SuppCo Finds Half of NAD+ Supplements Flunk Label Claims: How Qalitex Ensures Accurate and Compliant NAD+ Supplement Testing

Published June 2024 | By Qalitex Analytical Chemistry & Microbiology Laboratory, Irvine, CA

Overview of NAD+ Supplement Label Discrepancies

Recent findings by SuppCo highlight a troubling trend in the dietary supplement market: approximately 50% of tested NAD+ supplements failed to meet their label claims. These inaccuracies challenge consumer trust and raise concerns about product safety, potency, and regulatory compliance.

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NAD+ (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) supplements are increasingly popular for their purported anti-aging and energy-boosting benefits. With such demand, it’s critical that manufacturers partner with ISO 17025 accredited testing laboratories to verify that what’s printed on the label aligns with actual product content.

Why Accurate Testing Matters for NAD+ Supplements

Mislabeling or inaccurate potency information can put consumers at risk and imperil brands through regulatory enforcement. NAD+ supplements require thorough FDA compliant analytical chemistry testing and Certificate of Analysis (CoA) testing to verify purity, ingredient accuracy, and absence of contaminants. Supplement manufacturers need laboratories that offer:

• Heavy metal analysis for supplements to ensure safety and compliance with federal limits

• Shelf-life and stability studies to confirm product integrity over time

• Method development and validation lab services to guarantee analytical precision

Qalitex: Your ISO 17025 Accredited NAD+ Supplement Testing Partner in Southern California

Located in Irvine, California, Qalitex is an ISO 17025 accredited testing laboratory specializing in microbiology and analytical chemistry lab testing designed for dietary supplements, including NAD+ products.

Qalitex offers a robust suite of lab services critical for NAD+ supplement manufacturers including:

• Heavy metal testing to detect contaminants such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium

• Shelf-life and stability studies ensuring that NAD+ potency and safety are maintained

• Method development and validation using USP AOAC validated methods to deliver precise test results

• Microbiology testing services to certify products are free from harmful bacterial contaminants

• Comprehensive analytical chemistry and regulatory compliance lab services to address FDA and state-mandated requirements

By combining these offerings, Qalitex is a one-stop quality control partner—especially valuable for supplement brands aiming to build consumer confidence through verifiable product authenticity and safety.

Importance of ISO 17025 Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance for NAD+ Supplements

ISO 17025 accreditation is the international gold standard for laboratory competence, emphasizing technical accuracy, method validation, and management systems. For NAD+ supplements:

• Ensures testing methods are reliable and reproducible

• Supports legally defensible data in case of regulatory audits

• Enhances brand credibility for both domestic and global markets

Qalitex’s ISO 17025 accreditation guarantees that analytical results accurately reflect the true NAD+ content and contaminant profile, critical for CoA testing.

Serving Southern California Supplement Brands with Premium NAD+ Testing

For supplement manufacturers in Southern California, partnering locally with an accredited lab like Qalitex offers advantages such as faster turnaround times, personalized service, and easier logistics. Whether developing a new NAD+ formula or verifying existing products, Qalitex’s comprehensive testing portfolio ensures compliance every step of the way.

Get a quote today from Qalitex in Irvine, CA to secure your NAD+ supplement’s safety, compliance, and market trust. Contact us for a testing quote.

Qalitex Lab Perspective

NAD+ and its precursors (nicotinamide riboside, NR; nicotinamide mononucleotide, NMN) have exploded in popularity as anti-aging and longevity supplements—and in our testing, the category is one of the most inconsistent we handle. The SuppCo finding that half of NAD+ supplements fail label claims aligns with what we see at the bench: NAD+ is chemically unstable, sensitive to heat and moisture, and requires validated methods to quantify accurately. Many labs and brands use techniques that aren’t fit for purpose, which is why potency failures are so common.

In our analytical chemistry work, we’ve developed and validated HPLC and enzymatic assays specifically for NAD+ and its precursors. The challenge isn’t just measuring the compound—it’s ensuring the method accounts for degradation during sample prep, matrix effects from other ingredients (like fillers and flow agents), and the fact that NAD+ can break down into nicotinamide if stored improperly. We’ve tested NAD+ products that claimed 250 mg per capsule and delivered 40 mg—or that contained mostly nicotinamide instead of NAD+. Those aren’t rounding errors; they’re fundamental formulation or stability failures.

Heavy metals are another concern. NAD+ raw materials and finished products can pick up lead, arsenic, or cadmium from manufacturing equipment, excipients, or poorly qualified suppliers. Our heavy metal testing routinely catches NAD+ batches that would fail Prop 65 or USP limits, often from brands that assumed their ingredient was “pharmaceutical grade” without verification. Contact us for a testing quote before launch—catching these issues post-market is far more expensive.

Stability is non-negotiable for NAD+. The molecule degrades under heat and humidity, and many brands set expiration dates without stability testing. In our studies, we’ve seen NAD+ potency drop by 30% or more within six months under accelerated conditions. That means a product sold at full potency could be significantly under-dosed by the time a consumer reaches the end of the bottle. Proper stability protocols—real-time and accelerated—give you data to set defensible expiration dates and storage recommendations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do so many NAD+ supplements fail label claim testing?

NAD+ is chemically unstable and degrades readily with heat, moisture, and pH shifts. Many manufacturers lack validated analytical chemistry methods to quantify NAD+ accurately, or they use methods that don’t distinguish NAD+ from its breakdown products. In our lab, we’ve seen products labeled with NAD+ that contained primarily nicotinamide—a related but different compound. Method development and validation are essential for this category.

What should NAD+ supplement brands test for before launching?

NAD+ brands should run ’ identity and potency testing via analytical chemistry, heavy metal testing for lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, microbiology testing for microbial contaminants, and stability testing to establish accurate expiration dating. A Certificate of Analysis documents compliance for retailers and consumers.

How does NAD+ stability affect product quality?

NAD+ degrades over time, especially under heat and humidity. Without stability testing, brands may set expiration dates that overstate product potency. We recommend both real-time and accelerated stability studies to validate shelf life and storage conditions.

Where can NAD+ supplement manufacturers get third-party testing?

Qalitex, an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory in Irvine, California, provides comprehensive NAD+ supplement testing including potency, heavy metals, microbiology, and stability. Contact us for a testing quote to discuss your NAD+ product needs.’s Qalitex’s Qalitex’s Ready to ensure your NAD+ supplement’s quality and compliance? ’s