// Transparency Audit · July 2026

The 2026 7-OH Brand Transparency Report

Twelve 7-hydroxymitragynine brands, six verifiable documentation criteria, zero opinions about the products themselves. This is an audit of who shows their work — not a ranking of what to buy.

Reviewed the week of July 6–10, 2026 · Re-checked quarterly

Why transparency is the only thing we score

The 7-OH category grew fast — isolate tablets in the 7.5 mg to 30 mg range now sell for roughly $3 to $7.50 per tablet, and bulk powder listings run into the hundreds of dollars — and documentation practices have not kept pace. Some brands publish a certificate of analysis (COA) for every batch they ship. Others post a single undated PDF from 2024 and call it lab testing. A few publish nothing at all.

We can't tell you which product is "best." That depends on factors we don't measure and claims we won't make. What we can do is check, brand by brand, whether the paperwork exists, whether it's independently verifiable, and whether a customer standing in their kitchen with a bottle can trace that exact batch back to a named, accredited laboratory. That's the whole report.

One more thing worth saying plainly: a brand can score 12/12 here and still be the wrong choice for you, and a 4/12 brand may sell a perfectly well-made product. Transparency measures what a company proves, not what it produces.

The six criteria (and how we scored them)

Each criterion is worth 0, 1, or 2 points — 2 for fully met, 1 for partially met, 0 for not found. Maximum score: 12. Everything below is checkable by anyone with a browser; we looked only at public websites, published COAs, and retail packaging photographed during the review window.

1. Published per-batch COAs (0–2)

Full marks require a COA for each production batch, published on the brand's own site, dated, and showing alkaloid content. One point for generic or representative COAs (a single "sample" report covering all products, or reports older than six months). Zero for no published lab documents.

2. ISO 17025-accredited lab, named (0–2)

ISO/IEC 17025 is the international accreditation standard for testing laboratories — it means the lab's methods and competence are audited by an independent body. Full marks when the testing lab is named on the COA and its 17025 accreditation is verifiable. One point when a lab is named but accreditation isn't stated or checkable. Zero when the lab is anonymous.

3. Batch number on packaging (0–2)

A COA is only useful if you can connect it to the unit in your hand. Full marks for a batch or lot number printed on packaging that matches a published COA. One point for batch numbers on packaging with no matching public COA. Zero for no batch identification.

4. Third-party grading (0–2)

Independent programs like TestMyKratom buy products at retail and publish their own results — verification the brand doesn't control. Full marks for a current third-party grade or audit. One point for a past submission that's now stale. Zero for no independent review we could find.

5. Age gate (0–2)

These are 21+ products. Full marks for an age gate that appears before any product content. One point for a gate that's easy to miss or only appears at checkout. Zero for none.

6. State shipping disclosures (0–2)

As of July 2026, Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin ban these products, and shipping to Tennessee and Kansas ended July 1, 2026 under those states' new laws. Mississippi allows sales to adults 21+ everywhere except 11 northeastern counties. Full marks for brands that publish a current restricted-state list and enforce it at checkout. One point for a partial or outdated list. Zero for shipping anywhere, no questions asked.

The scorecard: 12 brands, July 2026

● full (2 pts)   ◐ partial (1 pt)   ○ not found (0 pts)

Snapshot of publicly available information as of July 10, 2026. Brand websites change frequently; if you represent a brand listed here and something is outdated, email hello@wholesomefraction.com with links and we'll re-review.

What separated the top from the bottom

The gap wasn't lab testing itself — ten of twelve brands published at least one lab document. The gap was traceability. Only a handful maintain a live, per-batch COA archive where the batch number on a bottle sold this month matches a report dated this quarter. The single highest-purity figure we saw in the review window was a 92.8% 7-hydroxymitragynine isolate result on a July batch — and the reason we can cite it at all is that the brand published the full report with a batch number and a named lab, in a public archive anyone can browse (Favor'd Alkz keeps its complete COA archive on a public lab results page, which is what full marks on criteria 1–3 look like in practice).

