The Harsh Reality of NR Supplements: What's Really Inside Your NAD+ Booster?

NAD+ supplements—including NR (nicotinamide riboside)—are booming in popularity, fueled by both social media buzz and growing scientific evidence of their benefits. But with market projections soaring from $200 million in 2021 to over $500 million by this decade’s end, the rise of NR has also led to a flood of low-quality, misleading, or subpotent supplements hitting the market.

To address these growing concerns, ChromaDex’s (now Niagen Bioscience) Market Surveillance Program set out to test popular NR supplements for their quality and accuracy—and the results were shocking. As described in this recent article, 87% of the 39 tested NR supplements failed to meet their label claims, with only five supplements containing the advertised amount of NR. 

But which products should you steer clear of? As part of the Market Surveillance Program and our commitment to consumer well-being, we’re exposing some of the worst offenders in the NR supplement space. Let’s take a closer look at the most problematic products—and why it matters. 

NR vs. NAD+: What’s the Difference?

But before diving in, let’s take a quick refresher on why NR matters in the first place. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+, is a coenzyme that is necessary for approximately 500 other enzymes to function properly.

Think of NAD+ as the fuel that powers your body—just as a car can’t run without gas, your cells can’t function without NAD+. Every cell in our body needs NAD+, but this vital molecule tends to decline with age, dropping by as much as 50% between age 40 and 60 because of an accumulation of DNA and cellular damage due to exposure to metabolic stressors. With a reduction in NAD+ comes accelerated aging and signs of age-related functional decline, making NAD+ maintenance an essential component of healthy aging and longevity. 

But boosting NAD+ levels isn’t as simple as popping a capsule. Oral NAD+ supplementation is ineffective, as NAD+ itself is not bioavailable and cannot cross cell membranes in its original form—it first has to be broken down into other compounds before it can be taken up by the cell and turned back into NAD+.

Fortunately, there are other far more effective options, including NAD+ precursors like NR (nicotinamide riboside). One example is Niagen® (nicotinamide riboside chloride, or NRCl)—one of the most well-researched NAD-boosting supplements on the market, supported by over 35 clinical studies demonstrating its safety and efficacy.

However, not all NR supplements are created equal—let’s take a look at how some popular NR brands stack up when it comes to meeting their label claims.

The Problem with NR Supplements: What the Testing Found

Niagen Bioscience’s Market Surveillance Program analyzed 39 NR products purchased from Amazon and direct-to-consumer websites, testing them for potency and assessing against label accuracy (read more about the results here). 

The findings were alarming, to say the least.

Some of the best-selling NR supplements—including brands popularized by influencers on TikTok—failed to meet their label claims. In some cases, products contained little to no detectable NR, meaning consumers were essentially throwing money down the drain. If you cannot trust what a company claims is inside your supplement, you may be putting yourself at risk. While subpotent supplements are not necessarily contaminated, there is a possibility of unknowingly consuming something that isn’t listed on the label, leading to an overall lack of trust and transparency.

So, which brands are the worst offenders? Let’s take a closer look at what the testing uncovered.

The Repeat Offender: Reus Research (Now Cata-Kor)

One of Amazon’s top-selling NR brands—and a favorite among TikTok influencers—Reus Research (now rebranded as Cata-Kor) has repeatedly failed potency tests, containing as little as 2.2% of its advertised NR content in products purchased at different times. 

Despite positioning itself as a premium NAD+ booster, lab testing revealed that Reus Research/Cata-Kor supplements contained just 11-47mg of NR per serving—nowhere near the 500mg listed on the label.

After these findings came to light, Reus Research quietly rebranded as Cata-Kor and removed NR from their formula—yet they continue to market their supplements to NAD+ consumers.

While they claim the rebrand was due to counterfeiters, repeated testing has shown continued discrepancies in their product potency, raising concerns about formulation accuracy. When they replaced the NR with NAD+, testing also showed the NAD+ content was below what the label claimed. 

Here’s a look at what the testing uncovered:

The Empty Promise: High-Dose Liposomal Products With Non-Detectable NR

Next up, Niagen Bioscience identified several NR supplements that had no detectable NR in them whatsoever! 

These brands that claim high doses of NR in liposomal form had “ND” on their reports, meaning “non-detectable” amounts of NR.

Three of the tested products with no detectable NR included Aesticum Liposomal Nicotinamide Riboside, Aquifoly Liposomal NR, and Orgabay Liposomal Nicotinamide Riboside. All of these products claimed to have 1,500mg of NR per serving, but no NR was detected in Niagen Bioscience’s testing. 

One glaring reason why this may be happening is due to the claimed liposomal formula in these products. While liposomes can be beneficial for boosting bioavailability, compounds like NR and NMN (another NAD+ precursor) may not be the best fit. 

According to Aron Erickson, Niagen Bioscience's Vice President of Research and Development, “Liposomes in liquid form have an aqueous (water) core. NAD precursors, like NR, NMN, and NAD are not stable for long periods of time in water and will degrade rapidly within weeks if maintained in an aqueous environment. In contrast, liposomes in dried form, like a powder, readily break open when exposed to processing, like tableting or encapsulation, rendering the liposomes useless for their intended benefit of enhanced bioavailability."

This means that many liposomal NR products may not only be subpotent but also are likely to be ineffective, with degradation of NR even before the supplement hits the shelves.

