The 8 Best Protein Powders Without Heavy Metals (2023)

If you’ve been a steady gym-goer for a while, you’re probably familiar with the threat of heavy metal-contaminated protein powders. At one point, the vast majority of popular protein powders were reported to have significant traces of lead present.

It’s worth noting here: most protein powders contain some traces of heavy metals. Some contain a safe amount, while others do not.

Luckily, we can help you steer clear of products containing high heavy metal levels, by presenting you with this list of the 7 excellent protein powders to consider when seeking less heavy metal content.

The best protein powder with limited heavy metals is the Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate by Transparent Labs. Transparent Labs has an impressive commitment to, well, transparency that gave us the confidence for this recommendation.

Our budget pick goes to Myprotein’s Impact Whey Isolate. It’s available in a wide variety of delicious flavors and was certified by LabDoor to be well within the recommended limits of heavy metals.

Not a fan of whey isolate? No problem. We also have vegan, egg white, and collagen options listed below.

Related:

• Best Cheap Protein Powders
• Best Protein Powders for Teens

The 8 Best Protein Powders Without Heavy Metals

1. 100% Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate – Transparent Labs
2. Impact Whey Isolate – Myprotein
3. Essential Protein – Ritual
4. Vegan Protein Powder – Promix
5. Grass-fed Collagen Peptides – Promix
6. Grass-fed Whey Protein Powder – Naked Nutrition
7. Naked Egg Protein Powder – Naked Nutrition
8. Pasture Raised Whey Protein Powder – Puori

Best Overall: 100% Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate – Transparent Labs

This Transparent Labs product is our top choice because it strikes the perfect balance between low heavy metals and high protein levels. Thie 100% Grass Fed Whey Protein contains an impressive 28 grams of protein per scoop – that equates to 82% protein per serving!

It publishes certificates of analysis for all of its products, including this one. In fact, we counted at least 40 COAs uploaded for this product alone! While it contains traces of lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, none exceeds the “No Significant Risk Level” limit.

Grass-fed protein is always the more nutritional option over grain-fed protein, as it comes packed with more immune-supporting nutrients – plus, healthy CLA and omega fats.

100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate has also been recognized as one of the best whey protein isolate powders and one of the best protein powders for teens.

Key Specs:

• Serving size: 1 scoop (32.96 g)
• Servings: 30 servings per container
• Calories: 120
• Protein: 28 g
• Carbohydrates: 1 g
• Fat: 0.0 g
• Protein source(s): Whey isolate

Key Ingredients:

• Grass-fed whey protein
• Cocoa
• Natural flavor
• Sodium chloride

Available Flavors: Mocha, Milk Chocolate, French Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie, Unflavored, Vanilla Peanut Butter, and Cinnamon French Toast.

Budget Pick: Impact Whey Isolate – Myprotein

If you’re looking to save a few bucks without compromising on quality, then Myprotein’s Impact Whey Isolate is worth checking out.

Impact Whey Isolate was certified by LabDoor to be almost entirely free of all heavy metals as of 2022.

Here’s a screenshot of the certificate:

Not only is it a clean protein powder, but it’s also one of the lowest-calorie protein powders. In fact, 89% of its calories come from protein, which is one of the highest ratios we’ve found in the protein powder market.

In other words: you’re actually consuming protein, not a bunch of other junk.

That’s why we’re such big fans of Myprotein and have acknowledged them on our lists of the best cheap protein powders, the best tasting vanilla protein powders, and the best unflavored protein powder.

Key Specs:

• Serving Size: 1 scoop (25 g)
• Servings: 25 to 125
• Calories: 90
• Protein: 22 g
• Carbohydrates: 1 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Protein source(s): whey protein isolate

Key Ingredients:

• Whey protein isolate
• Cellulose gum
• Sucralose

Available Flavors: chocolate brownie, chocolate mint, chocolate smooth, cookies and cream, mocha, pistachio, salted caramel, strawberry cream, unflavored, vanilla

Best Pea Protein: Essential Protein – Ritual

If you like your organic protein powder sugar-free, made of peas, and low in heavy metals, then look no further than Essential Protein’s Ritual. Although plant-based protein powder has a bad rep with regard to heavy metals, Ritual products go through a rigorous testing process to ensure their products’ heavy metal levels are kept to a safe minimum.

