footer logo

Supplement Expiration Dates: To Toss or Not to Toss

Hello there, fellow supplement enthusiasts!

Today we’re tackling an issue that has plagued humanity since the dawn of time (or, you know, since the invention of supplements): to toss or not to toss expired vitamins.

That is the question! It’s a dilemma that we’ve all faced. You come across a bottle of lord knows what that expired three years ago, and you’re left wondering if it’s still okay to take.

Do you risk it and hope for the best? Do you toss it and waste your hard-earned money?

Fear not, dear readers. With Dr. Neal and his 20+ years of clinical experience guiding the way, we’re going to navigate the murky waters of supplement expiration dates. Keep reading for the ins and outs of legalities, potencies, and standards — or lack thereof — in the supplement industry.

In This Article:

Are Supplement Expiration Dates Essential or Just a Myth?

Counter question: Did you know that supplement manufacturers aren’t legally required to put an expiration date on the bottle?

All they have to do is slap on a manufacturing date and call it a day.

Accurate supplement expiration dates require tedious and expensive tests to be determined, so most manufacturers simply don’t. They’ve got bills to pay and brand accounts to curate — can we blame them? 

That doesn’t mean expiration dates are meaningless, though, despite the lack of meaningful regulation around supplement production quality. 

When it comes down to it, the answer is nuanced. Expired vitamins and supplements won’t turn you into a radioactive spider, probably, but it’s not the best idea to take them after their expiration date. 

Why? Because supplements do, in fact, lose potency over time

The Battle of Potency Decline vs. Expiration Dates

If there’s one thing to know about vitamin expiration dates, it’s that they are actually a guideline for potency

Most supplements will start to lose potency over time — even more rapidly if they’re stored improperly. So if a supplement label claims to contain 250mg of magnesium, it is legally required to contain 100% of that claim until the expiration date. 

To complicate things further, some companies will put more of the respective compound in their formulas just for good measure. That’s right: the regulations don’t swing both ways. If a supplement contains 99% potency, it’s considered expired, but if it contains 105%, it’s good to go. 

And if you’re thinking that this sounds like it could be troubling for those with sensitivities to certain vitamins and whole-food compounds, you’re absolutely right. 

In comparison to the pharmaceutical industry, supplement regulations are loose at best. If you want supplements that are what they say they are and do what they say they do, the burden of quality vetting rests on your shoulders. 

(Now’s probably a good time for a bone-building supplement if you’re going to be carrying all that weight, right?) 

Can Supplement Quality Markers be More Useful than Expiration Dates?

So the supplement industry is like the Wild West, wrought with weak standards, warring opinions, and weaponized trends. 

We’re all just cowboys out here, trying to find the best supplements for our trusty steeds — AKA our bodies — without breaking the bank. Throw in all this nonsense about expiration dates vs. manufacturer dates, and it quickly becomes a confusing landscape of hype and misinformation. 

So, let’s cut through the overwhelm: The true measure of a supplement’s effectiveness, safety, and potency lies in its overall quality. 

A supplement or vitamin’s overall quality encompasses a wide range of factors, from sourcing to ingredient purity. In fact, if you focus solely on the expiration date, you’ll be missing a lot of important considerations in your decision-making process. 

Cheap, low-quality supplements might last longer on your shelf but can contain fillers, additives, or ineffective forms of vitamins that our bodies struggle to absorb.

Conversely, a supplement with a shorter lifespan might be a knock-out for quality and provide better, more tangible benefits. 

When it comes to choosing the right supplements for you, then, you should look at expiration dates as just one piece of the puzzle. For ultimate confidence in your supplement purchasing, you should look at the whole picture, including ingredient purity, third-party testing, and manufacturing standards

Learn More: Supplement Spring Cleaning in 4 Simple Steps

The Woodstock Standard 

We don’t like to toot our own horn very often, but when it comes to sharing the 20+ years of boots-on-the-ground experience and research prowess of our founder, Dr. Neal

Toot-freaking-toot. 

Our Supplement Quality Standard, AKA the Woodstock bible, was developed by Dr. Neal after decades of working one-on-one with patients as a holistic pharmacist. The four components — science, compliance, virtues, and value — aren’t just fancy buzzwords, they’re the backbone of our mission. 

That’s why, when it comes to evaluating our supplement formulas, for example, we use third-party testing to ensure a blue-ribbon type of quality.

Then, because the voraciously curious Dr. Neal is rarely satisfied with just a blue ribbon, we test it again ourselves.

So your vitamin vetting doesn’t have to be all doom, gloom, and endless research! We’re here to bring a little sunshine and some rebellious Woodstock spirit to the supplement game. 

How? By providing direct, actionable advice for all the wellness-inclined folk of the world — via our Counterside Consults, for example. Jump-start your wellness practices there, and ask Dr. Neal all the lingering questions you may have about supplement expiration dates, quality markers, and the like. 

Logo

By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the use of cookies on your device in accordance with our Privacy and Cookie policies