The short answer
Among six zinc supplements recorded, the cost runs from 0.12 EUR a day for Nutrimea to 0.80 EUR for Nutriforce, nearly seven times more for a similar dose. Most labels claim “100% of reference intakes” with 10 mg: that is correct in the European sense, and misleading in the Anses sense, whose reference rises to 14.0 mg if you eat wholegrain cereals and pulses. Four products provide 12.5 to 15 mg, and the three at 15 mg cover this need. The real precaution remains not to stack sources.
“100% of reference intakes” depends on what you eat
This is the central point of this comparison, and no label mentions it.
The European nutrient reference value for zinc is 10 mg a day, a single figure. Anses publishes a reference that varies according to phytates, compounds found in wholegrain cereals, pulses and nuts that reduce zinc absorption:
| Phytate intake | Anses reference | What 10 mg covers |
|---|---|---|
| 300 mg/day, few wholegrain plant foods | 9.4 mg | 106% |
| 600 mg/day, mixed diet | 11.7 mg | 85% |
| 900 mg/day, rich in wholegrains and pulses | 14.0 mg | 71% |
The paradox is worth stating: the richer your diet is in wholegrain plant foods, and so the more recommendable it is in other respects, the higher your zinc need, and the less a 10 mg capsule is enough.
Our rankings of foods high in iron and foods high in magnesium rest on the same logic: the content shown does not tell you what the body absorbs.
The products, recorded on 24/09/2026
| Product | Form | Zinc per day | Price | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nutrimea, zinc citrate | Citrate | 12.5 mg | 14.00 EUR / 120 caps. | 0.12 EUR |
| Novoma, zinc bisglycinate | TRAACS® bisglycinate, + B6 | 15 mg | 18.90 EUR / 120 caps. | 0.16 EUR |
| Dynveo, zinc bisglycinate | TRAACS® bisglycinate | 10 mg | 10.90 EUR / 60 caps. | 0.18 EUR |
| Nat&Form, liposomal zinc | Zinc oxide in liposome | 15 mg | 10.90 EUR / 60 caps. | 0.18 EUR |
| Nutri&Co, zinc bisglycinate | TRAACS® bisglycinate + liposomal zinc | 10 mg | 12.90 EUR / 60 caps. | 0.22 EUR |
| Nutriforce, zinc gluconate | Gluconate | 15 mg | 23.99 EUR / 30 caps. | 0.80 EUR |
Five products out of six cost between 0.12 and 0.22 EUR a day: within this range, price is not the issue. Over a year, the gap between the first and the fifth is 36 EUR. Nutriforce is the exception: at 0.80 EUR a day, or 292 EUR a year, it costs nearly seven times the price of Nutrimea.
What really sets them apart
The dose. Nutrimea, Novoma, Nat&Form and Nutriforce provide 12.5 to 15 mg, which covers all or nearly all of the highest Anses reference. Dynveo and Nutri&Co stay at 10 mg. On a diet rich in wholegrain cereals, the difference matters more than the price.
The form. Bisglycinate, at Novoma, Dynveo and Nutri&Co, is a chelate whose bond between zinc and glycine is guaranteed by the TRAACS® label. Citrate and gluconate are well-absorbed salts in common use. Nat&Form’s “liposomal” zinc is zinc oxide coated in lecithin, as its ingredient list shows. None of these forms has shown a clear clinical superiority over the others at supplement doses.
Take it away from meals, as Dynveo advises: the phytates in a meal reduce absorption. The advice applies to all products.
The limit not to cross
Anses sets a tolerable upper intake level at 25 mg a day. The risk is not theoretical: a chronic excess of zinc interferes with copper absorption. With a 15 mg capsule, a single 10 mg multivitamin is enough to reach the limit. The real precaution is therefore not to double the dose, but not to stack: a multivitamin, a hair formula and a zinc capsule often contain 10 mg each.
Our comparison of hair supplements is precisely a case where zinc turns up in the formula: adding the two exceeds the need with no benefit.
Our sources
- Official Nutrimea, Novoma, Dynveo, Nat&Form, Nutri&Co and Nutriforce pages, viewed on 24/09/2026: form, elemental zinc dose, format and price.
- Anses, Références nutritionnelles en vitamines et minéraux, published on 21 February 2025: population reference intakes of 9.4 to 14.0 mg/day depending on phytate intake, tolerable upper intake level of 25 mg/day.