India's supplement market has a counterfeiting problem — refilled tubs, copied labels, grey imports with swapped scoops. Estimates vary, but if you've bought protein from a random marketplace listing at a too-good price, there's a real chance you've already drunk some of it. Here are the checks that actually work, from people who handle this stock every day.
Seven two-minute checks
- The importer sticker. Legally imported international brands carry an Indian importer label with the importer's name, address and FSSAI licence. No sticker on an imported brand = walk away.
- The seal. Factory seals are machine-flat and evenly glued. Wrinkles, glue smears, or a seal that lifts too cleanly are the classic refill giveaways.
- Verify the code. Most big brands print a QR/hologram code you can check on the brand's own verification page — ON, MuscleTech and others run these. Two minutes, definitive answer.
- Batch + expiry printing. Real printing is laser-etched or firmly stamped, consistent fonts, never a sticker over another date.
- The MRP test. Printed MRP on the pack. If the “deal” is 60% below MRP from an unknown seller, you know what it is. Real discounts exist (ours are here) — but they come from authorized stock, not miracles.
- Texture and mixability. Genuine whey dissolves with modest clumping and smells like the flavour. Fakes cake, foam strangely, or taste like sweetened flour — because some are.
- Where you bought it. The single strongest predictor. Authorized retailers buy from brands and official importers with paper trails. Marketplace third-party sellers are where fakes live.
What we do about it
Everything BodyBanao sells is sourced from brands or their official Indian importers — sealed, MRP-printed, fresh-dated, with the importer sticker where the law requires one. That's the whole reason this store exists. Read more about why we run it this way, and if anything you receive ever fails these checks, tell us — money back, no forms.
† Educational content, not medical advice. Supplements are food, not medicine — consult a healthcare professional before use if you have a medical condition.