Which nutrients have an authorised hair claim
Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 lists the health claims a food supplement may make. Only four nutrients have a claim that mentions hair, and a product may use the claim only if its daily dose provides at least 15% of the nutrient's reference intake (NRV).
| Nutrient | NRV for adults | Authorised claim | In our range per daily dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biotin | 50 µg | Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair. | 300 µg to 5000 µg |
| Zinc | 10 mg | Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal hair. | 15 mg or 50 mg |
| Selenium | 55 µg | Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair. | 100 µg or 200 µg |
| Copper | 1 mg | Copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation. | copper |
The wording is about keeping hair normal. It says nothing about thicker or longer hair, and no supplement in the EU may promise that.
Popular ingredients without a hair claim
Many hair products contain keratin, MSM, horsetail extract, collagen, silicon or folic acid. None of these has an authorised claim about hair, so a label that links them to hair is making a claim the EU has not approved. They may still be listed in the composition. When you compare products, look for biotin, zinc or selenium in the nutrition table and check the % NRV next to each one.
Biotin, zinc and selenium in our range
Biotin comes as 300 µg tablets (Solgar), 600 µg capsules (Life Extension), 1000 µg and 5000 µg capsules (NOW Foods) and 2500 µg in half a cherry-flavoured lozenge (Swanson). Even the smallest dose is 600% of the NRV. Zinc is sold as picolinate, gluconate, bisglycinate and a three-form blend, most at 15 mg a day. NOW Foods zinc gluconate gives 50 mg, and its label says it is not intended for long-term use. Selenium comes as L-selenomethionine or as selenium-enriched yeast (SelenoExcell), at 100 µg or 200 µg a day.
OstroVit Biotin Plus puts 2500 µg of biotin, 15 mg of zinc, 100 µg of selenium and 800 µg of folic acid in one tablet. If you take it, count those amounts before adding a separate zinc or selenium product, because the totals add up.
Biotin and blood tests
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements notes that high biotin intakes can distort the results of some laboratory blood tests. If you are due for a blood test, tell the doctor or the lab that you take biotin.
Questions
Which vitamins for hair should I choose?
Start from what you already take. If a multivitamin already covers zinc and selenium, a single biotin product may be enough. If you want all three in one tablet, the OstroVit combination is the only one in this category.
Is more biotin better?
The claim applies from 15% of the NRV, which is 7.5 µg. Every biotin product here is far above that, so a higher number on the label does not unlock a different claim. Compare the price per day.
Selenium and zinc together or separately?
The claims are the same either way, because each nutrient carries its own. Separate products let you choose the dose of each; a combination saves you one tablet.
What does copper's claim say?
Copper has a claim about normal hair pigmentation, meaning hair colour. It applies to products with at least 0.15 mg of copper per daily dose.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (permitted health claims)
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex XIII (reference intakes)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Biotin fact sheet
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Zinc fact sheet
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Selenium fact sheet
- EFSA: Health claims
Content reviewed by Inese Kalniņa, dietitian.
2026-08-23