Thorne vs Transparent Labs: An Honest Comparison
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Thorne and Transparent Labs are two popular brands in the supplements space. We’ve noticed that people are often curious how the brands compare, in terms of the supplements offered, quality, and sourcing.
This article will give a transparent comparison of how Thorne and Transparent Labs compare so that you can go with the brand or specific supplements that best align with your goals and priorities. We’ll also introduce you to another popular premium supplement brand, Momentous, that we think is also worth your consideration.
An Overview of Thorne
Thorne is a leader in the nutritional supplement industry, known for its commitment to providing products that enhance health and well-being. With a foundation built on purity, integrity, and science, Thorne has been developing innovative health solutions for over three decades.
Their approach is rooted in a deep scientific understanding and a dedication to high-quality ingredients. Thorne's products are trusted by healthcare practitioners and patients worldwide, reflecting their status as a trusted partner in health and wellness.
Products Offered by Thorne
Thorne's extensive range of supplements is designed to address a wide array of health needs across various categories:
Sports Performance: Products like Catalyte and Creatine are designed to enhance athletic performance through superior nutritional support.
Healthy Aging: Supplements such as ResveraCel and Nicotinamide Riboside focus on cellular health and longevity.
Heart and Vascular Health: Offering Omega Plus and Vitamin K2 to support cardiovascular health.
Detoxification: Products like Liver Cleanse and Liver Cleanse are formulated to aid in detoxification processes.
Women’s Health: A dedicated line that includes Basic Prenatal and Meta-Fem, tailored to the specific nutritional needs of women.
Certifications
NSF Certified for Sport: Thorne ensures that their sports-related products are free from substances banned in athletic competition, adhering to the highest standards for sports supplements. While not all Thorne supplements carry the NSF label, we found that 28 of their 160+ supplements did at the time of this writing.
Expert Partners
Thorne collaborates with various experts and organizations, ensuring that their formulations are grounded in the latest scientific research:
Erin Andrews: Emmy-nominated sports broadcaster
Daniel Ricciardo: Formula 1 driver
Jrue Holiday: Professional basketball player
Organizations like UFC, USA Boxing, and USA Triathlon
An Overview of Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs sells health and fitness supplements designed to help customers achieve their fitness goals. Their website states they are committed to quality, transparency, and effective formulas that ensure you can build a high-performance supplement stack to reach your health and fitness goals faster. They use natural and grass-fed ingredients and no artificial sweeteners or colors as well as third-party lab testing and transparent label ingredients.
Products Offered
Transparent Labs offers products in four categories:
Pre-workout: Products such as Lean and Bulk are best sellers in this category. Lean is a “cutting” pre-workout ergogenic and fat-loss formula while Bulk is for those looking to prioritize muscle-building.
Muscle building and recovery: Creatine HMB, Cyclic Dextrin, and BCAA Glutamine are among the most popular products in this category.
Protein: Whey Protein Isolate, Pea Protein Isolate, and Grass-Fed Protein+ Bars are best sellers in Transparent Labs’ protein category.
Health and wellness: Probiotics Greens and Hydrate are popular in this category, as well as ZMO, which contains zinc, magnesium, trace-mineral rich oyster extract.
Certifications
As part of its commitment to industry-leading transparency and quality, Transparent Labs’ products are tested by a third-party lab for purity and potency. These test results are displayed on their website. Many products are also certified by Informed Choice, Informed Protein, and USDA Certified Organic to meet the highest standards for athletes and consumers.
Expert Partners
Ambassadors and partners include fitness expert and influencer Paul Sklar, professional strongman Hafthor Björnsson, and influencer Kelsey Henson.
An Overview of Momentous
Momentous is a stand-out player in the category of nutritional supplements, dedicated to empowering anyone looking to improve their health, wellness, or performance.
Our mission is to deliver uncompromising quality through scientifically backed products designed to enhance physical and mental performance. Each of our supplements is meticulously formulated in collaboration with top scientists and industry experts, ensuring that we meet the highest standards of efficacy and safety.
At Momentous, we prioritize transparency and integrity in every product we create. Our supplements are favored by professional athletes and health enthusiasts alike, who trust us for our clear labeling, clean formulations, and the absence of unnecessary fillers or additives. From hormone support and sleep to cognitive function, athletic performance and foundational health, Momentous offers a comprehensive range of products designed to support every aspect of human performance.
Our commitment extends beyond just high-quality supplements. We engage in rigorous testing and quality assurance practices, with all of our products third-party certified by leading organizations like NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport. This dedication ensures that our customers receive only the safest and most effective supplements to support their goals.
