How to check a magnesium label before you buy
Answer
Read the panel for the elemental figure and NRV, the ingredients for form and excipients, the warnings for the supplemental ceiling, and the base of the tub for a batch number. Four places, ninety seconds.
Key takeaways
- Where does the useful information live?
- The nutrition panel and the ingredients list, not the front of the pack, which carries the compound weight and the marketing.
- What does the ingredients order tell you?
- Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so anything above the active is more of the capsule than the active is.
- What should the warnings say?
- A do not exceed statement, an advisory that supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet, and a keep out of reach line.
- Why does the batch number matter?
- It is what any certification, recall or query is traced against, and it is worth keeping while you take the product.
Front of pack: mostly not useful
The front carries the compound weight, the capsule count and the marketing. All three are the least informative numbers on the pack.
1500mg on the front is the compound weight, not the magnesium. 180 capsules is not a duration until you know the serving size. And words like high strength, premium and advanced have no regulatory meaning at all. What the front is useful for is the form name, which tells you which conversion to run.
The nutrition panel
This is where the answer lives. It should state the serving size in capsules, the compound and its weight per serving, the elemental magnesium per serving, and the percentage NRV.
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate prints all four: two capsules, 1500mg of magnesium bisglycinate, 300mg of elemental magnesium, 80 percent NRV. A panel missing the elemental line has removed the only figure that allows comparison, and a panel where the elemental figure and the NRV percentage disagree is internally inconsistent.
| Where | What it tells you | Reliability |
|---|---|---|
| Front of pack | Form name, compound weight, capsule count | Low, and often misleading on its own |
| Nutrition panel | Serving size, elemental content, percentage NRV | This is the answer |
| Ingredients list | Form, excipients, capsule material, order by weight | High, and often overlooked |
| Allergen statement | Usually bolded within the ingredients | Legally required |
| Warnings | Do not exceed, varied diet advisory, keep out of reach | Legally required |
| Base or side of tub | Batch number and best before | What certification and recalls trace against |
The ingredients list, and the ordering rule
Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, which is a convention that carries more information than most people use.
If a bulking agent appears before the magnesium compound, the capsule is more bulking agent than active. If the capsule shell material is listed high up, the capsule is a larger part of the product than it should be. And a proprietary blend with one combined weight still shows you which of its parts is largest, while the absence of individual figures tells you why it was written that way.
Allergens, warnings and the things people skip
Allergens must be emphasised within the ingredients list, usually in bold. For magnesium products the common ones are the capsule material and any bulking agent rather than the mineral itself.
Warnings should carry a do not exceed the stated dose line, the statement that food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet and a healthy lifestyle, and a keep out of reach of children line. Their absence is a compliance problem and a reasonable signal about the rest of the product.
The batch number
Printed on the base or the side, usually alongside a best before date. It is the least glamorous thing on a tub and the one that matters most for anyone who could be tested.
Batch certification programmes publish results against a batch number, so a certified product is only certified for the batch in your hand. Recalls work the same way, and so does any query to a manufacturer. Keeping the tub while you are taking the product costs nothing and is the whole precaution. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate is independently lab tested for purity and is not batch certified for sport, which is why a tested player should be choosing a certified product regardless of everything above.
What is not on a label, and has to be asked for
Some things a buyer might want are not required to appear and their absence is not a compliance failure.
Where the raw material was sourced is not required. Whether the finished product was tested as well as the raw material is not required. Which laboratory did any testing, and to what standard, is not required. And whether a specific batch was screened for banned substances is only shown if the manufacturer has paid for certification, which is why certification exists as a separate thing at all.
A manufacturer that volunteers any of it is telling you something. Futuro Labs states UK manufacture and independent lab testing for purity, and states plainly on this site that no product carries batch certification for sport. That last statement is not on the tub and it is the one a tested player most needs.
Where to go next
- How to work out the elemental magnesium in any supplementThe conversion in full, with all the common forms and the edge cases.
- How to compare magnesium forms without the marketingWhich form to choose once you can read the panel.
- How to read a supplement labelThe same method generalised across all four products.
The product
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate
Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate prints the serving size, the compound weight, the elemental figure and the percentage NRV on one panel, declares its excipients and capsule material, and carries a batch number on the tub. It is the 300mg elemental one at 22p a day.
- 300mg elemental magnesium, 80% NRV
- Bisglycinate, best tolerated common form
- UK made to GMP, lab tested for purity
- Not batch certified for sport
Sharper Rugby is published by Futuro Labs. If you buy through this link Futuro Labs earns from the sale. Prices are set by Amazon.
Questions players ask
Where is the useful information on a tub?
The nutrition panel and the ingredients list. The front of pack carries the compound weight and the marketing.
What does high strength mean on a label?
Nothing regulated. It is a marketing term with no defined threshold behind it.
Why does ingredient order matter?
Ingredients are listed by descending weight, so anything above the active makes up more of the capsule.
Should I keep the tub?
Yes, while you are taking it. The batch number is what certification, recalls and queries trace against.
What warnings should be present?
A do not exceed line, the varied diet advisory and a keep out of reach of children statement.