If you've seen the Informed Sport logo on a supplement and wondered what it actually means — this is the article for you. And if you compete in any sport where drug testing is a possibility, understanding this certification isn't optional. It could be the difference between competing and facing a ban.
The Problem It Solves
Supplement manufacturing is largely unregulated compared to pharmaceutical production. This creates a real and ongoing problem: contamination. Supplements can contain banned substances — stimulants, prohormones, peptides — either through deliberate addition, cross-contamination during manufacturing, or mislabelled ingredients.
This isn't a theoretical risk. Anti-doping organisations around the world have documented hundreds of cases where athletes tested positive for banned substances due to contaminated supplements. In most cases, the athlete's governing body does not accept "contaminated supplement" as a sufficient defence. A positive test is a positive test.
What Informed Sport Actually Does
Informed Sport is a global quality assurance programme for sports nutrition products, operated by LGC — one of the world's leading life science measurement and testing companies. To carry the Informed Sport certification mark, a product must:
- Have every batch tested against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List before it goes to market
- Undergo manufacturing facility audits to assess contamination risk and quality control processes
- Pass testing for hundreds of banned substances including stimulants, steroids, diuretics, beta-blockers, and peptide hormones
- Maintain ongoing compliance — certification is not a one-time award
This is fundamentally different from a brand simply claiming their product is "clean" or "tested." Informed Sport certification means an independent third party has tested the specific batch you're buying.
Who Needs to Care About This?
The obvious answer is competitive athletes in tested sports — but the reality is broader than that:
- Professional athletes in any WADA-compliant sport — football, rugby, athletics, boxing, cycling, swimming, and many more
- Amateur and masters athletes competing at any level where drug testing applies
- Military personnel subject to drug testing in their role
- Anyone in a safety-critical occupation where drug testing is routine
- Consumers who simply want to know what they're taking — Informed Sport certification is a proxy for quality and transparency regardless of whether you're tested
Why Ten Percent Club Made It a Foundation
When Ten Percent Club was founded, Informed Sport certification wasn't an afterthought — it was a foundational decision. The brand was built on the principle that athletes deserve to know exactly what they're putting into their bodies, at what dose, and with independent verification that it's safe.
Every single Ten Percent Club product is Informed Sport certified. Not a selection. Not the "sport" versions. All of them.
That means whether you're buying Slip & Flow Electrolytes, Creatine Max Capsules, Super Magnesium, or any other product in the range — every batch has been independently tested before it reaches you.
Every Ten Percent Club product. Every batch. Informed Sport certified.
No fillers · Transparent dosing · Independently tested for banned substances
Shop the Full Range →How to Check if a Product Is Certified
The Informed Sport website (informed-sport.com) maintains a searchable database of every certified product. If a brand claims Informed Sport certification but the product doesn't appear in the database, the claim is false. Always verify.
The Bottom Line
If you take your sport seriously, you should take supplement safety seriously. Informed Sport certification is the clearest signal available that a product has been independently verified to be free from banned substances. It's not a guarantee — no testing programme catches everything — but it's the strongest assurance the market currently offers.
At Ten Percent Club, it's not a selling point. It's a standard.
Compete with confidence.
Every Ten Percent Club product is Informed Sport certified — batch tested, every time.
Shop the Full RangeFurther reading: Creatine 101: Everything UK Athletes Need to Know · The Athlete's Guide to Recovery · The Best Electrolyte Drinks in the UK
