The Standard

Five filters. Every product passes all of them. Most supplements on the market today wouldn't.

Why a standard?

The supplement industry runs on two things: impressive-looking ingredient lists, and proprietary blends that hide what's actually in them. A bottle that says "Premium Magnesium Complex" tells you nothing about whether you're absorbing 12 mg or 240 mg. A "Brain & Focus Formula" with 15 nootropics in one capsule is mathematically incapable of dosing any of them at clinical levels.

We built the VAEL Standard so we'd never ship a product that fails it. Five filters. If a product fails any one, it doesn't make our catalog.

Filter i — Clinical doses

Every active matches what peer-reviewed human trials actually used. Not 'research-inspired' half-doses. Not 'effective at lower amounts.' The dose the studies used.

Example: KSM-66 ashwagandha is studied at 300–600 mg per day across 8–12 weeks for cortisol reduction, sleep onset, and stress recovery. We use 600 mg. Most ashwagandha products on the shelf use 200–400 mg of unstandardized root powder — closer to a placebo than a clinical dose.

Filter ii — No proprietary blends

Every active is disclosed in milligrams on the label. If a brand hides the dose of an ingredient, it's because they're embarrassed by it. "Proprietary stress matrix 905 mg" containing 14 ingredients means each ingredient averages 65 mg — which means none of them are at clinical levels and the brand knows it.

We will never ship a product with a proprietary blend. Every milligram is on the label.

Filter iii — Bioavailable forms

The form determines whether your body absorbs it. Magnesium oxide is roughly 5% bioavailable. Magnesium glycinate is over 40%. Same name on the front of the bottle, different molecule on the inside, eight times the difference in what reaches your bloodstream.

We use glycinate over oxide. MK-7 over MK-4 (72-hour half-life vs 8-hour). Methylated B12 over synthetic cyanocobalamin. Cholecalciferol D3 over ergocalciferol D2. The form is non-negotiable.

Filter iv — Real research backing

Peer-reviewed human trials at relevant doses. Not animal studies extrapolated to humans. Not "traditionally used for centuries." Not in vitro experiments where compounds were applied directly to cells in a petri dish.

We cite the actual research the dose came from. We're happy to send you the studies.

Filter v — No symbolic actives

Fifteen ingredients at 10 mg each is marketing, not medicine. Fewer ingredients at clinical doses do more than crowded labels at symbolic ones. The Foundation Stack has three products. Each one does one thing well at the dose research used.

What this rules out

This standard is why our catalog is small. We've evaluated over 100 products from premium suppliers, and 90% fail at least one of these filters — usually the dose or the form. We'd rather ship three honest products than fifteen with footnotes.

When we manufacture our own formulations later, this standard scales. Until then, this is what's on our shelf.

If you have questions about any specific product or want to see the research a dose comes from, email hayden@vaelsupplements.com.