Why the panel is your best friend
Front-of-bottle claims get your attention. The back-of-bottle panel tells you what you are actually taking. Once you know the layout, you can read any supplement label in under a minute, and that is a useful skill whether you take one product or five.
The panel has a standard format set out under the rules the FDA dietary supplements page describes. Below is a tour from top to bottom, using Soda Steel as the working example.
Step 1: Serving size
The top line tells you how much counts as one serving, for example "2 gummies." Every amount below the line refers to that serving, not to a single piece. This is the number people most often misread.
For Soda Steel, the directions are to chew 2 gummies daily, preferably in the morning, at the same time each day. So the serving is 2 gummies, and the panel's amounts are for those two.
Step 2: Servings per container
This tells you how long a bottle lasts. A bottle with 60 gummies and a serving of 2 holds 30 servings, which is a 30-day supply at one serving a day. Always do this small piece of arithmetic before you compare prices between products.
Step 3: The ingredient list with amounts
Below the header you will find each active ingredient and the amount per serving, usually in milligrams (mg) or micrograms (mcg). Herbs and plant extracts are often listed by their common and Latin names.
Soda Steel is formulated with six ingredients: Tongkat Ali, Ashwagandha, L-Citrulline, Zinc, Maca Root and Tribulus Terrestris. The Supplement Facts panel on the bottle shows the full amounts for each one. For a plain-English tour of what each is, see our ingredients list.
Step 4: The % Daily Value column
The % Daily Value (%DV) column compares a nutrient to a reference amount for the day. It appears for vitamins and minerals that have one. Zinc, for example, is an essential mineral with an established daily reference, and the NIH ODS zinc fact sheet explains the amounts adults generally need.
Many herbs and amino acids do not have a %DV, and you will often see a symbol such as an asterisk or dagger there. That is simply how the standard format works for those ingredients. To learn how zinc fits into your eating pattern, read our zinc foods guide.
Step 5: Other ingredients
Under the panel you will find "Other ingredients," the items that make the gummy a gummy: sweeteners, pectin or gelatin, natural flavors and colors. Listed in descending order by weight, this line also helps you check for foods you prefer to avoid, like gluten or specific allergens, so read it every time you buy.
A worked example: comparing two bottles
Say Bottle X lists 30 servings at $45 and Bottle Y lists 60 gummies with a serving of 2 at $72. Bottle X costs $1.50 per serving, Bottle Y costs $2.40 per serving. But the ingredients, the amounts and the format differ, so price per serving is only the first column of your comparison.
Next, line up the active ingredient names. Do they match what the front promises? Then compare the amounts per serving. Finally, check whether the serving you would actually take each day matches the listed serving size. A "serving" of six capsules, for instance, is a very different routine from two gummies chewed in ten seconds.
A one-minute label checklist
- Find the serving size and picture it in your hand.
- Do the math: servings per container equals how many days.
- Scan the active ingredients and match them to what the front claims.
- Read the amounts and %DV where shown.
- Check the other ingredients.
- Look for manufacturing statements, like GMP and the country of origin. Our facility badge guide explains what they mean.
Soda Steel's label lists "Supports Stamina," "Maintain Healthy Muscle" and "Maintain Energy," and the brand says it is non-GMO, 100% all natural, made in the USA and GMP certified. For more general reading on choosing supplements, the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements is an excellent reference, and you can find the full Soda Steel explanation in Soda Steel explained.
Put it to use
Now that you can read the panel, you can compare products fairly: serving size, days per bottle, cost per day. For Soda Steel the brand's packs work out to $2.63, $2.40 or $1.63 per day at 2 gummies a day, with the 6-bottle pack at the best value. When you are ready, see the Soda Steel packs and compare the panel on your bottle with what you just learned.
