A supplement Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the lab report for one specific batch. To read it, check five things in order: the product and lot number match the bottle in your hand, the report names the laboratory and the date, the identity test confirms the ingredient is what the label says, the purity panel (heavy metals and microbiology) shows each result against a limit with a pass, and any potency line shows the measured amount against the label claim. If a report is missing any of those, you are looking at a marketing page, not a test result.
Watch first: what independent testing checks, what it can miss, and the real report behind one of ours — the same Ashwagandha+ certificate this article walks through. Click to play · captions available · 2:44.
View the COA shown in this video (Ashwagandha+, Lot ASH260121) → Need the report for another lot? Request it →
Most people never see a COA because most brands never show one. That is the whole reason this page exists. Below is what each section of a real report means, how to match one to your bottle, and the red flags that tell you a "tested" claim is thinner than it sounds. The report used as the example is the one shown in the video: Ashwagandha+, lot ASH260121, tested by Ethos Analytics in February 2026.
What is a Certificate of Analysis, and who writes it?
A COA is a document that records the tests run on a single production lot and the results of each test. A laboratory produces the underlying data. Some brands publish the laboratory's own PDF; others, including CuraMyHealth, publish a restatement of the laboratory results on their own page, with the lab name and report number printed on it so the original can be traced. Either way, the report only means something if it is tied to a specific lot and a named lab.
It helps to know what a COA is not. It is not FDA approval, because the FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold. It is not a promise about how a product will work for you. It is evidence about what is physically in the bottle for that batch, which is the one question a label alone cannot answer. Our Third-Party Tested, Every Batch article covers why that independent layer matters; this one covers how to read the paperwork.
How to read a supplement COA, section by section
Reports differ in layout, but a complete one carries the same parts. Use this table as a checklist.
| Section | What it should say | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Product and lot | The product name and the lot or batch number, for example ASH260121 | Whether this report belongs to the bottle you are holding |
| Lab and date | The laboratory's name, a report number, and the date the testing was completed | Who did the work and how recent it is |
| Identity | A test that confirms the ingredient is the botanical or compound on the label | Whether you are getting the right ingredient at all |
| Purity: heavy metals | Lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury, each with a limit and a result | Whether contaminants stay under the accepted limits |
| Purity: microbiology | Total plate count, yeast and mold, and specific organisms such as E. coli and Salmonella | Whether the batch is clean |
| Potency (assay) | The measured amount of the active compared with the label amount | Whether the dose on the label is the dose in the capsule |
| Result column | A specification, a measured value, and a pass or fail for each line | Whether the batch met its requirements before release |
Product name and lot number
Start at the top. The lot number is the link between the paper and the bottle. On a CuraMyHealth bottle it is printed on the base, next to the date. If the lot on the report does not match the lot on your bottle, the report may still be genuine, but it is not evidence about your batch. That is why our request form asks for the product name, the batch number and the batch date.
Laboratory, report number and date
A real report names the lab and carries a report number you could quote back to them. The Ashwagandha+ example names Ethos Analytics, report 26EA0128-019, completed February 6, 2026. The date matters because ingredients and production runs vary. A result from two years ago describes a batch that is long gone.
Identity
Identity testing answers a simple question: is this ingredient what the label says it is? For a botanical such as ashwagandha, the lab compares the sample against a reference standard and reports whether it conforms. On the example report the method is an HPLC fingerprint profile run to the USP <2250> identification chapter, and the line reads: confirmed, the sample has the characteristics of the standard. Without identity testing, nothing else on the page is anchored to the right material.
Purity: heavy metals and microbiology
Purity is usually two panels. The heavy-metal panel lists arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury with a limit for each and the measured value; a value can also read < LOQ, meaning below the smallest amount the method can quantify. On the example report the method is ICP-MS to USP <233>. The microbiology panel lists the total aerobic plate count, coliforms, yeast and mold, and specific organisms such as E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus, again with limits. Read these lines as pairs: the limit and the result. A result with no limit beside it cannot be judged. The Ashwagandha+ report shows both panels passing against their specifications.
