What the supplement industry isn’t telling you!
In the UK, the supplement industry was was worth $5.19 million in 2025 and is expected to rise to $10.2 million by 20331. The rise of supplements has been increasing rapidly over the past few years and everywhere you look someone is selling a supplement.
They are very clever and market it well. They gather all your insecurities and create popular buzz words like ‘cortisol levels,’ ‘balancing hormones,’ ‘boost immunity.’ But what does all that actually mean? It’s all very vague and it almost promises you the world but never really delivers.
Then they say sciencey words like ‘clinically proven,’ ‘expertly formulated,’ or ‘science backed.’ This is to make us think that we’re being sold something by professionals (and some are, don’t get me wrong, but a lot aren’t).
Did you know that you could start a supplement brand? Whether you’re a teacher, a cleaner or an influencer. It doesn’t matter. Anyone can. This means that we can often buy supplements from people with zero qualifications in nutrition.
Did you also know that someone who wants to start a supplement brand can purchase something called a ‘white label’ product. This means that the product is already formulated, they just need to stick their branding on it, claim they did all the hard work and sell it for way more than they actually bought it for2.
So, when we buy a £70 green powder, how do we know this hasn’t been bought for £5 and marketed to make us believe this is lifechanging full of premium ingredients?
The law states that food supplements do not need to be registered3. This means that when a brand makes a supplement, each supplement generally doesn’t need to be registered or approved by the government before they go on sale. The business does need to be registered, but each supplement doesn’t. They do however need to follow safety guidelines, but that’s not always the case, as they do sometimes find supplements fail meeting the legal requirements such as in some Ashwagandha and green powder supplements4.
Then there’s testing to see it the supplement actually works or not. You’d think that would be tested? Not always. There’s a difference between a supplement needing to follow safety laws and being tested to show it actually works. So when you look at the label or watch the enticing marketing campaign where it tells you that it will help you ‘support hormones,’ it’s very likely that’s not even been tested5. The government do not require a submission of efficacy (to see if it works) before it goes on sale. Or at all in fact.
Now some supplements can be really helpful and I’m not here to slam them all. But we need to think about when we actually need them versus when we’ve been pressured to buy them.
When you think about buying a supplement, look into whether the supplement itself (not just the ingredients separately) has gone through clinical trials (preferably not by the supplement company). And whether the outcome matches the claim. Does the collagen actually improve skin elasticity for example. Think about whether you actually need said supplement. Have you been to see your GP, had a blood test and it shows you are low (or not optimal) in B12, vitamin D or iron? Then yes, supplementing those vitamins will be helpful.
Some supplements (particularly herbal ones) can interfere with medication. So always speak to your GP or pharmacist before taking them. The only supplements I would ever recommend to clients are vitamin D in the Autumn and Winter months, because here in the UK we just don’t get enough sunshine. And omega 3 if you’re not having 2 portions of oily fish a week. Any others would be based on your blood test results.
So, what happens if we take too much of a certain vitamin? Because even with good intentions, we often see vitamins added to all sorts these days like drinks or powders. And more isn’t always better. Our body can pee out certain vitamins that are water soluble such as; vitamin C and B vitamins but that doesn’t mean they are safe to take in higher quantities. Fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin D and A can build up in the body and cause problems6.
I’m not here to scare anyone. I just don’t like seeing people spending money when they don’t need to. If you’re taking a supplement and it’s making you feel better, I’m not here to tell you to stop taking it. I just want you to be aware of what the supplement industry is really like.
Lorna x
1. Department of Health and Social Care (2024) Nutrition legislation information sheet. Available at: GOV.UK (Accessed: 29 September 2026).
2. Food Standards Agency, Scarrett, A., Cooke, S. and Bachelor, J. (2026) ‘Retail Surveillance Survey Sampling Programme 2025/26’, FSA Research and Evidence. Available at: https://doi.org/10.46756/001c.162217 (Accessed: 29 September 2026).
3. Grand View Research (2026) U.K. dietary supplements market size & outlook, 2026–2033. Available at: Grand View Research (Accessed: 29 September 2026).
4. NHS (2020) Vitamins and minerals: Vitamin A. Available at: NHS (Accessed: 29 September 2026).
5. NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (2025) Understanding food supplements. Available at: NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (Accessed: 29 September 2026).
6. Supplement Factory (n.d.) Trade only supplements. Available at: Supplement Factory (Accessed: 29 September 2026).
Comments