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GC-MS / HPLC Lab Testing

3 min read

IA Superpharma employs industry-standard laboratory testing to ensure purity and potency of all products. Testing is performed systematically throughout the year as part of our internal quality control process. Due to the volume of testing required, we do outsource some of this testing to international laboratories, though the majority of testing is performed at a domestic laboratory that offers forensic analysis services to both law enforcement agencies and academia.

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)
HPLC is used to identify one or more active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) present in a given mixture. The numbers resulting from this test are compared to numbers obtained from testing a "reference standard" in the exact same manner (reference standards are typically purchased from Sigma Aldrich).

Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS)
GC-MS is used to quantify the exact amount of a given substance present. The purpose of this test is to validate product dosing and concentration.

FAKE TEST NOTICE:

On occasion we've seen netizens request re-sends or attempt to slander our (or other) brands because their product didn't pass testing according to someone on some forum that posted a PDF file. Unfortunately over the past 2 years we've seen a rise in fake lab testing (that's right -- there are services online that purport to be "labs" that will print you any test result you'd like -- for a fee of course). This undermines credibility and trust in one of the most crucial elements of our community -- harm reduction.

When observing 3rd-party test results online, please keep this in mind. If in doubt, DO YOUR OWN TESTING -- IT'S YOUR BODY!

Unless the test was procured by yourself from a certified government registered & licensed lab, be skeptical, especially of any dodgy testing services on the forums that accept bitcoin. If you decide to obtain services from one of these "labs", understand there's no real practical way for them to prove they're actually testing the product you sent in (and not just taking your money). Legitimate labs will also request you send in a sufficient amount of product for testing. Be wary of those who say they only need a "drop" or single capsule - expect to send in at least 10ml of liquid or 1 gram of powdered sample, if not more.

IMPORTANT: If you intend on filing a claim based on 3rd-party lab testing, we need to confirm several things:

  1. The lab is a legitimate, legal, licensed neutral 3rd-party (no forum "labs" please).
  2. The lab has received from you an unopened (sealed), unadulterated product.
  3. The product is genuine (passes QR code validation).
  4. The lab assigns a unique case number for the product you submitted that will be present on the result report.
  5. The test result is independently verifiable with the lab itself (an email directly from them with no intermediary will suffice).
  6. It was you who actually ordered the test. Billing invoice from the lab will work. Information on this receipt should match the information printed on the test result sent from the laboratory.

The easiest way to confirm all of this is via video, however most labs will NOT allow filming of their processes due to liability/legal reasons. In order to satisfy the above, it is sufficient to request them to take a video of steps 1-4 only (ALL of these steps need to be performed at the lab, not your house).

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