Best Magnesium Glycinate UK 2026: Eight Labels Checked, and the Brands to Avoid

Last updated: 3 September 2026. Every price and label fact below was read from the brand's own product page or the retailer listing on 3 September 2026.

Reviewed by Sarah Law, Dip CNM, Naturopathic Nutritionist

Our pick for the UK is Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate: 303 mg of elemental magnesium per 4 capsules from non-buffered magnesium bisglycinate, third-party tested on every batch (302 mg confirmed by the laboratory, lead 0.10 mg/kg against the EU limit of 3.0 mg/kg), 63p a day. Below, eight UK products are checked on the same label facts, followed by the seven things to look for when buying magnesium glycinate, the magnesium glycinate brands to avoid (as patterns, not a hit list), and a calculator you can run on any tub in the cupboard.

Best magnesium glycinate UK 2026: eight products compared on the label

The best magnesium glycinate in the UK on the label arithmetic is Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate: 2,750 mg of magnesium bisglycinate per 4 capsules giving 303 mg of elemental magnesium (11%), no magnesium oxide, batch results published on the product page, 63p a day. Viridian's High Potency Magnesium Bisglycinate is the one other label in this table whose numbers work as pure bisglycinate (1,668 mg giving 200 mg, 12%), at 54p a day for 200 mg. Every other row either declares magnesium oxide, leaves the compound weight off the page, or states a yield that fully reacted bisglycinate cannot reach.

How to read the table: sort by implied yield first, then by price per 100 mg elemental. Implied yield is elemental magnesium divided by the stated compound weight. Fully reacted magnesium bisglycinate (C₄H₈MgN₂O₄, molecular weight 172.42, of which magnesium is 24.305) is 14.1% magnesium by mass ^[1], and the commercial material runs 10-14%. A yield of 18-20% is only possible because magnesium oxide, which is about 60% magnesium by mass, has been blended in. "Not published" means the brand's own page or the retailer listing did not state it on the check date.

Sources: each row was read from the brand's own product page or the retailer listing on 3 September 2026; the source page is stored against each row. Prices are the single-pack, one-time price shown that day and will move. Price per 100 mg counts all elemental magnesium on the label regardless of form, so for buffered products part of what you are paying for is oxide. NRV = nutrient reference value, 375 mg for magnesium.

Three more labels, same arithmetic (checked 3 September 2026). Horbaach Magnesium Glycinate 2250 mg (120 capsules, £10.99): 2,250 mg magnesium bisglycinate giving 450 mg per 3 capsules, a 20% yield; the ingredients panel is an image, so oxide is neither declared nor excluded in the page text; made in the UK, in-house testing statement only. Dr.Vegan Magnesium Glycinate (£12.99): 1,500 mg magnesium bisglycinate giving 300 mg (80% NRV) per 2 capsules, 20%; the ingredients list shows magnesium bisglycinate and the capsule only; "tested and passed by ALS", results not published; capsules per pouch not stated on the page. Futuro Labs Magnesium Glycinate (180 capsules, £19.99, sold through Amazon): 1,500 mg magnesium bisglycinate giving 300 mg (80% NRV), 20%; "third-party tested, every batch checked for purity, potency and heavy metals", results not published; BRC AA manufacturing stated; made in the UK.

A word on implied yield. The figure is arithmetic on the brand's own label and nothing more. Where a label states X mg of elemental magnesium from Y mg of magnesium glycinate and the division comes out above about 14%, either magnesium oxide is present or the label is describing something other than fully reacted magnesium bisglycinate. The label does not say which, and we do not guess. Viridian says the same thing on its own product page: the most elemental magnesium that fully reacted bisglycinate can deliver in one capsule is about 100 mg. Any brand named here can send us a specification sheet and we will update the row.

What to look for when buying magnesium glycinate

When buying magnesium glycinate, look for seven things on the label: the elemental magnesium per serving stated, the compound weight stated, an implied yield of 14% or less, no magnesium oxide or "buffered" in the ingredients, batch results you can read, a per-capsule dose that adds up, and a price per 100 mg of elemental magnesium you have calculated yourself. That list is also the answer to how to choose magnesium glycinate in a shop and to what to look for in a magnesium glycinate supplement bought online: the best quality magnesium glycinate is the one whose label passes all seven. Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate passes all seven: 303 mg elemental from 2,750 mg of bisglycinate (11%), no oxide, batch L1026118 published on the product page, 20.9p per 100 mg. Here is what each check means and how to run it in the shop.

