Fairy Dusting: When Supplements Only Work on the Label

What Is Fairy Dusting?

The term “fairy dusting” describes a widespread practice in the supplement industry: manufacturers add tiny amounts of expensive or popular ingredients — just enough to list them on the label, but far too little for any actual effect.

An example: A pre-workout contains 50mg of ashwagandha. Looks great on the label. The problem: studies show effectiveness only at 300-600mg per day. The 50mg is pharmacologically meaningless — pure marketing dust.

Proprietary Blends as Camouflage

A particularly cunning variant, especially common on the US market: the manufacturer lists an “Exclusive Matrix” or “Power Blend” with a total weight but without individual dosages. This allows expensive ingredients to be mixed in at homeopathic quantities without anyone noticing.

Commonly Affected Ingredients

The gap between an effective dose and a typical “fairy dust” amount is often staggering:

Ingredient	Effective Dose	Typical Underdosing
Ashwagandha (KSM-66)	300-600mg	25-100mg
Beta-Alanine	3.2-6.4g daily	500mg-1g
L-Citrulline	6-8g	1-2g
Creatine	3-5g	500mg-1g
L-Carnitine	2-3g	200-500mg
Caffeine (for performance)	3-6mg/kg	Often correctly dosed
HMB	3g	500mg

Note: The effective dosages are based on position papers from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) and meta-analyses.

Why Do Manufacturers Do This?

Marketing Over Substance

A long ingredients list suggests “more value.” Consumers who aren’t familiar with dosages see: “Wow, 12 active ingredients!” — and overlook the fact that 10 of them are underdosed.

Cost Savings

The maths is simple: 50mg of ashwagandha costs a fraction of 500mg. Across millions of units sold, this adds up to enormous savings — at the expense of efficacy.

Regulatory Grey Area

It’s not illegal to add an ingredient in small quantities, as long as it’s declared. The deception lies in what’s left unsaid: the consumer expects an effective dose but receives token amounts.

How to Spot Fairy Dusting

1. Check Individual Dosages

The most important tool: every single active ingredient must be listed with its quantity. If a product only states “Blend X: 5000mg” but contains 10 ingredients, that’s a clear warning sign.

Quick calculation: 5000mg spread across 10 ingredients = an average of 500mg per ingredient. For most active compounds, that’s too little.

2. Compare With Study Dosages

Take 2 minutes: search for “[ingredient] effective dose study” or look up the ISSN position papers. Compare with what’s on the label.

3. Watch for Proprietary Blends

Especially common on the US market: so-called “Proprietary Blends” where only the total weight of a mixture is listed, not the individual amounts. In Switzerland and the EU, declaration requirements are stricter — but it’s still worth checking whether the amount of each individual ingredient is clearly stated.

4. Less Is Often More

A product with 3-4 ingredients at the correct dosage is almost always better than one with 15 underdosed ingredients. Quality beats quantity.

5. Calculate Price Per Effective Dose

It’s not the price per container that matters, but the price per effective serving. A “cheap” product that you need to double or triple dose ends up costing more.

Example: Pre-Workout Analysis

Product A (Fairy Dusting):

• “Power Matrix: 4500mg” containing:
• Beta-Alanine, L-Citrulline, L-Arginine, Creatine, Taurine, Tyrosine, Ashwagandha, Caffeine

Problem: 4500mg divided among 8 ingredients = ~560mg per ingredient. For beta-alanine, citrulline, and creatine, you need multiples of that.

Product B (correctly dosed):

• L-Citrulline: 6000mg
• Beta-Alanine: 3200mg
• Caffeine: 200mg
• Creatine: 5000mg (or supplemented separately)

Takeaway: Product B has fewer ingredients, but each at an effective dose.

What This Means for You

Rule 1: Research Before Buying

5 minutes of research can save a lot of money. Check the dosages of the main active ingredients against scientific recommendations.

Rule 2: Choose Transparency

Choose manufacturers that:

• Disclose all individual dosages
• Provide individual dosages instead of proprietary blends
• List sources for their raw materials
• Have their products independently tested

Rule 3: Fewer Ingredients, Done Right

Better to have 3 active ingredients at the correct dosage than 15 underdosed ones. Your body doesn’t need a marketing ingredients list — it needs effective amounts.

Conclusion

Fairy dusting is a legal but questionable practice that exploits consumer ignorance. With some knowledge about effective dosages and a critical eye on labels, you can protect yourself.

The rule of thumb: if a product sounds too good to be true — 15 active ingredients at a bargain price — it probably is.

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Sources:

• Kreider RB et al. (2017). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14, 18.
• Trexler ET et al. (2015). International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: Beta-Alanine. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 30.
• Wankhede S et al. (2015). Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 12, 43.
• Gonzalez AM & Trexler ET (2020). Effects of Citrulline Supplementation on Exercise Performance. Nutrients, 12(10), 3055.