Frequently Asked Questions

Dear Apothecary is an independent, family-owned supplement company in Vista, California that truly loves its customers. We put the "Dear" in front to remind us of that relationship. This is not a mega-corp, and we don't hide behind call centers. Every formula uses research-backed ingredients at the optimal amounts the studies used, is manufactured in the USA in facilities holding NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP certification (Gold Standard), and is tested by an ISO 17025 accredited lab in the US (also Gold Standard). Support is handled by real people in the USA and Canada, and we only hire those who are trustworthy, loyal, and who also love our customers and what we are building.

Dear Apothecary supplements are manufactured in Oklahoma and Utah in facilities holding NSF/ANSI 455-2 GMP certification (Gold Standard). We're a family-owned company based in Vista, California, and orders leave our warehouses in Utah and Ohio. We will never outsource our manufacturing overseas, because we want to know exactly where and how every bottle we send our customers is made.

Yes. Every product is tested by an ISO 17025 accredited lab in the US (Gold Standard) for potency, heavy metals and microbes. ISO 17025 means the lab's methods and equipment are independently verified, which many "third-party tested" claims cannot show. That difference matters most when a manufacturer starts or silently moves production overseas. The label can still say "third-party tested" while no one is independently verifying what is actually in the bottle. Accredited US testing on every product means what's on our label is what you get. A certificate of analysis (COA) is available for any product on request.

Yes. Email support@dearapothecary.com with the product name and our team will send you its certificate of analysis. If you've already ordered, send us the lot number printed on the bottom of your bottle and we will supply the COA for that exact batch.

Most Dear Apothecary capsules are plant-based (hypromellose), and products like CoQ10 and Myo Inositol are vegan. A few are animal-derived: Collagen Peptides+ (bovine, marine, chicken and eggshell membrane collagen), D3+K2 Max (animal-source vitamin D3), Pure Omega (anchovy fish oil in a gelatin softgel) and Cognitive Max (may contain fish-derived ingredients). Each product page lists the full ingredients.

Almost all Dear Apothecary supplements are gluten free and non-GMO, and most are free of common allergens. Most are also vegan or vegetarian, and free of hormones, antibiotics and more. For example, Magnesium Glycinate is gluten and dairy free, and D3+K2 Max is free of gluten, dairy, corn, sugar and the top 9 allergens. Since every formula is different, double check your product with our support team at support@dearapothecary.com and they will make sure you get the right answer.

Yes. The Dear Apothecary storefront on Amazon is run by us, so products sold by Dear Apothecary there are the same genuine formulas as on dearapothecary.com. Dear Apothecary is a trademarked name registered with Amazon Brand Registry, which makes us much harder to fake because Amazon takes trademark protection seriously. A tip for shopping any supplement on Amazon: brands with no trademark and 10 to 20 copycat listings are often foreign knockoffs.

Yes. Our newly launched official eBay store is under the seller name dearapothecary, with the same genuine formulas as dearapothecary.com. It also allows expanded payment options, including bank transfer, Venmo, PayPal and Klarna. Dear Apothecary listings from any other eBay seller are not from us.

Yes, most Dear Apothecary formulas are made to be combined, and some are designed as a set. Clear Mind, Harmony and Valerian are specifically formulated together as a solution for peri-menopause. Other popular pairings are The Essential with Energy+ and Ashwagandha with Magnesium Glycinate, and Detoxify can be taken alongside D3+K2, magnesium and omega-3. Start Cognitive Max on its own before adding Clear Mind, since the formulas overlap. If you take medication, check with your doctor first.

Clear Mind, Harmony and Valerian are specifically formulated together as a peri-menopause solution, one for each part of the day. Take 2 Clear Mind capsules in the morning with food for focus and clarity. Take 2 Harmony capsules with food in the morning or afternoon for hormonal balance and mood. Take 2 Valerian capsules 30 minutes before bed for deeper sleep. All three are vegan, gluten free and non-GMO. Give the set 2 to 3 months for best results. If you use hormone therapy or birth control, check with your doctor first, since Harmony contains chaste berry (vitex).

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any supplement, especially if you take blood thinners or medication for blood pressure, thyroid or blood sugar. For example, CoQ10 can interact with warfarin-type blood thinners, and Organic Seamoss+ is naturally high in iodine. Our supplements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Please talk with your OB-GYN or midwife before taking any supplement while pregnant, trying to conceive or breastfeeding. Dear Apothecary does not currently make a prenatal formula.

Dear Apothecary supplements are formulated for adults and are not recommended for children. For a child, ask your pediatrician which supplement and dose fits.

If you're new to supplements, always go easy at first and take them with food. An empty stomach is the most common cause of stomach upset. Start with 1 capsule a day and build up to the full serving over 2 to 3 weeks, or split the serving between breakfast and dinner. Detoxify can also cause a Herxheimer reaction, often called a "die-off" reaction: a short-term response while your body clears out what the cleanse is flushing, which can feel like a mild flu with fatigue, headache, bloating or nausea. To ease in, take Detoxify at half dose (1 capsule a day) for the first 2 to 3 days. If discomfort continues or feels severe, stop taking it and email support@dearapothecary.com.

