Read a Supplement Facts panel from the top down: serving size and servings per container, then each ingredient's amount and percent Daily Value, then any proprietary blend, and finally the other ingredients. Glyco Barrier's panel is printed on the bottle label, with 60 servings of 1 mL per 2 fl oz bottle.
Start at the very top
The panel opens with the serving size and the number of servings per container. Everything beneath it refers to one serving, so this line comes first for a reason.
For a liquid, the serving is a volume. Glyco Barrier's directions use 1 mL, about two droppers, in the morning and again in the evening, and a 2 fl oz (59 mL) bottle holds 60 servings. Knowing that, you can work out how long a bottle lasts: about 30 days at two servings a day.
Check the amount per serving
Next comes the column of amounts. Vitamins and minerals are usually measured in milligrams (mg) or micrograms (mcg), while herbal ingredients are most often shown in milligrams.
- mg. One thousandth of a gram.
- mcg. One thousandth of a milligram.
- IU. An older unit still used for some vitamins.
Keep an eye on units, since mixing up mg and mcg can change a number by a factor of one thousand.
Understand percent Daily Value
The percent Daily Value column compares a nutrient to a reference amount used on labels across the United States. A % DV of 100 means one serving supplies the full reference amount for that nutrient.
Many herbal ingredients show a symbol or the words Daily Value not established, because no reference amount exists for them. Seeing that on a plant extract is completely normal and tells you nothing negative about the product.
A worked example with a made-up label
Imagine a bottle with a serving size of 1 mL and 30 servings per container. A line reads Green Tea Leaf Extract, 50 mg, Daily Value not established. That tells you each serving carries 50 mg of that extract, and the whole bottle carries roughly 1,500 mg of it. This is an invented example just for practice.
Multiplying the per-serving number by the servings per container is a simple trick for comparing bottles of different sizes. It is especially useful when one brand uses a 1 mL serving and another uses a full tablespoon.
Spot the plant details
For botanicals, a good label gives the common name, and often the Latin name or plant part. Look for words like root, leaf or fruit. These tell you which part of the plant went into the product.
Chromium is a mineral, shown with its form, such as chromium picolinate. Our botanical glossary of herbal label terms decodes words like extract and standardized, which show up frequently in this area.
Make sense of blends
A proprietary blend appears as a single line with a combined weight, followed by the ingredients in descending order. The individual amounts inside are not itemized.
Glyco Barrier has a 200 mg proprietary blend of 20 ingredients, in addition to eight highlighted ingredients that are named on the label. For a deeper explanation, see what a proprietary herbal blend means.
Common mix-ups to dodge
- Per serving versus per bottle. Numbers describe one serving only.
- Serving versus dose. A serving is the amount the panel describes, and directions say how many you use.
- Blend weight versus ingredient weight. A 200 mg blend is a total, not a single plant.
- Mass versus volume. A mL is a volume, a mg is a weight.
Catching these four saves a lot of head-scratching.
Finish with other ingredients
Beneath the panel is an other ingredients line. It covers the supporting items that help a product hold together, such as the liquid base, a flavor or a preservative. These are listed in descending order by weight too.
If you like to know exactly what is in a bottle beyond the active ingredients, this is where you find it. It is a short line but a revealing one.
Look beyond the panel
The panel is only one part of the label. Use the front and back to find manufacturing details. Glyco Barrier is made in the USA in an FDA-registered facility and is GMP certified, as stated by the brand.
The how to take Glyco Barrier page covers the daily directions. Our Glyco Barrier Supplement Facts walkthrough applies these steps to a real panel, and the ingredients page lists the highlighted names.
A quick checklist to keep
- Find the serving size and servings per container.
- Read amounts and units carefully.
- Glance at percent Daily Value where it applies.
- Read blends top to bottom.
- Scan other ingredients.
With these five checks you can compare nearly any two bottles. When Glyco Barrier is the one you choose, you can Order Glyco Barrier with free shipping and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Further Reading
Frequently Asked Questions
Start with the serving size and servings per container. Every amount below it refers to one serving, so it sets the scale for the whole panel.
It compares a nutrient in one serving with a reference amount used on US labels. Many herbal ingredients show that a Daily Value has not been established.
They appear below the main panel in a separate line, listed by weight from most to least. They cover supporting items such as the liquid base.
The full panel is printed on the bottle label. It shows the serving size, the eight highlighted ingredients and the 200 mg proprietary blend of 20 ingredients.