Other Ingredients on Supplement Labels

Quick answer

Other ingredients is the list below the Supplement Facts panel of everything not named inside it, such as gelatin, starch, fillers, binders, flavors, colors, preservatives and source compounds not shown in the panel. Like a food ingredient list, it runs in descending order of weight, in type at least 1/16 inch high.^1,2,3

Key facts

The heading reads Other ingredients when some sources are already named in the panel, and Ingredients when none are.¹
It must include ingredients that are not dietary ingredients, such as excipients, fillers, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, flavors and binders.¹
It sits directly below the panel, or immediately to its right when there is no room below.¹
If every source is named in the panel and nothing else is added, no ingredient list is needed.³
A chemical preservative must be followed by its purpose, such as preservative or to retard spoilage.³

Ingredient versus dietary ingredient

Supplement labels use two kinds of ingredient. A dietary ingredient is the vitamin, mineral, herb or other substance the product is taken for. An ingredient is any compound used to make the product. FDA's example: when calcium carbonate supplies calcium, calcium carbonate is the ingredient and calcium is the dietary ingredient.^2,3

Dietary ingredients go in the Supplement Facts panel. Their sources can go there too, in parentheses, or in the list below. Everything else goes in the list below.^1,4

What you will typically see

Sources of dietary ingredients not named in the panel, such as rose hips as a source of vitamin C.²
Other food ingredients, such as water and sugar.²
Gelatin, starch and stabilizers.²
Colors: a certified color by its name, such as FD&C Red No. 40 or Red 40, and others as artificial color or by name.³
Flavors, named specifically or declared as natural flavor or artificial flavor.³
Preservatives, each followed by what it does.³

Reading the list

The order is by weight, heaviest first, as on a food label. Water counts as an ingredient and is listed in its place, as in FDA's example for a fish oil softgel: cod liver oil, gelatin, water, and glycerin.^1,3

Botanicals follow naming rules too. Their common names are standardized, and the part of the plant must be given, such as root or leaves.¹

Allergens in other ingredients

Other ingredients can come from major food allergens, as with soy lecithin. If any ingredient contains milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans or sesame, the label must name the source food, either in the list, as in lecithin (soy), or in a Contains statement. This applies to flavorings, colorings and incidental additives too.^5,6

Some color additives must be named because some people react to them, including FD&C Yellow No. 5 and carmine. If you have an allergy or sensitivity, read this list as closely as the panel.⁵

Questions people ask

Must every ingredient be listed?

Yes. FDA says ingredients not listed on the Supplement Facts panel must be listed in the Other Ingredients list beneath it.²

Why do supplements contain other ingredients at all?

FDA describes two kinds of ingredient in supplements: the dietary ingredients, and other ingredients such as fillers, binders, excipients, preservatives, sweeteners and flavorings used alongside them. The rules require each of these to be listed by its common or usual name.^1,2

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Sources

This page is information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.