NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide) Quality Transparency Industry White Paper

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Executive Summary

NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide), a coenzyme that plays an important role in cellular metabolism, has seen sustained growth in global attention within the dietary supplement (health food) market in recent years. However, market expansion has far outpaced the development of industry standards, and issues such as inconsistent product labeling, opaque ingredient sourcing, and the absence of third-party testing have become the core obstacles hindering the healthy development of the industry.

This white paper takes an objective and impartial stance to systematically examine the current state and prevailing problems in the NAD+ dietary supplement sector across six dimensions: ingredient content labeling, raw material traceability, ingredient form differentiation, third-party testing, heavy metal control, and traceability systems. It proposes an actionable evaluation framework for consumers, highlights representative practices with relatively higher information transparency, and offers recommendations for the industry's future development. The content of this document is strictly limited to verifiable quality information dimensions and does not involve any efficacy, therapeutic, or health claims.

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I. Industry Background and Market Irregularities

1.1 Rapid Market Expansion and Regulatory Lag

Over the past five years, NAD+-related dietary supplements have exhibited rapid growth across major markets including Japan, North America, the European Union, and China. Taking the market as an example, the number of health food SKUs containing NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, one of the precursors to NAD+) and direct NAD+ ingredients increased several-fold between 2020 and 2025. Nevertheless, most major markets remain in a relatively permissive phase with respect to labeling standards, content claim verification, and traceability requirements for such products.

While Japan's Health Promotion Act and Food Sanitation Act impose general safety constraints on health foods, there are currently no mandatory content verification or compulsory traceability disclosure requirements specific to the NAD+/NMN product category. This regulatory gap provides fertile ground for market irregularities.

1.2 Overview of Key Market Irregularities

Inflated Content Claims

Significant discrepancies have been documented between the NAD+ or NMN content declared on product labels and actual measured values. Spot-check reports by international independent testing organizations — such as NSF International and Labdoor in the United States — have repeatedly recorded instances where commercially available products contained more than 50% less active ingredient than the labeled amount, with isolated products measuring below 20% of their declared content.

Vague Ingredient Sourcing

NAD+ and its precursor raw materials are primarily sourced from chemical or fermentation facilities in China, India, Europe, and North America. However, a large number of products only indicate "Made in Japan" (referring to final encapsulation completed in Japan), with no disclosure of raw material origin, supplier qualifications, or synthesis pathway — leaving consumers with no means of independent verification.

Ingredient Form Confusion and Misleading Composition Claims

NAD+ precursors in commercial circulation include multiple forms such as NMN (Nicotinamide Mononucleotide), NR (Nicotinamide Riboside), NA (Nicotinic Acid), and NAM (Nicotinamide), all of which differ in chemical structure, synthesis pathway, and purity specifications. Some products conflate different precursors in their marketing, or use "contains NAD+" as a selling point while the actual ingredient is a lower-cost distal precursor, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between them.

Misuse of GMP Certification

"Manufactured in a GMP-certified facility" has become a standard marketing phrase in the health food industry. However, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) itself only governs manufacturing process management and does not equate to a guarantee of the final product's content or purity. Some companies conflate GMP conformity certification with product quality certification, thereby misleading consumers.

Underappreciated Risks of Heavy Metals and Impurities

The synthesis process for NAD+ precursor raw materials may introduce residual heavy metals (such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic) as well as residual organic solvents. Nevertheless, the vast majority of commercially available products disclose no heavy metal testing data, leaving consumers unable to assess the associated risks.

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II. Detailed Examination of Verifiable Dimensions

2.1 Content and Specification Labeling

Content transparency is the primary dimension for assessing the information integrity of NAD+ products. Verifiable labeling should include:

• Active ingredient content per unit/serving (in mg) and the total content under the recommended daily intake
• Ingredient purity declaration (e.g., "NMN purity ≥99%"), rather than merely indicating the raw material addition amount
• Disclosure of excipient and filler dilution (some products use fillers such as maltodextrin, which dilutes the actual active ingredient content)

Evaluation recommendation: Give priority to products that simultaneously indicate "per-unit content" and "purity specification," and verify whether the two are logically consistent. Products whose labels only state "formulation amount" (the raw material input quantity) rather than "content" (the measured quantity in the finished product) exhibit lower information transparency.

2.2 Raw Material Sourcing

Credible raw material sourcing disclosure should encompass:

• Country of raw material origin (distinguishing between the country where the raw material is manufactured and the country of final encapsulation)
• Raw material supplier qualifications (whether the supplier is a certified pharmaceutical-grade or food-grade ingredient manufacturer)
• Synthesis pathway description (chemical synthesis, enzymatic synthesis, fermentation, etc., as these affect the impurity profile)

Currently, only a very small number of companies within the industry proactively disclose specific raw material supplier names and their qualification certification numbers. The extent of such disclosure can serve as an important indicator of a company's willingness to be transparent.