Potency
Potency, sometimes labelled assay, is the measured amount of the active ingredient compared with the amount on the label, often expressed as a percentage of label claim. Not every report page carries a quantitative assay; the Ashwagandha+ page shown in the video covers identity, heavy metals and microbiology, and we say so rather than reading more into it than it shows. When a potency line is present, look for a measured value that sits within the specification range, not just the word pass.
Specification, result, pass
The last habit is the most useful one. Every line on a proper COA has three parts: the specification the batch had to meet, the measured result, and whether it passed. A report that lists tests without specifications, or specifications without results, is describing a procedure rather than an outcome. Checking results against specification before release is the step that makes a testing program real, because it is the step that can stop a batch from being sold.
How to match a COA to the bottle you own
- Turn the bottle over and find the batch number and the date printed on the base.
- Open the product page. Under the Add to Cart button, the Third-Party Tested panel names the current lot and links to its report.
- If the lot matches, read the report as above.
- If the lot on your bottle is different, use the request form on Our Standards. Send the product name, batch number and batch date, and we send the documentation for that exact lot.
The full list of what we test for, where our formulas are made, and how each batch moves from production to release is on Our Standards.
Six red flags on a supplement test report
- No lot number. A report that could apply to any batch applies to none.
- No laboratory named. "Tested" with no one to ask is a claim, not a record.
- No date. A result with no date cannot be current.
- Tests without limits. A number is not a pass until you can see what it was measured against.
- "Tested" without saying for what. Ask: identity, purity, potency, or one of the three?
- A report marked preliminary, or a result outside its specification. Either one means the batch was not ready to be sold on that paperwork. We hold a report back rather than publish it in that state.
None of these makes a product bad on its own. Careful companies sometimes test thoroughly and never publish. But each one removes a piece of independent evidence, and standing in an aisle you have no other way to tell the careful companies from the rest. That is why the question worth taking shopping is the one the video ends on: can you show me the results?
Why we publish the report instead of a badge
A badge says a company was tested at some point. A report says which batch, by whom, for what, and with what result. We publish the report because it is the only version a customer can check. Every CuraMyHealth formula is made in an NSF-certified, GMP-certified, FDA-registered U.S. facility and third-party tested, every batch, for identity, purity and potency. If you are comparing brands, our guide to reading an ashwagandha extract label pairs well with this one: the label tells you what was promised, and the COA tells you what was delivered.
Frequently asked questions about reading a Certificate of Analysis
What is the difference between a COA and third-party testing?
Third-party testing is the act of having an independent laboratory test a batch. A Certificate of Analysis is the document that records the results. You can have testing without a published COA, but you cannot judge a testing claim without one.
Where do I find the lot number on a CuraMyHealth bottle?
It is printed on the base of the bottle beside the batch date. The product page names the lot its published report covers, and the request form on Our Standards handles any other lot.
What does LOQ mean on a heavy-metal line?
LOQ is the limit of quantitation: the smallest amount the laboratory's method can measure reliably. A result of < LOQ means the metal was not present at a measurable level. Read it together with the limit column; the report states the LOQ so you can see that it sits well under the specification.
Does a passing COA mean the supplement is FDA approved?
No. The FDA does not approve dietary supplements before sale, and no COA changes that. A COA is independent evidence that a specific batch met its identity, purity and, where tested, potency specifications.
Why does the Ashwagandha+ report in the video not show a potency assay?
The page shown covers botanical identity, heavy metals and microbiology, which is what that report page tests. We describe each report exactly as it reads. If you want the documentation behind a different lot or a different product, request it and we send what the laboratory issued for that batch.
Related reading
- Third-Party Tested, Every Batch: Here's the Receipt
- KSM-66 vs. Regular Ashwagandha: What the Extract Label Means
- Our Standards
Sources
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplements, What You Need to Know
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplements consumer fact sheet
- NSF: Supplement and Vitamin Certification
Individual results vary.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting a new supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a medical condition.
