The paradox of the joint health aisle comes down to one word: “joints”. It does not appear in any of the authorized health claims that brands use on this segment. And the aisle's best-selling ingredients, glucosamine (alone or with chondroitin) and hydrolyzed collagen, received a negative opinion from EFSA on the maintenance of joints.
In Europe, a joint health food supplement can only display health claims entered in the EU register, and the ones that serve this aisle relate to vitamins and minerals. Vitamin C for the collagen of cartilage and bones, manganese and copper for connective tissue, vitamin D, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium or zinc for bones. The strategy that holds up: a claimed nutrient at a sufficient dose, and a functional ingredient that carries your formula's differentiation.
Why glucosamine, chondroitin and collagen have no claim
It all starts with Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Its principle: a health claim is prohibited unless it has been assessed by EFSA and then authorized. The so-called “general function” claims, provided for in Article 13(1), were grouped in a list adopted by Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 of 16 May 2012. It is this list, updated since, that you consult in the EU register of claims.
The historical joint ingredients went through this assessment. In 2009, EFSA concluded that no cause and effect relationship had been established between glucosamine, alone or combined with chondroitin, and the maintenance of joints (EFSA, 2009). Same conclusion in 2011 for hydrolyzed collagen (EFSA, 2011). Eggshell membrane, whichever one, has no authorized claim either.
These opinions do not say these ingredients are inactive: they judge the dossier insufficient for a claim aimed at consumers. For your label, the consequence is the same: the star ingredient cannot promise anything.
Which authorized health claims for a joint health food supplement?
The claims useful in joint health concern the collagen of cartilage, connective tissue, bones and muscles. Each applies to a specific nutrient, never to the formula as a whole.
| Authorized claim (wording to be used verbatim) | Nutrient | Condition of use | 15% NRV threshold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of cartilage (also exists for bones) | Vitamin C | At least a source of vitamin C | 12 mg (NRV: 80 mg) |
| Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue; manganese contributes to the maintenance of normal bones | Manganese | At least a source of manganese | 0.3 mg (NRV: 2 mg) |
| Copper contributes to maintenance of normal connective tissues | Copper | At least a source of copper | 0.15 mg (NRV: 1 mg) |
| Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones; vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function | Vitamin D | At least a source of vitamin D | 0.75 µg (NRV: 5 µg) |
| Vitamin K contributes to the maintenance of normal bones | Vitamin K | At least a source of vitamin K | 11.25 µg (NRV: 75 µg) |
| Calcium is needed for the maintenance of normal bones; calcium contributes to normal muscle function | Calcium | At least a source of calcium | 120 mg (NRV: 800 mg) |
| Magnesium contributes to the maintenance of normal bones; magnesium contributes to normal muscle function | Magnesium | At least a source of magnesium | 56.25 mg (NRV: 375 mg) |
| Zinc contributes to the maintenance of normal bones | Zinc | At least a source of zinc | 1.5 mg (NRV: 10 mg) |
The wordings above are taken from Regulation (EU) No 432/2012. Always check the exact wording and its conditions in the EU register before printing: the list evolves, and a misplaced comma can change the meaning of a claim.
The condition of use, in practice
For all these claims, the condition is the same: the product must be at least a “source of” that nutrient, within the meaning of the Annex to Regulation 1924/2006. That Annex refers to the significant amount, now defined in Annex XIII of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011: as a general rule, 15% of the nutrient reference values (NRVs) per 100 g, or per portion if the package contains only a single portion.
For a food supplement, common practice is to reason on the recommended daily dose, since Directive 2002/46/EC requires nutrient amounts to be declared per daily portion (Article 8). Hence the thresholds in the last column, to be validated by your regulatory department.
What is prohibited, even in small print
The labeling, presentation and advertising of a supplement may not attribute to it properties for preventing, treating or curing a human disease, or refer to such properties (Directive 2002/46/EC, Article 6). The practical guidance sheet from France's DGCCRF puts it bluntly: all claims that suggest such properties are prohibited.
In practice, this rules out:
- therapeutic verbs: “relieves joint pain”, “repairs cartilage”, “reduces inflammation”, “prevents wear”;
- disease names associated with the product, such as osteoarthritis or arthritis, including in a visual or a range name;
- rewordings “in the spirit of” an authorized claim, such as “for supple joints”;
- effect transfer: presenting the vitamin C claim as if it applied to eggshell membrane, to collagen or to the formula as a whole.
More subtle: Article 10(3) of Regulation 1924/2006 only allows a reference to a general benefit if it is accompanied by a specific authorized claim. A range name or a pictogram evoking joints is read through this filter.