Products Offered by Momentous
At Momentous, our product range is carefully curated to address various aspects of health and performance. Here are the categories and specific products we currently offer:
Hormone Support: Our hormone support supplements are designed to optimize hormonal balance and support overall endocrine health. Products include Tongkat Ali, Rhodiola Rosea, Zinc, and our Male Hormone Support Stack.
Sleep: We recognize the critical role of sleep in recovery and performance, so we provide supplements like Magnesium L-Threonate, L-Theanine, Apigenin, Elite Sleep, and more to promote restful sleep.
Cognitive Function: To boost mental clarity and cognitive agility, our offerings include Omega-3, Creatine, Brain Drive, Alpha GPC, and Tyrosine.
Foundational Health: Our foundational health supplements, such as The Momentous Three, Multivitamin, Collagen Peptides, and Vitamin D, ensure that your basic nutrient needs are met.
Athletic Performance: For those seeking to improve physical performance, our products like Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate (now available in four new limited-edition flavors), Fuel (now available in two new flavors), Recovery, Collagen Peptides, Vital Aminos, and Creatine are specifically formulated to support energy, recovery, and endurance.
Certifications
Our commitment to quality, purity, and safety is demonstrated through our rigorous certifications. Every product in our portfolio is either NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport-certified. This ensures that our products are free from substances banned by major sports organizations as well as heavy metals, pesticides, or other contaminants, and label claims are verified.
Expert Partners
Momentous collaborates with leading experts who bring valuable insights and pioneering research into our product development:
Dr. Stacy Sims: An author and leading expert on female physiology and training, helping us tailor supplements that address the specific needs of female athletes, such as the new Women’s Three.
Dr. Andrew Huberman: Leading neuroscientist and podcaster.
Dr. Andy Galpin: Holds a PhD in Human Bioenergetics and Muscle Physiology, coaches elite athletes and teams, contributes cutting-edge sports science to our formulations.
Dr. Kelly Starrett: A renowned physical therapist and three-time New York Times bestseller who specializes in movement and mechanics.
Pro and College Teams
NFL: Every team in the NFL buys and uses Momentous products in their locker rooms. Momentous products are also used by leading teams in the NBA, NHL, and NCAA. We are proud to work with Olympians, world record holders, and elite athletes across a wide range of sports, many of whom choose us because of our high-quality ingredients and rigorous testing.
Jordan Mazur: As the Director of Nutrition for a top NFL team, Mazur brings firsthand experience in sports nutrition at the highest level.
Brandon McDaniel: The VP of Player Performance at a top MLB team, McDaniel provides insights on athlete performance and recovery.
Jenna Stagland: Board-certified sports dietitian.
A Side-by-Side Comparison of Thorne, Transparent Labs, and Momentous
Before we get into a detailed comparison of Thorne, Transparent Labs, and Momentous, here’s a quick summary of what we’ve covered below:
| Category | Thorne | Transparent Labs | Momentous |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ingredients & Formulations | Pure, clinically researched ingredients; no fillers/additives; emphasis on transparency; designed for bioavailability and efficacy. | Science-backed supplements with no artificial additives, supporting fitness, recovery, hydration, and performance. | No fillers/additives; developed with scientists using patented ingredients and clinical proof; innovative products informed by elite sports expertise. |
| Product Purity & Quality | Extensive batch testing for purity and potency; free from contaminants; adheres to strict regulatory approvals. | Prioritizes full ingredient transparency, with third-party lab certifications and product compositions available for customer review. | NSF-certified facilities with rigorous inspections; Certified for Sport testing ensures products are free of banned substances and contaminants. |
| Manufacturing Standards | FDA-GMP guidelines; strict quality control and traceability from raw materials to finished products. | Ensures safety through GMP-compliant manufacturing and third-party testing for purity, potency, and quality. | NSF-certified facilities with regular and surprise inspections; Certified for Sport testing; high safety and compliance standards. |
| Customer Service & Satisfaction | Supportive service with a 60-day return policy for risk-free buying. | Provides responsive support, clear return policies, and highly rated products praised for quality and effectiveness. | No returns post-delivery; 60-minute order change/cancellation window; proactive support team for post-delivery issues. |
| Sustainability & Ethical Practices | Eco-friendly packaging; responsibly sourced ingredients; minimizes environmental impact. | Prioritizes clean, natural ingredients, and ethical practices to support sustainability and transparency. | Momentous uses BPA-free, recyclable packaging and ethically sourced materials to ensure safety, transparency, and reduce environmental impact. |
| Pricing of Popular Products (per Serving) | Whey Protein $2.16 Creatine $0.48 Collagen $2.10 |
Whey Protein $1.99 Creatine $1.66 Collagen $1.66 |
Whey Protein $2.19 Creatine $0.44 Collagen $1.73 |
| Shipping | Free ground shipping in the U.S.; international shipping available. | Free shipping on orders over $99 (US) | Free shipping for orders over $75 (U.S. only); ships to 200+ countries. |
INGREDIENTS AND FORMULATIONS
Thorne
Thorne is known for its commitment to pure, high-quality ingredients without unnecessary fillers or additives. They pride themselves on the fact that their products do not contain any harmful or unnecessary ingredients. Their products are often formulated with unique, clinically researched ingredients aimed at enhancing bioavailability and efficacy. Thorne emphasizes transparency in their formulations, providing extensive details about ingredient sourcing and benefits.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs emphasizes transparency and quality in its formulations, using clinically dosed, science-backed ingredients with no artificial sweeteners, colors, or fillers. Their products cater to various fitness and health needs, including pre-workouts, protein powders, recovery supplements, and hydration aids.
