The short answer: the Other Ingredients line on a gummy tells you four things the Supplement Facts panel doesn’t: what makes it set (pectin or gelatin), what sweetens it (sugar, syrups or sugar alcohols), where the color comes from, and whether anything coats it. Read it together with the Total Sugars line on the panel. Sugar in gummy vitamins and supplements is normal for the format, and the label tells you exactly how much.
Most label-reading advice stops at the Supplement Facts panel, the box with the actives and their milligrams. That’s the right place to start, and our guide to how to read a mushroom supplement label covers it in full. On a gummy, though, the actives are a small part of what you’re eating. The rest is listed in one line below the panel, and it’s where the format’s trade-offs show up.
The panel is half the label. Other Ingredients is the other half
On a supplement, anything that isn’t listed in the Supplement Facts panel goes in an ingredient statement placed immediately below the panel, by its common name (21 CFR 101.36(d)). That’s the line headed Other Ingredients.
On a gummy, that line is most of the product. Our own gummies carry 300 mg of actives each, and the panel lists 3 grams of carbohydrate per gummy. The gummy base has to set, taste acceptable, hold a color and survive shipping, and every one of those jobs is done by something on this line.
What makes it set: pectin vs gelatin
Gummies set with one of two common gelling agents.
Gelatin is made from animal collagen, from bones, skin and connective tissue (food-science reference). It gives the classic bouncy chew. Gelatin gels melt at around body temperature, which is why they soften in your mouth, and also why they soften in a hot car.
Pectin is a plant polysaccharide, commercially extracted from citrus peel, apple pomace or beet pulp (21 CFR 184.1588). The high-methoxyl pectins used in confectionery need sugar and an acid to set, and once set, the gels don’t re-melt on heating (Evageliou, Richardson and Morris, Carbohydrate Polymers, 2000). That’s why pectin gummies usually list sugar and citric acid near the pectin.
If you avoid animal products, pectin is the gelling agent to look for. Check the rest of the line too, and look for the word “vegan” on the package itself before relying on it.
Sweeteners: sugar, syrups and sugar alcohols
Grams of sugar per gummy, and per serving of two
The panel gives you two numbers. Total Sugars is every gram of sugar in a serving. Includes Added Sugars is the part that was added rather than naturally present. Both have to be declared on a supplement when there’s more than a trivial amount (21 CFR 101.36(b)(2)).
The FDA sets the Daily Value for added sugars at 50 grams a day on a 2,000-calorie diet. The percentage next to Added Sugars on the panel is measured against that.
Two things to check:
- The serving size. If it’s one gummy and the directions say one or two, double the numbers for a two-gummy day.
- How many gummy products you take. UCLA puts most gummy vitamins at 2 to 8 grams of sugar per serving, and several gummies a day add up.
Why sugar-free gummies use sugar alcohols
A gummy without sugar still needs sweetness and bulk, so sugar-free gummies usually use sugar alcohols (also called polyols): maltitol, sorbitol, erythritol, isomalt, xylitol. Look for them on the Other Ingredients line.
Sugar alcohols can be listed on the panel, but a label only has to declare them there when it makes a claim about them (21 CFR 101.36(b)(2)). So a “sugar-free” gummy’s panel may not show the grams of sugar alcohol it contains.
For sorbitol, US rules require the statement “Excess consumption may have a laxative effect” on foods where a person could reasonably eat 50 grams of it a day (21 CFR 184.1835). You’ll rarely see that line on a gummy jar, since the amounts per gummy are small, which is one more reason to read the ingredient list yourself.
Maltitol side effects
Maltitol’s digestive effects depend on the dose, and two controlled studies put numbers on it. In a 1996 trial of 59 young adults, 40 grams of maltitol in chocolate caused mild gas, rumbling and cramping compared with sugar. At 30 grams, everything except mild gas dropped away, and neither dose had a laxative effect. In a 2003 study, maltitol was eaten in rising amounts until a strong symptom appeared. Diarrhea was more frequent than with sugar, but only at very high doses, around 90 grams a day on average, which the authors noted is far above normal use.
A single gummy holds far less than those amounts. Several sugar-free gummy products a day, plus sugar-free sweets, can add up, so if your stomach disagrees with a sugar-free gummy, the sugar alcohol on the Other Ingredients line is the first thing to check.
