Cheap Form Index

The Cheap Form Index ranks compounds by how often their primary form is a low-bioavailability (tier-3) salt or extract. Curcumin (Curcuminoids) ranks #1 at 98.1%.

Annual snapshot archive: 2026

Embed this chart

Free to embed on your site or article — attribution and a link back are built into the frame.

<iframe src="https://supplementlabelindex.com/embed/reports/cheap-form-index/" title="Share of products whose primary form is a tier-3 (low-bioavailability) form" width="100%" height="388" style="border:0;max-width:720px" loading="lazy"></iframe>

Rank	Compound	% tier-3 (primary form)	YoY change	n
1	Curcumin (Curcuminoids)	98.1%	-4.8 pts	2,082
2	Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)	49.6%	-14 pts	2,228
3	Magnesium	27.0%	-4.5 pts	14,666
4	Iodine	22.9%	-3 pts	7,240
5	Zinc	19.8%	+0.2 pts	13,396
6	Chromium	9.0%	-0.8 pts	8,104
7	Copper	7.2%	-5.8 pts	6,796
8	Creatine	6.3%	+1.7 pts	1,961
9	Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA + DHA)	1.7%	+0.6 pts	4,572
10	Alpha-Lipoic Acid	0.0%	0 pts	3,022
11	Astaxanthin	0.0%	0 pts	1,072
12	Berberine	0.0%	0 pts	479
13	Beta-Alanine	0.0%	0 pts	2,559
14	Boron	0.0%	0 pts	4,057
15	Bromelain	0.0%	0 pts	2,972
16	Caffeine	0.0%	0 pts	4,289
17	Calcium	0.0%	0 pts	19,820
18	Chlorella	0.0%	0 pts	1,497
19	Choline	0.0%	0 pts	5,451
20	Chondroitin Sulfate	0.0%	0 pts	1,235
21	Collagen (Hydrolyzed Collagen Peptides)	0.0%	0 pts	1,628
22	Coenzyme Q10	0.0%	0 pts	3,254
23	Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)	0.0%	0 pts	2,271
24	Ginger (Zingiber officinale)	0.0%	0 pts	4,673
25	Glucosamine	0.0%	0 pts	1,723
26	Glycine	0.0%	0 pts	1,579
27	Grape Seed Extract	0.0%	0 pts	2,654
28	Green Tea Extract	0.0%	0 pts	4,713
29	Hyaluronic Acid	0.0%	0 pts	1,104
30	Inositol (myo-Inositol)	0.0%	0 pts	4,405
31	Iron	0.0%	0 pts	8,749
32	L-Arginine	0.0%	0 pts	2,925
33	L-Carnitine	0.0%	0 pts	3,015
34	L-Citrulline	0.0%	0 pts	2,616
35	L-Glutamine	0.0%	0 pts	2,904
36	L-Lysine	0.0%	0 pts	1,896
37	L-Theanine	0.0%	0 pts	1,997
38	L-Tyrosine	0.0%	0 pts	3,420
39	Lutein	0.0%	0 pts	2,498
40	Lycopene	0.0%	0 pts	2,126
41	Manganese	0.0%	0 pts	7,447
42	Melatonin	0.0%	0 pts	1,618
43	Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum)	0.0%	0 pts	2,224
44	Molybdenum	0.0%	0 pts	4,601
45	Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)	0.0%	0 pts	1,747
46	N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)	0.0%	0 pts	1,551
47	Phosphatidylserine	0.0%	0 pts	853
48	Potassium	0.0%	0 pts	12,185
49	Quercetin	0.0%	0 pts	2,238
50	Resveratrol	0.0%	0 pts	1,638
51	Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)	0.0%	0 pts	1,603
52	Selenium	0.0%	0 pts	7,788
53	Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis)	0.0%	0 pts	1,837
54	Taurine	0.0%	0 pts	3,581
55	Vitamin A	0.0%	0 pts	11,422
56	Thiamine (Vitamin B1)	0.0%	0 pts	9,912
57	Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)	0.0%	0 pts	14,303
58	Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)	0.0%	0 pts	9,935
59	Niacin (Vitamin B3)	0.0%	0 pts	12,265
60	Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)	0.0%	0 pts	10,036
61	Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)	0.0%	0 pts	15,354
62	Biotin (Vitamin B7)	0.0%	0 pts	9,522
63	Folate (Vitamin B9)	0.0%	0 pts	11,779
64	Vitamin C	0.0%	0 pts	19,716
65	Vitamin D	0.0%	0 pts	15,046
66	Vitamin E	0.0%	0 pts	11,803
67	Vitamin K	0.0%	0 pts	4,787
68	Zeaxanthin	0.0%	0 pts	1,487

Methodology

For each compound, we determine each on-market product's primary form (the form contributing the largest elemental amount), then compute the share whose primary form is rated quality tier 3 (low-cost/low-bioavailability, per our tier rationale). Year-over-year change compares the two most recent entry-years of on-market products in this dump.