Mineral guide
Zinc
Zinc is easy to market because it has many recognised roles in the body. A useful comparison starts with the amount of elemental zinc, the form used and the reason you are considering a supplement — not with the loudest promise on the front of the pack.
Compare products ↓What is zinc?
Zinc is an essential trace mineral. Food sources include meat, shellfish, dairy products, eggs, legumes, nuts and seeds. Supplements contain zinc bound to compounds such as citrate, gluconate, picolinate or bisglycinate.
What does zinc support?
Zinc contributes to normal immune-system function, the maintenance of normal skin, hair and nails, normal fertility and reproduction, normal cognitive function, normal vision and normal DNA synthesis. It also contributes to the maintenance of normal testosterone levels in the blood and the protection of cells from oxidative stress.
What happens if you don’t get enough zinc?
Zinc deficiency can affect several tissues and body systems. Depending on age and severity, it can contribute to poor growth, loss of appetite, frequent infections, hair loss, impaired taste or smell and slower wound healing. These signs are not specific to zinc deficiency.
Diet, absorption problems and other risk factors matter. More zinc is not automatically better: prolonged high supplemental intakes can interfere with copper absorption, so suspected deficiency should not be treated by simply choosing the highest-dose product.
Zinc and the common cold
Zinc is strongly associated with cold and immune-support products. Zinc contributes to normal immune-system function, but zinc has also been studied specifically as a treatment for an ongoing common cold. In the 2024 Cochrane review, eight treatment studies involving 972 participants suggested that zinc may shorten cold duration by around two days compared with placebo, although confidence in this result was low and the studies varied considerably.
Lozenges were the most commonly studied format. Zinc gluconate lozenge studies used about 45–276 mg zinc/day, with different formulations and dosing schedules. This is very different from an ordinary once-daily 10–25 mg zinc supplement, so the cold findings should not be interpreted as evidence that simply taking more everyday zinc gives the same effect.
How much zinc is in the product?
The EU Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) for zinc is 10 mg. This is a labelling reference, not an instruction that every adult should take 10 mg as a supplement. A 15 mg capsule therefore provides 150% NRV, a 22 mg tablet 220% NRV and a 25 mg tablet 250% NRV before zinc from food is counted.
EFSA’s current summary table lists an adult tolerable upper intake level of 25 mg zinc per day from all sources. The UL is not a recommended target. Products at or above this level deserve extra context, especially when used regularly or alongside other zinc-containing supplements.
Picolinate, citrate, gluconate or bisglycinate?
These names describe the chemical form in which zinc is supplied. They can matter for formulation, tolerability and how a product is positioned, but a form name should not replace the basic comparison: elemental zinc per unit, recommended serving, total zinc per day and the rest of the formula. IngredientScope does not rank one common zinc form as universally “best absorbed” because product choice cannot be reduced to a single marketing claim about the compound name.
Compare zinc forms, daily amounts and lozenges →What should you compare?
Elemental zinc per unit
Compare the milligrams of zinc itself, not the total weight of zinc picolinate, citrate, gluconate or bisglycinate.
Recommended daily serving
One tablet and several lozenges can produce very different total intakes. For cold-focused lozenges especially, compare both zinc per lozenge and the manufacturer’s total daily use.
NRV context
The 10 mg EU NRV helps explain the label. It does not make 250% NRV “better” than 150% NRV.
Other active ingredients
Vitamin C, herbs, copper or other nutrients can change what the product is actually designed to do and how its claims should be interpreted.
Format and vegan suitability
Capsules, tablets and lozenges differ practically. Vegan status is shown only when the retailer or manufacturer states it clearly.
Product comparison
Compare zinc supplements
Compare zinc per day, zinc per unit, serving, zinc form, format, other active ingredients and vegan suitability.
