Are vitamin bottles getting fewer pills? Supplement shrinkflation

How we know a bottle shrank

NIH label archive (US, 16 cases). The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements keeps the Dietary Supplement Label Database, an archive of supplement labels with each version’s net contents, serving size and UPC. We compared label versions and list a case only when two versions carry the same UPC and the same serving size and the newer one states fewer units. Each case page quotes both labels’ fields and links both. The year is when the newer label entered the database. DSLD has no prices, so these are marked medium confidence; where a smaller count might be a new bottle size rather than a hidden cut (for example Thorne Meta-Balance 120 → 60), the case page says so.

Germany (5 cases). Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg’s Mogelpackungsliste compares the old and new pack, count and price, so these cases are high confidence and most have a per-pill price change.

Other cases come from consumer advocates (Mouse Print*, Which?, Consumer Reports, Konsument) that compared the old and new package.

How to compare supplement bottles

1. Price per serving. Bottle price ÷ (count ÷ pills per serving). A 90-count bottle at two a day is 45 days, not 90.
2. Read the Supplement Facts panel. “Servings per container” and the dose per serving can change while the front of the bottle looks the same.
3. Watch “bonus” and “value” packs. A “bonus” bottle (for example “20% more free”) can quietly return to the standard count, so compare the count, not the bottle.
4. Check the barcode. The same UPC with a smaller count is the clearest sign; use the barcode lookup.
5. Compare bottle sizes. The biggest bottle is not always the cheapest per serving.

More: all health & supplements cases · protein powder shrinkflation · personal care shrinkflation · US shrinkflation tracker · Germany list · Hungary · Japan tracker · ShrinkRadar Index · best-known examples.

FAQ

Are vitamin bottles getting fewer pills?

Yes. Our library has 28 documented cases of vitamins and supplements sold with fewer capsules, tablets, softgels or gummies (or less liquid) than before, in the US, Germany, Japan, Hungary and South Korea, from 2016 to 2026. The median cut is 21.1%, which is a 26.8% higher cost per pill if the bottle price stayed the same. The bottle usually keeps its look and name, so the count on the front label is the number to check.

Which supplement shrank the most?

Bronson Vitamin E 200 IU softgels: 250 softgels → 100 softgels (−60.0%, 2022, source: dsld.od.nih.gov). Several others lost a third or more, for example Bronson Vitamin E 200 IU softgels 250 softgels → 100 softgels; Thorne Meta-Balance capsules 120 capsules → 60 capsules; Bluebonnet GSX Formula vegetable capsules 120 capsules → 60 capsules.

Did Daiichi Sankyo shrink its supplements?

Yes. Documented: Pre-Col sustained-release cough and cold capsules, 12 capsules (Japan) 12 capsules → 10 capsules (2026); Pre-Col sustained-release cough and cold capsules, 24 capsules (Japan) 24 capsules → 20 capsules (2026); Pre-Col sustained-release cough and cold capsules, 36 capsules (Japan) 36 capsules → 30 capsules (2026).

How do you know a supplement bottle shrank?

16 of the US cases come from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements’ Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD), which archives successive versions of supplement labels. We list a case only when two label versions carry the same UPC barcode and the same serving size but the newer one states a smaller count. The year is when the newer label entered the database, not necessarily the shelf date, and DSLD has no prices, so these are medium-confidence cases. The German cases come from Verbraucherzentrale Hamburg’s Mogelpackungsliste, which compares old and new packs and prices.

Does a smaller bottle at the same price cost more per day?

Yes. Fewer pills at the same price is a higher price per serving: 45 → 30 capsules at one capsule a day means a bottle lasts 30 days instead of 45, so each day costs 50% more. Across the label cases where we can read the serving size, the median bottle lost 22.5% of its servings.

Have painkillers and other medicines shrunk too?

Some. Documented: Gaviscon Liquid Aniseed 600 ml → 500 ml (2023, which.co.uk); Aleve caplets bottle 100 caplets → 90 caplets (2021, mouseprint.org); Lanacane first aid spray 113 g → 99 g (2010, consumerreports.org).

How do I compare supplement prices fairly?

Compare the price per serving, not per bottle: bottle price ÷ (count ÷ pills per serving). Check “servings per container” on the Supplement Facts panel and the dose per serving, because a brand can also raise the pills per serving. The unit price calculator compares bottles by item.

Where does this data come from?

From nkfh.gov.hu, vzhh.de, daiichisankyo-hc.co.jp, dsld.od.nih.gov, segye.com, which.co.uk, mouseprint.org, consumerreports.org. Each case page quotes the label fields or the source text and links the source. We do not estimate counts.