The product provides you with 20 g of protein per serving, which is impressive for organic pea protein powder.

This organic protein powder is completely vegan and free from artificial sweeteners, soy, and gluten. It also tastes great, thanks to the real Madagascan vanilla beans used to provide flavor.

Key Specs:

• Serving Size: 1 scoop (30 g)
• Servings: 15
• Calories: 115
• Protein: 20 g
• Carbohydrates: 3 g
• Fat: 2 g
• Protein source(s): Organic pea protein

Key Ingredients:

• Organic pea protein
• Natural flavor
• Organic coconut medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil
• Xanthan gum
• Salt, Sunflower lecithin**
• Reb-M (from fermented sugarcane)
• Mixed tocopherols
• Organic monk fruit (Luo han guo) extract

Available Flavors: Vanilla

Best Vegan Protein Powder: Vegan Protein Powder – Promix

This clean vegan protein powder makes our list because each individual Promix protein powder is tested for heavy metals. When you receive the product, you can look up your Lot Number to check the results of your product. If you’re not totally satisfied with your product’s test results, you have a generous 90 days to return it.

Put simply: if you’re looking a clean protein powder, Promix deserves serious attention.

Another huge plus point of this product is the flavor and consistency: the rich Raw Chocolate and French Vanilla flavors can make a smooth addition to your smoothie.

Key Specs (Unflavored):

• Serving size: 2 scoops (29 g)
• Servings: 38
• Calories: 115
• Protein: 25 g
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Protein source(s): Canadian yellow peas

Key Ingredients:

• Yellow peas
• Vitamin B12 (Methylcobalamin)
• Raw cocoa (only in the Raw Chocolate flavor)
• Organic Vanilla Extractives (only in the French Vanilla)
• Monk fruit (only in the French Vanilla)

Available Flavors: Unflavored, Raw Chocolate, French Vanilla

Best for Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAA): Grass-fed Collagen Peptides – Promix

You can opt to get this product with branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), which will help you with muscle growth and muscle repair – it can even improve liver health! This product also features collagen peptides, which makes it even better for bone, joint, and skin health.

Like other Promix products on this list, you can check the individual test results of your protein powder by submitting the Lot Number on the website. If you think your product contains too many heavy metals, you can easily return it.

This is also a great product if you’re looking for an organic protein powder that’ll last with an impressive 106 servings.

Key Specs:

• Serving size: 2 scoops (21.4g)
• Servings: 106
• Calories: 80
• Protein: 20 g
• Carbohydrates: 0 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Protein source(s): Collagen

Key Ingredients: Grass-fed hydrolyzed Brazilian collagen peptides

Available Flavors: Unflavored, Chocolate, Vanilla

Best Single-Ingredient Protein Powder: Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder – Naked Nutrition

This product only contains one ingredient – whey protein. This simple ingredient list doesn’t reduce the nutritional value in any way; this Naked Nutrition product is protein and omega-3 fatty acid rich. Plus, it’s low in heavy metals, typically containing < 0.3 mcg of arsenic and <0.15 mcg of lead per serving according to its product page.

Naked Nutrition complies fully with the Informed Choice testing program, which further ensures that this Grass Fed Whey Protein Powder is free from nasty ingredients.

As with all whey products, Naked Nutrition’s Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder should not be consumed by those who are lactose intolerant.

Naked’s Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder is also recognized as one of the best unflavored protein powders and one of the best grass-fed protein powders.

Key Specs:

• Serving Size: 2 scoops (30 grams)
• Servings: 76
• Calories: 120
• Protein: 25 g
• Carbohydrates: 3 g
• Fat: 2 g
• Protein source(s): whey protein

Key Ingredients: Only contains grass-fed whey protein

Available Flavors: Unflavored, Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry

Best Egg-White Protein Powder: Naked Egg – Naked Nutrition

Egg-white protein powder generally has lower heavy metal levels, which is why we’ve included Naked Egg from Naked Nutrition on this list. It’s great for people who prefer whole food protein powders with minimal processing.

Naked Nutrition makes the results from their heavy metal testing available right on the product page. This shows that the product typically has less than 0.310 mcg of arsenic and less than 0.155 mcg of cadmium, lead, and mercury.

While this protein powder doesn’t come with any flavor options, it pairs well with milkshakes and can even be added to tasty baked treats.

