Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Of 14,303 on-market vitamin b12 (cobalamin) products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 33 mcg, and 67.1% list Cyanocobalamin as the primary form.
Form share
Of 13,939 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) on the market today.
| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cyanocobalamin | Tier 1 | 9,351 | 67.1% |
| Methylcobalamin | Tier 1 | 4,567 | 32.8% |
| Adenosylcobalamin | Tier 1 | 21 | 0.2% |
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (mcg), among 13,716 products with a disclosed amount, against the RDA of 2.4.
- 0.9% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (0.5 mcg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 0.5% of products don't disclose an amount because Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) is declared inside a proprietary blend.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
| Brand | Products |
|---|---|
| Douglas Laboratories | 292 |
| DC | 193 |
| Centrum | 185 |
| Cellucor | 174 |
| Nature Made | 151 |
| Wonder Laboratories | 149 |
| Nature's Way | 142 |
| Source Naturals | 135 |
| MegaFood | 125 |
| Emergen-C | 121 |
| Life Extension | 119 |
| The Vitamin Shoppe | 110 |
| NOW | 105 |
| Metagenics | 103 |
| Pure Encapsulations | 101 |
| Solgar | 100 |
| New Chapter | 98 |
| Country Life | 97 |
| Puritan's Pride | 94 |
| Higher Nature | 94 |
| Vitamin World | 92 |
| XYMOGEN | 90 |
| Bayer One A Day | 89 |
| Bluebonnet | 88 |
| GNC Mega Men | 85 |
Forms explained
Most extensively clinically studied form (basis of the pivotal dose-finding trial and most deficiency-treatment literature); a 2015 review found no evidence that the "coenzyme" forms are actually superior for preventing/treating deficiency.
Source: Eussen SJ et al. 2005, Arch Intern Med 165(10):1167-1172, PMID 15911731; Obeid R et al. 2015, Mol Nutr Food Res 59(7):1364-1372, PMID 25820384
One of the two naturally active intracellular coenzyme forms, but per the same 2015 review there is no strong evidence it is clinically superior to cyanocobalamin for correcting deficiency. A commonly repeated "3x greater tissue retention" marketing claim (attributed to a 2015 journal study) could NOT be traced to any real paper -- treat as unverifiable/likely fabricated, not fact.
Source: Obeid R et al. 2015, PMID 25820384
The other naturally occurring coenzyme form, same rationale as methylcobalamin -- a genuine coenzyme form but not shown superior to cyanocobalamin for standard deficiency correction. "Dibencozide" is simply a synonym/brand name for this same molecule.
Source: Obeid R et al. 2015, PMID 25820384
Reference values
- RDA (adult): 2.4 mcg
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): not established — Confirmed not established -- low potential for toxicity; the body does not store meaningful excess, and no adverse effects have been associated with high B12 intake from food or supplements in healthy individuals, including in high-dose intervention trials.
- Studied clinical dose range: 2.5–1000 mcg
- Eussen SJ et al. 2005, Arch Intern Med 165(10):1167-1172, PMID 15911731 -- dose- finding RCT testing 2.5/100/250/500/1000mcg/day oral cyanocobalamin x16wk in B12-deficient older adults; 500 and 1000mcg/day arms reduced plasma methylmalonic acid ~33%, demonstrating oral high-dose repletion works via passive diffusion independent of intrinsic factor.
- Note: A widely-repeated marketing claim that methylcobalamin has "3x greater tissue retention" than cyanocobalamin, attributed to a "2015 Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" study, could not be traced to any real paper -- treat as unverifiable/ likely-fabricated marketing content, not fact. See forms.yaml.