How Consumer Reviews Can Mislead Supplement Buyers

Four ways reviews mislead

This article explains why reviews mislead; practical steps for reading them are in how to judge shilajit customer reviews.

Fake and incentivised reviews

Since 6 April 2025, fake reviews and reviews that conceal an incentive have been banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, and publishers must take reasonable steps to prevent and remove them.^[1][2] That is a significant change, but enforcement can’t catch everything, and reviews on overseas platforms or social media can be harder to police.

Who writes reviews

Most buyers never review anything. Those who do tend to be very pleased, very disappointed, or prompted by an email or incentive. That means a product’s average rating reflects a small, unusual slice of customers. A 4.8-star average doesn’t mean most buyers had a great experience; it means most reviewers did.

Expectation and the placebo response

People who expect a product to give them energy often report feeling more energetic, whatever the product contains. That is why clinical trials compare a product with a placebo, keep participants unaware of which they received, and measure outcomes objectively where possible. A review has none of those controls, so it can’t separate the product’s effect from expectation, lifestyle changes or natural ups and downs. See why one study doesn’t prove a claim and the evidence by topic.

Claims reviewers can’t judge

• “Definitely genuine”Authenticity needs laboratory evidence; see why home tests can’t prove it.
• “Very pure”Purity needs a contaminant panel.
• “No side effects”One person’s experience can’t establish safety.

Using reviews well

Reviews are genuinely useful for questions a buyer can observe: taste, texture, packaging, delivery speed, customer service and how easy the product is to use. For effectiveness, use the evidence; for safety and authenticity, use the batch laboratory report. That division keeps reviews in their proper place. See what product reviews can and can’t prove.

The bottom line

Reviews mislead in predictable ways: fake or concealed incentivised reviews, unrepresentative reviewers, expectation effects and claims no buyer can judge. Knowing those patterns lets you use reviews well, for practical experience, while relying on laboratory reports for contents and on controlled research for effects. That combination gives a far more reliable picture than any rating.

Why star averages can mislead

An average rating compresses very different experiences into one number. A product with a few hundred enthusiastic reviews and a handful of reports about damaged seals can still show 4.8 stars, even though the damaged-seal reports are the most important information for a buyer. Averages also hide timing: a product whose recent batches attract complaints can keep a high average built on older reviews. That is why the most useful reading habits are sorting by most recent and reading the critical reviews for patterns, rather than relying on the headline score.

Balancing reviews with other sources

Reviews work best as one input among several. Use them for practical experience, a laboratory report for contents, our evidence ratings for effects, and the brand transparency index for documentation. When all four point the same way, you can buy with much more confidence than any star rating alone could give.

Why “it worked for me” can still be true

None of this means reviewers are lying. A person may genuinely feel better after starting shilajit, perhaps because of the product, perhaps because of other changes made at the same time. The issue is that a review can’t tell which. That is why we keep personal experience and clinical evidence separate.

Review aggregators and “best rated” badges

“Best rated” badges and aggregated scores can be useful, but check what they are based on: how many reviews, over what period, and whether incentivised reviews are excluded or labelled.^[1]

Related reading