Shilajit Showdown: Are Your Wellness Gummies Just Candy?

SAN DIEGO, CA – January 12, 2026 – In an increasingly crowded wellness market, a science-driven supplement company is sounding the alarm, challenging the integrity of one of the industry's hottest ingredients: shilajit. Pürblack, a company specializing in the ancient resin, has publicly called out competitors for prioritizing taste and convenience over genuine efficacy, claiming that many trendy products, particularly gummies, deliver little more than a sweet taste.

As the global shilajit market surges toward a projected value of over $320 million by 2030, consumers are faced with a dizzying array of options. From traditional resins to modern powders, tablets, and gummies, the choice can be overwhelming. But Pürblack argues that this choice is often an illusion, clouded by slick marketing that obscures a fundamental drop in quality.

"Consumers are being asked to make choices in a market flooded with options, yet they're often given flashy marketing claims rather than clear, actionable information," said Nodari Rizun, CEO and Founder of Pürblack, in a recent statement. "Honest marketing only matters if the product actually works. Real efficacy is what allows consumers to make informed decisions, not follow trends."

The 'Wild West' of Wellness Marketing

The critique extends beyond a single ingredient, touching on a core issue plaguing the multi-billion-dollar supplement industry. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994 allows products to reach shelves without pre-market approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the FDA enforces Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs) to ensure quality and safety, the sheer volume of products makes comprehensive oversight a monumental challenge. This regulatory landscape has created what some experts call a 'Wild West' environment, where marketing often outpaces science.

Brands frequently rely on private-labeling, purchasing pre-processed ingredients from overseas suppliers and branding them as their own with little insight into the raw material's origin or refinement process. This model prioritizes speed to market and cost efficiency, but it can leave product quality and potency as an afterthought. Pürblack contends that for a complex substance like shilajit, this approach is particularly damaging.

"When it comes to complex ingredients like shilajit, shortcuts in format and sourcing don't just reduce quality, they change the outcome entirely," Rizun added. The result is a marketplace where consumers may pay a premium for products that fail to deliver the advertised benefits.

Shilajit's Identity Crisis: Resin vs. Gummy

At the heart of the debate is the drastic difference between authentic shilajit resin and its highly processed counterparts. For centuries, Ayurvedic practitioners have used shilajit, a tar-like substance found in mountain ranges, for its purported health benefits. Its efficacy is believed to stem from a complex matrix of over 85 minerals, fulvic acid, humic acids, and other bioactive compounds that work in synergy.

Traditional resin, often considered the 'gold standard' by purists, preserves this delicate natural composition. However, its strong, earthy taste and sticky texture can be a barrier for some consumers. To broaden its appeal, many companies have developed more palatable formats like powders, capsules, and especially gummies. But this convenience may come at a steep cost.

"Many shilajit gummies are closer to candy than functional supplements, offering minimal efficacy and often containing ingredients that do not meaningfully support health," stated Mark Simmons, Pürblack's Chief Marketing Officer. Research and expert opinions echo this concern. Heat, dilution, and the addition of sugars and artificial flavors required to create a gummy can degrade the resin's bioactive compounds, significantly reducing its potency and bioavailability.

While fulvic acid is often marketed as the key active ingredient, Pürblack emphasizes it is just one piece of a complex puzzle. In authentic shilajit, it functions within a broader mineral matrix. Isolating it or using low-quality sources fundamentally alters the substance. This is supported by independent tests, such as those from ConsumerLab.com, which have found that the amount of fulvic acid in shilajit supplements can vary by as much as 32,000%, with some products containing levels inconsistent with their labels.

A Blueprint for Transparency? The Push for Vertical Integration

In response to these industry-wide issues, Pürblack is championing a different approach: complete vertical integration. The company claims it is the only shilait brand that manufactures its product from raw material to finished resin within its own facilities in the United States. This model allows for total control over the entire supply chain, a stark contrast to the opaque sourcing common among private-label brands.

This control begins with sourcing, where the company reports using only the top 3% of shilajit-bearing rock, ensuring a higher purity and mineral complexity from the start. From there, its patented 'Live Resin®' manufacturing process is designed to purify the raw material while protecting its full biological profile, avoiding the harsh processing that can compromise a product's integrity.

This business model offers unparalleled traceability and quality assurance, but it is also more resource-intensive and costly. It represents a bet that a growing segment of consumers is willing to invest in proven quality over mass-market convenience. This push for a more controlled, transparent manufacturing process could serve as a potential blueprint for raising standards across the entire supplement industry, forcing a broader conversation about what constitutes a truly effective product.

Navigating the Crowded Shelf

For consumers, this industry debate highlights the critical need for due diligence. With experiences varying wildly—some users report significant energy and cognitive boosts from high-quality resins, while others notice no effects from heavily processed products—the burden of choice falls squarely on the buyer's shoulders.

Experts and transparency advocates suggest consumers look beyond front-of-package claims and investigate the brands they purchase. Key questions to ask include: Does the company provide clear information about where its shilajit is sourced? Do they explain their manufacturing and purification process? Do they offer third-party lab results to verify purity and potency? And do they provide clear guidance on why they chose a specific format, like resin, over another?

As wellness continues to commercialize, the tension between convenience and efficacy is unlikely to disappear. The challenge for the industry will be to meet consumer demand for accessible products without sacrificing the scientific integrity and natural potency that gave these ancient remedies their reputation in the first place.