I wanted to know which magnesium, B12, omega-3 and vitamin D to buy in India. Claude Fable 5.2 read the published lab reports for 109 batches sold here. Most matched their labels. Twenty did not come close, or failed a heavy-metal check.
By Sneha Prabhu · Research by Claude Fable 5.2 · Every number links to its lab report · Not medical advice
Summary
The short answer
What to buy and what to skip for each supplement. "Skip" means a tested batch that fell short of its label or failed the heavy-metal check. Tap a supplement for the numbers.
Each product is judged on two things from its lab report: did it contain what the label says, and did it pass the heavy-metal check. Best means it matched with low metals, or it is a plain pharmacy product with a proper dose. Worst means the tested batches that missed by the most. The month under each photo is when that batch was tested (April 2024 to October 2026); tap a photo for its lab report.
Swisse High Strength · Nutrabay Wellness · HK Vitals Fish Oil · Neuherbs Deep Sea. Vegetarian: Unived Ovegha · Zeroharm Vegan Omega
Each had at least the EPA and DHA on its label, in tests the tester chose itself (2024–25). The 2026 tests that matched (Neuherbs, Blubein, HealthyHey, Origins Nutra algal) were paid for by the brands.
Zeroharm men's · Miduty One Per Day · Revital H Woman · 10,000 mcg biotin
Zeroharm: vitamin A 0.77 mcg against 800. Miduty: magnesium 20 mg against 150. Revital H: vitamin A 30 mcg against 390. High-dose biotin can distort thyroid and heart blood tests.
Look for
One a day, close to 100% of daily needs
Avoid
10,000 mcg biotin; 400 IU or more of vitamin E daily; sugary gummies
In healthy adults, multivitamins have not been shown to prevent heart disease or cancer.
02
How labels hide the real dose
The big number on the front is usually the weight of the whole compound or capsule. The amount of the nutrient you are paying for is the smaller number on the back.
2000 mg magnesium glycinate≈ 280 mg magnesium
Magnesium. Glycinate is about 14% magnesium by weight. Compare elemental magnesium.
1000 mg fish oil300 mg EPA + DHA
Omega-3. A standard softgel is 300 mg of omega-3; triple strength is 750 to 900 mg.
1500 mcg B12 swallowed≈ 1–2% absorbed
B12. Only a sliver of a big oral dose is absorbed. That is why deficiency tablets are 1500 mcg.
03
What the lab found
Each mark is one batch, placed at the amount the lab measured as a share of the label. The grey band is within 20% of the label. Hover or tap a mark to see the product; click it to open the lab report.
Matched labelCautionFar below label or failed metals check
The chart needs JavaScript. Every number in it is in the tables at the end.
Source: Unbox Health product pages, read 10 November 2026. Multivitamins are in the tables at the end. Marks at the right edge are 200% or more.
Who paid for the test
Unbox Health chooses some products itself and buys them on Amazon. Others are chosen by public vote, and some are paid for by the brand. Brands pay when they expect to pass.
Chosen by the tester: 39 matched, 8 caution, 18 failed. Paid for by the brand: 33 matched, 3 caution, 0 failed. Public vote: 5 matched, 1 caution, 2 failed.
The reports are published either way, so brand-paid results are real. But a brand's A+ badges carry less weight than a test it didn't ask for. The letter grades are also generous: a B12 tablet with 1,113 mcg against 1,500 still got an A+. This page uses the measured numbers.
Heavy metals
Minerals and plant extracts can pick up heavy metals from their raw materials. These are the ten tested batches with the most lead.
BBETTER Vitamin C and Zinc 19.15 ppm; Ambrosial Iron Bisglycinate 14.31 ppm; Boldfit Vitamin C Complex 2.57 ppm; Carbamide Forte Calcium and Vitamin D3 2.16 ppm; Tata 1mg Calcium + Vitamin D3 Advanced 2.03 ppm.
Lead in parts per million. At 19 ppm, a one-gram tablet contains about 19 micrograms of lead. Single batches; a later batch may differ.
04
Fakes and expired stock
Documented cases, with dates and sources. The quick-commerce raids were about food in general, not vitamins in particular, and most counterfeit cases involved protein powder.
