Commercial colloidal mineral products are derived from clay or humic shale deposits. Manufacturers claim that supplements made from colloids are more balanced than other mineral supplements and are in a natural form that is easier for the body to use. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Dietetic Association, no scientific evidence supports these claims.

The body absorbs ionic minerals with greater efficacy than colloidal minerals, as colloids must undergo the complete processes of digestion into smaller charged particles, and even after undergoing these processes; the body utilizes not all of the colloid mineral form, just as not all foods eaten are completely utilized.