Lab Insights

How to Switch Your Contract Testing Lab Without Derailing Your QC Program

Switching supplement or cosmetic testing labs is trickier than it looks. Here's the exact process — method transfer, parallel testing, ISO 17025 qualification — to do it right.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Dietary Supplements

Probiotic Supplement Testing: CFU Counts, Species Identification, and the Stability Data Most Brands Are Missing

Most probiotic CFU label claims fall short at the shelf. Learn why species ID, stability data, and contaminant testing belong in every probiotic COA.

Nour Abochama
Read →
Microbiology

USP <61> and <62>: The Microbial Testing Chapters Supplement Brands Most Often Get Wrong

Learn what USP <61> and <62> actually require for dietary supplement microbial testing — and the compliance gaps most brands miss before FDA audits.

Nour Abochama
Read →