Alkemist Labs

What Alkemist Labs does

Alkemist Labs is a Garden Grove, California-based ISO/IEC 17025-accredited contract analytical testing laboratory founded in 1997 by Dr. Sidney Sudberg and his son Élan Sudberg, specializing in botanical and fungi identity, potency, and contaminant testing. The company's core technology stack centers on High Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) for botanical identity verification, UPLC/HPLC for quantitative potency analysis, LC-MS/MS for psychedelic compound quantification, and ICP-MS / GC-MS/MS for heavy metals and pesticide screening. A defining technical asset is the world's largest privately held herbarium and a reference corpus of more than one million chromatographic fingerprints spanning nearly 2,000 plant and fungi species, which underpins identity-testing accuracy. The lab is DEA-registered for Schedules 1, 2, 3N, and 4, CDFA-approved for hemp, USDA-listed, and an Official Amazon Service Provider Network Laboratory.

The business operates as a professional services testing lab with quote-based pricing per test (identity, potency, contaminant, psychedelics, custom methods) augmented by hardware sales of Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs) and recurring-quality-program revenue from the Alkemist Assured seal and blockchain-authenticated COA services. Go-to-market is sales-led with a dedicated Account Manager assigned to every customer regardless of size, supported by a Qbench-powered Client Portal for sample submission, status tracking, and report delivery. Customers include dietary supplement manufacturers (Sabinsa, BGG, Verdure, Cepham, Quality of Life Labs), contract manufacturers (Arizona Nutritional Supplements), ingredient suppliers, pet/animal supplement companies, spice industry firms, and emerging psychedelics research companies.

The business model exhibits a clear platform arc: identity and potency testing form the foundation; the full contamination panel (heavy metals, pesticides, microbiology, residual solvents) extends purity verification; and Alkemist Assured, COA Authentication, and the Client Portal add consumer-facing transparency and digital workflow layers. The company remains family-owned and independent, with no disclosed external funding, and is led by Élan Sudberg (CEO), Dr. Sidney Sudberg (President & CSO), and Reena Gordon (COO, joined September 2024).

Name

Alkemist Labs

Legal name

Alkemist Labs

Website

https://alkemist.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Alkemist Labs is a Garden Grove, California-based ISO/IEC 17025-accredited contract analytical testing laboratory founded in 1997, specializing in botanical and fungi identity, potency, contaminant, and psychedelics testing for dietary supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and research companies worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Testing Laboratories (Microbiological, Chemical, Allergen) (AFALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC)

Keywords

• Botanical identity testing
• Dietary supplement testing
• Potency analysis
• Contaminant screening
• Contract analytical laboratory

Headquarters

HQ city

Garden Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Botanical Identity Testing Services: Testing services for confirming botanical genus, species, and plant part in raw materials, multi-botanical blends, and finished goods using HPTLC methods
2. Potency Testing Services: Quantitative analytical services to determine strength of constituents in botanical samples
3. Contaminant Testing Services: Screening for microbiology, heavy metals, residual solvents, and pesticides to USP standards
4. Psychedelics Testing Services: Advanced analytical methods to accurately measure psychoactive compounds and controlled substances for DEA registered clients
5. Custom Method Development: Method transfer, development, and validation services as customizable solutions
6. Reference Materials (CRBs): Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs) - critical tools for botanical identity verification distributed by Alkemist

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Alkemist Labs is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited contract analytical testing laboratory that provides botanical and fungi identity testing, quantitative potency analysis, and contaminant screening for the dietary supplement, nutraceutical, cosmeceutical, and psychedelic industries. The company also offers custom method development, Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs), and the Alkemist Assured quality transparency program that allows brands to display a verification seal on their products.

Product overview

Alkemist Labs is an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited contract testing laboratory offering a comprehensive suite of botanical and fungi testing services. The core portfolio centers on five primary testing services: Identity Testing (confirming botanical genus, species, and plant part via HPTLC), Potency Testing (quantitative analysis of constituent strength), Contaminant Testing (screening for microbiology, heavy metals, residual solvents, and pesticides), Psychedelics Testing (LC-MS/MS analysis of controlled substances with DEA registration), and Custom Methods (method transfer, development, and validation). These are complemented by the Alkemist Assured quality transparency program (allowing qualified brands to display a quality seal), Blockchain COA Authentication (protecting certificates against counterfeiting), and Amazon Testing compliance services. The company also produces Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs) as critical identity verification tools and provides a Client Portal for sample tracking and report access. The service architecture operates as a platform of integrated offerings where identity and potency testing form the foundation, contaminant testing extends the purity verification, and the quality programs (Alkemist Assured, COA Authentication) provide consumer-facing transparency differentiation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alkemist Assured: Quality transparency program that verifies identity and purity of raw materials and finished products for botanical and fungal products. Allows qualified ingredient suppliers and finished product brands to display the Alkemist Assured seal on product marketing materials.

Products and services

• Identity Testing Botanical genus, species, and plant part confirmation in raw materials, multi-botanical blends, and finished goods using HPTLC methods with ISO 17025 flexible scope accreditation, leveraging the world's largest privately held herbarium for reference comparison.
• Potency Testing Quantitative analysis of botanical constituents to determine strength and concentration levels in samples using UPLC/HPLC methods, with full method transparency and personalized technical support.
• Contaminant Testing Screening for microbiology, heavy metals, residual solvents, and pesticides to the highest standards using sensitive equipment and validated test methods per USP <561>.
• Psychedelics Testing Advanced analytical LC-MS/MS methods to accurately measure psychoactive compounds and other controlled substances in plant and fungi materials, with DEA registration for Schedules 1, 2, 3N, and 4.
• Custom Methods Customizable solutions including method transfer, development, and validation for specific client testing requirements.
• Alkemist Assured Two-tiered quality transparency program allowing ingredient suppliers and finished product brands to display the Alkemist Assured seal on marketing materials, website, and sales materials to demonstrate quality commitment.
• CofA Authentication Blockchain-protected Certificate of Analysis protection against counterfeits and unauthorized tampering using HealthLOQ document protection software.
• Amazon Testing Information
• Composite Reference Botanicals (CRBs) Complete line of phytochemical reference standards and composite reference botanicals (CRBs) that are critical tools for botanical identity verification, distributed alongside Extrasynthese standards from Lyon, France.
• Client Portal Online portal providing sample status tracking, report access, out-of-spec investigations, and invoice management, with sample form error resolution before sample arrival.

Quantifiable outcome

• Identity testing turnaround time reduced to 4 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• REJIMUScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2019Alkemist Labs partnered with REJIMUS, a regulatory management solutions provider, to offer clients comprehensive GMP compliance solutions. The partnership helps eliminate gaps where companies are failing GMP audits, New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) applications, and other regulatory-related responsibilities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alkemist-labs
• Instagraminstagram.com/alkemistlabs
• Xx.com/alkemistslabs
• Facebookfacebook.com/alkemists.labs

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alkemist Labs