1. Elemental magnesium per serving, stated in milligrams. This is the only number that matters for dose. "Magnesium glycinate 2,000 mg" on the front is a compound weight; the elemental figure on the back is what your body counts. If the back panel only repeats the compound weight, put it down.
2. Compound weight, stated alongside it. A high-quality magnesium glycinate label gives both numbers on one panel so you can do the division. Solgar's glycinate capsules give the elemental figure without the compound weight, which leaves the yield uncomputable; that is a "not published" in the table, not a fail, but it means you cannot check the material.
3. An implied yield of 14% or less. Divide elemental by compound. Fully reacted magnesium bisglycinate cannot exceed 14.1% ^[1]. Love Life Supplements comes out at 11%, Viridian at 12%. A result of 18-21% means oxide or another salt is in the capsule, declared or not.
4. No magnesium oxide, "buffered" or "complex" in the ingredients. Buffered bisglycinate is bisglycinate plus oxide; VitaBright and Holland & Barrett both declare it plainly, which is the right way to sell it. Is buffered magnesium glycinate better? It is cheaper per milligram and gives a bigger elemental number per capsule; the trade is that part of the magnesium is oxide, the form with the lowest measured bioavailability in the comparisons below ^[4][5][6]. The best magnesium glycinate without fillers is simply one whose ingredients list ends after the bisglycinate and the capsule.
5. Batch results you can read, not a "tested" badge. Third-party tested magnesium glycinate (or "3rd party tested", as most labels put it) should come with the numbers: elemental content measured, heavy metals against a limit, microbiology. Love Life Supplements publishes the current batch on the product page (elemental 302 mg per serving; lead 0.10 mg/kg against the EU limit of 3.0; cadmium, mercury and arsenic pass; nickel 0.21 mg/kg, no EU limit; Salmonella not detected; E. coli, yeasts and moulds pass) and the Certificate of Analysis is downloadable. How the testing works is on how we test and verify magnesium glycinate purity.
6. A per-capsule dose that adds up. In practice a capsule holds about 700-850 mg of bisglycinate powder: ours carry 690 mg each (2,750 mg across 4 capsules), Viridian's 834 mg each, which is why Viridian states on its own page that 100 mg of elemental magnesium is the most that fits in one capsule. So 300 mg elemental from fully reacted bisglycinate needs three or four capsules, which is why our serving is 4 capsules. One capsule claiming 300 mg elemental from bisglycinate is not describing fully reacted bisglycinate. Capsules or powder is a separate choice; see magnesium glycinate capsules vs powder.
7. Price per 100 mg of elemental magnesium, worked out by you. Price per pack divided by servings, divided by elemental per serving, times 100. Love Life Supplements is 20.9p and Viridian, the other pure bisglycinate, is 26.8p. The three cheapest rows in the table are 4-7p per 100 mg, and all three are 20-21% material; Holland & Barrett's declared-oxide capsule is 25.2p, so oxide does not always mean cheap for the buyer. The label calculator below does the sum for you.

"The single most useful habit when buying magnesium is to ignore the big number on the front and read the elemental figure on the back. That, plus proof of third-party testing, tells you more about quality than any marketing claim on the label."

Sarah Law, Naturopathic Nutritionist & Functional Practitioner | Optimised Female

Magnesium glycinate brands to avoid (the four patterns)

The magnesium glycinate brands to avoid are not a list of names but four label patterns: a buffered blend sold under the glycinate name, an elemental figure with no compound weight (or the reverse), a multi-form blend whose arithmetic cannot work, and a "tested" claim with nothing published. A brand can fall into one pattern on one product and be clean on the next, so check the tub, not the logo. Are all magnesium glycinate supplements the same? No: of the eight labels in the table, two are fully reacted bisglycinate, three are declared oxide blends, two are undeclared 20% material and one cannot be checked. Does the brand of magnesium glycinate matter? Less than the label does.

If you want the longer version of the checklist, with the manufacturing questions to ask a brand, it is on the how and why of magnesium bisglycinate: your ultimate checklist.

Is magnesium bisglycinate the same as magnesium glycinate?

Yes. Magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium glycinate are two names for the same compound: one magnesium bound to two glycine molecules, formula C₄H₈MgN₂O₄, molecular weight 172.42 ^[1]. "Bis" just counts the two glycines; "magnesium diglycinate" in the older research papers is the same molecule again ^[4]. The wording to watch is "buffered magnesium bisglycinate", which means magnesium oxide has been added, and "magnesium glycinate complex", which is a blend of forms. Love Life Supplements prints Magnesium Glycinate (Bisglycinate) on the tub and states the compound weight, 2,750 mg, and the elemental figure, 303 mg, on the same panel, so the yield (11%) is checkable without a calculator. If you searched for the best magnesium bisglycinate, it is the same question under the other name, and the table above is the answer.

