According to trademark records held by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, TRUNATURE was first used in commerce on 2 September 2008. Costco subsequently registered the mark for dietary, herbal and nutritional supplements.12

Trunature functions as Costco’s dedicated supplement brand. It is distinct from independent manufacturers such as Nature Made, NOW Foods or Garden of Life, as it is not structured as a standalone company.

Costco owns the Trunature trademark and brand. The corporation determines which products are sold under the label and contracts external suppliers or manufacturers for production. Consequently, the entity that owns the brand and the facility that physically manufactures a specific supplement are not necessarily the same. This arrangement is typical of large retail private-label businesses where the retailer controls the consumer brand while specialised manufacturers handle individual product lines. Legal filings explicitly identify Costco Wholesale Corporation as the owner of the TRUNATURE trademarks.1

Origins

The documented commercial history of the modern Trunature trademark dates to 2008. Trademark records list 2 September 2008 as the date of first use in commerce for dietary, herbal and nutritional supplements.1 The brand therefore predates its later formal US trademark filing. Costco filed a subsequent TRUNATURE application in November 2019, which was registered in June 2020 covering dietary, herbal and nutritional supplements.2

Relationship with Costco

Trunature developed as part of Costco’s broader strategy to offer members health products at competitive prices. It operates separately from Kirkland Signature, Costco’s wider private-label brand. The two labels frequently appear side by side in the supplement category:

• Kirkland Signature — A broad private label covering numerous product categories beyond health.
• Trunature — A specialised identity focused specifically on supplements and related wellness products.

Current listings continue to feature both brands within Costco’s vitamin and supplement assortment.

The Trunature portfolio extends significantly beyond standard multivitamins.

Vitamins and minerals

Depending on the current assortment, the brand includes products targeting general nutritional supplementation, including individual vitamins and mineral formulations.

Herbal supplements

Herbal supplements represent one of Trunature’s most recognisable categories. Examples include products based on:

• Ginkgo biloba
• Turmeric/curcumin
• Milk thistle
• Other botanical extracts

For instance, Costco has offered trunature Premium Turmeric, formulated around a curcumin phytosome ingredient.

Probiotics

Trunature maintains a significant presence in digestive health supplements. One example is trunature Advanced Digestive Probiotic, which contains 12 probiotic strains and 10 billion viable cells per serving. This particular product carries a USP Verified designation.

Specialty supplements

The brand utilises specialised ingredients and delivery technologies rather than limiting itself to basic vitamins. Notable examples include:

• Curcumin phytosome technology in turmeric products;
• Phytosome technology in certain milk thistle products;
• Multi-strain probiotic formulations.

The Premium Milk Thistle product, for example, uses Siliphos phytosome technology and carries a USP Verified designation.

The name Trunature is a branding construction combining “true” and “nature”. Trademark documentation explicitly identifies “Tru nature” and “true nature” as the wording associated with the mark.1 The name is intended to communicate a connection between natural ingredients, nutritional supplementation and everyday wellness.

However, the name does not imply that every Trunature product is completely natural, organic or plant-derived. Individual products must be evaluated based on their specific ingredient lists and certifications.

A notable aspect of Trunature is the use of USP verification on selected products. It is important to distinguish that Trunature as a brand is not itself “USP certified”; rather, individual products may achieve USP Verified status.

For example, the Trunature Advanced Digestive Probiotic is identified as USP Verified. The USP Verified programme evaluates factors including whether the product contains the labelled ingredients and amounts, limits specified contaminants, meets dissolution requirements and is manufactured under appropriate processes. This designation also appears on certain specialty supplements, including Premium Turmeric and Premium Milk Thistle.

Significance of verification

USP verification provides additional assurance regarding:

• Identity
• Purity
• Potency
• Contaminant limits
• Manufacturing quality
• Consistency with the label

This is relevant because dietary supplements can vary substantially in manufacturing quality. However, this designation should not be interpreted to mean that every product in the Trunature catalogue has been independently certified.

Products carrying the Trunature label are not necessarily manufactured in a single factory. Because Costco owns the brand while contracting different suppliers for production, the manufacturing origin, formulation partner and country of manufacture can vary between products. For accurate information on a specific item, consumers should refer to the current label and product page rather than assuming identical manufacturing arrangements across the entire range.