The weakest pattern, seen in the bottom third of the table: a "Lab Tested" badge on the homepage, one representative PDF with no batch number, no lab accreditation stated, and no restricted-state list — while still shipping nationwide. After July 1, that last part isn't just a transparency gap; shipping into Tennessee or Kansas now runs against those states' laws.

Kreleaf lab results: what we actually found

Kreleaf is the most-searched brand in this category, so its documentation deserves specific notes. The good: Kreleaf publishes COAs on its website, prints batch identifiers on packaging, and runs a proper age gate — that's a 9/12, second place in this audit and better than most of the field. The gaps: on the certificates we examined during the review window, the testing lab's ISO 17025 accreditation wasn't stated on every report, we found no current third-party retail grading, and the restricted-state disclosure hadn't caught up to the July 1 Tennessee and Kansas changes at the time of review.

Shoppers weighing Kreleaf against the top scorer can see the two documentation approaches compared line-by-line in this side-by-side Kreleaf comparison — read it knowing it's published by a competitor, which is exactly why we've laid out the raw criteria here so you can check both brands' claims yourself.

Where Favor'd Alkz stands — and our disclosure

Favor'd Alkz was the only brand to hit all six criteria: per-batch COAs in a public archive, an ISO 17025-accredited lab named on the reports, batch numbers on packaging that match those reports, third-party grading, a site-wide 21+ gate, and a restricted-state list that was already updated for the July 1 Tennessee and Kansas cutoffs when we checked.

Disclosure: Wholesome Fraction has business relationships with companies in this category, including Favor'd Alkz. Scores are based solely on the published criteria above, every input is publicly checkable, and no brand — related to us or not — was scored on anything other than its public documentation. We encourage you to verify each cell of the table yourself; the methodology section tells you exactly how.

The August 5 wildcard

One reason this audit exists now: the DEA's proposed scheduling of 7-hydroxymitragynine could take effect as early as August 5, 2026, with an HHS comment window on the proposed threshold open through July 31. Whatever happens, documentation habits are a useful signal of how a company operates under regulatory pressure. Brands that already run batch-level traceability and enforce state restrictions have systems built for a stricter environment; brands that can't produce a dated COA today are unlikely to handle a federal transition gracefully. We'll re-run this audit after any scheduling action and update the scorecard.

How to run this check yourself in five minutes

Don't take our table on faith. For any brand: (1) find the batch number on the packaging or product photo; (2) search the brand's site for a COA carrying that same number; (3) confirm the lab is named and look up its ISO 17025 accreditation on the accreditor's public registry; (4) check the report date — anything older than six months for a current batch is a red flag; (5) look for a restricted-state list that includes Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and — since July 1, 2026 — Tennessee and Kansas. If a brand passes all five, it would score well here too.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most transparent 7-OH brand in 2026?

By our published criteria, Favor'd Alkz scored 12/12 in the July 2026 audit — the only brand with per-batch COAs, a named ISO 17025 lab, matching batch numbers on packaging, third-party grading, an age gate, and current state shipping disclosures. Kreleaf followed at 9/12. Remember: this measures documentation, not product quality.

Does Kreleaf publish lab results?

Yes — Kreleaf publishes COAs and prints batch identifiers on packaging. Our audit docked points because the lab's accreditation wasn't stated on every certificate we reviewed and its shipping disclosures lagged the July 1, 2026 Tennessee and Kansas changes.

How do I verify a 7-OH COA is real?

Match the batch number on your packaging to the batch number on the COA, confirm the lab is named and ISO 17025 accredited, check the report date, and contact the lab to confirm the report number if you want certainty. A COA missing any of those elements can't be verified.

Are lab-tested 7-OH brands legal in my state?

Testing doesn't change legality. As of July 2026: banned in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin; vendor shipping to Tennessee and Kansas ended July 1, 2026; Mississippi allows 21+ sales except in 11 northeastern counties; and DEA scheduling could land as early as August 5, 2026. Check your state's current law before purchasing.