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AstaReal® VeriReal✔
For Brand Owners & Manufacturers

To Raise Awareness & Best Quality Practices in Thailand

To Maintain Safety and Trust in the AstaReal brand

To Demonstrate Stewardship in Response to Market Demands

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Tailored exclusively for Thailand by market demand.

 

In 2023, our customers reported suspicious astaxanthin supplements co-branded with AstaReal astaxanthin online at Shopee Thailand and Lazada Thailand. We researched this and have confirmed that some unfamiliar brands with a label claim including AstaReal® astaxanthin and included our trademark logo did not have detectable astaxanthin in the supplement. Therefore, we are concerned about the safety and quality of such products.

 

We hope a few bad apples do not spoil the whole barrel.

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To separate the suspicious products from the genuine AstaReal® astaxanthin products, the AstaReal® VeriReal certification lists the finished products which contains 100% authentic AstaReal® astaxanthin and the dosage matches the label claim*.

 

As a brand owner, your certified product can leverage this fact in marketing and communications thereby maintaining the customers' trust and brand loyalty.

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Other goals of the program certification:

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To raise the awareness and quality practices among Thai Brand Owners and Thai Contract Manufacturers.​

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To restore consumers' confidence in the quality and safety of supplements using AstaReal® astaxanthin.

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We hope to be a beacon for trust and best practices in this industry.

*AstaReal® VeriReal program limits checks only to astaxanthin. It does not involve the evaluation of other ingredients or guarantee the total finished product quality and safety which is the responsibility of the brand owner to ensure the products follow local TFDA regulations.

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The Process

1

Contact Us

Brand owners, check your eligility then fill in the AstaReal® VeriReal✔ enquiry form. We will reply within two weeks.

2

Audit

If your product meets the criteria, we will request supporting documents and test that product randomly sampled from the market place.

3

Decision

We will notify you by email and issue an original Certificate of Authenticity and AstaReal® VeriReal✔ QR code. These may be used in the product marketing. Consumers can scan the QR code to confirm the certificate on this website.

Eligibility

Eligibility for AstaReal® VeriReal✔

  1. The finished product is either i) Thai owned brand and manufactured locally or ii) the finished product is sourced and bought directly from AstaReal or Fuji Chemical Industries.

  2. The finished product contains AstaReal® astaxanthin and has been commercially available for minimum of 1 calendar year.

  3. The product co-brands with the AstaReal® logo under a trademark licensing agreement.

  4. The AstaReal® astaxanthin is sourced either directly from AstaReal or our authorised Thai distributor: Gowell Co., Ltd or Primo Trading Co., Ltd.

  5. If the sourcing of AstaReal® is managed by a local contract manufacturer, check if they will agree to cooperate with you and AstaReal because the audit process involves the review of manufacturing and quality documentation.
  6. The certification program costs USD 1000 per SKU. The fee covers the administrative and testing overheads to maintain the program.

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Audit
AstaReal Verified QR Code

VeriReal QR Seal

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VeriReal Certificate

Audit by AstaReal® VeriReal✔

  1. AstaReal will purchase the product from the marketplace and test the astaxanthin potency at the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR). It is an governmental institute and accredited testing laboratory. More on TISTR can be found here.

  2. AstaReal will request the brand owner and/or contract manufacturer for manufacturing and quality documents specific to that batch of product, such as but not limited to: records of purchase and delivery of AstaReal astaxanthin raw material, stock inventory card, batch master record, finished product CoA and other QC/QA documents.

  3. Only products that have already passed the above criteria, will be AstaReal VeriReal✔ certified.

  4. AstaReal will issue the AstaReal VeriReal✔ QR seal and Certificate of Authenticity and the product will be listed in AstaReal website.

 

 

 

Authenticate
Certificate of Authenticity

  1. The AstaReal® VeriReal✔ QR seal is the most important asset.

  2. Consumers will scan the QR seal and see the product listed only on our webpage for confirmation.

  3. Only authenticated products by AstaReal are listed on this website. If a product is not listed, the product cannot claim AstaReal® VeriReal✔.

  4. The QR code may be freely used. It should appear in your offline or online product marketing, product labelling and packaging.

