Caffeine
Of 4,289 on-market caffeine products in the January 2026 DSLD dump, the median declared dose is 200 mg, and 100.0% list Caffeine Anhydrous as the primary form.
Form share
Of 4,099 products with an identifiable primary form, here is the share held by each form of Caffeine on the market today.
| Form | Quality tier | n | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caffeine Anhydrous | Tier 1 | 4,099 | 100.0% |
Form share over time
Entry-year breakdown of the top forms, 2012–2025.
Dose distribution
Deciles of declared dose per serving (mg), among 3,042 products with a disclosed amount and UL of 400.
- 4.8% of products fall below the fairy-dust threshold (28 mg, 20% of the studied low dose).
- 26.2% of products don't disclose an amount because Caffeine is declared inside a proprietary blend.
By dosage form
By target group
Top brands
Forms explained
The form used in the overwhelming majority of human PK and exercise-performance RCTs, including the ISSN position stand's underlying evidence base.
Source: Guest NS et al. 2021, J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18(1):1
Pharmacologically the same molecule as anhydrous caffeine, co-occurring with polyphenols/tannins some studies suggest alter absorption kinetics (marketed as "smoother" onset), but no strong independent dose-controlled RCT isolating a clinically meaningful difference was located.
Source: uncertain -- needs review
Well-established in neonatal medicine (apnea of prematurity) as a distinct clinical use-case; in adult supplements it is primarily a solubility/stability choice delivering the same caffeine molecule, with no evidence of a meaningfully different adult efficacy/safety profile per mg of caffeine.
Source: uncertain -- needs review (neonatal citation exists but is a different population, not directly transferable)
Elemental fraction: 75.0% (~75% caffeine / 25% malic acid by molecular weight per manufacturer chemistry -- NOT a mineral elemental fraction, but a caffeine-content correction factor applied the same way (mg dicaffeine malate x 0.75 = mg caffeine))
Marketed as "slow-release"/reduced-jitter with a longer reported half-life (5-6h vs 3-4h standard) and lower peak plasma concentration, but the closest independent data found were 28-day safety studies rather than head-to-head PK/performance RCTs against equal-dose anhydrous caffeine -- the "no-crash" marketing claim is less independently verified than the anhydrous form's evidence base.
Source: PMC4269871, PMC4271588 (28-day safety studies, not head-to-head efficacy)
Reference values
- RDA (adult): not established — Not a DRI nutrient; no RDA/AI exists.
- Tolerable Upper Intake Level (adult): 400 mg — Not an IOM/NASEM UL, but real general safety-limit guidance exists: FDA states ~400mg/day is "not generally associated with negative effects" for most healthy adults. EFSA's 2015 Scientific Opinion (EFSA Journal 13(5):4102) concluded habitual intakes up to 400mg/day, and single doses up to 200mg, do not raise safety concerns for the general healthy adult population (lower ~200mg/day threshold for pregnant women). Treat as consumer/food-safety guidance, not a nutrient UL in the IOM sense.
- Studied clinical dose range: 140–420 mg
- Guest NS et al. 2021 (ISSN position stand), J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18(1):1 -- consistent small-to-moderate ergogenic effects (endurance, strength, power) at 3-6 mg/kg body mass (~210-420mg for a 70kg adult), minimal effective dose possibly as low as 2mg/kg (~140mg), diminishing returns/more side effects at >=9mg/kg.
- Note: Dicaffeine malate is ~75% caffeine / 25% malic acid by molecular weight -- label mg of "dicaffeine malate" is NOT the same as mg of caffeine; the matching pipeline must apply that ratio rather than treating declared mg as pure caffeine.