What about botanicals? The case of “on hold” claims
Many joint formulas combine botanicals. Yet the assessment of claims on botanical substances has never been completed: the EU register classifies them among the claims for which EFSA's assessment or the Commission's review have not been finalized, and does not list them.
The DGCCRF indicates that these on-hold claims may be used under the responsibility of food business operators, while specifying that “on hold” status does not necessarily mean a claim can be used. The Court of Justice of the European Union tightened the framework on 30 April 2025 (Case C-386/23): advertising using health claims on botanical substances is currently prohibited, unless those claims fall under a transitional regime provided for by the 2006 Regulation (CJEU, Press Release No 57/25).
Frankly, we advise against building the main message of a joint health pack on an on-hold botanical claim. If your formula contains a botanical, keep it for the composition and the story, and have its status analyzed case by case with a specialist.
Pack, website, technical data sheet: where is the line?
What cannot go on the box, can it be said to pharmacists? The Regulation applies to commercial communications concerning foods intended for the final consumer. In 2016, the Court of Justice ruled that a commercial communication addressed exclusively to health professionals falls within this scope, in particular because those professionals may pass the information on to consumers (CJEU, 14 July 2016, C-19/15).
Its recital 4, on the other hand, excludes non-commercial communications and scientific publications. In between, everything depends on the actual use of the document. Our line at Circul'Egg:
- On pack and in consumer communication: only authorized claims, in their exact wording, attached to the right nutrient.
- In an exchange between supplier and formulator: scientific data presented factually, with the population, the dose, the duration, the type of ingredient tested and the study reference, without turning them into a ready-to-print promise.
For example, it is factual to tell a formulator that a 2024 meta-analysis identified seven randomized placebo-controlled trials on eggshell membrane in people with knee osteoarthritis, and concluded to an improvement in the total WOMAC score (García-Muñoz et al., 2024). Putting that sentence on a pack, on the other hand, would be an unauthorized claim.
Building a formula that carries a claim and a difference
The two logics coexist very well in a single capsule. The claim comes from a nutrient dosed at no less than 15% of the NRV per daily dose, the differentiation from a functional ingredient you can document for your buyers.
An example of a joint health base: 300 mg of Reggenerate®, native eggshell membrane, combined with at least 12 mg of vitamin C and 0.3 mg of manganese. It all fits in one capsule, which can display the vitamin C claim on cartilage and the manganese claim on connective tissue. The membrane appears in the ingredient list, with no claim of its own.
Eggshell membrane lends itself well to the exercise: it naturally contains, within a single matrix, collagen (types I, V and X), elastin, hyaluronic acid, glucosamine and chondroitin. At Circul'Egg, we keep it native, non-hydrolyzed, thanks to a 100% mechanical, solvent-free process, and we recommend it at 300 mg per day. That is the dose from a trial run on another minimally processed native membrane, in 150 participants over 12 weeks: primary endpoint no different from placebo, but KOOS pain and activities of daily living scores improved from the first week (Kiers and Bult, 2020). That trial was not conducted on Reggenerate®, and its result remains data for professionals, not a consumer message.
A few writing rules we recommend to our clients:
- always name the nutrient in the claim: “Vitamin C contributes to...”, never “Our formula contributes to...”;
- avoid taglines that merge ingredient and claim, such as “eggshell membrane and vitamin C for your cartilage”;
- do not add glucosamine at a token dose: it brings no claim and looks underdosed next to the studies;
- declare the egg allergen, as for any formula containing eggshell membrane.
Let's be honest: in my view, a sober and accurate label serves a brand better than an ambitious label that will have to be redone after an inspection. The claim reassures, the ingredient differentiates, and each must stay in its place. To compare joint ingredients, our comparison of joint supplement ingredients details doses and evidence. To start from a formula that is already built, see our ready-to-market range.
This overview is a working basis, not legal advice: every pack deserves a regulatory review in its country of sale.
Frequently asked questions
Can you write “joints” on a food supplement?
The word is not prohibited as such, but a general reference to a benefit must be accompanied by a specific authorized claim, under Article 10(3) of Regulation 1924/2006. Never with a therapeutic verb or a disease name. Have the precise use validated, especially in a product name.
Does eggshell membrane have an authorized health claim?
No. No eggshell membrane has an authorized claim in Europe. Brands therefore pair it with a claimed nutrient, such as vitamin C or manganese, and present the membrane as an ingredient of the formula.
How much vitamin C is needed to display the cartilage claim?
The product must be at least a source of vitamin C, which as a general rule means 15% of the 80 mg NRV, so 12 mg. For a supplement, it is common to reason on the daily dose. Check the calculation and the exact wording in the register before printing.