CompoAtlas

Chitosan in food supplements

263 supplements declared in France contain Chitosan as a substance or active ingredient.

Other names in the Compl'Alim list: polyacétyl-glucosamine.

Compl'Alim declarations. Compl'Alim, food supplement declarations (France), retrieved 23 October 2026.

What we know about this ingredient

A molecule found naturally in plants or organisms; in a supplement it may be extracted from them, made by fermentation or synthesised: the declaration does not say which.

Basis: one CosIngThe European Commission's database of cosmetic ingredients. CAS and natural occurrence recorded in Wikidata (LOTUS database).

Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.

Natural occurrence recorded in Wikidata (LOTUS database): 2 taxa; examples: Didymella pinodes, Mycosphaerella pinodes.

Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.

Associated research

ClinicalTrials.gov · A trial is not proof: it tests a hypothesis.

2026-11-01

Other names: chitosane (French), Quitosano (Spanish), chitosano (Italian), Quitosana (Portuguese).

Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.

Same substance in cosmetics: CHITOSAN.

In plain words

À quoi il sert, selon les fabricants

Objectifs les plus souvent annoncés pour les compléments qui en contiennent (Chitosan) : minceur / capteur (52 produits), minceur / modérateur d'appétit (41 produits), gestion du poids / minceur (38 produits), minceur / brûleur (31 produits), minceur / glycémie (19 produits).

Ce sont les objectifs déclarés par les fabricants à l'administration, pas des effets démontrés. Sur l'emballage, seules les allégations de santé autorisées par l'Union peuvent être écrites.

Compl'Alim, food supplement declarations (France), retrieved 23 October 2026.

Nouvel aliment ou pas

Consommé avant le 15 mai 1997, mais seulement dans des compléments alimentaires : il peut y être utilisé ; dans un autre aliment, il lui faudrait une autorisation.

Le catalogue de la Commission est indicatif : il ne remplace pas une décision.

Novel Food Catalogue (status of products under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283), retrieved 21 October 2026.

What the registers say, country by country

Each line repeats what an official register says on the date it was consulted. Not being in a register means neither allowed nor banned.

Novel food catalogue (European Union), entry “Polyacetyl-glucosamine”: Consommé avant le 15 mai 1997, mais seulement dans des compléments alimentaires : il peut y être utilisé ; dans un autre aliment, il lui faudrait une autorisation.

POL-NF-00614. Novel Food Catalogue (status of products under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283), retrieved 21 October 2026.

Health claims register (European Union): 1 authorised and 2 refused claim(s) for this substance.

  • « Chitosan contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels »
    Conditions: The claim may be used only for food which provides a daily intake of 3 g of chitosan. In order to bear the claim information shall be given to the consumer that the beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 3 g of chitosan.

EU Register of nutrition and health claims, retrieved 21 October 2026.

Compl'Alim ingredient list (France): listed.

Compl'Alim, reference list of ingredients, retrieved 21 October 2026.

Canada, licensed natural health products (LNHPD): 4 products.

Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD), Health Canada: licensed products, ingredients, doses, uses and risks, retrieved 27 October 2026.

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Health Canada, LNHPD)

Licence du gouvernement ouvert – Canada 2.0 (OGL-Canada 2.0)

United States, supplement labels (DSLD; supplements need no prior approval): 85 products.

Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD), US National Institutes of Health: current and off-market labels, retrieved 27 October 2026.

Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Dietary Supplement Label Database (CC0); US market labels.

Malaysia, registered products: 15 products.

NPRA, Malaysian pharmaceutical products register, retrieved 27 October 2026.

Ministère de la santé de Malaisie / NPRA, Pharmaceutical Products, CC BY 4.0

CC BY 4.0

Poland, notified supplements: 35 products.

GIS, products notified in Poland, retrieved 27 October 2026.

Główny Inspektorat Sanitarny (GIS), Rejestr produktów objętych powiadomieniem

CC BY 4.0

Taiwan, registered products: 33 products.

TFDA, Taiwan tablets, capsules and medical nutrition registers, retrieved 27 October 2026.

Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), Open Government Data License, version 1.0

Open Government Data License, version 1.0

Declared daily quantities

Declared daily quantities: Chitosan
UnitProductsMedianMinimumMaximum
mg26500503,000

Calculated from Compl'Alim declarations that provide a quantity. These are quantities declared by manufacturers, not measurements, and preparation is not distinguished (powder, extract of varying concentration): differences between products can be very large.

Products