Bright yellow urine is normal with formulas that contain riboflavin (vitamin B2), such as Vision+, The Essential and Energy+. Your body simply passes off the riboflavin it does not need. It is harmless.

Most supplements work best with consistent daily use over several weeks. The timelines researchers use in studies are a good guide: about 1 to 3 months for CoQ10, 8 to 12 weeks for the ingredients in Cognitive Max, and at least 90 days for collagen. Real life often moves faster. Many customers tell us the benefits build steadily over time, and plenty notice a real difference right away. Every body responds differently, so give your supplement at least 30 days of daily use before judging results.

No, and that's on purpose. Gummies, chewables and liquids are generally less effective: they often can't hold the full studied dose, usually need added sugars or fillers, and tend to lose potency faster. Capsules and powders let us deliver the full researched amount in a clean form. Most of our capsules are size 00 and twist open, so you can mix the powder into a smoothie, applesauce or yogurt if swallowing is hard. Creatine Pure, Collagen Powder and Organic Beet Root Powder come as powders.

Keep them in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight, with the cap tightly closed. Refrigeration is only needed if the label says so.

Each 3-capsule serving gives 275mg of elemental magnesium, about 92mg per capsule. One bottle holds 90 capsules, a 30-day supply. Take it 30 to 60 minutes before bed. If you notice bloating or loose stools, drop to 1 or 2 capsules with a snack for a while. It is gluten and dairy free in a plant-based capsule.

Take 1 capsule a day with a meal that contains some fat, since vitamins D3 and K2 are fat-soluble. Each capsule has 5,000 IU (125mcg) of vitamin D3, so one bottle lasts 60 days. If you take thyroid medication, take D3+K2 Max later with breakfast. Ask your doctor before going above 1 capsule a day.

Take 1 capsule with breakfast and 1 with dinner, for 1,200mg a day (600mg per capsule). Take it right before or with a meal, never on an empty stomach, which is the most common cause of stomach upset. If you are on blood sugar medication, talk to your doctor first.

Take Dear Apothecary CoQ10 earlier in the day with a meal that contains fat. CoQ10 is fat-soluble, so fat helps you absorb it, and some people find it energizing at night. Our CoQ10 is fermentation-derived ubiquinone, vegan and fish free. Give it 1 to 3 months of daily use.

Take 2 capsules a day for 30 days: 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening, or both in the morning if your stomach tolerates it. Start at half dose (1 capsule a day) for the first 2 to 3 days to avoid a Herxheimer (die-off) reaction. One bottle holds 60 capsules, one full cycle. Detoxify is a herbal blend with black walnut hull, papaya seed and hyssop, and it can be taken alongside your other supplements. Many customers repeat the cycle.

Golden Root combines 500mg of whole-root organic turmeric with 50mg of turmeric extract standardized to 95% curcuminoids, plus BioPerine black pepper extract to help absorption. Curcuminoids are the active compounds in turmeric.

Each 3-capsule serving has 1,800mg of hydrolyzed collagen peptides from 5 sources: bovine (types I and III), marine (type I), chicken (type II) and eggshell membrane (types I, V and X). Pair it with a vitamin C source for best results and give it at least 90 days.

Cognitive Max is the complete formula: Bacopa, Huperzine A, DMAE and phosphatidylserine plus B vitamins. Clear Mind is the focused five-ingredient option led by 500mg of Lion's Mane, with L-Theanine, Bacopa, Rhodiola and B6. Take either one in the morning with food and give it 8 to 12 weeks. Start with one, not both.

Yes, The Essential and Energy+ are a common pairing. Take both in the morning with food. Both contain B vitamins, including B12, so you do not need a separate B12 supplement alongside them.

Take 1 or 2 softgels a day with food. Each softgel has 720mg of omega-3 from anchovy fish oil, and a bottle holds 60. The softgel is gelatin, which may be porcine, so Pure Omega is not suited to vegetarians or people with alpha-gal syndrome.

Pure Saffron uses a saffron stigma extract (88.5mg per capsule), and saffron extract is naturally pale beige. The deep red color belongs to whole saffron threads, not the extract. Take 1 or 2 capsules a day.

Take Ashwagandha 30 to 60 minutes before bed. It pairs well with Magnesium Glycinate for an evening routine. One bottle holds 60 capsules, 2 a day for 30 days.

Organic Seamoss+ has 500mg of Irish moss per serving, and sea moss is naturally very high in iodine. If you have a thyroid condition such as Hashimoto's or take thyroid medication, talk to your doctor before taking it.

Take 2 capsules in the morning with a meal that contains some fat. Follicle Max combines biotin, saw palmetto, collagen and B vitamins to support healthy hair from within. Taking it on an empty stomach is the most common cause of bloating.

