Buying smarter
How to read a supplement label in two minutes
The front of the bottle is advertising. The back is where the information is, and it follows a fixed layout once you know it.
Start with the serving size
Every number on the panel is “per serving”, and a serving is whatever the maker says it is: one gummy, two capsules, a full dropper. A bottle of 30 gummies is a month’s supply at one a day and two weeks at two.
Check it first, because it changes the price per day and how every other figure should be read.
Amounts, daily values and blends
Each ingredient is listed with an amount and, where one exists, a percentage of the Daily Value. Many herbal ingredients have no Daily Value, shown by a dagger or an asterisk.
A “proprietary blend” lists its ingredients in order of weight but gives only the total. You cannot tell from the label whether the ingredient named on the front is most of the blend or a trace.
What the claims mean
Phrases such as “supports healthy metabolism” are structure/function claims. In the United States the maker does not need approval to use them, and the label must carry the line saying the statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and that the product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Seals from independent testers such as USP or NSF mean the contents were checked against the label. They say nothing about whether the product does what the front of the pack implies.
Before you buy
Look at “other ingredients” for sweeteners, colours and allergens. Check the returns policy and whether the price is a one-off or a subscription. If you take any prescription medicine, show the label to your pharmacist.
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Not medical advice: this article is general information, written with AI assistance from widely published guidance, and is not a substitute for advice from your own doctor or pharmacist. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration; such products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Affiliate disclosure: the product pages linked above contain affiliate links. Full disclosure.
Photos: openly licensed lifestyle images, not product photos:Dr Jean Fortunet (CC BY-SA 3.0); Monstruo Estudio monstruoestudio (CC0); Ella Olsson from Stockholm, Sweden (CC BY 2.0).