About us – the lab behind the hair mineral analysis
We make mineral balancing and hair mineral analysis accessible — clear, well-founded and without healing promises. Your hair sample is analyzed at the CLIA-certified lab ARL (Analytical Research Labs), which has been exclusively specialized in hair mineral analyses since 1974.
The Lab
Analytical Research Laboratories (ARL) – was founded in 1974 by Dr. Paul C. Eck. Since 1974, ARL has continuously refined hair mineral analysis as a screening method.
ARL is to this day exclusively specialized in hair mineral analyses – no blood tests, no urine samples. Analysis is performed by ICP-MS (Perkin Elmer NexION 2000B) for 21 minerals and heavy metals. ARL is also one of only two labs worldwide (besides Trace Elements) that do not wash the hair sample before analysis – this avoids the loss of water-soluble minerals (cf. NCBI PMC10414646).
Dr. Paul C. Eck – the pioneer behind the method
Hair mineral analysis as we use it goes back to Dr. Paul C. Eck (1925–1996), who founded the lab Analytical Research Laboratories (ARL) in 1974. Eck was not a conventional physician but a researcher who devoted over 35 years to mineral research.
When physicians asked him in the early 1970s to interpret the then-new hair test, he combined established science into a system – above all the stress stages of Dr. Hans Selye, the founder of stress research. ARL was the first lab to evaluate not just individual values but the ratios between the minerals. That is still the core today: we read patterns and ratios – not isolated deficiencies.
We read patterns and ratios – not isolated deficiencies.
What the analysis is scientifically useful for
- Stress and reaction patterns via the mineral ratios
- Heavy metal load – hair is a recognized biomarker (EPA/WHO)
- Mid-term zinc status
What it is not suitable for
- Absolute mineral deficiencies
- Vitamins & amino acids
- Intolerances
- A medical diagnosis
Honestly contextualized
We position hair mineral analysis as a screening method, not as a diagnosis. It is reliable above all for heavy metal exposure. Deriving a nutrient deficiency from hair values is scientifically disputed – a widely cited study (Seidel et al., JAMA 2001) found large discrepancies between commercial labs. That is precisely why standardized procedures, ICP-MS and the unwashed sample are decisive. What hair analysis is not: not laboratory diagnostics under DIN EN ISO 15189, no healing promise, no substitute for medical examinations.
Your data & the journey of your sample
Your results run exclusively through a secure portal on EU servers – not by email or via unsecured channels. The sample analysis itself takes place at the lab ARL, as with comparable specialist labs. After your result has been created, the sample material is destroyed and is no longer traceable. We treat sensitive health data with the highest priority.
Why customers trust us
- Lab exclusively specialized in hair mineral analysis since 1974
- Personal interpretation instead of anonymous lab brokerage
- Free EU shipping & money-back guarantee
- Transparent, scientifically contextualized communication