Guide
CoQ10 without fillers: reading the other ingredients
How to read a CoQ10 label's other ingredients, line by line for ours, with the trade-off of an oil-free capsule stated.
Yes, a CoQ10 capsule can be made without gelatin, soy, oils or additives. The way to know is the Other Ingredients line. Ours lists two items, rice flour and hypromellose (a vegetable capsule), and the supplier lists it as vegetarian and vegan friendly. We make no organic or non-GMO claim.
What "other ingredients" are for
Other ingredients are everything on the label that is not the supplement itself. In a CoQ10 product they are typically the capsule shell, a carrier or filler that makes the powder fill a capsule, and, in softgels, an oil. CoQ10 is fat-soluble, so many products suspend it in oil, and the one formulation trial we cite found a soybean-oil softgel absorbed best of four at 100 mg in 10 healthy adults (Weis 1994). The ingredients are not "bad", and the oil may be doing a job. What you can do is check that the label tells you what is there, and decide whether it matters to you.
Our label, line by line
| Question | Electric Tiger CoQ10 200 mg |
|---|---|
| Active | Coenzyme Q-10 (ubiquinone), 200 mg per capsule; Daily Value not established |
| Other ingredients | Rice flour, hypromellose (vegetable capsule) |
| Gelatin | Not listed; the capsule is hypromellose |
| Oil (soy, sunflower, palm, MCT, seed oils) | None listed |
| Soy, vitamin E, PQQ, polysorbate 80, sulfites, sorbitol | None listed |
| Supplier badges | Vegetarian, vegan friendly, gluten-free, lactose-free, corn-free |
| Not claimed | Organic, non-GMO |
Two cautions. First, the Supplement Facts panel prints no "Contains" line, so if you have an allergy, ask us or the supplier before relying on the absence of a listed ingredient. Second, "none listed" is a statement about the label, not a test result. The trade-off of an oil-free capsule is the one above: we have no absorption data on this powder capsule. Electric Tiger CoQ10 200 mg is one capsule a day, as low as $16.31 a bottle on subscription, and we make no benefit claim for it.
Questions people ask
Is CoQ10 vegetarian or vegan?
It depends on the product, not the molecule. The shell matters (gelatin is animal-derived; hypromellose is plant-derived) and so do the other ingredients. Ours uses a hypromellose capsule with rice flour, and the supplier lists vegetarian and vegan friendly for it. Check any other brand's capsule and Other Ingredients.
Is there a vegan or vegetarian CoQ10 capsule without gelatin?
Yes, ours is one, as above. A capsule labelled "vegetarian capsule" or hypromellose is not gelatin; a softgel often is, unless the label names a plant-based shell.
Is there organic, clean or non-GMO CoQ10?
We don't claim organic or non-GMO for ours, and the supplier does not list a non-GMO badge for it. "Clean" has no fixed meaning; what you can check is the Other Ingredients line and whether a certificate backs the claim.
CoQ10 without soy, seed oil, vitamin E, additives or fillers?
Our label lists none of soy, oil or vitamin E, and the only non-active ingredients are rice flour and the capsule. Rice flour is the filler in our capsule. Where a label says "no fillers", check whether the capsule itself counts.
Should I take CoQ10 with or without food?
We found no human trial comparing the two, so we can't say either is better. Our supplier's directions are one capsule once a day, 20 to 30 minutes before a meal, or as your healthcare professional directs. See the best time to take CoQ10.
What else should I check before buying?
The form, the milligrams, the dose against the trials, the price per serving and any testing. How to choose a CoQ10 goes through each, and CoQ10 forms compared covers ubiquinone and ubiquinol.
Sources
- Bioavailability of four oral coenzyme Q10 formulations in healthy volunteers In 10 healthy adults, 100 mg CoQ10 in a soybean-oil softgel was absorbed best of four formulations; a powder capsule was one comparator.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
