US consumers troubled by untested ingredients in supplements and personal care, finds NSF survey

15 Sep 2021 --- The majority of US consumers are concerned with the safety of dietary supplements (96%) and personal care products and cosmetics (95%), according to a new NSF survey.

For all three product categories, consumers are primarily concerned about unsafe and untested ingredients, untruthful claims, contamination and spoiled or expired products. 

David Trosin, managing director of health sciences certification at NSF International, tells NutritionInsight consumers don’t have access to laboratory tests, ingredient verification or good manufacturing practices inspections. 

“There’s only so much a consumer can do on his or her own. That’s why consumers are increasingly relying on retailers to test products, verify ingredients and audit manufacturing facilities. Smart retailers are seizing the opportunity to differentiate themselves in the marketplace and win new customers.”

When is concern useful?
To fortify consumer trust in retailer products, 97% of survey respondents reported retailers should visit and inspect manufacturing facilities that produce dietary supplements, personal care products and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

While 85% of consumers want retailers to test the health and wellness products they sell, only 32% think retailers actually do this.

Nearly half of survey respondents are more likely to research a Hollywood movie than the claims of health and wellness products.In terms of the respondents’ supplement and cosmetics concerns, Trosin highlights concerns are only useful if they motivate people to take positive action. 

“Individual brands don’t have the budget to singularly educate consumers, but, collectively, retailers, brands and certifiers have the bandwidth, resources, and consumer touchpoints to educate consumers. If we are coordinated and consistent with our message, over time we can make the conversion from concerned to educated.”

To fortify consumer trust in retailer products, 97% of survey respondents reported retailers should visit and inspect manufacturing facilities that produce dietary supplements, personal care products and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

While 85% of consumers want retailers to test the health and wellness products they sell, only 32% think retailers actually do this.

“We envision a future when most major retailers will require brands to show proof of product quality in some form or another, whether through independent assurance of GMP compliance, independent laboratory testing of products or both,” Trosin adds.

Increasing trust in products
As highlighted by Innova Market Insights’ top industry trend for 2021, transparency is crucial to building consumer trust and consequently ensuring repeated purchases. 

Improving trust is “entirely feasible,” says Trosin, on the condition it is approached cooperatively and thoughtfully. 

“Industry and retailers need to work together toward a harmonized approach that does not require suppliers and brands to repeat the same auditing and testing numerous times to qualify themselves.”

NutritionInsight has broadly covered how industry is addressing calls for safer ingredients and products, ranging from lacking herbal supplement research to turmeric extracts failing quality tests and potency concerns for alpha-lipoic acid. 

GMP violations and COVID-19 fraud have run amok throughout the past 18 pandemic-stricken months. Notably, 56% of survey consumers reported the COVID-19 pandemic made them more concerned about the safety of supplements, personal care products and OTC drugs.

Consumers expect retailers inspect manufacturing facilities for compliance with current good manufacturing practices.According to the survey findings, which involved 1,000 US consumers, independent certification from a health and safety organization would make 62% of respondents trust health and wellness products more.

Forty-two percent felt expert endorsement would ease their concerns, followed by reputable retailers (41%) and online reviews (34%). 

Interestingly, 17% were content with social media comments and celebrity endorsement. A Safefood study in June flagged healthy diet discussions on Twitter are dominated by non-health professionals, as an active social media presence from health professionals and scientific experts is crucially lacking.

Consumers doing their bit?
While consumers are concerned about product safety and quality, the survey suggests consumers are less willing to do their own research. 

Notably, only 48% said they research dietary supplement product claims themselves, while just 39% said they independently research personal care products and OTC product claims.

Nearly half (47%) of consumers are more likely to research a Hollywood movie than the claims on supplements and other health and wellness products. Seventeen percent admitted they are more likely to read the Facebook terms and conditions than the ingredient labels of supplements, personal care products and OTCs.

The consumers most likely to demand laboratory testing of supplements, personal care products and OTC drugs are:

• Men making over US$90,000 per year.
• Consumers with children.
• Consumers in urban areas. 
• Consumers 23 to 35 years old.

By Anni Schleicher