We checked the labels of 49 B complex supplements sold in the UK
On 18 October 2026 we read the labels and product pages of 49 B complexes on sale in the UK: Amazon UK's best sellers, the supermarket and high-street own brands, and well-known UK brands. Two in three list folic acid rather than methylfolate. Here is what the labels say, how we checked, and the limits of a label check.
- 33 of 49 (67%) list folate as folic acid; 14 (29%) list methylfolate.
- 15 of 49 (31%) list B12 as cyanocobalamin; 30 (61%) include methylcobalamin.
- 15 of 49 (31%) use P5P for vitamin B6, and 12 (24%) use riboflavin-5-phosphate for B2.
- None of the 49 lists benfotiamine as its thiamine form.
- 12 use the word "methylated" in their name or marketing, and 2 of those 12 list folic acid on the label.
- All 7 supermarket and high-street own brands checked use folic acid.
Interest declared. Prime Vitality sells a B complex, so we left our own product out of the sample and out of every figure on this page. This is a reading of what labels and product pages state. We did not buy or test any product.
What the labels say
Figures are per daily serving as labelled, for 49 products. Shares are rounded.
| What the label lists | Products | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Folate as folic acid | 33 | 67% |
| Folate as methylfolate (L-5-MTHF, including Quatrefolic and calcium L-methylfolate) | 14 | 29% |
| Folate from a food or plant source, form not named | 2 | 4% |
| B12 as cyanocobalamin | 15 | 31% |
| B12 including methylcobalamin | 30 | 61% |
| B12 as hydroxocobalamin | 1 | 2% |
| B12 form not stated | 3 | 6% |
| B6 including P5P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate) | 15 | 31% |
| B2 including riboflavin-5-phosphate | 12 | 24% |
| Thiamine as benfotiamine | 0 | 0% |
| Methylfolate, a non-cyanocobalamin B12, P5P and riboflavin-5-phosphate together | 11 | 22% |
Mixing forms is common: of the 33 products that list folic acid, 15 pair it with methylcobalamin B12. And 11 of the 49 carry an identical "100% NRV" formula (thiamine 1.1 mg, B2 1.4 mg, B6 1.4 mg, folate 200 µg, B12 2.5 µg), including 6 of the 7 own brands.
Not sure which forms your own supplement uses? Our free label checker explains each form in plain English, and our guide to folate, folic acid and methylfolate explains the difference.
"Methylated" on the label, and what the ingredients list says
12 of the 49 products use the word "methylated" (or "Methyl" as a product name) in their title or marketing. Of those 12, 2 list folic acid in the ingredients, and none list cyanocobalamin. Widen it to products that call their vitamins "active", "bioactive", "activated" or "body-ready" and the count is 17, of which 3 list folic acid. These labels may well comply with the rules; the point is simply that the marketing word and the listed form do not always match, so the ingredients list is the place to look.
Doses per daily serving
| Nutrient | Products | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folate (µg) | 44 | 25 | 200 | 400 |
| B12 (µg) | 46 | 1 | 37.5 | 5,000 |
| B6 (mg) | 46 | 0.7 | 5 | 100 |
| B2 (mg) | 45 | 0.05 | 5 | 100 |
| Thiamine (mg) | 45 | 0.05 | 8.1 | 110 |
| B3 (mg) | 46 | 1.5 | 20 | 140 |
| B5 (mg) | 45 | 3 | 12 | 200 |
| Biotin (µg) | 44 | 25 | 62.5 | 600 |
B12 doses vary the most: 20 of 46 products provide 10 µg or less a day, while 4 provide more than 500 µg. For B6, 13 of 46 provide more than 10 mg a day; UK advice is not to take more than 10 mg of B6 a day from supplements unless a doctor advises it.
Price per daily serving
One-off price shown on 18 October 2026, divided by the daily servings in the pack, for 48 products (one shows no daily serving). Many prices were promotional that day.
| Group | Products | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All products | 48 | 1.1p | 17.1p | 86.7p |
| Supermarket and high-street own brands | 7 | 1.1p | 1.7p | 4.5p |
| Amazon UK best sellers | 27 | 1.7p | 18.5p | 50.9p |
| Named UK brands | 14 | 6.2p | 28.7p | 86.7p |
How we chose the 49
- Amazon UK Best Sellers, Vitamin B-Complex, ranks 1 to 30, read on 18 October 2026; three were not B complexes and were left out (27 products).
- Supermarket and high-street own brands: the first own-brand B complex in each retailer's own site search (Holland and Barrett, Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Savers) (7 products).
- Named UK brands not already in the Amazon list, from each brand's own UK site where one exists (15 products).
From 61 candidates we excluded products that are not B complexes, discontinued lines, products with no verifiable UK listing, duplicates, and our own product.
How we read the labels
- Facts come from each brand's or retailer's own product page: the nutrition table and ingredients list as text, or the label image on the page.
- Forms are classed from the ingredients list. Where neither the table nor the ingredients name a form, we recorded it as not stated, never guessed.
- Amounts are per the label's daily serving. Where directions give a range, we used the label's stated serving.
- "Methylated" marketing means the word on the page checked; "active" marketing means "active", "bioactive", "activated" or "body-ready" applied to the vitamins.
Limits of a label check
- It is a snapshot: rankings and prices change daily.
- Over half the sample comes from one Amazon category, and the brand lists are a judgement of the main UK sellers, not a census.
- It reads what labels state. It says nothing about contents, absorption, quality or effect, and we make no claim about any of these.
- Some facts come from page text or retailer images rather than a physical pack, and a few US-style labels give folate in µg DFE, which is not directly comparable.
Using these figures
You are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page. Please quote counts with the date, for example: "Of 49 B complexes on sale in the UK, checked on 18 October 2026, 33 listed folic acid (Prime Vitality label study)."
You are free to reuse these figures with credit and a link to Prime Vitality, under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) licence.
General information about ingredient forms on labels, not medical advice. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle.
