Abbreviations on vitamin C packaging

The basic form of vitamin C is ascorbic acid, and for it the number on the package matches the content. The problem starts with buffered forms and complexes, where the declared mass also includes what the vitamin has been combined with.

The second issue is plant additives. Acerola or rosehip extract increases the mass of a serving, but is not itself vitamin C — the manufacturer states the vitamin content in the extract separately, or not at all.

The terms one by one

Ascorbic acidpure vitamin C

The basic, cheapest and easiest form to compare, because the number on the front of the package is the same number as in the table. It is acidic, which can lead people to choose buffered forms.

Sodium ascorbatebuffered vitamin C

A salt of ascorbic acid with a neutral pH. The molecule weighs more than the acid itself, so 1000 mg of sodium ascorbate is about 890 mg of vitamin C. Manufacturers usually state both numbers, but not always equally clearly.

Calcium ascorbatebuffered vitamin C with calcium

Another popular buffered form. It also adds calcium to a serving, which the manufacturer must state in the nutrition table.

Liposomalvitamin C in a lipid coating

Vitamin enclosed in phospholipid structures. The declared mass often describes the entire complex, not the vitamin alone — without a breakdown into ingredients, such a product cannot be compared with ordinary powder, so we do not pretend it can.

Bioflavonoidsplant additive

Citrus, rosehip or acerola extracts added alongside the vitamin. They count toward the mass of a serving and increase the number on the package, although the vitamin C content of the extract may be low.

Acerolanatural source of vitamin C

An extract from acerola fruit, usually described with a percentage content of vitamin C. “500 mg acerola extract 25%” means 125 mg of vitamin C, and that second number is the one we use.

Other groups of terms

Omega-3 Vitamin D Magnesium, zinc, iron B vitamins Collagen Creatine Probiotics Label and calculations

How the numbers from a label turn into the cost of a day is shown in the omega-3 calculator — for now this is the only finished category. The rules by which we build the ranking are described in the How we rank section.