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 131 of 276), each with the amount its label prints; an amount far outside what other labels print is marked as a possible slip.
- MaX Liv DetoxXYMOGEN0.5 mg
- Max LiverMax Drive Nutrition30 mg
- Max ManeINNOSUPPS20 mg
- Max Multi Men'sMM Sports Nutrition15 mg
- Max Multi Women'sMM Sports Nutrition15 mg
- Max SleepNova 3 Labs30 mg
- MaX ThyroidXYMOGEN5 mg
- MaX VRLXYMOGEN1 mg
- Max ZMAMM Sports Nutrition30 mg
- Max ZzzDNA Anabolics · off the market30 mg
- MaxHealthTaylor MD Formulations7.5 mg
- Maxi Mens FormulaMaxi Health20 mg
- Maxi MultiHigher Nature10 mg
- Maxi OneBluebonnet11 mg
- Maxi One Iron-FreeBluebonnet11 mg
- Maxi PrenatalMaxi Health15 mg
- Maxi Prenatal CapsMaxi Health15 mg
- Maxi Teen Supreme Her'sMaxi Health1.5 mg
- Maxi TwoBluebonnet20 mg
- Maxi Two Iron-FreeBluebonnet20 mg
- Maxi Zinc 30Maxi Health30 mg
- Maxi-HairCountry Life15 mg
- Maxi-Hair 50+Country Life22 mg
- Maxi-Hair PlusCountry Life15 mg
- Maxi-Hair Plus 5,000 mcg BiotinCountry Life15 mg
- Maxi-Omega-3 Eye FormulaMaxi Health20 mg
- Maxi-Skin RescueCountry Life4 mg
- Maxi-Skin Rescue Flavorless PowderCountry Life4 mg
- MaxibilobaBiofarma Natural CMD13.73 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
- Maximin PackNature Made15 mg
- MaxImmunityPlusBody Dynamics MaXzorb Nutrition · off the market23 mg
- MaxImmunityPlusBody Dynamics MaXzorbceuticals Nutrition23 mg
- MaximumBayer One A Day15 mg
- Maximum Anti-Oxidant FormulaRadiance7.5 mg
- Maximum AntioxidantVitamin World7.5 mg
- Maximum Antioxidant FormulaGood 'N Natural · off the market7.5 mg
- Maximum Bone FormulaVitaCeutical Labs · off the market6 mg
- Maximum Bone-AidViva Vitamins10 mg
- Maximum Energy BlendUptime5 mg
- Maximum FemaleNutritionWorks15 mg
- Maximum FoodInnate Response Formulas8 mg
- Maximum FormulaTop Care15 mg
- Maximum HairSupplement Spot15 mg
- Maximum Immune FormulaSeniorLife Health15 mg
- Maximum MaleNutritionWorks25 mg
- Maximum MaleCybergenics25 mg
- Maximum Nutrition BerryGNC Ultra Mega Green15 mg
- Maximum Nutrition Milk ChocolateGNC Women's Ultra Mega15 mg
- Maximum Nutrition Milk ChocolateGNC Mega Men25 mg
- Maximum Nutrition Vanilla BeanGNC Mega Men25 mg