mineral
Zinc supplements
Half of the 13,186 zinc supplements in the NIH label database that print an amount list 11 mg or less per serving; the middle half list 5 mg to 15 mg, and 1 in 17 of the 13,065 with a plausible amount give more than the adult upper limit at the most servings their labels direct (DSLD version 9.4.0, January 2026). The 418 products whose only supplement ingredient is zinc list a median of 30 mg, and 44% of them give more than the upper limit.
- Products listing it
- 13,75113,186 print an amount; 371 list it inside a blend without an amount
- Median per serving
- 11 mgmiddle half 5 mg to 15 mg
- FDA Daily Value
- 11 mgthe median is 100% of it
- Adult upper limit (IOM)
- 40 mg786 products go above it a day
How much zinc do supplements contain?
The median product lists 11 mg per serving. One in ten lists 2.2 mg or less, one in ten 30 mg or more. The amount printed most often is 15 mg (2,885 products).
Products by amount of zinc per serving
13,372 products, log scale; extreme 0.2% at each end left out of the drawing.
Source: Supplement Facts rows of every product's current label, NIH ODS Dietary Supplement Label Database version 9.4.0; amounts in one measure (weight).
How do the amounts compare with the Daily Value and the upper limit?
The FDA Daily Value for zinc is 11 mg (adults and children 4 and older). The median product gives 100% of it per serving; the 90th percentile 273%.
The adult Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 40 mg a day (total intake from food, water and supplements). At the most servings their labels direct, 786 of the 13,065 products with a plausible amount (6.0%) give more than that from the supplement alone (what counts as plausible).
The upper limit is for total intake from food, water and supplements unless stated, and does not apply under medical supervision. A label amount is what the maker printed. This is data, not advice: the NIH ODS fact sheets explain what each nutrient does.
Sources: 21 CFR 101.9(c)(8)(iv) (Daily Values); Institute of Medicine, DRI summary tables (2011) (upper limits); on reading them, the FDA's Daily Value page.
Which forms of zinc do labels name?
Zinc oxide is the form named most often: 2,798 of the 13,751 zinc products (20%), ahead of zinc citrate (2,614, 19%) and zinc gluconate (1,509, 11%). A product naming two forms counts in both; the table below gives every form.
Products by the form of zinc on the label
Count, and the median amount per serving in that form.
| Form | Products | Share of zinc products | Median per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc oxide | 2,798 | 20% | 15 mg |
| Zinc citrate | 2,614 | 19% | 10 mg |
| Zinc gluconate | 1,509 | 11% | 10 mg |
| Zinc glycinate | 1,215 | 9% | 13 mg |
| Zinc picolinate | 720 | 5% | 15 mg |
| Zinc sulfate | 508 | 4% | 10 mg |
| Zinc monomethionine | 436 | 3% | 15 mg |
| Zinc carnosine | 61 | under 1% | 14.5 mg |
| Zinc acetate | 38 | under 1% | 16.88 mg |
Source: the form each label gives for its zinc row (DSLD "forms"), current labels.
Which products list the most zinc?
On-market products, per serving, with a plausible amount: the rule leaves out likely entry slips, such as an amount far beyond every other label with no %DV or strength on the label to back it (each product page still shows its own amount, marked).
- Vita-Glan-FDouglas Laboratories100 mg
- Vita-Glan-MDouglas Laboratories100 mg
- Vita-M ForteDouglas Laboratories100 mg
- Zinc 50 mgIndiana Botanic Gardens100 mg
- Premium Immune SupportNutrivein100 mg
- Zinc Complex 100 mgMicro Ingredients100 mg
- OnSetNB Pure100 mg
- Zinc 100 mgNature's Blend100 mg
Have the amounts changed over the years?
Products whose current label entered DSLD in 2011 list a median of 15 mg; those entered in 2025, 11 mg.
| Year | Products | Median per serving |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 244 | 15 mg |
| 2012 | 786 | 15 mg |
| 2013 | 1,006 | 15 mg |
| 2014 | 567 | 11 mg |
| 2015 | 555 | 10 mg |
| 2016 | 538 | 11 mg |
| 2017 | 608 | 15 mg |
| 2018 | 502 | 10 mg |
| 2019 | 645 | 10 mg |
| 2020 | 1,199 | 10 mg |
| 2021 | 1,294 | 10 mg |
| 2022 | 1,453 | 11 mg |
| 2023 | 1,338 | 10 mg |
| 2024 | 1,446 | 10 mg |
| 2025 | 1,191 | 11 mg |
Source: DSLD label entry dates and amounts, current labels.