Naked Egg is also recognized as one of the best egg white protein powders!

Key Specs:

• Serving size: 2 scoops (31 g)
• Servings: 44
• Calories: 110
• Protein: 25 g
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Fat: 0 g
• Protein source(s): Egg-whites

Key Ingredients:

• Egg-white protein
• Sunflower lecithin

Available Flavors: No flavor

Honorable Mention: Pasture Raised Whey Protein Powder – Puori

This is a totally natural milk protein powder that has a nice sweet kick, thanks to the addition of coconut sugar.

Not only a great option for those with a sweet tooth, this product is also great for those looking to avoid heavy metals. Puori regularly posts COAs via the Clean Label Project, many of which show that the product has minimal traces of heavy metals (and in some cases, no heavy metals at all!).

However, this may not be the best protein powder option for you if you’re watching your fat and carb intake. With 2 grams of fat and 5 grams of carbs, it has the most out of all the protein powders on this list.

Key Specs:

• Serving size: 1 scoop (30 g)
• Servings: 30
• Calories: 120
• Protein: 21 g
• Carbohydrates: 5 g
• Fat: 2g
• Protein source(s): Whey protein

Key Ingredients:

• Whey concentrate
• Organic cocoa powder
• Organic coconut sugar
• Natural flavors

Available Flavors: Dark Chocolate, Bourbon Vanilla

How We Chose Protein Powders for This List

When researching for this article, we tested protein powders across the board – from plant-based protein powders to whey protein concentrate protein powders. While analyzing each product, our main goal was obviously to seek out quality products that offered the lowest amount of heavy metals.

Asides from this chief aim, there are a few other criteria that we considered while reviewing each product.

Each product that made this list met at least one of the following criteria:

Publicly share COA

The Certificate of Analysis (COA) is a type of documentation that contains information about a product’s ingredients. It also provides details on analysis methods that have been applied to the product, as well as test results.

Specifically, COAs contain details on:

• Product Identification – The name of the product, the ingredients included, the Lot Number, etc.
• Physical information on the product – Details on the consistency of the protein powder, as well as information on its color, weight, etc.
• Analytical methods – Details on the laboratory testing methods implemented to test for heavy metal levels in the protein powder.
• Microbiological analysis – This section of the COA reveals the results of the analysis. This includes the amount of heavy metals (and other contaminants) detected in the product.

When a protein powder has a COA, it proves that the company is dedicated to quality control. When made public, they also prove to customers that the product has undergone rigorous testing to meet a certain quality standard.

The information provided in the COA can then be compared to the “No Significant Risk Level” limit, as well as other quality standards, such as the CA Prop 65 guidelines.

Stated commitment to testing for heavy metals

If a protein powder producer does not publically share COA, or let customers look up the lot number, we look for a stated commitment to testing for heavy metals. We need to make sure that the producers are taking some measures to check the heavy metal levels of their products.

Mechanism for looking up COA for a product’s lot number

This is a particularly good feature that’s available with certain protein powders, including Promix protein powders. Instead of just relying on general tests that look at the product more widely, you can search for your lot number. This allows you to find out the exact heavy metal level of the product you’ve bought.

To provide this kind of service, Promix tests every individual batch of protein powder that they produce. This way, they can determine the exact heavy metal amount. Not only does this ensure exceptional quality control, but it also provides maximum transparency for the customers.

The Reality of Heavy Metals in Protein Powder

The Clean Label Project released a new study in 2018 after examining 134 of the top-selling protein powders. Specifically, the Clean Label Project tested these protein powders for 130 toxins.

This research concluded that 75% of plant-based powder featured measurable signs of lead. It also found traces of arsenic, mercury, and cadmium, as well as unhealthy levels of bisphenol-A (BPA).

Consuming high quantities of heavy metals regularly over time could cause several adverse health effects. This includes the following:

• Heavy metal toxicity – If you constantly expose your internal organs to high doses of heavy metals, you could end up suffering from heavy metal toxicity. This is when heavy metals start to bind to your organs (particularly your liver and kidneys) and prevent them from functioning correctly. This could cause irreversible damage to your health.
• Cardiovascular issues – Lead and arsenic exposure is often cited as the reason for cardiovascular issues. These issues can include a disrupted heart rhythm, heart disease, and high blood pressure.
• Neurological effects – High heavy metal exposure can also lead to neurological effects such as nervous system damage, memory problems, and general damage to cognitive functions.