What magnesium glycinate does: the authorised claims

In Great Britain, magnesium may carry ten authorised health claims and no others ^[3]. Magnesium contributes to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue, to electrolyte balance, to normal energy-yielding metabolism, to normal functioning of the nervous system, to normal muscle function, to normal protein synthesis, to normal psychological function, to the maintenance of normal bones and to the maintenance of normal teeth, and it has a role in the process of cell division. A product may only make those claims if a serving supplies at least 15% of the 375 mg nutrient reference value; Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate supplies 81% (303 mg per 4 capsules).

Why people take it. Many people take magnesium glycinate in the evening, and sleep, stress and muscle cramps are the reasons customers most often give us for choosing it. What magnesium is authorised to say is that it contributes to normal psychological function, to normal functioning of the nervous system and to normal muscle function. The glycinate form is chosen over oxide for tolerance and absorption: in the ileal-resection comparison, magnesium diglycinate was better absorbed than magnesium oxide ^[4]; in a survey of commercial preparations, oxide had the lowest fractional absorption ^[5]; and in a 60-day randomised trial, oxide was the least bioavailable of the three forms tested, with citrate highest and an amino-acid chelate between the two ^[6]. The full absorption evidence, including where citrate wins, is on magnesium glycinate vs citrate vs oxide. What magnesium does in the body at the cellular level is reviewed in de Baaij and colleagues ^[7].

How much magnesium glycinate per day in the UK?

The NHS puts the daily requirement at 300 mg of magnesium a day for men and 270 mg a day for women aged 19 to 64, and says that having 400 mg or less a day of magnesium from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm, while taking more than 400 mg for a short time can cause diarrhoea ^[2]. Those figures are elemental magnesium: 400 mg of magnesium glycinate compound contains about 56 mg of magnesium, so read the elemental line. Four capsules of Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate supply 303 mg elemental, 81% of the nutrient reference value, taken together or split across the day. Dosing by goal, timing and a week-by-week build-up are on how much magnesium glycinate per day; morning or evening is covered on should I take magnesium glycinate in the morning or at night. If you have kidney disease or take medicines that interact with magnesium, read who should not take magnesium before you start.

Where to buy magnesium glycinate in the UK

Magnesium glycinate is sold in the UK by Holland & Barrett, Boots, Amazon and brands' own websites, and the same label test applies on every shelf, because the number in the product name is almost always the compound weight. Holland & Barrett's own-label Magnesium Bisglycinate 375 mg gives 85 mg of elemental magnesium per capsule from 375 mg of bisglycinate and 95 mg of magnesium oxide (its own listing, 3 September 2026), so "375" is the compound weight and the 90-capsule pack is 90 days at 85 mg, not 90 days at 300 mg. Boots lists VitaBright's buffered glycinate (300 mg from 1,500 mg, oxide declared), New Leaf's glycinate lines and its own-label Magnesium Bisglycinate 665 mg capsules; on that last one 665 mg is again a compound figure, so find the elemental line on the pack before you compare. On Amazon the search results reward the biggest number in the title, which is why "2000 mg" and "2250 mg" products lead the page while the elemental figure and the ingredients list sit further down.

Buying direct from Love Life Supplements. Magnesium Glycinate is £37.95 for 240 capsules, 60 days at 4 a day, 63p a day. On subscription the first delivery is 10% off (£34.16, 57p a day) and every delivery after that is 15% off for life (£32.26, 54p a day), with free UK delivery on subscription orders and the option to pause, skip or cancel at any time. Every order is covered by the 60-day money-back guarantee: if you are not completely happy with your purchase, return the order within 60 days of receipt and we refund it in full. If you want seven forms of magnesium rather than one, Magnesium Seven is the sister product. Live price and stock are on the product page; the free magnesium plan tool on this page builds a dose and timing plan around whichever you choose.

Check your own label

Two numbers from the nutrition panel are enough: the magnesium glycinate (or bisglycinate) weight per serving and the elemental magnesium per serving. The calculator returns the implied yield and a plain reading against the 14.1% ceiling for fully reacted bisglycinate. Add the pack price and the number of servings and it also gives price per 100 mg of elemental magnesium and price per day at 300 mg, the two figures used in the table.

No script? The sum by hand: elemental divided by compound, times 100. 14.1% or under is consistent with fully reacted magnesium bisglycinate; 18-20% means oxide or another magnesium salt is present. Price per 100 mg: pack price divided by servings, divided by elemental per serving, times 100.

FAQ

What is the best magnesium glycinate in the UK?

On the label arithmetic, Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate: 303 mg of elemental magnesium per 4 capsules from 2,750 mg of non-buffered magnesium bisglycinate (an 11% yield), no magnesium oxide, third-party tested on every batch with the results published on the product page, 240 capsules for £37.95, about 63p a day. Of the eight UK labels checked on 3 September 2026, it is the only one that both adds up as pure bisglycinate and publishes batch results you can read.