Momentous
No fillers or additives are used. All products in the Momentous portfolio are either NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport certified. Momentous works with some of the world's leading scientists who use the latest research to help us develop best-in-class products, often using patented ingredients and direct clinical proof. We also work with performance experts from the NFL to the NCAA who share their knowledge from elite sports to help us bring truly innovative products to market.
PRODUCT PURITY AND QUALITY
Thorne
Thorne adheres to rigorous standards of purity and quality, ensuring that all products meet or exceed regulatory approvals. They conduct extensive testing on each product batch, ensuring that they are free from contaminants and that each ingredient is present in the potency specified.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs prioritizes full ingredient transparency, making detailed third-party lab certifications and product compositions available for customer review.
Momentous
Every Momentous product is manufactured in a facility that is certified and audited by the NSF, the world’s foremost product testing organization. This means that the NSF inspects our facilities and audits our entire production process annually. It also conducts additional unannounced inspections. NSF inspectors test raw materials, observe batch control processes and internal lab capabilities, check for cross-contamination mitigation, machine cleaning protocols, and much more.
MANUFACTURING STANDARDS
Thorne
Thorne maintains high manufacturing standards, with their facilities adhering to the guidelines of the FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). They ensure strict quality control and traceability throughout the production process, from raw material sourcing to finished products.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs adheres to rigorous manufacturing standards to ensure the quality and safety of their supplements. Their products are made in facilities that comply with FDA Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which regulate sanitation, cleanliness, equipment verification, and more. GMP compliance ensures that their products meet high standards for safety and consistency during production.
Additionally, all Transparent Labs products undergo third-party testing to verify purity, potency, and safety. These tests also confirm that products are free from harmful substances such as heavy metals and contaminants, aligning with the brand’s commitment to transparency and consumer trust.
Momentous
Momentous takes a rigorous approach to manufacturing supplements, setting ourselves apart in an industry often criticized for lax regulations. This code—The Momentous Standard—guides every decision and process. We are committed to transparency and quality, manufacturing every product in NSF-certified facilities which undergo regular and surprise inspections to ensure purity and compliance.
Momentous extends its commitment to safety by participating in NSF Certified for Sport and Informed Sport testing, ensuring each product batch is free of banned substances and contaminants before reaching the market. This meticulous process, though costly and time-consuming, underscores the dedication to delivering trustworthy, high-performance supplements to every customer.
CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SATISFACTION
Thorne
Thorne is committed to ensuring customer satisfaction through a supportive and responsive customer service framework. They offer a comprehensive return policy that allows customers to return any product within 60 days of purchase if they are not completely satisfied, ensuring a risk-free buying experience.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs offers a customer-focused service experience with clear policies to ensure satisfaction. Customers can reach Transparent Labs' support team via email or phone during business hours. They aim to respond to inquiries within 24 hours. Unopened products can be returned for a refund within 30 days of purchase. Opened items may qualify for exchanges or store credit.
Transparent Labs products have garnered high ratings, often praised for their quality and effectiveness. While some customers mention higher pricing as a concern, the value provided by transparency and product efficacy often offsets this.
Momentous
Due to the consumable nature of our products and stringent quality standards, Momentous does not accept returns once products have been delivered. This ensures that the supplements maintain our high standard from production to consumption. However, customers have a 60-minute window post-purchase to make any changes to their order, including cancellations. For any issues that arise post-delivery, Momentous encourages customers to contact their customer service team, who are ready and eager to assist, ensuring customer satisfaction through proactive support.
