How counterfeiting is changing for supplement and wellness brands

Copycats are popping up constantly

Supplement and wellness brands are some of the most frequently copied brands we work with. New copycat listings and storefronts appear constantly, often soon after a product gains traction.

The most effective tools against them are still traditional brand protection claims: trademark and copyright. When a copycat uses your brand name or copies your protected content, those claims remain the fastest path to removal.

The copycat that leaves your name out

Many bad actors have learned to avoid using your brand name altogether. Instead, they copy everything else: your brand design, your labels, your product page layout, and your claims. The packaging looks like yours. What's inside is often sourced from unknown suppliers, frequently in China, with no way for a customer to know what they're actually taking.

Because these products don't use your trademark, they can be harder to remove with trademark claims alone. They also create a real safety risk for anyone who mistakes them for the real thing.

Marketplace policies as an enforcement tool

For the most effective long-term results, we strongly recommend adding marketplace policy enforcement to your program alongside IP claims.

Many platforms restrict certain supplements, ingredients, or health claims. If your product can't be sold on a platform such as TikTok Shop or Facebook because of a restricted policy or ingredient, your counterfeiters shouldn't be able to sell it there either. Enforcing those policies gives brands another way to remove copycats, even when the listing avoids your name entirely.

What this means for supplement and wellness brands

• Make legitimate sources easy to find. Make sure customers know exactly where to buy authentic products, such as your website and authorized retailers.
• Educate customers on the risks. Explain the harm that can come from products that aren't authentic, from ineffective ingredients to unknown and unsafe ones.
• Counter outrageous health claims. Use advertorials and educational content to respond to bad actors making exaggerated or false health claims about lookalike products.
• Design packaging with copyright in mind. Where possible, include original artistic elements in your packaging and labels. Those elements can support copyright claims, giving you another tool when copycats avoid your trademark.