According to JAMA network research, 48% of SARMs are either fake, underdosed or substituted with cheap and toxic compounds.
On top of that, 39% contained drugs that weren’t approved, 25% contained additional ingredients that weren’t listed on the product label, and 59% diverged from listed ingredient amounts.
SARMs, in their purest form, work incredibly well in building lean muscle mass and shredding body fat, but because they are unregulated, they can be risky to buy and a risk to your health.
As a result, rogue manufacturers have emerged looking to shortchange their customers with fake products. If you are buying online, you are likely to get scammed, overpaying for SARM-marketed products that contain little or no SARMs.
The market has a real problem with this, but luckily the Certificate of Analysis, or COA, provides transparency, making it easier to buy safe SARMs online.
In this article, we will go through how to find and read a COA when buying your SARMs and we’ll use one of our own as an example for clarity.
Let’s dive in!
What is a Certificate of Analysis?
A Certificate of Analysis (COA) reveals the results of a scientific test on a product.
The COA also lists the chemicals used to manufacture and test the product and ensures all important regulations are met.
All manufacturers must send a sample from every new batch of SARMs produced to a third-party independent lab for testing; this will protect consumers and ensure the SARM is as expected and labelled.
You should always check the purity certificates before buying SARMS. If this is not readily available, avoid the company and go somewhere that’s safe.
What is the purpose of a Certificate of Analysis?
A COA assures customers, manufacturers, and suppliers that a product meets agreed-upon health standards. Trusted SARM manufacturers like UK SARMs provide COAs based on their capabilities, internal quality standards, and customers’ needs.
It is so important for a SARMs supplier to show its customer a trustworthy COA so that the customer can understand exactly what type of product they will receive. Purity is everything, and a COA will provide this information and more.
In most countries, a COA is required for importing and exporting food products, while for pharmaceuticals and chemicals, a more rigorous analysis is required.
What is a certified SARM?
A COA-certified SARM is assessed by a third party to be safe and meet certain health quality standards.
As for which supplements are okay to use, you should only use purest form, certified supplements. SARMs that are independently certified hold what we consider a stamp of approval: they ensure that the supplement is not contaminated or poisoned.
The certification will mean that you know the only thing you’re taking is that SARM, without anything else that isn’t named on the bottle or package.
Understanding Certificate of Analysis (COA) Testing in SARMs
A COA contains the testing results performed as part of the quality control process. At the top of the report, COAs must display the following:
- Manufacturer’s name and contact details
- Product name
- Batch number – most products are usually created and tested in batches
- Method of testing
- Purity %
- Expiry date, if applicable
- Retest date, if applicable
Looking at our COA for our SHRED 2.0 (GW-0742) product as an example, you can see these details clearly displayed at the top:
Before a COA can be released, it must be dated and signed by authorised personnel from the manufacturer or supplier’s quality unit. In the event of repackaging and reprocessing, the COA should also show the details of the original manufacturer as well.
An old date or a different batch number could indicate a lack of testing or a delay in updating information. For a COA matching your product’s batch number, contact the company and make sure they can provide one before using your supplement.
Check the bottom of certificates for certifications, signatures, and badges.
Here is an example of accreditation you might find in a lab test taken from our SHRED 2.0 sample test:
Our partners MZ Biolabs and Colmaric Analyticals offer analytical testing for various pharmaceutical compounds, including over-the-counter medications, supplements and SARMS.
Who tests SARMs and how can I trust them?
Here at UK SARMs, we partner with top testing labs MZ Biolabs and Colmaric Analyticals.
MZ Biolabs is a US DEA schedule III licensed facility that provides exceptional research support and testing services for the research, medical, and veterinary communities.
They excel at developing methods for drugs, diagnostic markers, metabolites, metabolomics, and proteomics. They offer analytical testing for a wide range of pharmaceutical compounds, including over-the-counter medications and supplements like SARMs.
MZ Biolab’s testing is highly accurate; they run calibration curves and use internal spiked standards (when available) with each sample, meaning they have become one of the most trusted testing labs in the world.
Colmaric Analyticals LLC provides sound scientific research and analytical testing to the nutraceutical, dietary supplement, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.
Having worked in pharmaceutical and health care services, the founders understand the concerns and challenges in providing high-quality, pure supplements.
As an independent company dedicated to serving the nutraceutical and dietary supplement, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries, Colmaric Analyticals is the natural go-to lab for reliable, trustworthy testing.
Do SARM supplements require approval?
Different countries or regions often have different legal procedures for SARMs.
The legality of supplements varies from country to country, so a lot depends on where you live. Having said that, supplements will require approval in most cases.
Most countries have a drug testing branch that monitors the types of medicine and health supplements citizens consume. It is usually these organisations or departments that ensure the supplements are pure.
How do you identify SARMs?
There is a difference between SARMs (selective androgen receptor modulators) and steroids.