Default order: ordinary daily supplements first, from lower to higher labelled daily zinc; lozenges are shown in a separate research-relevant group. The order is not a recommendation or ranking.
| Product | Zinc / day | Zinc / unit | Recommended serving | Zinc form | Product format | Other active ingredients | Vegan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pure Encapsulations Zinc 15 mgView product ↗ | 15–30 mg | 15 mg | 1 capsule 1–2× daily with a meal | Zinc picolinate | Vegetarian capsule | — | Yes |
| Solgar Zinc Picolinate 22 mgView product ↗ | 22 mg | 22 mg | 1 tablet daily, preferably at mealtime | Zinc picolinate | Tablet | — | Yes |
| Zenement Zinc 25 mg BisglycinateView product ↗ | 25 mg | 25 mg | 1 tablet | Zinc bisglycinate | Tablet | — | Yes |
| Lozenges relevant to cold research · not equivalent to ordinary daily supplementation | |||||||
| Quantum Health TheraZinc LozengesView product ↗Research-relevant lozenge | 14 mg per lozenge; repeat every 2–4 hoursShort-term label directions shown; not a long-term intake target. | 14 mg | Dissolve 1 lozenge; may repeat every 2–4 hours | Zinc gluconate | Lozenge | Slippery elm, eastern larch arabinogalactan and marshmallow root | Not confirmed |
| Life Extension Enhanced Zinc LozengesView product ↗Research-relevant lozenge | Up to 150 mg under manufacturer directionsShort-term label directions shown; not a long-term intake target. | 18.75 mg | 1 lozenge every 2 waking hours, up to 8/day | Zinc acetate | Vegetarian lozenge | Flavouring and formulation ingredients | Vegetarian; vegan not confirmed |
Why the lozenges are separated
Cochrane’s 2024 review found low-certainty evidence that zinc used to treat an existing cold may reduce symptom duration by about 2.4 days. Most treatment-lozenge studies used zinc gluconate or acetate, and total daily zinc in those studies could be far above ordinary supplement amounts. Non-serious adverse effects were more common with zinc treatment.
IngredientScope therefore shows acetate/gluconate lozenges as a research-relevant format, but does not label them “cold treatments” or imply that the commercial products in this table have proven the same outcome as the trials.
EU health claim details
Authorised health claims
A quick consumer view — full regulatory list available below● Zinc contributes to the normal function of the immune system.Immune system · General population
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
Food must be at least a source of zinc.
General food: 1.5 mg / 100 g or 100 ml
Beverage: 0.75 mg / 100 ml
Single-portion pack: 1.5 mg per portion
Calculated from the EU NRV significant-amount reference. Claim-specific conditions take precedence.
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1229
EU legal source
SRC-432-2012
● Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal hair.Hair · General population
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
Food must be at least a source of zinc.
General food: 1.5 mg / 100 g or 100 ml
Beverage: 0.75 mg / 100 ml
Single-portion pack: 1.5 mg per portion
Calculated from the EU NRV significant-amount reference. Claim-specific conditions take precedence.
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2010;8(10):1819
EU legal source
SRC-432-2012
● Zinc contributes to normal fertility and reproduction.Fertility & reproduction · General population
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
Food must be at least a source of zinc.
General food: 1.5 mg / 100 g or 100 ml
Beverage: 0.75 mg / 100 ml
Single-portion pack: 1.5 mg per portion
Calculated from the EU NRV significant-amount reference. Claim-specific conditions take precedence.
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1229
EU legal source
SRC-432-2012
×Other assessed health claims (5)
Not authorised for use in the EUView claims ↓
Other assessed health claims (5)
Not authorised for use in the EU● Without enough zinc in your diet, muscular performance will be impairedMuscle function ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1229
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.
● Zinc promotes joint health / Zinc helps support the function of the jointsJoint health ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1229
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.
● Zinc contributes to a healthy cardiovascular systemHeart and blood vessels ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1229
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.
● Zinc for a healthy prostate / Zinc helps to maintain a healthy prostateProstate function ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2009;7(9):1229
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.
● Gastric comfort. Supports a healthy gastric environment. Zinc-carnosine supports the natural defenses and healthy ecology of the gastric lining.Gastric comfort ·
Health functions (Article 13)
Condition of use
—
EFSA / scientific assessment
EFSA Journal 2011;9(6):2248
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
- Zinc
- Category
- Mineral
- NRV
- 10 mg
- Authorised claims
- 18
- Other assessed claims
- 5
- 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?
0.75 mg / 100 ml for beverages
1.5 mg per portion if the package contains only one portion