The Clean Supplement Checklist: 5 Things to Look for Before You Buy

Walk down any health store aisle or scroll through wellness influencers on Instagram, and you’ll see shelves and feeds overflowing with supplements. Nearly every bottle promises purity, potency, and “the best quality.”

But here’s the reality: when you flip the bottle over and read the fine print, the label often tells a very different story. The supplement industry is largely self-regulated, and many companies cut corners — filling products with hidden additives, cheap carriers, and shortcuts that save them money but do little (or even harm) for your health.

That’s why it’s no longer enough to be swayed by polished branding or influencer campaigns. To protect your health — and your wallet — you need a clean supplement checklist. Here are five of the biggest red flags to watch for:

1. Glycerin (a.k.a. “Vegetable Glycerin”)

Glycerin is one of the most common bases in tinctures and liquid supplements. On labels, it usually appears as “vegetable glycerin” or simply “glycerin,” which sounds harmless. In reality, most glycerin is derived from industrial seed oils such as soy, palm, or canola — oils that are often GMO, heavily refined, and inflammatory. Even when labeled “organic glycerin,” it is almost always sourced from seed oils.

Even worse, many companies use glycerin not just as a carrier but as a cheap filler, bulking up formulas so you end up taking (and buying) more without actually receiving a therapeutic dose of herbs.

This is exactly why Wild Wholistic pioneered the use of organic coconut glycerin — the first liquid supplements of their kind made without seed oils, offering a clean, stable, and bioavailable alternative. Unlike many brands, our formulations maintain a high concentration of therapeutic herbs relative to the glycerin base, ensuring efficacy is never compromised for cost-cutting.

2. Maltodextrin (and Other Hidden Fillers)

Maltodextrin is one of the supplement industry’s most deceptive additives because it often doesn’t even appear on the label. It’s commonly used as a carrier in extracts and powders or to help ingredients dissolve easily in water and prevent clumping — especially in electrolyte mixes and “ready-to-drink” powders that advertise easy mixing.

Most maltodextrin is derived from GMO corn or wheat, though it can also be made from organic starches such as potatoes. Regardless of source, maltodextrin acts like sugar in the body — rapidly spiking blood sugar and disrupting gut balance, especially in higher doses. Consumers believe they’re buying nourishment, but instead they may be ingesting additives that undermine metabolic and digestive health.

And maltodextrin isn’t the only stealth filler. Rice flour, cornstarch, microcrystalline cellulose, and gum additives are also widely used to cut costs, add bulk, or improve texture — all while reducing the space for active nutrients.

A truly clean formula delivers therapeutic herbs and nutrients without masking agents or unnecessary fillers.

3. Citric Acid

The name “citric acid” sounds like it comes from lemons or limes. In reality, the citric acid used in supplements today is almost always mass-produced through fermentation with black mold (Aspergillus niger). Fruit-derived citric acid does exist, but it is rare and far more expensive to produce.

While generally considered safe for most people, mold-derived citric acid can irritate the gut, promote inflammation, and trigger allergy-like symptoms in sensitive individuals. For brands committed to true purity, there are better ways to stabilize products without resorting to mold-based additives.

If you see “citric acid” on a label, reach out to the brand and ask about their sourcing — a clean company should be transparent about whether their citric acid comes from fruit or from mold fermentation.

4. “Natural Flavors”

Few terms are as misleading as “natural flavors.” By law, this phrase can include hundreds of lab-derived chemicals that don’t need to be individually disclosed. Many are petroleum-based or processed with harsh solvents.

A clean label shouldn’t make you guess. Brands that choose real herbs, roots, fruits, and spices instead of vague “flavors” demonstrate true integrity and transparency.

5. Flow Agents: Silicon Dioxide & Magnesium Stearate

These ingredients aren’t added for your benefit — they’re there to make machines run faster and cheaper during manufacturing. Silicon dioxide and magnesium stearate act as flow agents, helping powders move smoothly through production equipment.

Though generally recognized as safe in small amounts, their inclusion dilutes the formula and can interfere with absorption of active ingredients. Brands that prioritize quality will take the harder road: crafting formulas without shortcuts, even if it means slower or more costly production.

Why Labels Aren’t Enough

In today’s marketplace, nearly every supplement brand claims purity, potency, and quality. But purity isn’t about who dominates your feed or who pays the most influencers. It’s about what’s inside the bottle — and whether the brand can back up its claims.

At Wild Wholistic, every ingredient is listed clearly, and every batch is independently third-party tested for purity and safety — covering heavy metals, microbes, and toxins. No hidden fillers, no disguised carriers, no shortcuts.

The Bottom Line

Your supplements should support your health, not sabotage it. Unfortunately, in today’s market, the loudest brands are often the ones spending the most on marketing — not the ones delivering the cleanest formulas.

The good news? As a consumer, you have power. Every time you read a label closely, reject fillers, and choose formulas that prioritize integrity over margins, you send a message to the industry. You vote for transparency, for effectiveness, and for truly clean medicine.

That’s how the supplement space changes — one informed choice at a time.

About the Authors

Tamina & Pari are the founders of Wild Wholistic, a brand dedicated to bringing ancient healing wisdom into modern formulations that work. Every product is rooted in uncompromising standards of purity, extraction integrity, and testing — and designed to work with the body, not against it.