Regulation
Is NMN legal in US supplements?
Yes. On 29 September 2025 the FDA determined that NMN (β-nicotinamide mononucleotide) is lawful for use in dietary supplements, reversing the position it took in 2022.
What the FDA said in 2022
In 2022 the FDA stated that NMN was "not a dietary supplement" because it had been authorized for investigation as a new drug, with substantial clinical investigations made public. Under the reading the agency applied then, an ingredient had to have been lawfully marketed as a food or supplement before that drug investigation began to stay eligible.2 Some large online retailers stopped selling NMN; after the reversal, the Natural Products Association called on e-commerce platforms to restore NMN products.1
What changed in September 2025
The FDA responded to citizen petitions from the Natural Products Association, the Alliance for Natural Health USA and the Council for Responsible Nutrition.2 It concluded that its earlier "race-to-market" reading was not the best reading of the law, and that what matters is whether the ingredient was marketed in the US as a supplement before the drug investigation, not whether that marketing was itself lawful.2 The agency noted evidence that NMN was sold in the US as a dietary supplement as early as 2017, so it is not excluded from the definition.1,2
What it does not settle
- The decision is about NMN's legal category. It is not an FDA finding about safety, quality or benefit, and supplements are not FDA-approved.2
- Industry groups said the broader rule behind the 2022 position still needs fixing for other ingredients.1,2
- Rules outside the US differ. This page covers US federal status only.
Sources
- Natural Products Association. Amid pressure from NPA, FDA declares NMN lawful in dietary supplements. 29 September 2025.
- Keller and Heckman LLP. FDA determines NMN lawful in dietary supplements. The National Law Review, 30 September 2025.