5 Rules to detect fake bodybuilding supplement

Fake bodybuilding supplements products in India are on the rise these days. Its a major concern for all of us because its not only money wasted, but it also puts our health at risk. It is estimated that more than 60% of supplements sold in India are fake. You can read about this in detail here . We suggest that you buy bodybuilding protein supplement from genuine dealers of reputed brands. You can also buy bodybuilding supplement online from trusted websites.

How to Detect Fake Bodybuilding Supplements

Share this Image On Your Site

FAKE

FAKE

This is how a typical story goes for a first time supplement buyer. You do a lots of research and googling to find the best supplement brand to suit their need. [By the way we have a good resource for you to find the best supplements here if you are looking to buy one]

After all these efforts at last you decide on once particular brand that you want to buy. You have read lot of good review of this product and have heard good things from your gym buddies who use the same product. This makes you really exited and you are eager to buy one. Next you start looking got shops or website that gives you the best price. This the step where most people go wrong, because the cheapest is not always the best deal. None the less lets assume you go with the cheapest option and buy from a shady shop just for the sake of big discount he was offering. Note that even though you are buying at a cheaper rate, its still your hard earned money.

Next after you start using the supplements, you start to expect some dramatic effects in your gains. Most of the expectation is because of the big claims made by the supplement company or because the popular bodybuilder ( also the brand ambassador of the product) highly recommends it. But if the supplement is fake, it will hardly make any difference to you gains at best, and do more harm at the worst. All depends on what is used in making the fake supplement.

You even probably start to doubt yourself, that are you not seeing the effect because you are not working hard enough ? or not following the proper workout routine. This also leads to demoralization because you had high expectations. At this stage some people even give up on bodybuilding assuming its not meant for them. All this happens not realizing that you are not seeing results because the supplement that you are using in fake. If this feeling seems familiar, then read on as we tell you why this happens and how you can avoid it.

As you guys must have realized, the effect of fake supplements is not just the money wasted. It has deeper physical and psychological effect . The harmful effects of fake supplements is another story all together that we will cover in another article. This are the reason why ensuring that your supplement is genuine and original is such and important step. The step that most all together miss. The story doesn’t end after you buy supplements and you product arrives. You have follow some rules to check if you supplement is original or fake. This should be done irrespective of the place or shop from where you buy it, irrespective of weather this is the first time you are buying or a regular buyer from a particular shop or website.

Rule # 1 Check the Seal
Rule No 1 is to check the seal properly. If there is no seal, then its definitely fake! If the seal is there then on close observation we can make out the difference between original and fake

a) The seal on the inner side of the lid should be checked carefully, The duplicate ones are loosely attached and are of poor quality.

Fake Supplement

Fake Supplement

b) Actual seal on the bottle should have proper edges and should be uniformly attached. It should not be open or loose from any side.

Fake Supplement

Fake Supplement

c) Seal usually have name of the brand endorsed on it, If the seal is plain and of low quality then its probably fake.

Fake Supplement

Fake Supplement

Rule # 2 Hologram / Logo
Rule no 2 is to check the logo of the brand and hologram, Most of the popular brand have a hologram mark which is difficult to forge.
Below is an example of Hologram on Optimum Nutrition brand.

Fake Supplement Hologram

Fake Supplement

Examples of fake Logo of Optimum Nutrition

Fake Logo

Fake Logo

Rule # 3 MRP Sticker
Another easy way to detect fake is to check the MRP Sticker, Fake product usually paste another sticker for the MRP on the container. The Sticker on the genuine products are as shown below.

MRP sticker hologram

MRP sticker hologram

Rule # 4 LOT No Verification
We can verify genuine product by looking at the LOT No, Some companies provide online service to validate LOT no of their product. For others you can call the customer care and confirm the lot no of bodybuilding supplements. Fake Supplements will have invalid LOT No.

Fake LOT No

Fake LOT No

Fake LOT No

Fake LOT No

Rule # 5 Container Quality, Graphics and Label clarity
Fake products usually have low quality container, graphics , labels and text. See the examples below.

counterfeit-products

counterfeit-products

counterfeit-products

counterfeit-products

Apart from these five rules,  there are few other checks that you can do to validate that your supplements are original

6) Supplement taste, smell, color and mix-ability:

If you are a regular supplement user or a particular product, then pay close attention to the taste, smell, texture, color and mix-ability when you buy a new tub. If you feel anything has changed, then it should set the alarm ringing. It may be actual change from the supplement company. However its always good to get in tough with them for reconfirmation about any changes you observe.

7) Bar Code / QR Code

Make sure that the bar code and QR code on the container are point to the correct url and giving you the correct information about the product. You can use the QR scanner on your phone to get the details. If you notice anything unusual, then please get in touch with the supplements company

 

We hope that this article will help you detect fake supplements from the originals. Fake Bodybuilding supplements can have serious consequences on our health, please be cautions while buying your next supplement and help spread awareness about fake bodybuilding supplements. If you know of any other methods to detect fakes , please leave comment below.

To be safe always buy supplement from reputed and trusted company like Amazon.in or Snapdeal

Happy Bodybuilding !!

If you have liked this article, Please share it and help spread awareness about fake supplements. Use the below code to share the infographics.

Share this InfoGraphic On Your Site

About Indian Bodybuilding

Indian Bodybuilding Site Administrator