How to read a supplement label in ten seconds

The front of a supplement tub is marketing. The back is where the truth lives. Once you know where to look, you can read any supplement label in about ten seconds. Here's how, using one of our own labels as the example.

The ten-second check

1. Serving size: how much is one serving, and how many are in the container?
2. The main ingredient: how much of the thing you're buying is in each serving?
3. Blends: is there a "proprietary blend" hiding individual amounts?
4. Other ingredients: what else is in there besides the active ingredients?
5. Allergens: is there a "Contains" line you need to know about?

Here's what each one means.

1. Serving size and servings per container

Every supplement sold in the U.S. has to carry a Supplement Facts panel, and it starts with the serving size. Everything below it is based on that one serving, which might be one scoop, two gummies or four capsules.

This is where comparisons go wrong. A tub that looks cheaper can have smaller scoops or fewer servings. Divide the price by the servings per container to get the real cost per serving.

2. How much of the main ingredient you get

Look for the actual amount, in grams or milligrams, of the ingredient you're buying it for. With protein, check the grams of protein against the scoop weight. A 30 g scoop with 19 g of protein is very different from a 24 g scoop with 19 g of protein: the second one has much less of everything else.

The % Daily Value column tells you how much of a day's recommended amount one serving covers, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Many ingredients, like creatine or collagen, have no official Daily Value, so you'll see a symbol and a note that says "Daily Value not established." That's normal.

3. Proprietary blends

A "proprietary blend" lists a group of ingredients under one name with a single total weight. The rules only require the total for the blend, with the ingredients listed from most to least by weight, so you can see what's inside but not how much of each.

A blend isn't automatically bad, but it does make it harder to compare products or to check whether an ingredient is there in a meaningful amount. If you see one, it's fair to ask the brand what's in it.

4. Other ingredients

Below the facts panel you'll find "Other ingredients." This is where flavorings, sweeteners, thickeners, anti-caking agents and capsule materials go. It's listed from most to least by weight, so the first few items matter most.

A short list usually means a simpler product. A long list isn't always a problem, but you should be able to recognize most of what's on it.

5. Allergens

U.S. labels have to declare the major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and, since 2023, sesame. Look for a "Contains" line near the ingredients. Whey protein, for example, comes from milk.

A few more things worth knowing

• The asterisk: claims like "supports muscle recovery" come with an asterisk and a note saying the FDA hasn't evaluated them. That note is required. The FDA doesn't approve supplements before they go on sale.
• Testing seals: some products carry seals from independent programs like USP or NSF, which test that the product contains what the label says. They're a useful extra signal when you see them.
• "Natural flavors": this is a regulated term for flavorings that come from natural sources. It doesn't list the specific source.

Let's read our own label

Here's the Supplement Facts for bare Protein, Vanilla, run through the ten-second check:

1. Serving size: 1 scoop (24.4 g), 28 servings per container.
2. Main ingredient: 19 g of protein per 24.4 g scoop, with 90 calories, 2 g of carbs and 0.5 g of fat.
3. Blends: none.
4. Ingredients: whey protein isolate, natural flavors, stevia leaf extract. That's all three.
5. Allergens: contains milk.

Our Creatine and Collagen are even simpler: one ingredient each.

In the spirit of nothing to hide: two of our capsule formulas, Shape + Tone and Focus + Clarity, include a proprietary blend from our supplier, and Gut + Comfort uses an enzyme blend. We list every ingredient in each blend and its total amount, but not each ingredient's individual amount. If that matters to you, our powders are the simplest place to start: Protein has three ingredients, and Creatine and Collagen have one each.

Shop all bare products →

Sources

• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Food Allergies: What You Need to Know (including the FASTER Act adding sesame, effective January 1, 2023).
• Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health. Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you're pregnant or nursing, under 18, or have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before using any supplement. *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.