Vitamin guide
Biotin
Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin widely associated with hair and beauty products, but it also has authorised roles in energy metabolism, nervous-system function and macronutrient metabolism.
Compare products ↓What is biotin?
Biotin is a water-soluble B vitamin that acts as a cofactor for enzymes involved in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and amino acids.
What does biotin support?
Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and skin, as well as normal mucous membranes. It also supports normal energy-yielding and macronutrient metabolism, and normal nervous-system and psychological function.
Biotin, hair and skin
Hair and skin are especially natural biotin topics because the Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and normal skin. These are better foundations for beauty-focused content than broad promises about faster hair growth or thicker hair.
High-dose biotin and blood tests
The EU label NRV for biotin is 50 µg, yet many beauty supplements contain amounts measured in milligrams rather than micrograms. High supplemental biotin can interfere with some laboratory tests and produce falsely high or low results, including certain thyroid-hormone and other diagnostic assays.
Biotin itself has low known toxicity, but test interference is a separate safety issue. Check the product instructions and laboratory or healthcare guidance rather than guessing how long to stop a high-dose product before a test.
What should you compare?
Biotin / day
Compare the amount supplied by the recommended daily serving.
Standalone or beauty blend
Biotin may be sold alone or combined with zinc, selenium, collagen-related ingredients or other B vitamins.
Format
Tablets, capsules and gummies can differ substantially in dose and added ingredients.
Product comparison
Compare biotin supplements
Compare biotin per day, serving, format and vegan suitability.
How products are ordered: by labelled daily biotin amount, lower to higher; equal amounts alphabetically. This is not a ranking.
| Product | Biotin / day | Recommended serving | Format | Vegan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solgar Biotin 300 µgView product ↗ | 300 µg | 1 tablet daily | Tablet | Yes |
| NOW Biotin 1,000 µgView product ↗ | 1,000 µg | 1 veg capsule daily | Veg capsule | Yes |
| Solgar Biotin 1,000 µgView product ↗ | 1,000 µg | 1 vegetable capsule daily | Vegetable capsule | Yes |
| NOW Biotin 5,000 µgView product ↗ | 5,000 µg | 1 veg capsule daily with a meal | Veg capsule | Yes |
| Solgar Biotin 5,000 µgView product ↗ | 5,000 µg | 1 vegetable capsule daily | Vegetable capsule | Yes |
| NOW Biotin 10 mgView product ↗ | 10,000 µg | 1 veg capsule daily | Veg capsule | Yes |
EU health claim details
Authorised health claims
A quick consumer view — full regulatory list available below● Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.Skin · General population
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
Food must be at least a source of biotin.
General food: 7.5 µg / 100 g or 100 ml
Beverage: 3.75 µg / 100 ml
Single-portion pack: 7.5 µg per portion
Calculated from the EU NRV significant-amount reference. Claim-specific conditions take precedence.
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1209; 2010;8(10):1728
EU legal source
Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012
● Biotin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.Energy metabolism · General population
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
Food must be at least a source of biotin.
General food: 7.5 µg / 100 g or 100 ml
Beverage: 3.75 µg / 100 ml
Single-portion pack: 7.5 µg per portion
Calculated from the EU NRV significant-amount reference. Claim-specific conditions take precedence.
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1209
EU legal source
Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012
● Biotin contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.Nervous system · General population
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
Food must be at least a source of biotin.
General food: 7.5 µg / 100 g or 100 ml
Beverage: 3.75 µg / 100 ml
Single-portion pack: 7.5 µg per portion
Calculated from the EU NRV significant-amount reference. Claim-specific conditions take precedence.
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1209
EU legal source
Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012
×Other assessed health claims (6)
Not authorised for use in the EUView claims ↓
Other assessed health claims (6)
Not authorised for use in the EU● Ensures normal functioning of the body's organ tissues and systems, particularly in old age; stimulates physical work capacities; recommended in case of intense fatigue and during recovery.Tiredness and fatigue ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1728
EU legal source
—
Additional statement / restriction
Non-compliance with the Regulation because on the basis of the scientific evidence assessed, this claimed effect for this food has not been substantiated.
● Necessary for healthy teeth, bones, hair, skin and nails — assessed relationship: maintenance of normal bone.Bones ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1728
EU legal source
—
Additional statement / restriction
Non-compliance with the Regulation because on the basis of the scientific evidence assessed, this claimed effect for this food has not been substantiated.
● Necessary for healthy teeth, bones, hair, skin and nails — assessed relationship: maintenance of normal nails.Nails ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1728
EU legal source
—
Additional statement / restriction
Non-compliance with the Regulation because on the basis of the scientific evidence assessed, this claimed effect for this food has not been substantiated.
● Necessary for healthy teeth, bones, hair, skin and nails — assessed relationship: maintenance of normal teeth.Teeth ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1728
EU legal source
—
Additional statement / restriction
Non-compliance with the Regulation because on the basis of the scientific evidence assessed, this claimed effect for this food has not been substantiated.
● Necessary to maintain energy and general vitality.Energy and vitality ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1738
EU legal source
—
Additional statement / restriction
Non-compliance with the Regulation because on the basis of the scientific evidence assessed, this claimed effect for this food is not sufficiently defined to be able to be assessed and the claim could not therefore be substantiated.
● Contribute to improve nail's resistance.Nails ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1728
EU legal source
—
Additional statement / restriction
Non-compliance with the Regulation because on the basis of the scientific evidence assessed, this claimed effect for this food has not been substantiated.
Regulatory details
Check how the claims on this page are classified and where their regulatory information comes from.
View page-level details
- Ingredient
- Biotin (Vitamin B7)
- Category
- Vitamin
- NRV
- 50 µg
- Authorised claims
- 7
- Other assessed claims
- 6
- Claim framework
- EU nutrition and health claims framework. Individual claim cards show the specific claim type, conditions of use, EFSA reference and legal source available in the version data.
Tip: expand any claim above for its claim-specific source details. The European Commission's EU Register is an information service; legal acts are the authoritative source for legal requirements, and some pending claims are not shown in the Register.
Claim use requirements
How much of this nutrient must a food contain for an EU health claim to be used?
3.75 µg / 100 ml for beverages
7.5 µg per portion if the package contains only one portion