Color and flavor: is the source named?
US rules let colors that don’t need FDA batch certification be listed generically as “Color Added” or “Artificial Color,” or named by source, such as “Colored with ___” (21 CFR 101.22(k)). Certified synthetic colors have to be listed by their specific name.
So a gummy that says “color from beet powder” is choosing to tell you more than it has to. A gummy that says only “color added” is within the rules and telling you less. If the source matters to you, look for the named version.
Heat, sticking and shipping
Because gelatin gels melt near body temperature and set pectin gels don’t re-melt, pectin is generally the sturdier choice for a jar that sits in a mailbox in summer.
Some gummies list a coating agent, such as an oil or carnauba wax, on the Other Ingredients line to keep pieces from sticking together. If a line lists no coating, don’t expect one. And follow the storage line. Most gummy labels, ours included, say to store in a cool, dry place.
Worked example: our two gummy labels
Here are both of our gummy labels, read line by line. Each gummy is one serving, and the directions say one or two a day.
| Reishi Relax Gummies | Cordyceps Energy Gummies | |
|---|---|---|
| Serving size | 1 gummy | 1 gummy |
| Calories | 10 | 10 |
| Total carbohydrate | 3 g | 3 g |
| Total sugars | 2 g | 2 g |
| Includes added sugars | 2 g (4% DV) | 2 g (4% DV) |
| Gelling agent | Citrus pectin | Citrus pectin |
| Sweeteners | Organic cane sugar, tapioca syrup | Organic cane sugar, tapioca syrup |
| Sugar alcohols | None listed | None listed |
| Acid and buffer | Citric acid, sodium citrate | Citric acid, sodium citrate |
| Flavor | Blackberry natural flavor | Strawberry natural flavor |
| Color | Color from blackberries | Color from beet powder |
| Coating | None listed | None listed |
| ”Vegan” on the label | Not stated | Not stated |
The full Other Ingredients lines, as printed:
- Reishi Relax: Organic Cane Sugar, Tapioca Syrup, Purified Water, Citrus Pectin, Citric Acid, Blackberry Natural Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Color from Blackberries.
- Cordyceps Energy: Organic Cane Sugar, Tapioca Syrup, Purified Water, Citrus Pectin, Citric Acid, Strawberry Natural Flavor, Sodium Citrate, Color from Beet Powder.
What that means, plainly:
- They contain sugar. Organic cane sugar is the first ingredient in both. On a two-gummy day that’s 4 grams of added sugar, 8% of the Daily Value.
- They set with pectin. Neither lists gelatin.
- No sugar alcohols. Neither lists maltitol, sorbitol or any other polyol.
- The colors are named. Blackberries and beet powder, respectively.
- We don’t call them vegan, because neither printed label says so, and we only claim what the label states.
The actives on each panel are a separate read. For those, see what’s actually in a “calm blend” and how to read an “energy blend”. If you’re still deciding on the format itself, capsule, powder, gummy or strip compares all four, including why a gummy carries fewer milligrams of active than a capsule can.
FAQ
Are gummy vitamins bad for you?
Not by default. The trade-offs are on the label: most contain added sugar, often a few grams per serving, and the gummy format holds less active per piece than a capsule. Read the serving size, the Added Sugars line and the Other Ingredients line, and count every gummy product you take in a day.
Pectin vs gelatin gummies: what’s the difference?
Pectin is plant-derived and sets into a gel that doesn’t re-melt when warmed. Gelatin comes from animal collagen and melts near body temperature, which gives it a softer chew and makes it more heat-sensitive. The Other Ingredients line tells you which one a gummy uses.
Do sugar-free gummies have side effects?
Sugar-free gummies usually use sugar alcohols such as maltitol or sorbitol. In studies of maltitol, large amounts caused mild gas and rumbling, and loose stools only at very high intakes. Check the Other Ingredients line for them, and add up how many sugar-free products you eat in a day.
See the full Reishi Relax and Cordyceps Energy labels on our mushroom gummies page, or go straight to Reishi Relax Gummies and Cordyceps Energy Gummies. Code FLOW10 takes $10 off a first order.