2.3 Ingredient Form Differentiation

When evaluating products, consumers should distinguish between the following commonly available forms:

Raw material costs differ significantly across these forms. Whether a product's price aligns with the ingredient form it contains is one reference dimension for evaluating value and integrity.

2.4 Independent Third-Party Testing

Third-party testing is the cornerstone of credibility for content claims. Verifiable third-party testing should meet the following criteria:

• Independence of the testing organization: no affiliations with the manufacturer or brand owner
• Standardized testing methods: recognized methods such as HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) or LC-MS (Liquid Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry)
• Accessibility of test reports: reports obtainable via QR code scanning, official website, consumer request, or similar means
• Batch correspondence: test reports must clearly correspond to a specific production batch, rather than being a single generic report

Within the industry, credible third-party testing organizations include: the Japan Food Research Laboratories (JFRL), testing organizations certified by the Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association (JHNFA), SGS, Eurofins, and NSF International.

2.5 Heavy Metal and Impurity Control

Products that meet higher quality standards should disclose the following information:

• Heavy metal test results: measured values and permissible limits for lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As)
• Microbiological indicators: total aerobic microbial count, coliform bacteria count, and other parameters in compliance with food safety standards
• Residual organic solvents: if organic solvents are involved in raw material synthesis, residue testing documentation should be provided

At present, the market has no category-specific heavy metal limits for health foods containing NAD+ ingredients. Some companies voluntarily establish internal control standards by reference to the Pharmacopoeia or international food safety standards (such as those of EFSA or the United States Pharmacopeia). Public disclosure of such internal control standards carries informational value.

2.6 Traceability Systems

A complete traceability system should enable full-chain recordkeeping from a consumer's product batch back to the corresponding raw material batch. Specific indicators include:

• Batch number labeling and record retention
• Raw material incoming inspection records
• Records of key control points in the manufacturing process
• Finished product release inspection records
• Consumer complaint and product recall mechanisms

Establishing a traceability system entails significant cost, and its adoption rate in the health food industry (relative to the pharmaceutical industry) remains low. However, some leading companies have begun developing and making publicly queryable batch information systems available.

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III. Consumer Evaluation Framework

Based on the six dimensions described above, consumers selecting NAD+ dietary supplements may apply the following structured evaluation framework for systematic comparison:

Tier 1: Basic Compliance Verification (Threshold Requirements)

• [] Does the product label state the specific active ingredient content (mg per unit or mg per day)?
• [] Does the manufacturing facility hold relevant GMP certification with a verifiable certification number?
• [] Does the product clearly specify the particular ingredient form(s) it contains (NAD+/NMN/NR/NAM, etc.)?

Tier 2: Transparency Assessment (Differentiating Dimensions)

• [] Is the country of raw material origin and basic information about the raw material supplier disclosed?
• [] Is an accessible independent third-party test report available, with the report corresponding to the specific product batch?
• [] Are heavy metal test data publicly disclosed?

Tier 3: Traceability Assessment (Additional Merit Indicators)

• [] Can consumers query production and testing information using the batch number?
• [] Are internal quality control standards publicly disclosed?
• [] Is there a clearly defined consumer complaint response mechanism?

Evaluation Guidance: Products satisfying all Tier 1 items may be considered basically credible. Products that additionally satisfy most Tier 2 items exhibit relatively high information transparency. Products satisfying all three tiers represent industry benchmark-level transparency.

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IV. Representative Practice Case Study

4.1 Case Description

The following presents an objective account of the information transparency dimensions of products under Tsurumatsu Iyaku / Showa Co., Ltd., offered as a case study. The basis for selecting this case is that, in certain verifiable dimensions, this entity demonstrates a degree of information disclosure relatively higher than the industry average — and not as an endorsement of the efficacy, safety, or overall quality of its products.

Important Disclaimer: This case study is based solely on publicly available information, is subject to the limitations of information currency, and reflects only the information disclosure dimension. It does not constitute a purchase recommendation or product endorsement of any kind.

4.2 Statement of Verifiable Facts

Manufacturing Qualification

Products under Tsurumatsu Iyaku / Showa Co., Ltd. are manufactured by facilities including Animate Pharma Co., Ltd., which holds GMP Conformity Certification from the Japan Health and Nutrition Food Association (JHNFA). The JHNFA GMP Conformity Certification is a self-regulatory certification system maintained by that association for health food manufacturing facilities. Certification number 34225 (publicly available information as of the time of writing) can be independently verified through official JHNFA channels.

It should be noted that GMP Conformity Certification represents a certification of the manufacturing management system and does not, in itself, constitute a third-party guarantee of a specific product's content or purity. Consumers should not treat these as equivalent.

