Zinc appears in supplements as oxide, gluconate, picolinate, citrate and other forms. Absorption rates vary significantly between them, which is why the form on the label matters as much as the dose.
Zinc oxide is the most common form in budget supplements because it is inexpensive. However, bioavailability studies consistently show it absorbs less efficiently than organic zinc forms.
Gelagen uses zinc citrate at 2.7mg (25% DV). Research suggests citrate-form zinc absorbs comparably to zinc gluconate and substantially better than oxide, making it a strong middle-ground between cost and bioavailability.
At 25% DV, this is a supportive dose rather than a therapeutic one. It contributes meaningfully to your daily zinc intake, particularly for wound healing and collagen synthesis, while staying well within safe limits (UL is 40mg for adults).
We could have loaded the formula with a single high-dose mineral, but that would mean removing other important nutrients. Our approach balances 13 nutrients at meaningful doses rather than megadosing one at the expense of others.