Supplement Facts

What it is

The Supplement Facts panel is the standardized, FDA-required information box on a dietary supplement — the supplement equivalent of the "Nutrition Facts" label on food. It's the regulated, factual part of the packaging, as opposed to the marketing claims on the front of the bottle.

What it does

The panel discloses, in a defined format:

• Serving size and servings per container.
• Each dietary ingredient and the amount per serving.
• % Daily Value (%DV) where one has been established.
• A separate "Other ingredients" line for non-active components (fillers, capsule material, colors, sweeteners).

Read correctly, it lets you translate marketing into reality: the real per-capsule dose, how long a bottle lasts, and what else is in the product.

What it does NOT do

• It does not prove the product works. It reports what's declared, not whether it benefits you.
• It does not verify the contents. Accuracy of what's actually in the bottle is the job of third-party testing, not the panel.
• It does not always show individual doses — a proprietary blend can list a combined total instead of each ingredient's amount.
• It does not tell you the elemental amount unless the brand chooses to; for minerals, look for the elemental figure.

How to use it

• Read the back (the panel) before the front (the marketing).
• Check serving size first — the headline number is often per multi-capsule serving.
• For minerals, find the elemental amount; for botanicals, the standardized active.
• Scan "Other ingredients" for allergens, dyes, or fillers you want to avoid.

Sources

1. US Food & Drug Administration. Dietary Supplement Labeling Guide.
2. US Food & Drug Administration. How to read the Supplement Facts label.