CompoAtlas

Taurine in food supplements

3,345 supplements declared in France contain Taurine as a substance or active ingredient.

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

What we know about this ingredient

Uses

  • Biochemical research, pharmaceuticals, wetting agents

  • Cosmetic compositions

  • Derivatives of taurine, especially fatty acid derivatives, are important wetting, washing, and dispersion agents in body and household cleaning agents, and also in textile processing.

  • Nutritional supplement

  • Calculated removal (%): 75.1

  • Consumption (g per capita; approx.) in Germany (2009): 0.00916

  • Use (kg; approx.) in Germany (2009): >750

PubChem : Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29 · Lewis, R.J. Sr.; Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary 15th Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, NY 2007., p. 1207; Collin C et al; International Journal of Cosmetic Science 28(4): 289-298 (2006); Kosswig K; Sulfonic Acids, Aliphatic. Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. 7th ed. (1999-2014). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Online Posting Date: Jun 15, 2000.; O'Neil, M.J. (ed.). The Merck Index - An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals. Cambridge, UK: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013., p. 1679.

Licence.

PubChem : NORMAN Suspect List Exchange · 2026-10-29 · DOI:10.1021/acs.est.5b03332.

Licence.

Use classification

  • EPA Safer Chemical Functional Use Classes -> Processing Aids and Additives

  • Safer Chemical Classes -> Green half-circle - The chemical is expected to be of low concern

  • Cosmetics -> Buffering

PubChem : EPA Safer Choice · 2026-10-29 · https://www.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-ingredients.

Licence.

PubChem : NORMAN Suspect List Exchange · 2026-10-29 · S13 | EUCOSMETICS | Combined Inventory of Ingredients Employed in Cosmetic Products (2000) and Revised Inventory (2006) | DOI:10.5281/zenodo.2624118.

Licence.

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): 39 taxa; examples: Artemisia taurica, Artemisia herba-alba, Allium sativum, Allium fistulosum, Opuntia ficus-indica.

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

Manufacturing

  • Ethyleneimine reacts rapidly with sulfurous acid to give taurine in high yield.

  • Taurine is synthesised starting from ethylene oxide and sodium bisulphite. Subsequently, liquid ammonia and sulphuric acid are added. The product is then decolorised, purified, crystallised, centrifuged, dried, sieved and blended with the carrier to obtain the additive.

PubChem : Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29 · Scherr G et al; Imines, Cyclic. Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology (1999-2014). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Online Posting Date: December 4, 2000; European Food Safety Authority (EFSAEuropean Food Safety Authority.); EFSA Journal 10 (6): 2736 (2012). Available from, as of August 19, 2014: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2736.pdf.

Licence.

Appearance

  • Colorless crystals

  • Monoclinic prisms from water

  • Large white crystals or white powder.

PubChem : Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29 · O'Neil, M.J. (ed.). The Merck Index - An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals. Cambridge, UK: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013., p. 1679; Haynes, W.M. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 94th Edition. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton: FL 2013-2014, p. 3-18.

Licence.

PubChem : CAMEO Chemicals · 2026-10-29 · https://cameochemicals.noaa.gov/chemical/21060.

Licence.

Odour described

  • Almost odorless

  • Odorless

PubChem : Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29 · European Food Safety Authority; EFSA Journal 10(6): 2736 (2012). Available from, as of Jan 31, 2014: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2736.pdf; USP; Taurine Material Safety Data Sheet, United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc. Available from, as of Jan 30, 2014: https://www.usp.org/pdf/EN/referenceStandards/msds/1643361.pdf.

Licence.

Stability

  • Stable under recommended storage conditions.

  • Taurine (three batches, stored in polyethylene sealed bags) was demonstrated to have a shelf-life of 36 months at 25 geg C. Shelf-life was measured under accelerated conditions at 40 °C and no loss was observed for six months (three batches).

PubChem : Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29 · Sigma-Aldrich; Material Safety Data Sheet for Taurine, Product Number: T0625, Version 5.3 (Revision Date 6/13/2014). Available from, as of August 20, 2014: https://www.sigmaaldrich.com/safety-center.html; European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); EFSA Journal 10 (6): 2736 (2012). Available from, as of August 19, 2014: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2736.pdf.

Licence.

Taste described

  • Slightly acidic taste

PubChem : Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB) · 2026-10-29 · European Food Safety Authority; EFSA Journal 10(6): 2736 (2012). Available from, as of Jan 31, 2014: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/doc/2736.pdf.

Licence.

Associated research

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

Searched on 1 November 2026.

Other names: Taurin (German), Taurina (Spanish), Taurina (Italian), taurina (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: TAURINE.

In plain words

À quoi il sert, selon les fabricants

Objectifs les plus souvent annoncés pour les compléments qui en contiennent (Taurine) : sport (1218 produits), système nerveux (402 produits), concentration (149 produits), humeur (120 produits), immunité (118 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.

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.

Health claims register (European Union): 0 authorised and 11 refused claim(s) for this substance.

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): 34 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): 2817 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: 50 products.

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

Ministry of Health Malaysia / NPRA, Pharmaceutical Products, CC BY 4.0

CC BY 4.0

Taiwan, registered products: 345 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

United States, supplements listed by the USDA: 52 products.

USDA FoodData Central Branded, supplement cohort, retrieved 29 October 2026.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, FoodData Central, Branded Foods. Data published under CC0 1.0 Universal, https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/.

CC0 1.0 Universal, domaine public

Declared daily quantities

Declared daily quantities: Taurine
UnitProductsMedianMinimumMaximum
mg55825015,000

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.

Official reference: intake considered safe 6 g per day (humans; observed level per person, population not detailed in the abstract), EFSA 2012.

Text dated 11 June 2012, checked on 5 November 2026

Official warnings (Health Canada)

TAURINE

Route of administration: Oral

Cautions and warnings

Ask a health care practitioner/health care provider/health care professional/doctor/physician before use if you are pregnant or breastfeeding (Lopez Ramon et al. 2007; Seghieri et al. 2007).

2 studies cited in the text have no matching reference in the monograph (see the anomalies listed on the sources page).

Health Canada monograph dated 30 January 2026

Texts from the monograph of Health Canada, the Canadian authority, reproduced without modification. They do not replace medical advice.

Products