In which products and brands?
Products listing zinc by DSLD product type
Brands listing it most: Nature's Way (300), Douglas Laboratories (255), Nature's Plus (218), NOW (95), Bronson (94), Metagenics (82), Pure Encapsulations (79), Rainbow Light (77), XYMOGEN (75), Puritan's Pride (74).
Every product listing zinc
13,751 products, A to Z by name (page 13 of 276), each with the amount its label prints; an amount far outside what other labels print is marked as a possible slip.
- Airborne Original Pink GrapefruitAirborne8 mg
- Airborne Original Very BerryAirborne Original8 mg
- Airborne Original Very BerryAirborne8 mg
- Airborne Original Zesty OrangeAirborne Original8 mg
- Airborne Original Zesty OrangeAirborne8 mg
- Airborne Pink Grapefruit Effervescent TabletsAirborne8 mg
- Airborne Very BerryAirborne Original8 mg
- Airborne Zesty OrangeAirborne Plus8 mg
- Airborne Zesty OrangeAirborne Original1 mg
- Airborne Zesty OrangeAirborne8 mg
- AirChewsSafeway2.5 mg
- AKN SkinCareNature's Way · off the market30 mg
- Al's FormulaThorne Research · off the market30 mg
- Al's FormulaThorne · off the market30 mg
- Albion Chelated Multi MineralPuritan's Pride Premium10 mg
- Albion Chelated Multi-MineralSwanson Ultra · off the market15 mg
- Albion Chelated Multi-Mineral without IronSwanson Ultra · off the market15 mg
- Albion Chelated Zinc 22 mgVitamin World22 mg
- Albion Chelated Zinc 30 mgSwanson Ultra · off the market30 mg
- Albion Multi-Mineral with IronSwanson15 mg
- AlertHigher Nature5 mg
- Alfalfa PowderNOWno amount
- Alive! Adult Gummy MultivitaminNature's Way3.6 mg
- Alive! Adult Premium GummiesNature's Way5.5 mg
- Alive! Adult Ultra MultivitaminNature's Way · off the market11 mg
- Alive! Adult Ultra Potency Complete MultivitaminNature's Way · off the market11 mg
- Alive! Children's Chewable Multi-VitaminNature's Way5 mg
- Alive! Children's Chewables Multi-Vitamin Orange + Berry Fruit FlavorsNature's Way · off the market3.6 mg
- Alive! Complete Liquid Multivitamin Max Potency Citrus FlavoredNature's Way15 mg
- Alive! Complete Premium Prenatal GummiesNature's Way · off the market3.3 mg
- Alive! Complete Premium Prenatal MultivitaminNature's Way13 mg
- Alive! Complete Prenatal Multi-VitaminNature's Way · off the market13 mg
- Alive! Complete Prenatal Multi-Vitamin Berry FlavoredNature's Way · off the market15 mg
- Alive! Complete Prenatal MultiVitaminNature's Way · off the market13 mg
- Alive! Daily EnergyNature's Way · off the market11 mg
- Alive! Daily Energy Complete MultivitaminNature's Way11 mg
- Alive! Daily Support Premium Prenatal GummiesNature's Way · off the market3.3 mg
- Alive! Daily Support Prenatal MultiVitamin Strawberry FlavoredNature's Way13 mg
- Alive! Diabetic MultivitaminNature's Way15 mg
- Alive! Energy 50+Nature's Way · off the market11 mg
- Alive! Energy 50+ Complete MultivitaminNature's Way11 mg
- Alive! Everyday Immune HealthNature's Way5.5 mg
- Alive! Garden Goodness Men's Multi-VitaminNature's Way13.7 mg
- Alive! Garden Goodness Men's MultivitaminNature's Way · off the market13.7 mg
- Alive! Garden Goodness Women's Multi-VitaminNature's Way · off the market11 mg
- Alive! Garden Goodness Women's MultivitaminNature's Way11 mg
- Alive! Gummies Multi-Vitamin for ChildrenNature's Way · off the market1.1 mg
- Alive! Hair, Skin & Nails Multi-Vitamin Strawberry FlavoredNature's Way · off the market11 mg
- Alive! Hair, Skin & Nails Multivitamin Strawberry FlavoredNature's Way11 mg
- Alive! Hair, Skin & Nails Strawberry FlavorNature's Way · off the market2.75 mg