Biotin
What it is · too little · too much · daily reference values by country
For reference only. This is not a diagnosis or a prescription. If you have concerns, talk to a doctor or pharmacist.
What it is
- Biotin acts as a coenzyme for four enzymes essential to mammalian cell metabolism. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- Biotin is a water-soluble B-vitamin which plays an important role in energy and fatty acid metabolism. (European Food Safety Authority)
Getting too little
- Biotin deficiency is said to cause skin disorders, hair disorders, and nervous system disorders. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- Biotin deficiency has rarely been reported to occur naturally in healthy people eating a normal diet, and most cases occur under specific conditions, such as in people with congenital metabolic disorders, patients receiving total parenteral nutrition, or people consuming large amounts of raw egg white. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- Dietary biotin deficiency is rare, but it is characterized by fine scaly dermatitis, hair loss, conjunctivitis, ataxia and delayed child development. (European Food Safety Authority)
Getting too much
- Biotin is water-soluble and most of it is excreted from the body, and the evidence for toxicity is limited. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- No upper intake level has been set, but some recent studies reported some neurological symptoms and lipid buildup in muscle at high doses. (Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare · Korean Nutrition Society)
- EFSA says there are no adequate data to derive a UL. (European Food Safety Authority)
Daily reference values by country
Korea · US · EU — tap to open
These tables are daily reference values for healthy people. Numbers in the text above are a different kind of value, and you cannot diagnose yourself from them. How to read RDA, AI and UL
Korea — 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans (Ministry of Health and Welfare)
| Group | AI |
|---|---|
| 0–5 months | 5 μg |
| 6–11 months | 7 μg |
| 1–2 years | 9 μg |
| 3–5 years | 12 μg |
| Male · 6–8 years | 15 μg |
| Male · 9–11 years | 20 μg |
| Male · 12–14 years | 25 μg |
| Male · 15–18 years | 30 μg |
| Male · 19–29 years | 30 μg |
| Male · 30–49 years | 30 μg |
| Male · 50–64 years | 30 μg |
| Male · 65–74 years | 30 μg |
| Male · 75+ years | 30 μg |
| Female · 6–8 years | 15 μg |
| Female · 9–11 years | 20 μg |
| Female · 12–14 years | 25 μg |
| Female · 15–18 years | 30 μg |
| Female · 19–29 years | 30 μg |
| Female · 30–49 years | 30 μg |
| Female · 50–64 years | 30 μg |
| Female · 65–74 years | 30 μg |
| Female · 75+ years | 30 μg |
| Pregnancy | +0 μg |
| Lactation | +5 μg |
US — NASEM (National Academies)
| Group | AI | UL |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 months | 5 μg | — |
| 7–12 months | 6 μg | — |
| 1–3 years | 8 μg | — |
| 4–8 years | 12 μg | — |
| Male · 9–13 years | 20 μg | — |
| Male · 14–18 years | 25 μg | — |
| Male · 19–30 years | 30 μg | — |
| Male · 31–50 years | 30 μg | — |
| Male · 51–70 years | 30 μg | — |
| Male · 71+ years | 30 μg | — |
| Female · 9–13 years | 20 μg | — |
| Female · 14–18 years | 25 μg | — |
| Female · 19–30 years | 30 μg | — |
| Female · 31–50 years | 30 μg | — |
| Female · 51–70 years | 30 μg | — |
| Female · 71+ years | 30 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 14–18 years | 30 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 19–30 years | 30 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 31–50 years | 30 μg | — |
| Lactation · 14–18 years | 35 μg | — |
| Lactation · 19–30 years | 35 μg | — |
| Lactation · 31–50 years | 35 μg | — |
EU — EFSA (European Food Safety Authority)
| Group | AI | UL |
|---|---|---|
| 7–11 months | 6 μg | |
| 1–3 years | 20 μg | |
| 4–6 years | 25 μg | |
| 7–10 years | 25 μg | |
| 11–17 years | 35 μg | |
| 18+ years | 40 μg | — |
| Pregnancy · 18–60 years | 40 μg | |
| Lactation · 18–60 years | 45 μg | |
| Pregnancy · 18+ years | — | |
| Lactation · 18+ years | — |
Sources
- EFSA DRV Finder (Dietary Reference Values) · checked 2026-10-07
- EFSA DRV Finder — nutrient descriptions · checked 2026-10-07
- EFSA Overview on Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (v11, August 2025) · checked 2026-10-07
- 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans, Vol. 2: Vitamins (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
- 2025 Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans — summary tables (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare · The Korean Nutrition Society; in Korean) · checked 2026-10-07
- NASEM Dietary Reference Intakes summary tables (Appendix J, 2019) · checked 2026-10-07
The sentences are plain-language summaries of official sources written by SuppleBoard. Each English sentence was checked against the source text by an AI reviewer before publishing. The agencies do not endorse this site. Published 2026-10-16.