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 35 of 276), each with the amount its label prints; an amount far outside what other labels print is marked as a possible slip.
- BreatheMD1MD · off the market20 mg
- BreatheMD1MD Nutrition20 mg
- BreatheWellLive Conscious20 mg
- Brewer's Yeast FlakesBluebonnet Super Earth · off the market2.5 mg
- Brewer's Yeast FlakesBluebonnet1 mg
- Brewer's Yeast Hair BoostSuperSmart70 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
- Brewer's Yeast PowderThompsonin a blend
- Brewer's Yeast PowderBluebonnet Super Earth5 mg
- Brewer's Yeast Powder UnflavoredBluebonnet Super Earth · off the market2 mg
- Brewer's Yeast Powder UnflavoredBluebonnet2 mg
- Brewers YeastTwinlab2.25 mg
- BRI TestosteroneBRI Nutrition200 mg as transcribed, likely a slip
- Bright EyesLife15 mg
- Bright Eyes with Bilberry & LuteinLife15 mg
- BrightDayBrightDay · off the market12 mg
- Brighter Day Natural Blackcurrant FlavourHigher Nature5 mg
- Brilliant AntioxidantsAgeImmune · off the market15 mg
- Brilliant BerberineAgeImmune · off the market12 mg
- Brilliant Vitamin C+ 1000 mgAgeImmune12 mg
- Brite EyesLifeTIME15 mg
- Broad Spectrum AntioxidantsBronson Laboratories5 mg
- Bubble Gummies Delicious Bubble Gum FlavorNature's Plus Source of Life Animal Parade · off the market3 mg
- Buddy BearsDC1 mg
- Buddy BearsDee Cee Laboratories1 mg
- Buffer-CMBi Nutraceuticals8 mg
- Buffered C 1,000 mgVitaCeutical Labs2 mg
- Buffered C 1,000 mg Plus MineralsVitaCeutical Labs · off the market2 mg
- Buffered C 1,000 mg Plus MineralsVSN Vital Strength Nutrition · off the market2 mg
- Buffered C 1,000 mg Plus MineralsVitamer Laboratories2 mg
- Buffered C 1,000 mg Plus MineralsVillage Vitality · off the market2 mg
- Buffered C 1,000 mg Plus MineralsWoodstock Vitamins2 mg
- Buffered C Complex 750 mg w/BioflavonoidsWonder Laboratories7.5 mg
- Buffered Vitamin CNutriBiotic Immunity1 mg
- Buffered Vitamin C CrystalsEcological Formulas0.75 mg
- Buffered Vitamin C PowderLife Extension2 mg
- BuildOneBode0.1 mg
- Build PMJacked Factory4 mg
- Bulk & Muscle Formula ChocolateHerbalife · off the marketin a blend
- Bulk 1340 Cookies & CreamGNC Pro Performance15 mg
- Bulk 1340 Double ChocolateGNC Pro Performance18.5 mg
- Bulk 1340 Strawberries & CreamGNC Pro Performance18.5 mg
- Bulk 1340 VanillaGNC Pro Performance18.5 mg
- Bulk 1340 Vanilla Ice CreamGNC Pro Performance18.5 mg
- Bulk Strawberry KiwiTransparent Labs10 mg
- Bulk-Up Weight Gainer ChocolateTapout Sports Nutrition6 mg
- Bulk-Up Weight Gainer VanillaTapout Sports Nutrition6 mg
- Bull BoostONL Osyris Nutrition Lab50 mg
- Bullet ProofMusclePharm5 mg
- Bullet Proof Grape FusionMusclePharm5 mg
- Bullnox Androrush Fruit PunchBetancourt Nutrition · off the market20 mg