Claim rulingsSubstantiation

Can a supplement say “studies show”?

Only with the study cited. The FTC expects the research to exist and to match both the claim and the product, so cite it specifically or remove the sentence.

Severity we assign
Medium
Standard family
Substantiation
Enforced by
FTC

Why it fails

The rule this runs into.

Uncited research reference. FTC expects the study to exist and to match.

We file this under substantiation and rate it medium. It is enforced by FTC, which matters because a single phrase can fail in more than one place at once: a listing suppression, an ad-account review and a warning letter are three different consequences of the same sentence.

What to say instead

The wording that passes.

This is the rewrite an audit ships for this phrase: the strongest wording the standard allows, in the words we would hand you.

The rewrite the standard allows

Cite it specifically, or remove.

Other claims you can use instead

Evidence
Formulated with clinically studied ingredients

'Studied' not 'proven'. Cite the study.

Every structure/function claim on this page still needs the FDA disclaimer wherever it appears. That requirement has its own ruling.

How common it is

You are not the only one running it.

162 of 793 brands in the database

162 of the 793 brands we have ruled carry this phrase or a direct variant on a live listing. Counts are distinct brands, not listings, across 2,243 top-selling Amazon US listings in 8 categories.

Being common is not a defence. It does mean the phrase is easy for an automated sweep to find, on your listing and on everyone else’s. The full ranking sits on the research page.

Is this phrase on your listing right now?

Run one ASIN through the free check. You get the severity counts on your own copy, ruled against all 109 standards, with no sales call attached.

Free ASIN check

Nearby rulings

Other phrases in the same family.

All 37 published rulings →

Cite usThis ruling is free to quote. Credit “Claims Verified” and link here. It is regulatory review of marketing language, not legal advice.

audit@claimsverified.org →

Say the most the rules allow. Then keep selling it, everywhere, at any spend.

Clean copy can run on every channel at once, with the lines we flagged gone, so you can push budget knowing what a reviewer can find. And it is the brand a careful shopper can believe.

Claims Verified

The independent standard for supplement and telehealth claims. Our AI rules a brand’s public supplement claims against 109 published standards. Each failing line is rewritten to the rules. A licensed pharmacist signs every Claims Review Report.

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