Buying guide

Vitamin B12: the form is printed on the label

Cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin, hydroxocobalamin, plus the units, percentages, formats and counts a B12 pack states.

4 min read6 sections90 tablets

Three names you will see

Vitamin B12 reaches a label as one of a few named forms. The usual three in retail packs are cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin and hydroxocobalamin.

The useful point for a shopper is simply that the label states which one, in the ingredients list and often in the panel row itself. A pack that says only vitamin B12 has left that out.

Cyanocobalamin
Methylcobalamin
Hydroxocobalamin
The named form belongs on the label, so look for it before comparing packs

Micrograms, and very large percentages

B12 is measured in micrograms, and the labelling reference value for it is a small number. That is why reference percentages on B12 packs often run into the hundreds or thousands.

The percentage is arithmetic against that shared reference figure and nothing else. It is a comparison tool between packs, not a score.

Format and what it tells you

B12 is sold as tablets, capsules, chewables, tablets intended to dissolve, drops and sprays. This pack is 90 tablets.

Format words describe the unit, not the amount. The label states how the product is intended to be taken.

Counting a 90 tablet pack

Ninety is the number of tablets, full stop. The number of portions depends on the portion printed on the label.

So compare 90 tablets with 60 tablets as unit counts, and compare pack price with pack price. Do not convert either into days.

Suitability rests on the whole formulation

A vegan or vegetarian claim on a B12 pack covers everything in the unit, not just the vitamin: binders, bulking agents, any coating, and the capsule shell where there is one.

That is why such a claim needs verified excipient records behind it. Where those are missing, the right answer on a product page is unknown rather than yes or no.