What Is Token Dosing? (And Why It’s Everywhere)

It’s Not What’s On the Label — It’s How Much Is Actually In There

You’ve seen it:

“Now with PQQ! Supports brain energy!”

But what they don’t tell you? The amount is so tiny, it might as well not be there. This is called Token Dosing — and it’s one of the most common tricks in the supplement world.

🔍 What Is Token Dosing

It means putting a tiny, ineffective amount of a powerful ingredient into a product — just so you can list it on the label. Like adding one drop of lemon to a gallon of water… then calling it “lemon-flavored.”

🧪 How Companies Do It

They hide it in “proprietary blends.”

Example:

• Label says: “Nootropic Blend (500mg): L-Theanine, PQQ, Lion’s Mane, etc.”
• But no individual doses listed
• So they could use:
  • 490mg of cheap filler
  • 5mg of PQQ (vs. 20mg used in studies)
  • 5mg of Lion’s Mane extract

Result? The product sounds impressive… but does nothing.

🚪 How They Get Away With It

• No law requires full disclosure of individual ingredients in a blend
• Consumers trust labels like “with PQQ” or “includes Lion’s Mane”
• Most people don’t know what a clinically effective dose is

🔴 Red Flag to Watch For

❗ If a product lists a premium ingredient (like PQQ, Suntheanine®, Magtein®) but doesn’t show the exact milligram amount — walk away.

Real brands say:

“PQQ (20mg)”
Not:
“Brain Support Blend (contains PQQ)”

⚖️ Real Example: FTC vs. Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals (2018)

Hi-Tech was sued by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for selling weight-loss supplements that claimed to contain powerful ingredients — but lab tests showed trace amounts or none at all. The FTC found they used “token dosing” — just enough to list on the label, not enough to work.

✅ Outcome: $5.6 million settlement. Company banned from making unsubstantiated claims.