Trunature is closely tied to Costco’s retail ecosystem, distinguishing it from brands that rely on pharmacies, supermarkets, Amazon or specialty health stores. This relationship offers several strategic characteristics:

Purchasing power

Costco operates a high-volume, value-oriented warehouse model emphasising purchasing power and efficiency. Trunature fits naturally into this business philosophy.

Large-count packaging

Many Trunature products are sold in larger quantities, aligning with the warehouse club format preferred by bulk buyers.

Member-oriented pricing

The brand generally competes on value per serving rather than positioning itself as an ultra-premium boutique label.

Limited distribution

Conversely, Trunature is less ubiquitous than mainstream supplement brands. Consumers typically encounter it through Costco channels rather than a broad network of independent retailers.

Trunature and Kirkland Signature serve different branding purposes within Costco’s private-label ecosystem.

Trunature is not a direct competitor to Kirkland Signature; rather, it complements it by offering a specialised supplement portfolio.

While Trunature uses botanical and naturally sourced ingredients in many products, the portfolio also includes conventional nutritional ingredients, specialised extracts, probiotics and formulated compounds. For example, the turmeric product uses a specialised curcumin phytosome rather than raw turmeric powder, and probiotic products contain defined strains with specified viable-cell quantities.

The brand is best described as a Costco-owned supplement line combining conventional nutritional supplements with botanical and specialty formulations.

Trunature occupies a middle ground in the supplement market, positioned around four key concepts:

1. Value: Costco’s purchasing model allows the brand to compete strongly on price-per-serving.
2. Convenience: Supplements are available during regular shopping trips.
3. Variety: The range covers probiotics, vitamins, botanical extracts and specialty formulations.
4. Quality assurance: Selected products utilise independent verification such as USP.

This positioning appeals to consumers seeking specialised supplements without the premium pricing of boutique brands.

Representative products listed by Costco have included:

• Advanced Digestive Probiotic — Multi-strain probiotic for digestive health; USP Verified.
• Premium Turmeric — Curcumin phytosome formulation using Meriva® technology; USP Verified.
• Premium Milk Thistle — Milk thistle extract using Siliphos® phytosome technology; USP Verified.
• Ginkgo Biloba — Listed in warehouse savings assortments.
• CinSulin — Specialty nutritional supplement.

Catalogues change over time, so these items serve as examples rather than a permanent list.

Costco Wholesale Corporation is the registered owner of the TRUNATURE mark.12 This confirms Trunature’s status as a retailer-owned private-label brand, albeit with more specialised branding than the flagship Kirkland Signature label.

Trunature is frequently confused with Nature Made due to naming similarities, but they are entirely separate entities.

Trunature

• Owned by Costco Wholesale Corporation
• Costco-focused supplement brand
• First commercial use documented in 20081

Nature Made

• Brand of Pharmavite
• Founded in 1971
• Large independent supplement brand
• Known for its own extensive USP-verified portfolio

The similarity is purely nominal; there is no corporate relationship between the two.

Evaluating Trunature products requires a product-by-product approach rather than a blanket brand assessment. Key considerations include:

1. Exact ingredient and dosage
2. Form of the ingredient
3. Third-party verification
4. Serving size and number of servings
5. Price per effective dose
6. Potential interactions or contraindications
7. Evidence supporting the intended use

This is particularly relevant for herbal products. While reputable certification provides confidence in manufacturing and label accuracy, it does not automatically guarantee clinical efficacy for every claimed purpose.

Trunature functions as Costco’s specialist supplement brand. Its primary strengths include Costco ownership and distribution, strong value orientation, wide selection, inclusion of botanical and specialty formulations, and USP verification on selected items. Limitations include variable third-party verification across the range, differing manufacturing arrangements between products, and the fact that the “nature” branding does not universally denote organic or fully natural composition. Efficacy must be evaluated ingredient by ingredient, independent of the brand name.

Trunature is a Costco-owned US supplement brand launched commercially in 2008, specialising in vitamins, herbal extracts, probiotics and specialty nutritional products, with a value-oriented distribution model and USP verification available on selected products.1

1. ESTTA Tracking number:
2. TRUNATURE – Costco Wholesale Corporation Trademark Registration