Both work by binding to your androgen receptors, triggering changes in your DNA which increases your muscle mass and functional muscle strength. But steroids can also impact other body parts, leading to side effects such as prostate issues, hair loss and acne.
SARMs, however, target your muscles without setting off this same chain of reactions.
There are many forms of SARMs, including liquids, powders, pills, and capsules. SARMs cannot be readily identified by looking at their form alone, so it’s important to look at product labels and purity certificates.
The following are some popular SARMs and their potential benefits that you can familiarise yourself with so that you can better identify SARMs online:
- LGD-4033 (also known as Ligandrol, VK5211) – one of the strongest SARMs in terms of muscle growth & very popular for bulking up
- MK-2866 (also known as Enobosarm, Ostarine) – reduces body fat all the while increasing lean muscle mass
- RAD-140 (also known as Testolone) – designed to replace testosterone allowing the body to react the same way it would to a healthy dose of the hormone, less the side effects
- S-4 (also known as Andarine) – potential benefits include body fat reduction and muscle protection during reduced calorie intake and/or intense cardio training
Identifying SARMs properly requires experts who are well-versed in these products and who stay on top of regulatory news regarding unapproved drugs. It’s why we use experts like MZ Biolabs and Colmaric Analyticals to test our batches.
How do you know if SARMs are fake?
Usually, a SARM is fake if it hasn’t been certified and tested not to have anything interfering with the quality of the supplement.
For a supplement to be in its purest form, it mustn’t have additives or anything that could cause an unintended reaction.
In the SARM industry, many supplements aren’t actually pure. Fillers and additives are used in various supplements: from protein powder to weight gainers and everything in between.
You shouldn’t be purchasing SARMs from anyone unless they have a purity certificate and can prove their SARMs are real and safe. If you don’t have that, you will be getting ripped off: fraud is common in the supplement industry.
If you’re not certain whether or not your SARMs or supplements are safe, don’t use them.
SARMs from UK SARMs are safe to use because we have the purity certificates to prove it. All of our SARMs are tested for purity every single month before we compound the raw material into liquids in our ISO7 medical grade laboratory.
Make sure when you purchase SARM supplements or any other products that you can trust the source.
SARM ingredients: how do you verify them?
Even though liquid SARM supplements (or any other type of medicine or product) can advertise almost anything on their product label and get away with it, the product’s ingredients are usually listed pretty explicitly.
These have to be included somewhere on the product label, but of course, additional ingredients have sometimes been detected in supplements before when tested.
The only way to get around this is to either buy from companies that have certified supplements, or have the supplements tested yourself to make sure that you can verify that there are no additional ingredients in them.
If you don’t trust the source of the supplement, or something on the product label looks off, why buy it in the first place? Do yourself a favour and buy from a certified, trusted supplier.
Are SARMs Safe?
Scientific and medical opinion on this is mixed.
In contrast to steroids, SARMs may carry risks such as heart disease and the increased likelihood of developing prostate cancer.
SARMs may also cause liver damage if taken in excess, but this is similar to the overuse of any medication. Do you worry about this when taking Nurofen or paracetamol? Overdosing on those pills can lead to liver damage, too. So it’s obvious that taking SARMs alone won’t cause direct harm; you’d have to abuse the supplement to cause this kind of damage.
Although some information has been gathered since SARMs became more mainstream in 2013, it’s important to remember that their potential downsides are significantly less when compared to those of steroids.
SARMs, of course, have plenty of potential benefits: otherwise, no one would use them. Some of these potential benefits include:
- Superior running performance
- Decreased recovery time
- Increasing bone density
- Increasing the rate at which the body burns fat
- Functional muscle strength and growth
It’s important to understand that week-long courses of SARMs can lower testosterone levels, so post-cycle therapy is necessary to restore testosterone levels and maintain hormonal balance while preserving muscle mass and functional muscle strength gains.
Small doses of SARMs may be safer than larger doses, but there is not enough research to draw definitive conclusions.
When using SARMs recreationally for bulking, cutting, or strength, you do so at your own risk.
Which SARM is the safest?
If we could use a term like “safe” to describe SARMs, then the safest is probably LGD-4033 (Ligandrol) due to several studies conducted (compared to other SARMs not yet tested in humans at all).
There is no evidence to suggest that LGD-4033 increases the protein levels in the body associated with prostate cancer.
Andarine is a relatively mild SARM that is a good option for women. It supports lean mass gains and has fat-burning effects as well as a variety of other uses and effects on the body.
Andarine doesn’t cause virilization, so if you want to take a SARM but don’t want facial hair, Andarine is a good choice.
Remember: the best way to know if your SARMs are safe is to check the purity certificate and read the product label.
Who makes the highest quality SARMs?
UK SARMs consistently receive excellent reviews online, thanks to our ability to produce high-quality SARMs in their purest form (minimum 98% purity).