Yes. Delivery is free on orders over $100 and on every Subscribe and Save order. One-time orders under $100 show the delivery rate at checkout.

Orders usually leave our warehouses in Utah and Ohio within 1 business day, and delivery averages about 4 days. You get a tracking email as soon as your order is on its way. Need it even faster? Most Dear Apothecary products are stocked on Amazon Prime.

Visit Manage Orders and log in with the email you used on your order to see your tracking and order history. You also get a tracking email as soon as your order is on its way.

"Label created" means your package is packed and waiting for its first carrier scan. We now use a private carrier for most of the journey, with USPS handling only the final delivery, so tracking updates come much more regularly than with USPS alone. If your tracking hasn't moved after 3 business days, email us your order number and we'll look into it.

Check around your property, with neighbors and at your local post office, and give it 24 hours since USPS sometimes marks packages delivered early. If it still has not turned up, email support@dearapothecary.com with your order number and we will help you with the next steps, including a USPS missing mail search.

Email support@dearapothecary.com with your order number and a photo of what arrived. Once our warehouse confirms it, we send a replacement at no cost.

Yes, if it has not left our warehouse yet. Email support@dearapothecary.com with your order number as soon as possible and we will cancel it with a full refund or update it. If it is already on the way, refuse the delivery or mark it "Return to Sender" and we will refund you once it comes back.

Email support@dearapothecary.com with your order number and new address before your order leaves our warehouse. If you use the Shop app or browser autofill at checkout, double-check the address it fills in, since it can load an old one.

Not at this time. Dear Apothecary delivers to addresses in the United States only.

Dear Apothecary is sold online only, at dearapothecary.com and through our official Amazon and eBay stores. We do not have a retail store or local pickup.

We do not accept HSA or FSA cards at this time. You can pay with a regular credit or debit card and submit your receipt to your HSA or FSA administrator for possible reimbursement, depending on your plan.

Subscribe and Save takes 15% off every order, includes free delivery, and arrives on the schedule you choose. We email you a reminder 2 days before each order, then wait an extra 24 hours before processing so you have time for any last-minute changes. You can skip, pause, change or cancel anytime. We want repeat customers who truly mean to be subscribed. The number one complaint against other supplement companies is how hard they make it to cancel, and we refuse to do that. It's a big reason we hold an A rating on BBB and 4.6 stars on Trustpilot, which is rare in this industry.

On many product pages, Subscribe and Save is selected by default because it is the best price. To buy once, choose "One-time purchase" before adding to cart. Your order confirmation email shows whether your order is a subscription.

You can cancel anytime through Manage Subscription, found at the bottom of every page on dearapothecary.com and in the drop-down menu on the left side bar, or through the link in any order email. Log in with the email you ordered with. Prefer a hand? Email support@dearapothecary.com and our team will cancel it the same day and confirm in writing. An order that has already left our warehouse cannot be cancelled, but it can be returned to sender.

Yes. Log in through the Manage Subscription link with the email you ordered with to skip an order, pause, change how often it arrives, change quantity or swap products. You can also move from a single bottle to a larger supply at any time.

3-bottle supplies save 20% and 6-bottle supplies save 30%, and both stack with the 15% Subscribe and Save discount. Build Your Bundle lets you mix different supplements and save more as you add items.

Build Your Bundle lets you pick several different supplements in one order. The more items you add, the more you save, up to 35% off.

First-time customers get a 60-day money-back guarantee on one bottle from their first order. Take it daily for at least 30 days, and if you are not satisfied, email us within 60 days of delivery for a refund. Multi-bottle supplies are final sale once opened, and unopened bottles may be returned at our discretion with a 10% restocking fee. If anything goes wrong, please email us before filing a dispute with your bank or card company. We resolve every request directly and fairly, and chargebacks on orders we would gladly have helped with (often called friendly fraud) hurt a small family business like ours. Full details are in our refund policy.

No RMA is needed. Email support@dearapothecary.com first with your order number so we can confirm which option applies to you. For unopened packages, write "Return to Sender" on the outside and drop it at any post office for free. Refunds take 5 to 12 business days on credit cards and 3 to 5 on debit cards.

Email support@dearapothecary.com or use the Contact Us page. Your message goes to real people in the USA and Canada, never a call center or a bot. Our team works 7 days a week and usually replies within 3 hours, because we truly care about every customer who reaches out.

Yes, upon request. We schedule callbacks when a call is truly needed. Please email support@dearapothecary.com first: we usually reply within 3 hours, 7 days a week. We're a family-style business, not a call center, and about 98% of requests, like cancelling a subscription, changing an address or checking on an order, are handled much faster by email, with everything in writing for your records.

Real emails from us come from an @dearapothecary.com address. We never ask for payment outside our website or our official Amazon and eBay stores. If an email looks suspicious, forward it to support@dearapothecary.com before you click anything, and see our guide to spotting fake emails.