80% of Supplements Are Fake | Shawn Wells Exposes the Industry
Mark Bell's Power Project
Power Project Studios
4.7 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 7 January 2026
⏱️ 65 minutes
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Summary
Shawn Wells is one of the most experienced supplement formulators we’ve ever had on the podcast. He’s built products from concept to shelf, helped scale brands to massive exits, and has patented dozens of ingredients across the industry.In this episode we get into how Shawn got into supplementation, the wild early days of prohormones and sketchy products, what’s actually going on with Amazon supplement quality, and the ingredients he’s most excited about right now, including paraxanthine (the caffeine metabolite designed for “flow without the frazzle”), plus training-focused staples like creatine, betaine, magnesium, and more.We also talk gut health basics, why collagen is often misunderstood in “high protein” foods, and how to think about buying supplements without getting burned.Find Sean: @shawnwellsMore: www.shawnwells.comSpecial perks for our listeners below!🥩 HIGH QUALITY PROTEIN! 🍖 ➢ https://goodlifeproteins.com/ Code POWER to save 20% off site wide, or code POWERPROJECT to save an additional 5% off your Build a Box Subscription!🩸 Get your BLOODWORK/TRT/PEPTIDES! 🩸 ➢ https://marekhealth.com and use code "POWERPROJECT" for 10% off Self-Service Labs and Guided Optimization®.🧠 Methylene Blue: Better Focus, Sleep and Mood 🧠 Use Code POWER10 for 10% off!➢https://troscriptions.com?utm_source=affiliate&ut-m_medium=podcast&ut-m_campaign=MarkBel-I_podcastBest 5 Finger Barefoot Shoes! 👟 ➢ https://Peluva.com/PowerProject Code POWERPROJECT15 to save 15% off Peluva Shoes!Self Explanatory 🍆 ➢ Enlarging Pumps (This really works): https://bit.ly/powerproject1Pumps explained: https://youtu.be/qPG9JXjlhpM?si=JZN09-FakTjoJuaW🚨 The Best Red Light Therapy Devices and Blue Blocking Glasses On The Market! 😎➢https://emr-tek.com/Use code: POWERPROJECT to save 20% off your order!👟 BEST LOOKING AND FUNCTIONING BAREFOOT SHOES 🦶➢https://vivobarefoot.com/powerproject🥶 The Best Cold Plunge Money Can Buy 🥶 ➢ https://thecoldplunge.com/ Code POWERPROJECT to save $150!!➢ https://withinyoubrand.com/ Code POWERPROJECT to save 15% off supplements!➢ https://markbellslingshot.com/ Code POWERPROJECT to save 15% off all gear and apparel!
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Ohimbi combined with things like ephedrin and all these things that they were stacking at the time. |
| 0:05.2 | And then you're taking pro hormones on top of it. |
| 0:07.6 | The early 90s was wild. |
| 0:10.4 | How much stuff out there is fake? |
| 0:11.8 | If you look at Amazon, about 80% of them tested below label claim. |
| 0:16.4 | About 60% of the population metabolizes caffeine poorly. |
| 0:20.1 | When you remove the methyl group, you get |
| 0:23.3 | 1-7 dimethyl xanthine, which is parazanthin, which has all the benefits and none of the side |
| 0:28.4 | effects. Probiotics, you can run into monoculturing where you have too much of one probiotic, |
| 0:34.2 | and it ends up kind of limiting the variability that you need of many strains. |
| 0:38.9 | I've patented about 40 unique ingredients. I've formulated about 1,200 products. |
| 0:42.9 | Help sell 11 companies. All right, Sean Wells, you have probably the most knowledge that |
| 0:51.9 | we've had on the podcast of supplements since you actually |
| 0:54.5 | make and create and formulate them it's kind of hard to you know a lot of times you get to these |
| 1:00.0 | people that might be excited about particular brands or products and they start things and |
| 1:04.1 | i and i have my own supplement company and i make products too but i don't make them make them |
| 1:08.2 | you actually make them, make them. |
| 1:13.3 | How did you get into all this in the first place? |
| 1:18.3 | I think, well, my mom sold Shackley in the 70s, |
| 1:20.2 | and it's a European company, |
| 1:24.2 | and it was maybe like an early MLM, if you will. |
| 1:27.3 | And I remember her having the tackle box in the 70s with like the, |
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