Counterfeit whey sold through Flipkart. West Bengal's consumer commission ordered a retailer to refund and pay a penalty after the importer confirmed a Muscletech tub was counterfeit. The claim against Flipkart itself was not proved. Bar and Bench
Shelcal 500, batch GDXD0581, listed as spurious. The drug regulator's monthly list named it. Torrent, which makes Shelcal, said it did not make that batch. It was a counterfeit, not a Torrent quality failure. Medical Dialogues
Fake supplement factory, Greater Noida. Police raided it after a buyer fell ill from protein bought online, and seized goods valued at ₹50 lakh along with printing and packing machines. Curly Tales, citing The Indian Express
Zepto's Dharavi warehouse licence suspended. Maharashtra's FDA reported fungal growth on some products and expired stock not kept apart. The suspension was lifted about two weeks later after re-inspection. The Week, Inc42
1,903 expired or misbranded items in Telangana. Food safety officers inspected 75 e-commerce and quick-commerce warehouses over two days. Telangana Today
Fake supplement unit, outer Delhi. Delhi Police's crime branch seized fake brand stickers, holograms and a QR code printer. Devdiscourse
Four Hyderabad dark stores lose licences. Inspectors checked 16 stores run by Instamart, Flipkart, Zepto and Dropx and found expired or damaged items and pests. Deccan Chronicle
60 of 61 supplement ads broke the advertising code. The Advertising Standards Council reviewed three months of nutraceutical ads; one case was still pending. Moneylife
Pharmacy tablets and wellness supplements are regulated differently
A B12 tablet from a pharma company is a drug. It is made under a drug licence, and the drug regulator samples batches and publishes the ones that fail every month. A B12 gummy is a food. It is licensed by the food regulator, which keeps supplements close to one day's requirement. That is why wellness brands sell 1 mcg of B12 and pharmacies sell 1500. A government committee proposed moving some supplements under the drug regulator in November 2024; I could not confirm where that stands.
Online grocers are expected to deliver food with at least 30% of its shelf life or 45 days left, according to the food regulator's chief in November 2024 (Outlook Business). Check the expiry date when the order arrives.
05
When the order arrives
Seven things to check before you open it.
All seven checked.
If something is wrong, keep the invoice and photos of the batch number and dates. Call the National Consumer Helpline on 1915, report food products in FSSAI's Food Safety Connect app, and report medicines to your state drug controller.
06
All 109 batches
Each row links to its lab report. "Matched", "caution" and "failed" are my reading of the numbers; the rules are in the method below.
Look at the last column first: a clean record built only on tests the brand paid for is weaker evidence.
Brand
Batches tested
Matched
Caution
Failed
Paid for by the brand
Carbamide Forte
5
1
2
2
0
BBETTER
2
0
0
2
0
Tata 1mg
4
3
0
1
2
Himalayan Organics
3
2
0
1
0
Boldfit
2
1
0
1
0
Rasayanam
2
1
0
1
0
HealthyHey
7
6
1
0
7
HK Vitals
3
2
1
0
0
Wellbeing Nutrition
5
5
0
0
4
Swisse
4
4
0
0
1
Origins Nutra
4
4
0
0
4
Decode Age
3
3
0
0
3
Pure Nutrition
2
2
0
0
1
Ace Blend
2
2
0
0
2
Plix
2
2
0
0
1
Method and sources
Product photos are from each product's Unbox Health page and show the product that was tested.
Lab numbers come from Unbox Health's public product pages, read on 10 November 2026: every product in its magnesium, omega-3, vitamin D, B12, vitamin C, iron, calcium, multivitamin and K2 categories with a label claim to compare, 109 batches in all. Pass and fail results from Trustified are mentioned where they exist.
One batch is one batch. Many tests are from 2024. Brands change formulas, and a later batch can be better or worse. Where a product failed, that applies to the tested batch only.
My labels are mine. Failed: under 50% of the label, or the lab's heavy-metal score under 5 of 10. Caution: 50 to 80% of label, a metal score under 9, vitamin D above 150% of label, or a multivitamin under 8 of 10 for accuracy. They are not the testers' grades.
What is missing. Most pharmacy brands (Limcee, Neurobion, Becosules, Evion, Orofer) and most imports have no published independent test in India. No test here measured whether fish oil was rancid. I could not confirm stock or prices on Blinkit, Zepto or Instamart.
HK Vitals
Tata 1mg
Unived
Health Veda
Nutrijet
NutriJa
Swisse
Nutrabay
HK Vitals
Nveda
BBETTER
Zaveda
TrueBasics
iThrive drops
Shelcal 500
Tata 1mg Ca + D3
Carbamide Forte
Ambrosial
Naturaltein
Vito
BBETTER
Boldfit
Himalayan Organics
Centrum Men
Zeroharm
Miduty
Revital H