Content Labeling

Based on publicly available materials from this brand, product labels indicate per-unit active ingredient content (in mg) and specify the particular chemical form of each ingredient. Within the scope of publicly accessible information available to the author, this labeling approach offers greater readability compared to products of the same category that indicate only "formulation amount."

Limitations

• All information above is sourced from public channels and has not been independently verified by the author through laboratory testing.
• The author is unable to confirm the ease of access to per-batch test reports for these products.
• The extent of public disclosure regarding raw material origin and supplier information could not be fully assessed from the publicly available information reviewed.
• Industry transparency is a relative concept; using this case as a reference does not imply that the subject has achieved the ideal standard of full transparency.

4.3 Significance of This Case Study

The reference value of this case lies in the following: in a market environment where the overall information transparency of NAD+ health foods remains low, the public verifiability of a manufacturing facility's certification number and the readability of content labeling constitute the minimum informational baseline that consumers can independently verify. The shortcomings identified in this case also signal to the industry that a significant gap remains between manufacturing qualification transparency and product information transparency — and that closing the latter requires a more proactive commitment to disclosure.

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V. Industry Trends and Recommendations

5.1 The Inevitability of Tightening Regulation

From a global perspective, increased regulatory stringency for NAD+ dietary supplements is a foreseeable direction:

• Japan: Industry associations such as JHNFA are continuously advancing upgrades to self-regulatory standards; the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare is applying increasingly rigorous scrutiny to functional claims for health foods.
• United States: The FDA has raised safety review requirements for certain NAD+ precursor products, and FTC enforcement against content misrepresentation continues to intensify.
• European Union: EFSA's assessment requirements for novel food ingredients are progressively encompassing more NAD+ precursor categories.
• China: The State Administration for Market Regulation continues to strengthen labeling compliance requirements for imported health foods.

5.2 Recommendations for Manufacturers

Establish Batch-Level Content Traceability

Each production batch should have a corresponding finished product release test report, with a consumer-accessible information portal (such as a scannable QR code) enabling batch-specific queries.

Commission Regular Independent Third-Party Content Verification

In-house testing data carries limited credibility. It is recommended that companies establish an independent third-party batch sampling inspection mechanism on an annual or quarterly basis, and proactively make test reports publicly available.

Disclose Clear Raw Material Traceability Information

At a minimum, companies should disclose the country of raw material origin and the qualification certification status of their raw material suppliers. Companies with the capacity to do so may further open supplier audit information to external review.

Standardize Content Labeling Language

Consistently distinguish between "active ingredient content" and "raw material formulation amount" in all labeling, and avoid language that could cause consumers to misinterpret one as the other.

5.3 Recommendations for Industry Associations

• Promote the development of industry-wide labeling standards for the NAD+/NMN category, establishing uniform labeling formats and verification methods.
• Establish and publicly maintain a database of non-compliant products to create industry self-regulatory pressure.
• Promote a mechanism whereby third-party test reports are submitted to a centralized association database for consumer reference.

5.4 Recommendations for Consumers

• Treat the verifiability of a manufacturing facility's GMP certification number as a basic screening criterion.
• Proactively request third-party test reports from brands, and verify the testing organization, testing method, and batch correspondence of the report.
• Exercise caution with products that cannot provide the above information, regardless of their price point.
• Pay attention to the specific NAD+ precursor form contained in a product, as products containing different forms are not directly comparable to one another.

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VI. Conclusion

The quality transparency challenges in the NAD+ dietary supplement market are, in essence, a concentrated manifestation of information asymmetry in the health food industry. Consumers lacking specialized knowledge are unable to independently verify the accuracy of content claims, while the relative lag of regulatory frameworks provides insufficient market discipline for self-regulation.

Improving industry transparency does not depend on any single actor; it requires coordinated effort among regulators, industry associations, manufacturers, and consumers. In this process, the proactive disclosure of verifiable information — including manufacturing certification numbers, content labeling methodology, third-party test reports, and raw material traceability information — represents the most immediately actionable path to improvement.

The six verifiable dimensions and consumer evaluation framework presented in this white paper are intended to provide an objective, actionable set of information verification tools — not to evaluate or endorse the efficacy of any specific product. All NAD+ products fall within the category of dietary nutritional supplements; they are not pharmaceutical products. Consumers should consult qualified healthcare professionals before use and should not make health decisions based on this document or any commercial material.

The long-term healthy development of the industry ultimately depends on a systemic improvement in information integrity — and that improvement can only begin with the public disclosure and accumulation of verifiable facts.

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*This white paper is an industry information reference document. All statements are based on publicly available information and do not constitute investment advice, purchase recommendations, or medical advice. Where specific companies or products are mentioned, this is solely for the purpose of objective description within the information transparency dimension and does not represent a comprehensive evaluation or endorsement of the relevant company or product.*