SUSTAINABILITY AND ETHICAL PRACTICES
Thorne
Thorne focuses on sustainability by implementing practices such as using environmentally friendly packaging and sourcing ingredients responsibly. They aim to minimize their environmental impact while maintaining high-quality production standards.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs incorporates sustainability and ethical practices that align with their commitment to transparency and quality. They use grass-fed whey sourced from American and New Zealand farms that prioritize animal welfare and sustainable farming. This sourcing approach ensures a better nutrient profile in their products while supporting environmentally responsible practices.
The company avoids artificial sweeteners, colors, and preservatives, reducing the reliance on synthetic production processes that can be harmful to the environment. They also use natural ingredients like stevia as sweeteners.
These practices highlight Transparent Labs' efforts to maintain ethical standards while minimizing their environmental footprint. They align their manufacturing and product development with values that appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
Momentous
Momentous uses BPA, BPS, BPF, and Phthalate-free packaging to ensure safety and prevent chemical leaching. We prioritize recyclable, sustainably sourced materials, follow strict quality standards, and partner with ethically responsible suppliers to reduce environmental impact. Our commitment to transparency and eco-friendly practices ensures both customer health and environmental stewardship across all aspects of packaging and sourcing.
PRICING
Due to quality, testing, and certifications, we found that Thorne, Transparent Labs, and Momentous, are fairly comparable in pricing. Let’s do a comparison for price per serving on some of the most popular items these three brands offer.
Note that all three brands deliver third-party certification across all of the products compared below, with Momentous and Thorne providing NSF Certified for Sport certification on their Whey Protein and Creatine products.
With Collagen, Momentous also offers NSF Certified for Sport certification (the highest level of certification), whereas Thorne offers NSF Contents Certified. Transparent Labs provides Informed Choice certifications across all three products. Thorne only offers two flavors of its Whey Protein (vanilla and chocolate) whereas Momentous and Transparent Labs offer a much wider range of flavors.
While all three brands use pure creatine monohydrate in their Creatine supplements, only Momentous uses Creapure Ⓡ, which is widely considered to be the gold standard. While the majority of creatine on the market is sourced from China, Creapure is a single-sourced ingredient from Germany with no additives, sweeteners, or other ingredients.
| Product | Thorne | Transparent Labs | Momentous |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whey Protein | $2.16 | $1.99 | $2.19 |
| Creatine | $0.48 | $1.66 | $0.44 |
| Collagen | $2.10 | $1.66 | $1.73 |
| Subscribe & Save | Save 10% when you subscribe to 1–2 Thorne products, or 20% when you subscribe to 3 or more products | Subscribe and save 10% | 25% off first subscription order of any size, 10% off thereafter |
SHIPPING
Thorne
All U.S. orders receive free ground shipping. Additionally, Thorne ships internationally.
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs ships domestically and internationally, with delivery times ranging from 1-3 business days for priority orders in the U.S. to 14-21 days for international shipments. Free shipping is offered on orders over $99 (U.S. only).
Momentous
Momentous ships internationally (they have customers in 200+ countries). They offer free shipping on orders over $75 (U.S. only).
Overview of Thorne
Thorne stands out for its commitment to pure, high-quality ingredients and stringent manufacturing standards. Their products, free from unnecessary additives, are formulated with clinically researched components to enhance efficacy and bioavailability. Thorne's facilities adhere to FDA's Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and are regularly audited to ensure compliance with NSF standards.
They offer a generous 60-day return policy and are noted for their responsive customer service, underlining their commitment to customer health and satisfaction. Thorne also prioritizes sustainability, employing environmentally friendly packaging and responsible sourcing practices.
Overview of Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs is a supplement company known for its commitment to transparency, quality, and health. It focuses on offering products free from artificial additives, sweeteners, and fillers. All supplements undergo third-party testing through Informed Choice for safety and efficacy. Transparent Labs supports athletic performance, recovery, and wellness through products like grass-fed protein, pre-workouts, and creatine.
Overview of Momentous
Momentous is dedicated to crafting supplements with no fillers or additives, collaborating with leading scientists and performance experts to produce innovative, high-quality products. All Momentous supplements are rigorously tested and certified by NSF and Informed Sport, ensuring they meet strict standards for purity and effectiveness.
Our manufacturing process is transparent, focusing on delivering products that athletes and active individuals can trust. While Momentous maintains a strict no-return policy on delivered products, they emphasize customer service and satisfaction, offering support and modifications within a short window after purchase.
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Emma-Kate Lidbury
Emma-Kate Lidbury is a freelance writer and editor with 20 years of experience working in the health and fitness world.