However, as we’ve explored in this article already, the consumption of some degree of heavy metals is sometimes unavoidable with regard to protein powder. This 2020 study was conducted to assess the link between heavy metals in protein powders and the health issues it causes.

It concluded that as long as heavy metal levels are not significant, there should be no damaging effects.

Specifically, the research paper states: “Overall, our results suggest that the typical intake of dietary supplements would not result in adverse health effects due to heavy metals.”

So, the reality of heavy metals in protein powder is that as long as there are only low traces of metal in the product, you can consume it safely. Thus, you should choose one of the products listed in this article, as these products have particularly low amounts of heavy metals.

Reasons Heavy Metals are in Protein Powder

You’re probably wondering how heavy metals end up in protein powder in the first place. While trusted protein powder manufacturers take every measure to ensure that their products remain heavy metal-free, lead and other metals can still come into contact with the powder.

Here’s how:

Processing and Manufacturing

Protein powder will be processed using heavy machinery. If this machinery is improperly cleaned, or if the water used to power it is contaminated, heavy metals can infect the protein powder during this stage.

Packaging

If the protein powder is improperly packaged, the powder itself could be exposed to heavy metals at various points in the production line. For example, if the protein powder packaging is loose, heavy metals in the storage facility could seep in and contaminate the product.

Plus, if the protein powder is stored in recycled materials, traces of heavy metals may still be present in the packaging.

Environmental Pollution

If you buy plant-based protein powder, you are more at risk of consuming high levels of heavy metals. Vegan protein powder made from pea, soy, and hemp may be contaminated with a large amount of arsenic, lead, mercury, or cadmium.

This is mainly due to environmental contamination. Mining operations, industrial plants, and even certain fertilizers and pesticides can leave behind heavy metals.

These heavy metals may infect these plants through the soil, water, or air. The plants may then absorb these metals, resulting in a high heavy metal content in the protein powder.

At the same time, environmental pollution could also impact animal-based protein powder. The foodstuffs they eat or the water they drink could similarly be environmentally contaminated.

Types of Protein Powder with Less Heavy Metals

As we’ve already explored, it’s difficult to find a protein powder that’s totally free from heavy metals. However, animal-derived protein powders tend to have fewer heavy metal traces.

Animal-derived products tend to go through more stringent quality control checks, so they’re less likely to be contaminated by heavy metals during production and packaging. However, the food the animals eat could be contaminated with heavy metals, which could result in the protein powder product also being contaminated by it.

However, protein powder types that tend to show fewer (if any) traces of heavy metals include:

• Collagen protein powder
• Whey protein powder
• Egg white protein powder

Types of Protein Powder with More Heavy Metals

As aforementioned, the Clean Label Project’s 2018 study found that plant-based protein powder had higher signs of lead and other metals than animal-based protein powders.

More specifically, this research concluded that plant-based protein powder had twice the amount of lead than animal-based protein powders. This is mainly because the vegetables used to make plant-based protein powder is grown outdoors in soil, which increases the risk of heavy metal exposure.

Plant-based protein powder types that are particularly prone to including high heavy metal quantities include:

• Pea protein powder
• Organic brown rice protein powder
• Hemp protein powder
• Soy protein powder

Heavy Metal Daily Exposure Guidelines

Plant-based protein powder can be a good source of essential amino acids, nutrients, and, most importantly, protein. While it’s safe to consume plant protein for these reasons, you do need to be cautious about the level of heavy metal exposure you’re receiving from them.

Daily limits have been set for several types of heavy metals by the likes of the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA). With regard to heavy metals, their No Significant Risk Levels (NSRLs) standards state the following:

• Arsenic – 10 mcg per day
• Cadmium – 4.1 mcg per day
• Lead – 0.5 mcg per day

However, no NSRL level has been set for the likes of mercury.

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About Kyle Risley

Kyle Risley founded Lift Vault in 2016 to make finding great powerlifting programs easier. Since then, the site has grown to include hundreds of programs for strength, bodybuilding, Olympic weightlifting, and more. He currently lives in Massachusetts and continues to compete in powerlifting.