Beverly asked
I am wondering if Benadryl is vegan?
At a glance
- Many ingredients used in drug products are sourced from animals (e.g. gelatin).
- Benadryl ULTRATABS do not contain any ingredients derived from animals but it is notlabeled as vegan by Johnson & Johnson due to the possibility of exposure during manufacture.
- Benadryl Liqui-Gels contain gelatin, an animal-derived ingredient.
Answer
No Benadryl product is labeled as 'vegan' by Johnson & Johnson as they have not undergone testing to confirm this classification.
Even Benadryl (diphenhydramine) products that don't contain any ingredient derived from animals, such as Benadryl ULTRATABS, aren't classified as vegan by Johnson & Johnson since they haven't undergone testing to confirm this classification (as described in more detail in the next section).
Nevertheless, if you need to take Benadryl and are looking to avoid a product that contains no animal-derived ingredients, you should go with Benadryl Ultratabs.
Other Benadryl products, such as Benadryl Liqui-Gels, contain gelatin, which is derived from animals.
Animal Ingredients In Benadryl
For Adults, Benadryl is available in the following dosage forms:
- Benadryl ULTRATABS
- Benadryl LIQUI-GELS
Benadryl LIQUI-GELS contain gelatin, which is derived from the collagen of animals. It is therefore not vegan.
Benadryl ULTRATABS do not contain any ingredients derived from animals. The ingredient list is as follows:
- Carnauba wax
- Croscarmellose sodium
- D&C red no. 27 aluminum lake
- Dibasic calcium phosphate
- Hypromellose
- Magnesium stearate
- Microcrystalline cellulose
- Polyethylene glycol
- Polysorbate 80
- Titanium dioxide
While Benadryl ULTRATABS do not contain any animal ingredients, it is not listed as vegan by Johnson & Johnson, unfortunately.
We reached out to Johnson & Johnson regarding this, and they responded as follows:
"We appreciate the time you took to inquire about our Benadryl® Ultratab. This product was not made with animal by-products or ingredients, however, the last test on these products to ensure it is vegan was not completed." - Johnson & Johnson Communication October 29, 2018
Based on the company response, there doesn't appear to be any intention of having animal-derived ingredients in Benadryl ULTRATABS. Nevertheless, it is not certified vegan, possibly due to the small chance of exposure during the manufacturing process.
Animal Ingredients In Drugs
A good way to determine whether or not a drug product contains animal-sourced ingredients is to simply check the ingredient list. Common ingredients that are derived from animals include:
- Bee pollen
- Beeswax
- Calcium (e.g. from oyster shell, bone meal. There are plant-based calcium ingredients available)
- Chondroitin (e.g. from shark cartilage and bovine cartilage)
- Gelatin (most gelatin is derived from connective tissue. There are plant-based gelatin ingredients available)
- Glucosamine (there are both animal and non-animal products available)
- Heme iron (there are both animal and non-animal products available)
- Lanolin (derived from wool)
- Vitamin D (there are both animal and non-animal products available. Most vitamin D3 products are derived from animals
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids (There are both animal and non-animal products available)
Note that many of the ingredients above (e.g. gelatin, vitamin D) can be from either an animal or plant source.
If there is any ambiguity on the source of a particular ingredient, your best option is to call the manufacturer of the product you are looking at purchasing for additional information.
References
- Vitamin D. NIH
- BENADRYL® Allergy ULTRATAB® Tablets. Benadryl.com
- Personal Communication With Johnson & Johnson October 29, 2018.
