Validora
Tablet
NOW Foods

Magnesium Citrate 200 mg 250 tabs

Validated
5.5/10

Validated on Mar 5, 2026

Value Analysis

Raw Ingredients
Factory EXW/FOB pricing
$1.01
Manufacturing Overhead
50% of ingredients (testing, GMP, QC)
$0.50
Packaging
Bottle, cap, label, seal
$0.60
Total Manufacturing Cost
$2.11
Retail Price$15.99
Markup657.8%
Pricing Score6/10
Markup Percentage658%
658%
0%500%1000%1500%2000%+
0-300%: Extreme300-550%: Good550-900%: Fair900-1600%: Poor1600%+: Excessive
★★☆☆☆
Poor Value

With a markup of 900-1600%, you're paying significantly more than manufacturing costs. Consider alternatives.

What does the 50% overhead cover?

Our 50% overhead allowance is intentionally conservative and accounts for unavoidable manufacturing costs:

  • Third-party testing: Heavy metals, microbiological, potency ($500-2000/batch)
  • GMP compliance: Facility certification and ongoing requirements
  • Quality control: Batch-to-batch testing and documentation
  • Insurance: Product liability and facility coverage
  • Processing: Labor, utilities, equipment depreciation

What's NOT included in 50% overhead:

  • Marketing and advertising costs
  • Influencer partnerships and sponsorships
  • Retail placement fees and distribution markups
  • Brand premium or luxury positioning
  • Executive compensation or profit margins

These discretionary costs are reflected in the markup percentage above.

Our 50% overhead is conservative—actual manufacturing overhead may be higher. This means our cost estimates likely underestimate true costs, giving brands the benefit of the doubt.

Read our full methodology →

Ingredient Analysis

IngredientAmountClinical Dose% of Clinical
Magnesium Citrate200 mgN/AN/A

Validation Notes

Elemental magnesium from citrate

Certifications: GMP Certified

Servings: 250

Cost Breakdown:

- Ingredient cost: $1.0078

- Overhead (50%): $0.5039

- Packaging: $0.60

- Manufacturing: $2.11

- Retail: $15.99

- Markup: 657%

Context & Tradeoffs

Our validation scores measure clinical dosing accuracy, ingredient cost efficiency, transparency, and quality signals. The following factors may justify higher pricing or different formulations but are not included in our scoring methodology:

Not Scored:

  • • Premium packaging or presentation
  • • Flavor systems and taste optimization
  • • Convenience formats (gummies, liquids, packets)
  • • Sustainability or sourcing practices
  • • Brand reputation or customer service
  • • Additional lifestyle or wellness features

Why Not Scored:

These factors vary in importance by consumer preference and cannot be measured consistently across all products. Our score focuses on objective, comparable metrics. Consumers should weigh these additional factors based on their own priorities.

A lower score indicates less efficient ingredient dosing or pricing, but may still be the right choice if other factors (convenience, taste, format) matter more to you.

Overall Score

5.5/10

Mixed results - see details

Pricing(30%)
5.5

Based on estimated ingredient cost vs. retail price

Dosing(30%)
8.0

Comparison to clinically effective doses from research

Transparency(20%)
9.0

Third-party testing, source documentation, disclosures

Quality(20%)
9.0

Manufacturing standards, certifications, ingredient sourcing

Validated Alternatives

No other validated products in this category yet.

How We Score Products

Our validation methodology is transparent and reproducible. Learn how we calculate each score.

Read our methodology →