  5. We encourage you to use the QR code as much as possible so that consumers may scan and visit the product list.

  6. You will also receive a unique certificate which contains the product information and validity period.

  7. Only the image of the entire certificate may be use in your product marketing.

  8. Part of the certificate may not be used on its own to promote your product.
VeriReal B2B FAQ

B2B VeriReal FAQ

  • What is the AstaReal® VeriReal✔ Program?
    It is a self-driven initiative exclusive to Thai market after discovering certain finished products have problems with labeling and unauthorised use of the AstaReal® astaxanthin trademark logo. We aim to differentiate unfamiliar brands that claim to use AstaReal® astaxanthin from genuine ones. This is a testament to our commitment to quality and trust so that consumers can purchase from brands' finished products with trust and confidence.​​​
  • What does AstaReal® VeriReal✔ Certified mean?
    When a finished product has the AstaReal® VeriReal✔ certificate, it had passed the paper audit by AstaReal and third-party independent laboratory assay using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We can ensure that the finished product is using 100% AstaReal astaxanthin. Also, we want to make sure it is not mixed sources of astaxanthin and the dosage matches the label claim.
  • What is the difference between AstaReal VeriReal✔ and AstaReal ingredient trademark logo?
    The AstaReal® trademark logo represents our branded ingredient, astaxanthin. It is used for market differentiation from other sources. AstaReal® is a registered trademark of Fuji Chemical Industries Co., Ltd., Japan. Only brands that have met certain requirements are permitted to use the logo via a trademark licensing agreement. However, we discovered finished products on the Thailand online shopping platforms like Shopee and Lazada that the AstaReal® ingredient trademark logo is easily copied without prior authorization. Furthermore, in some finished products, there was no astaxanthin detected and therefore, such products are mislabeled. Therefore, AstaReal® VeriReal✔ program is the next level of guarantee to consumers that the finished product brand uses 100% astaxanthin by AstaReal. Only products that have passed the verification process will be issued a certificate of authenticity and VeriReal QR code. The QR code will link to our website to prevent misuse of the certificate because only products listed on our website has been authenticated.
  • Is the AstaReal® VeriReal✔ program available in other countries other than Thailand?
    No, the problem is specific to finished products made and sold in Thailand.
  • How long is the certificate of authenticity valid for?
    The certificate is valid for 2 years, subject to the finished product passing lab testing and paper audit during the initial verification process.
  • After certificate issuance, does each product batch produced afterwards require constant auditing to maintain the certificate?
    No. We only require a one-time paper audit per certificate issuance. For certificate renewal, it will necessary to repeat the audit once more.
  • How will AstaReal guarantee the authenticity of the product for the duration of the certificate?
    AstaReal will conduct one random finished product checks for around a year after the issue date of certificate. Should the brand owner fail to address and rectify any non-compliance found during the audit or random testing, AstaReal will void the certificate and remove the product listing from our AstaReal® VeriReal✔ webpage.
  • What is the AstaReal VeriReal Program?
    In Thailand, we discovered suspicious products and unauthorised use of our AstaReal® astaxanthin trademark. Therefore, we do not know if they are using AstaReal. Products listed here have been checked and tested. We want Thai consumers to purchase products with trust and confidence the product uses 100% genuine AstaReal.​​​
  • What's the QR code and certificate of authentication for?
    This our AstaReal brand logo. Unfortunately, it has been copied many times. Look out for the new AstaReal QR code in the product marketing and labelling. This is a high level brand authentication seal. Scan the QR code to see the list of products that have been authenticated by AstaReal. Products not listed on our web page have not been checked by AstaReal. The product owner should also have an original certificate of authentication issued by AstaReal.
  • Should I be worried if I am taking products with AstaReal astaxanthin which are not listed in the AstaReal VeriReal website?
    No, not necessarily. Most likely we are dealing with just a few bad apples. There are a few scenarios that may apply: a. Some brands that have just launched their products in the market; b. Some brands are not participating in the verification program due to various reasons. If you are still not sure, it is recommended to purchase from established brands compared to unfamiliar ones.

Ready for AstaReal® VeriReal✔?

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