Earlier this year Amazon quietly launched a line of supplements under its ‘Elements’ sub-brand with a push for quality and transparency in the supplement world.
Elements, which is only available to Prime members (don’t have Prime? Start a Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial), started a few years ago with diapers and baby wipes. The online retailer wanted to create a trustworthy, premium brand for products that show how they’re made, what is in them and where they’re sourced. While diapers didn’t work out, they kept the baby wipes and then branched into supplements this year.
The open transparency that Amazon Elements wants for its supplement line is easy to see on its product pages, where they list everything from level of pesticides, microbes and heavy metals for each batch.
With each product, Amazon will show you information, such as:
- Its manufacturer,
- The certificate of analysis (CoA) for each product (also accessible via QR labels on packaging)
- Details on how the product is made
- Where each ingredient comes from
- Results of tests done on each product
The product page also has a list of questions and answers going from how the capsules are made to what to do if the supplement makes you feel sick. It covers a lot, which probably helps their support team.
The idea of the QR code on each product (you scan it with the Amazon app on your phone), while not a new concept, is a great idea to really keep people informed.
They also outline the manufacturing process in nice diagrams – for those that like visualizations like me.
Their line of supplements as of right now include Biotin, Turmeric Root Extract, Iron, Calcium Complex, Magnesium Oxide, Vitamin B2 and Vitamin K2. See their full line on Amazon Elements
I’m sure if this goes well it’ll expand its line.
The bigger question is would you change your supplement brand for Amazon Element’s?
Is transparency in vitamins and supplements important to you?
Is it worth getting a Prime account, or is that a deterrent?
(You can Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial and get your first supplements as a test)
And do you trust supplements from a large corporation, or does that turn you off?
Why do they sell Vitamin D2 instead of D3, which is more effective? https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/589256_4
My only assumption is that either production costs were lower or sourcing was easier for D2. But if they expand, we’ll probably see it.