Which brand of magnesium glycinate is best?

The brand whose label passes seven checks: elemental magnesium stated, compound weight stated, an implied yield of 14% or less, no magnesium oxide or "buffered" in the ingredients, batch results you can read, a per-capsule dose that adds up, and a price per 100 mg elemental you have worked out yourself. Love Life Supplements passes all seven; Viridian's High Potency Magnesium Bisglycinate also adds up as pure bisglycinate (200 mg from 1,668 mg, 12%) but does not publish batch results. Which magnesium glycinate is best for you then comes down to dose per capsule, price per 100 mg and whether you want the batch numbers in front of you.

Which magnesium glycinate brands should I avoid?

Avoid labels, not logos: a buffered blend sold under the glycinate name, an elemental figure with no compound weight (or the reverse), a multi-form blend whose arithmetic cannot work, and a "tested" claim with nothing published. Fully reacted magnesium bisglycinate is 14.1% magnesium by mass, so any label showing 18-20% elemental from its stated bisglycinate weight contains magnesium oxide whether or not it says so. The four patterns, with examples from the table, are above.

Is magnesium bisglycinate the same as magnesium glycinate?

Yes. Magnesium bisglycinate and magnesium glycinate are two names for the same compound: one magnesium bound to two glycine molecules, formula C₄H₈MgN₂O₄, molecular weight 172.42. The wording to watch is "buffered magnesium bisglycinate", which means magnesium oxide has been added, and "magnesium glycinate complex", which is a blend of forms.

Is 400 mg of magnesium glycinate too much?

The NHS says that 400 mg or less a day of magnesium from supplements is unlikely to cause any harm, and that taking more than 400 mg for a short time can cause diarrhoea ^[2]. The figure is elemental magnesium, not compound weight: 400 mg of magnesium glycinate compound contains about 56 mg of magnesium. Four capsules of Love Life Supplements Magnesium Glycinate supply 303 mg elemental, inside that ceiling; the dosage page covers how much magnesium glycinate per day by goal.

Where can I buy magnesium glycinate in the UK?

Holland & Barrett, Boots, Amazon and brands' own websites all sell magnesium glycinate in the UK; apply the same label test on every shelf, because the number in the product name is usually the compound weight. Buying direct from Love Life Supplements costs £37.95 for 240 capsules (60 days at 4 a day), or 10% off the first subscription delivery and 15% off for life after that, with a 60-day money-back guarantee.

References

1. PubChem. Magnesium glycinate (magnesium bis(2-aminoacetate)), CID 84645: C₄H₈MgN₂O₄, molecular weight 172.42. National Library of Medicine. PubChem
2. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: others (magnesium). NHS
3. Department of Health and Social Care. Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register. GOV.UK
4. Schuette SA, Lashner BA, Janghorbani M. Bioavailability of magnesium diglycinate vs magnesium oxide in patients with ileal resection. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr. 1994. PubMed
5. Firoz M, Graber M. Bioavailability of US commercial magnesium preparations. Magnes Res. 2001. PubMed
6. Walker AF, Marakis G, Christie S, Byng M. Mg citrate found more bioavailable than other Mg preparations in a randomised, double-blind study. Magnes Res. 2003. PubMed
7. de Baaij JHF, Hoenderop JGJ, Bindels RJM. Magnesium in man: implications for health and disease. Physiol Rev. 2015. PubMed
8. Lindberg JS, Zobitz MM, Poindexter JR, Pak CY. Magnesium bioavailability from magnesium citrate and magnesium oxide. J Am Coll Nutr. 1990. PubMed

References verified 3 September 2026.

The sleep and calm specialist: Magnesium Glycinate, fully reacted bisglycinate, 303 mg elemental magnesium per serving, UK-made and third-party tested.

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About the Reviewer: Sarah Law, Dip CNM

Sarah Law is a Certified Naturopathic Nutritionist and Functional Practitioner specialising in hormonal health, gut health, and evidence-based nutrition. She holds a Diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition from the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM, London) and is a Certified Functional Health Coach. Sarah combines naturopathic principles with modern functional nutrition science to help her clients make informed health decisions.

Learn more about Sarah.

About the Author: Ben Law

Ben Law is the founder of Love Life Supplements and host of the Optimised Health Show. He is a self-confessed health, fitness and primal living fanatic and a qualified Advanced Dietary Supplement Advisor and Primal Blueprint Certified Expert. Over the last decade, Ben has helped thousands of UK customers optimise performance and recovery with transparent, research-led formulations manufactured to UK GMP and BRC standards.

Learn more about Ben.