Cobwebs in windows, pumpkins on paths and ‘trick or treat’ signs hanging from doors can only mean one thing: it’s spooky season! And while ghosts, witches and zombies are meant to give us the chills this Halloween, there’s something truly terrifying lurking in our shops and online all year round: off-the-shelf supplements.

All supplements are marketed to us being beneficial to our health and wellbeing. After all, that’s their main purpose. But if you take a peek behind the curtain, you’ll discover many companies are simply tricking people into thinking their supplements are good for them, when in actual fact, they could be having the opposite effect.

Could your supplements be hiding a sinister secret? Here are eight frightening facts about supplements that’ll make you think twice before swallowing that next capsule…

Many off-the-shelf supplements are stuffed with things that provide no nutritional value. These include fillers, binders and bulking agents (including chalk) that help companies pad out their products (and therefore profits). The end result? Supplements with scarily low health benefits. Money = wasted.

At Extracted, we make sure every bit of available space within our supplement capsules is loaded with the good stuff. That means pure, natural ingredients in their most potent form. 

It’s pretty terrifying that some off-the-shelf supplements have been found to be contaminated with heavy metals - including lead, arsenic and mercury - because of their manufacturing processes and/or environmental factors. And it really goes without saying that long-term exposure to these heavy metals can negatively impact our health.

The most horrifying bit? Supplement companies rarely disclose if their products contain traces of heavy metals, making it more important than ever to choose a brand that follows rigorous quality assurance processes. Take Extracted, for example: our manufacturers carry out third-party heavy metal testing to ensure everything inside your capsule is clean, safe and trustworthy. 

If companies aren’t transparent about where their off-the-shelf supplements are made, it’s probably because they don’t want to tell you! And in fact, many supplements are produced in questionable facilities where standards are frighteningly low.

We prefer an open and honest approach. Every one of our products is created in London under the highest GMP standards. No mystery labs, no shady processes.

It’s common for supplement companies to outsource manufacturing abroad to cut costs. Whereas that might mean slightly lower costs for you, it also means poor oversight and questionable quality control. After all, how much control can a company have of its products if they’re produced hundreds of miles away from where they’re based? Eek.

We’re proudly local: everything we do is formulated, manufactured and packaged right here in the UK. This means full control and total transparency. 

You know the score: if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. This is certainly the case for off-the-shelf supplements, where rock-bottom prices usually mean corner cutting and low-grade ingredients with little nutritional value.

Sure, you may pay a little more for our products, but what you get in return are supplements designed to minimise or eradicate health problems and help you live life to the fullest.

Many off-the-shelf supplement companies rely on marketing magic to convince consumers their products are the best - and it’s easy to fall for these tricks (we have!). But what many of these companies lack is real, concrete evidence their supplements actuallywork - some haven’t even put their products through clinical studies or testing!

Here’s why we’re different: all of our ingredients are clinically backed, and most of our supplements contain a groundbreaking hero ingredient that’s been proven to be effective in multiple clinically backed, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. 

Don’t be fooled by the smoke and mirrors! It’s a scary fact that off-the-shelf companies are out to trick you, but we hope you now feel empowered to make better choices about the supplements you take.

And don’t forget, our range has been designed with you in mind. We’re not here to fool you - instead, we want to help you live healthier and happier with supplements that have a genuine, proven, positive impact on your wellbeing. 

Note: This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.