The eight B vitamins on a supplement label
B-vitamin labels use a mixture of numbers and names. B1 means thiamine, for example, while B12 may be listed with a form such as cyanocobalamin. This guide helps you identify the eight vitamins and compare the amounts beside them.
What are the eight B vitamins?
The recognised B group does not run in a neat sequence from B1 to B12. On a supplement panel, look for these eight entries:
- B1: thiamine. A label may put the number first or use the name alone.
- B2: riboflavin. These two terms refer to the same vitamin entry.
- B3: niacin. The panel may give a more specific form beside it.
- B5: pantothenic acid. B-vitamin numbers are not consecutive.
- B6: forms include pyridoxine. Some panels state a longer ingredient-form name.
- B7: biotin. Some labels leave the number out.
- B9: folate. Folic acid may appear as the named form on a label.
- B12: cobalamin. Cyanocobalamin and methylcobalamin are two form names to look for.
The front label may shorten these names. The ingredient list and nutrition panel are the better places to check the exact wording.
What does the percentage mean?
NRV means nutrient reference value. The percentage shows how much of that reference amount the label declares for one stated serving. It is a reading aid. It does not score the whole product.
Start with the serving line. One tablet, two capsules and one sachet are different quantities, even when the percentages look similar. Then read three items together:
- the B-vitamin name;
- the amount, often shown in milligrams or micrograms;
- the NRV percentage for the stated serving.
A figure above 100% means the declared serving contains more than the reference value used on that panel. It does not mean the product is better. A lower figure does not establish that it is worse. The percentage also says nothing by itself about the rest of the ingredient list, the format or whether that product suits you. Those are separate questions.
How should you compare two products?
A whole-food product and a product made with added isolated vitamins can produce different panels. A whole-food label may show smaller declared B-vitamin amounts because the figures come from its food ingredients. A synthetic formula uses specific added amounts, so its numbers may be much larger.
That difference explains the label design. It does not settle which product you should choose, and it does not measure what will happen after taking it. Compare like with like: the same vitamin, the same unit and the same stated serving.
The ingredient list gives the next piece of context. It shows whether a vitamin appears as an added ingredient or whether the product comes from named food ingredients. For a fuller look at that distinction, read Natural vs synthetic. For the narrower label questions around B12, read Vitamin B12 for vegetarians.
What should you check for B12?
Turn the carton around and read the panel in a fixed order. This keeps a bold front-label number from deciding for you.
- What is the serving? Check how many tablets, capsules or sachets the figures cover.
- Which name is used? Match B1 through B12 to the chemical name beside it.
- What are the amount and unit? Milligrams and micrograms are not interchangeable.
- What does the ingredient list say? Check whether the label names a specific form, especially for B12.
For any B12 product, the label question is: “Which form is listed?” Look for cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin in the panel or ingredient list. If neither appears, ask the seller for the current label information. For Vplus, use the current nutrition information. If the label does not declare a B12 amount or form, ask for the available product information rather than inferring it from the chlorella ingredient.
Product details: Vplus Formula: ingredients, pack details and directions.
Further reading: NIH guide to vitamin B12.
Read next
Vitamin B12 for vegetarians
What the studies say
A fixed routine when the hours are not fixed
For rotating hours