We are also one of the few companies on the market that provide COA’s for each product, which a third party conducts. Our product labels also display our ingredients.
To keep our customers happy, we offer competitive pricing, attractive shipping and return policies, and discounts with our bulk options. Our SARM products come in liquid form to ensure faster and more complete absorption.
Check out our assortment of SARMs, which can be used for a variety of purposes.
Before purchasing SARMs internationally, ensure they are legal in your area.
Another one of the most respected online suppliers of SARMs is Science.bio. Their products are certified by third parties and they are trustworthy.
Science.bio offers similar SARM options to UK SARMs but also powdered SARMs. Bear in mind that liquid SARMs are superior, and that’s why we only offer that form.
What should I check when buying SARMs?
There are five really important things to check out when buying SARMs online:
1. Do they have purity certificates?
Make sure you read the reports carefully. Purity certificates are so easily faked. You should also check the product label to make sure there are no additional ingredients. To be certain, you can also contact the company that provided the reports to verify their authenticity.
2. Check the reviews of the company carefully.
Once again, there are so many companies out there who fake reviews that you need to be extremely careful to make sure that their reviews are genuine and real. The website owner can create fake reviews of the products on their website. Do not use a company with no reviews or reviews that seem fake.
3. How long has the company been operating?
If the company is fairly new, it is likely they do not have the resources to invest in purity certificates or in genuine SARMs. Also, companies that use PayPal as a payment method will likely be newly set up. PayPal has strict policies and does not facilitate the sale of SARMs, so don’t think this adds credibility: quite the opposite.
4. Price is everything!
It is common in this industry to see prices that are too good to be true. A suspiciously low price should not be taken as an indication of the quality of the product. There is a direct correlation between the price of a product and its quality: as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
5. Do not buy from an unknown supplier.
There is plenty of genuine suppliers of SARMs out there. You shouldn’t waste your money on dodgy suppliers selling potentially dangerous products.
Will I fail a drug test on SARMs?
SARMs can be detected in drug tests, so those who work in physical jobs and undergo mandatory drug testing, or athletes, may have a serious concern about this.
It will depend on the kind of SARM you’re taking, how you’re taking it, and whether you’re being tested for particular drug types.
SARMs are not always detected in every drug test – some tests are much more general. Athletes or people who compete in sports, on the other hand, are more likely to be tested for performance-enhancing substances. Be aware of this when considering using SARMs.
SARMs are on WADA’s list of prohibited substances, which means they will definitely get you in trouble if you use them when you aren’t supposed to be.
If you are competing at a professional level, then keep in mind that using SARMs may get you banned from competition. Depending on your sport and whether or not this is a repeated offence, you may be banned from your sport for life.
Apart from this, you’ll need to consider whether the additional health benefits of SARMs outweigh the risks. If you aren’t an athlete or aren’t going to be tested, the risks here are minimal.
For most people, the benefits absolutely outweigh any risks. However, not everybody is willing to put their entire career at stake to cut 0.05 seconds from their sprint time or lift 10 more kilograms on the platform.
When I’ve checked the COA for purity, which is the best SARM for muscle growth?
If you’ve checked your supplier’s Certificate of Approval and are happy with the purity of the products, S4 (Andarine) is a great choice for muscle growth because it protects muscles and improves functional muscle strength. Joints are not dried out by S4, the liver is not stressed, and there is no severe suppression when using it.
In addition to its muscle-building effects, Andarine can also help reduce body fat, making it great for training with fewer calories.
The strongest SARM is S-23, while YK-11 binds to myostatin, allowing the user to build muscle mass and improve functional muscle strength above their genetic capacity.
You can check out the full list of best SARMs for lean muscle here:
What are the Best SARMs for Lean Muscle?
Final Words on Safely Buying SARMs
Money isn’t the only thing at stake when you are scammed by a company claiming to provide SARMs. You might also face legal trouble with local authorities, not to mention that counterfeit SARMs will invalidate your lab results and potentially cause other negative health conditions.
Our research has been fairly comprehensive, but we recommend that you do some digging of your own. We’ve highlighted a few options above, but some may not be right for you, depending on where you live.
Consider looking online if you have specific requirements for your SARM.
Ultimately, a SARM supplier should be able to provide the following:
- The supplier should have third-party lab validation to ensure they aren’t scamming you.
- Different SARM formats. Though liquid SARMs should work for most needs, in some circumstances, powder or pill SARMs may be easier to store and transport.
- Quick, low-cost shipping.
- Moneyback guarantees.
To get started, we suggest you look at our SARMs products. If you are looking to buy SARMs in large batches, then you will be able to make use of our bulk discounts.
If you’re still not certain, here is our contact form. We’ll be able to answer any question that you have about SARMs certification or any of our products, and we’ll get back to you as fast as possible to be able to assist you.
Whichever option you decide, you now know how to check that COA for safe bulking!
