How to Read a Shilajit Certificate of Analysis

A Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the single most important document you can request from a shilajit brand. It is a laboratory report that tells you what is actually in the product — not what the label claims. But not all COAs are equal, and some brands produce documents that look official while providing little meaningful information. This guide walks through every section of a COA and what it should contain.

Step 1: Identify the Laboratory

The first thing to check is who ran the tests. A credible COA comes from an accredited third-party laboratory — not from the brand's own facility or a laboratory the brand owns. Look for:

• ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation. This is the international standard for testing laboratories. An accredited lab can be verified through the relevant national accreditation body (e.g. A2LA or ANAB in the US, UKAS in the UK).
• Named laboratory with a verifiable address. Labs like Eurofins, NSF International, Intertek, or USP-verified facilities are large, well-known operations. Smaller regional labs are also valid if they are accredited — but the lab should be searchable and verifiable online.
• A unique report or sample ID. Legitimate COAs have a report number that can (in theory) be verified by contacting the lab. A generic template with no ID is a red flag.

Step 2: Check the Sample Date

COAs have a shelf life in terms of relevance. A document from 2018 tells you very little about what is in a product you are buying in 2025 — formulations, suppliers, and purification processes can all change. Look for:

• A test date within the past 12–24 months for ongoing products
• The product name or lot number on the COA matching what you are purchasing

Some brands test a single batch when they launch and never retest. This is inadequate for quality assurance.

Step 3: Find the Fulvic Acid Panel

Fulvic acid is the primary bioactive in shilajit. Its percentage by dry weight is the most meaningful compositional data point on a COA. What to look for:

• Fulvic acid %: Authentic purified shilajit typically measures between 15% and 20% fulvic acid by dry weight. Very high claims (50%+) should be treated with scepticism — these may reflect a different measurement method or adulteration with isolated fulvic acid powder rather than genuine shilajit resin.
• Test method: Fulvic acid is measured using modified Lamar or Schnitzer methods, or HPLC. The method should be stated on the COA.

Step 4: Find the Heavy Metals Panel

This is the most important safety section. Shilajit naturally accumulates heavy metals from its geological environment. Proper purification removes them; improper or absent purification leaves them. A complete heavy metals panel should test for:

Limits vary by jurisdiction. California Prop 65 sets the strictest US thresholds for lead and cadmium. The WHO and USP guidelines differ. A COA should state which limits the results are compared against.

See our full guide: Shilajit and Heavy Metals: Safety, Testing & Acceptable Levels.

Step 5: Microbial Testing

A complete COA will also include microbial testing results. This is important because raw shilajit is collected from open-air rock surfaces and can contain bacterial and fungal contamination. Look for results for:

• Total aerobic microbial count (TAMC)
• Total yeast and mould count (TYMC)
• Pathogens: E. coli, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus

Results should be below USP or equivalent limits. Absence of microbial panels suggests the product has not been fully tested.

Types of COA and What They Mean

• Public COA (downloadable PDF directly linked). The gold standard. The brand is confident enough in results to make them freely available. You can download, read, and verify the laboratory details.
• Page-embedded COA (image on a product page). Better than nothing, but an image cannot be verified against the lab and can be easily edited. Lower confidence than a downloadable document.
• COA available on request. The brand claims testing exists but does not publish it. Some legitimate companies operate this way; others use it to avoid scrutiny. Always request it.
• No COA. The brand provides no testing documentation. This is a significant red flag for any ingestible supplement, particularly one with known heavy metal risks.

Verifying a COA

If you want to go further than reading a COA, you can attempt to verify it:

1. Search the laboratory name and confirm it has a real website and physical address
2. Check the lab's accreditation on the relevant national body's directory (e.g. A2LA.org)
3. Email the lab with the report number and ask them to confirm it is genuine

Very few buyers do this — which is why it is a meaningful differentiator when a lab is well-known enough that verification is easy.