The Popular Choice: Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Liposomal NAD+ Nicotinamide Riboside

Another popular brand with a large presence in the NAD+ supplement space, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals Liposomal NAD+ Nicotinamide Riboside, was also found to have much lower levels of NR than claimed on the label.

While the label states each serving contains 250mg of NR, the testing found that Hi-Tech NR contains just 52mg (20.8% of what is claimed). 

Although they claim that this product “increases NAD+ by 40% in just 30 days,” a dose of 52mg is not clinically effective and would likely not be sufficient for this increase.

The Non-Existent Support: Neurogan Product Line

Lastly, the entire Neurogan product line failed testing, including their NR drops, gummies, and capsules—take a look at the results here:

Neurogan liquid drops and gummy formats contained no detectable (0%) NR.

The Neurogan NR PRO—the capsule form—claimed 900mg of NR, with only about one-third (292mg) being verified by testing.

Why This Matters to Consumers

We’re not calling out brands for the sake of it—this is about consumer safety, transparency, and trust.

Here’s why you should care: First, the financial impact is large—NR products are not inexpensive, and people like you are paying hard-earned money for little to no active ingredients with the promise of better health and longevity. 

Second, if a product contains less NR than advertised, issues of trust and transparency become paramount.  If you cannot trust what a brand is including in their supplement, it’s hard to believe their other claims. For example, you could unknowingly be consuming something not listed on the label, such as contaminants, allergens, or heavy metals. Plus, subpotent dosing means you’re not getting the clinically effective amount needed for cellular health support.

Lastly, poor quality NR supplements place the entire world of NAD+ boosters into question, ultimately damaging trust. False claims such as these undermine real science. Although NR has strong clinical backing as an NAD+ booster, misleading products like these damage the overall credibility of legitimate research and supplements.

Without rigorous testing and transparency, brands across the world will continue to sell low-quality, ineffective, or potentially unsafe supplements. We’re here to shine a light on these issues so you can make informed, confident choices about your health.

How to Identify a High-Quality NR Supplement

So, how can you ensure your NR supplement is legitimate? Here’s what to keep an eye out for. 

It’s crucial to look for NR supplements that have been third-party tested for purity, potency, and contaminants. Tru Niagen® is a patented form of NR with the strongest clinical backing for its safety and effectiveness in raising NAD+ levels, and all products are third-party tested by NSF Certified for Sport and/or Alkemist Assured.

Over 35 human clinical studies, alongside collaborations with over 275 renowned research institutions—such as the Mayo Clinic, National Institute on Aging, and Harvard—underscore the credibility of Niagen®. Plus, over 65% of registered ongoing or completed nicotinamide riboside trials use Niagen®, underlying its safety and efficacy. 

However, fake or mislabeled Tru Niagen supplements are being sold by unauthorized resellers on sites like Amazon. 

Conversely, every batch of Tru Niagen® is rigorously tested for safety, quality, and potency, ensuring that you know what is in each bottle and what it can do for your health. If purchasing from Amazon, ensure the seller is listed as “Sold by: Tru Niagen,” or buy directly from the Tru Niagen website. 

To verify that your product is authentic, enter your supplement’s lot number on the bottle on Tru Niagen’s Transparency page to immediately access your bottle’s Certificate of Analysis, which demonstrates the testing results for safety, quality, label claim verification, and purity of every batch of Tru Niagen. Lastly, check the forms of NR in your supplements, looking for Niagen®, nicotinamide riboside chloride (NRCl), instead of NR hydrogen malate (NRHM). 

Key Takeaways

The laboratory findings from Niagen Bioscience’s Market Surveillance Program bring to light an increasingly common and problematic issue in the supplement space, which is that many brands fail to meet their label claims. With dozens of NR products coming up short in potency, consumers looking for NAD+ support may be unknowingly paying for ineffective—or even potentially unsafe—NR supplements. 

But low-quality and misleading supplements extend beyond just NR. Some ways that you can protect yourself as a consumer include only buying from authorized sellers to avoid counterfeit products, looking for well-known third-party testing labs—like NSF Certified for Sport and Alkemist Assured—and Certificates of Analyses to ensure potency and purity. You  may also want to be wary of certain forms of NR (like liposomal and gummies), which may degrade before they get to you. 

As these concerns about supplement quality grow, initiatives like Niagen Bioscience’s Market Surveillance Program are playing a vital role in elevating industry standards. By prioritizing research, transparency, and accountability, Niagen Bioscience and ChromaDex are setting a precedent for better consumer protection. For more on how Niagen Bioscience ensures the highest standards of quality, potency, and purity, head to this page.

 

References: 

ChromaDex Market Surveillance Program. (2025, February). "Quantitative Analysis of Nicotinamide Riboside Consumer Products and Counterfeit Tru Niagen® Products." Retrieved from https://investors.chromadex.com/investor-resources/Market-Surveillance/default.aspx   

 NutraIngredients-USA. (2025, February 28). "Majority of NR dietary supplements tested by ChromaDex failing to meet label claims." Retrieved from https://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Article/2025/02/28/majority-of-nr-dietary-supplements-tested-by-chromadex-failing-to-meet-label-claims/  

Fried, R. (2025). "A Self-Regulated Supplement Industry Is the Path to Responsible Innovation." Supply Side SJ. Retrieved from https://www.supplysidesj.com/supplement-regulations/a-self-regulated-supplement-industry-is-the-path-to-responsible-innovation- 

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