HerStack is an independent editorial site focused on research-led supplement guidance for women 40–52, in the thick of the perimenopause transition. Authored by Suggestic Inc, a digital nutrition company that has worked in the field for over a decade.
The open internet has a problem with women's health content. It tends to be marketing copy from supplement brands, anecdotal content, or clinical literature that doesn't translate into decisions anyone can act on. HerStack reads the research directly and translates it into specific, cited recommendations — including the specific products that meet our criteria.
How we evaluate supplements
We start with the research, not the product. For every recommendation on this site, we identify what the research examines — form, dose, formulation — then find the brand whose product matches. When a brand's formulation doesn't match, we say so. When it does, we name it and link to it. The compliance language follows the GB Nutrition & Health Claims register: benefit claims appear only where the register authorises them for the ingredient in question.
The three criteria
Every product recommendation on HerStack is evaluated against three criteria, in this order:
Form. Is the ingredient in the form the research examines? Magnesium glycinate is not magnesium oxide. Methylated B vitamins are not folic acid. MK-7 is not MK-4. Cheaper forms exist across the category; the research sits with the more bioavailable forms.
Dose transparency.Does the label list elemental dose rather than just compound weight? A “400 mg magnesium citrate” capsule contains roughly 60 mg elemental magnesium — and most consumers do not know this. Proprietary blends fail this criterion. So do labels that hide the active inside an “herbal complex” without specifying the milligram quantity.
Third-party testing. Are potency and contaminants independently verified, with certificates of analysis available? This matters most for heavy-metal exposure in fish oils and botanicals, and for live-culture potency at expiry rather than at manufacture.
Our reference brand approach
A cluster-by-cluster “best brand per category” approach tends to produce a patchwork of suppliers with inconsistent quality-control standards. Readers end up managing several unrelated supplier relationships, and each new brand is a fresh unknown on the testing question.
We made the opposite choice. We identified the brand that meets our three criteria consistently across the ingredients this site covers, and anchored recommendations there. The upside: every recommendation comes from a brand whose manufacturing and quality practices we have evaluated once and can trust across clusters. The trade-off: when our reference brand doesn't stock an evidence-supported ingredient, we flag the gap rather than substitute a brand we haven't held to the same standard.
Our reference brand is Solgar UK. It is one of the longer-established supplement brands in UK retail, with US heritage and a UK manufacturing and quality-control operation. Across the ingredients this site covers — magnesium glycinate, methylated B-complex, vitamin D3 and K2 (MK-7), EPA/DHA omega-3, ubiquinol-form CoQ10, full-spectrum curcumin, quercetin with Ester-C, multi-strain Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium cultures, iron bisglycinate, and standardised ashwagandha and rhodiola extracts — Solgar meets our form, dose, and third-party testing criteria.
The catalogue-gap policy
When an evidence-supported ingredient is not carried by our reference brand, we say so. We do not fill the gap with a brand we have not evaluated against the three criteria above. This is an editorial choice, and we think it's the right one: readers are better served by an honest gap than by a recommendation made from a brand we can't vouch for.
Two categories where this currently applies, flagged in the relevant cluster pages:
- Creatine monohydrate. Substantial research base, particularly for women over 40. Solgar UK does not currently stock a creatine supplement. We flag the gap rather than recommend another brand.
- NMN.Emerging research base. Solgar UK does not currently stock an NMN supplement. Same policy — flag, don't substitute.
Affiliate disclosure
HerStack participates in the Amazon EU Associates Programme. We earn a small commission on qualifying purchases made through the outbound Amazon.co.uk links in our articles. This does not change what we recommend or why — recommendations are selected against the three criteria above, before any commercial consideration. We surface the revenue relationship here, in the footer of every page, and inside the relevant article so readers can weigh it as they read the rest of the site.
Reader questions we take seriously
“Are you Solgar's site?” No. HerStack is authored by Suggestic, an independent digital nutrition business. Solgar is our reference brand, not our publisher. We have no input from Solgar on editorial decisions, and Solgar has no sign-off over the content on this site.
“Would you recommend another brand if it met your criteria?” In principle, yes. In practice, having one reference brand produces better reader outcomes than juggling five. If a second brand meaningfully outperformed Solgar on our criteria across multiple clusters, we would cover it.
“What if Solgar changes a formulation?” We check label content against current Solgar UK product pages before publishing any recommendation update. If Solgar moves away from the research-supported form or dose for an ingredient we cover, the recommendation comes off the site.
Clinical information
Our content is informational and educational. We describe what the research examines in relation to supplement ingredients and formulations. We do not provide medical advice. If you have a specific condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are taking medications, speak to your GP or pharmacist before adding any supplement.