“Clean label” has become a sales slogan. It appears on packs and in shop descriptions, usually without an explanation of what exactly it means. It is easy to count the items on an ingredient list, so people like to use this number to judge a product. It is worth checking when this number really tells you something.
Where the trend for short ingredient lists came from
A short ingredient list is easy to communicate. The message “three ingredients” works faster than a paragraph about the amount of active substance.
The second reason is caution about names that consumers do not recognise. People sometimes see E numbers as a warning sign. In fact, they are substances that experts assessed and that are permitted for use in food in the European Union.
The third reason is that the idea came from other product categories. The slogan about a short ingredient list has been used there for years, although the technical needs are different.
Why manufacturers add additives at all
Additives have technical functions. The rules say which additives manufacturers can add, in what amount and to which category of food.
Preservation
Products with a lot of water make it easier for microorganisms to grow. Preservatives slow down this process. Other options are technical solutions, for example lower pH or aseptic filling.
Stability and texture
Some ingredients separate or sink during storage. Thickeners, emulsifiers and antioxidants help to stop this. Then the product still matches the label at the end of its shelf life.
In solid products, anti-caking agents and fillers have a similar role. Without them, manufacturers could not make tablets in a consistent way.
Taste and appearance
Flavourings and sweeteners make the product pleasant to take, which matters in practice when you use it every day. “Natural flavouring” is a term defined in the rules on flavourings. It describes where the raw material comes from, not its quality.
Read more: Natural flavouring and nature-identical flavouring – a difference you cannot see
Colours have a visual function and tell you nothing about the amount of active substance.
When a short ingredient list really tells you something
A short list has one advantage: it is easier to check. Fewer items mean a lower risk of missing an ingredient that someone avoids because of an allergy, an intolerance or a diet.
It can also tell you about the form of the product. A liquid product does not need anti-caking agents or fillers, because solid forms need them.
One example of a product with five ingredients on its list is the THESYBIN food supplement: deionised water, OLINATI.MED®, zinc pidolate, calcium D-pantothenate, flavouring. But the length of this list alone tells you nothing about the amounts or the properties of the product.
When a short ingredient list tells you nothing
This is the most important part of this text. It also applies to products that are described as having a simple composition.
The number of ingredients does not tell you the dose. A product can have three items on its list and contain only a trace of the active substance. A product with ten items can contain many times more. Only the statement of quantity per recommended daily portion tells you this.
Read more: How much is 36 mg – how to understand the doses on supplement labels
The number of ingredients also does not tell you about their quality or how precisely they are described. One item on the list can be a raw material with a very general description, for example without the bacterial strain, the part of the plant or the level of standardisation of the extract.
Here is a clear list of what a short ingredient list does not decide:
- Effectiveness. This depends on what is in the product and in what amount, not on the number of lines in the list.
- Safety. Permitted additives have been assessed, so their presence is not a warning sign.
- Quality of the raw material. The same ingredient can come from different sources and have a different specification. The list does not show this.
- Value of the product. A short list can also be the result of a simple formula, not of a careful technical decision.
So the length of the list describes a product, but it does not judge it. If you use it to measure quality, you choose by the way the list is written, not by what the product contains.
Product form and the length of the ingredient list
| Product form | Typical technical needs | Effect on the length of the list |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid | Water as a carrier, protection against microorganisms, taste correction | The list can be short, but preservation or lower pH is usually necessary |
| Capsule | Shell, substances that help with filling, anti-caking agents | The shell alone adds items to the list |
| Tablet | Fillers, binders, lubricants, sometimes a coating | Usually the longest list of these forms |
| Powder | Anti-caking agents, taste correction when dissolved | The length depends on how well the raw material dissolves |
So it makes little sense to compare the number of ingredients between different product forms. In that case, the difference in the length of the list comes mainly from the technology.
How to compare two products in a useful way
Instead of counting items, compare a few properties. The first two points matter most.
- The amount of active ingredient in the recommended daily portion. Compare both products by the amount per day.
- How precisely the ingredient is described. The full strain name, the part of the plant, the standardisation of the extract, the chemical form of the mineral.
- Product form. Compare a liquid with a liquid and capsules with capsules.
- Number of portions in the pack. Only this lets you compare the cost of use.
- Ingredients that you avoid. Allergens, sweeteners, ingredients of animal origin.
Only after that does the length of the list become useful, as extra information, not as the starting point.
Read more: How to read the ingredients of a food supplement – what to look at beyond the marketing name
Summary
A short ingredient list has a real advantage: it is easier to check, and you can find ingredients that you avoid more quickly. But it does not measure the quality, effectiveness or safety of a product.
Additives have technical functions and separate rules apply to them. They are usually there because of the form of the product. So the number of items tells you more about the technology than about the contents.
The practical conclusion is simple. First, check how much active substance is in the recommended daily portion and how precisely the ingredient is described. Only then look at the length of the list.
FAQ
Are substances with an E number harmful?
An E number means an additive that is permitted for use in food in the European Union, after an assessment and under set conditions of use. The number alone does not tell you whether a substance is harmful. It is a code that helps you identify the substance.
Is a product without preservatives better?
Not necessarily. No preservatives usually means a different solution: lower pH, aseptic filling, a shorter shelf life or advice to use the product within a set time after opening. This is a question of technology, not a ranking of quality.
Do more ingredients always mean a worse product?
No. Some ingredients have technical functions that a given product form needs, and some are additional active substances. What matters is what is on the list and in what amount.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.
- Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on food additives.
- Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on flavourings and certain food ingredients with flavouring properties for use in and on foods.
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 of 16 May 2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health.