Our Mission

PlainVitamins exists because consumers navigating the dietary supplement market deserve access to objective, government-sourced label data without marketing spin. The supplement industry generates over $60 billion annually in the United States, yet most consumers rely on manufacturer claims, influencer endorsements, or retail site reviews to make purchasing decisions. The actual label data, ingredient lists, amounts per serving, and formulation details, is cataloged by the National Institutes of Health but sits in a database most consumers have never heard of.

We believe that informed supplement decisions start with transparent data. PlainVitamins makes the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database searchable and browsable, so anyone can compare products, examine ingredient lists, and evaluate brands using the same data researchers use, without needing a science background or institutional access.

Our Data Source

All data on PlainVitamins comes from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD), maintained by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). The DSLD contains label information from dietary supplement products marketed in the United States, including:

• Complete ingredient lists with amounts per serving and units
• Serving size specifications and form (capsule, tablet, powder, liquid)
• Brand and manufacturer identification
• Market status (currently on market or discontinued)
• Product type classification (vitamin, mineral, herbal, specialty)

The DSLD is the most comprehensive government-maintained database of supplement label information in the United States. Unlike third-party databases, DSLD data is collected systematically and is freely available for public use. Official source: NIH DSLD.

How We Process the Data

We download the NIH DSLD product catalog via their public API and process it through the following steps:

• Product extraction: Each product record is parsed for its ingredient list, serving size, brand affiliation, market status, and product type classification. We preserve the exact amounts and units as reported on the label.
• Brand normalization: Manufacturer and brand names are normalized to handle variations in capitalization, abbreviations, and parent-subsidiary relationships. This enables accurate brand-level comparisons across product lines.
• Ingredient indexing: Individual ingredients are extracted and indexed across all products, enabling searches like "which products contain Vitamin D3 at 2000 IU or more", a query that is difficult to answer from the raw DSLD interface.
• Rankings and comparisons: We compute brand-level statistics (product counts, market status ratios, ingredient diversity) and ingredient-level statistics (prevalence across products, typical dosage ranges) to power our ranking pages.

Data Currency

PlainVitamins currently displays data from the NIH DSLD as of early 2026. The DSLD is updated on a rolling basis as new products are added to the database and existing entries are revised. However, there is inherent lag between when a product enters the market and when its label data appears in the DSLD.

We refresh our database periodically to capture new product additions and status changes. Because the DSLD catalogs label data at the time of entry, formulations shown may not reflect a manufacturer's most current product, always verify with the manufacturer for the latest formulation.

Editorial Independence

Content on PlainVitamins is compiled by our editorial team. Raw label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD), maintained by the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health, is transformed into readable product, brand, and ingredient profiles by our continuous editorial pipeline, validated against the source before publication. Where applicable, dosing context is enriched from publicly available NIH ODS Health Professional Fact Sheets and FDA reference daily intake values per 21 CFR 101.9 / 101.36. The PlainVitamins editorial team is responsible for editorial standards, methodology, and corrections, set out in full in our editorial & corrections policy.

We do not accept payment, sponsorship, or promoted placement from supplement manufacturers, brands, retailers, or distributors. Our only revenue source is contextual display advertising served by Google AdSense, advertisers do not influence which products we catalog, which brands we list, or how we present label data, and they do not receive preferential placement in rankings, ingredient pages, or comparisons.

Limitations and Disclaimers

• Label data, not lab data: The DSLD contains information from product labels. It does not reflect independent laboratory testing. Actual ingredient amounts may differ from labeled amounts, studies have shown discrepancies in some supplement categories.
• No efficacy evaluation: Dietary supplements are not evaluated by the FDA for efficacy before marketing. Presence in the DSLD does not imply that a product works as claimed or is safe for all individuals.
• Formulation lag: Label data may not reflect current formulations. Manufacturers can change ingredients, amounts, or serving sizes without updating the DSLD immediately.
• Not medical advice: PlainVitamins is an informational resource. Supplement decisions should be made in consultation with a qualified healthcare provider, particularly for individuals with medical conditions, those taking medications, or pregnant or nursing individuals.

Contact

Questions, corrections, or feedback? Email us at hello@plainvitamins.com.

We welcome:

• Questions about data sources or methodology
• Reports of apparent data errors or outdated product information
• Suggestions for additional features or comparisons
• Media and research inquiries