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Holland & Barrett or PromoFarma for calcium: which is better value per capsule
The short answer. For calcium, Holland & Barrett lists 7 products and PromoFarma another 15. By price per capsule, Holland & Barrett’s median is €0.125/capsule and PromoFarma’s is €0.312/capsule. The highest scoring across both catalogues is Solgar Calcio Magnesio Plus Zinc from Holland & Barrett, with 57 out of 100 at €0.190/capsule. The cheapest per capsule is Holland & Barrett Calcio + Magnesio & Vitamina D - Tabletas 180 Tabletas from Holland & Barrett, at €0.100/capsule. Neither has products at verification level 4: for calcium the ceiling today is a lab report published by the brand itself, and that is not a certification.
Both stores measured on the same criterion: price per capsule and certification verification level. There is no overall winner because there isn’t one: one can win on price and the other on certification, and here you see both separately.
† Some links are affiliate links — they do not change the ranking
Some store links are affiliate links: if you buy through them, this site may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It changes nothing in the ranking: the score is computed beforehand and without reading those links, and products with no affiliate programme appear exactly the same. How it is calculated.
Both stores at a glance
7 calcium products
€0.125/capsulemedian
From €0.190/capsule to €0.264/capsule. 0 at verification level 4 and 0 at level 3.
Its best score: Solgar Calcio Magnesio Plus Zinc, 57/100 at €0.190/capsule.
15 calcium products
€0.312/capsulemedian
From €0.245/capsule to €0.458/capsule. 0 at verification level 4 and 0 at level 3.
Its best score: TONGIL Estado Puro Calcio Coral Vitamina D3 + Magnesio 120caps, 53/100 at €0.187/capsule.
Holland & Barrett against PromoFarma, figure by figure
The same numbers for both
| Figure | Holland & Barrett | PromoFarma |
|---|---|---|
| Products compared | 7 | 15 |
| Median per capsule | €0.125/capsule | €0.312/capsule |
| Cheapest per capsule | €0.190/capsule | €0.245/capsule |
| Dearest per capsule | €0.264/capsule | €0.458/capsule |
| Best score | 57 | 53 |
| Level 4 (certification backed by a third party) | 0 of 7 | 0 of 15 |
| Level 3 (the brand’s own lab report) | 0 of 7 | 0 of 15 |
The median is not the price you will pay. It is the midpoint of that store’s catalogue in this category, and it tells you whether a store is dear or cheap overall. For buying, the specific row in the table below is what counts.
What each tub contains
Median dose per serving
Price per kilo does not tell you how much active ingredient is inside the kilo. This table does: for each ingredient, the median dose per serving at each store and how many products reach the dose backed by studies (the same reference this site scores with).
| Ingredient | Holland & Barrett | PromoFarma |
|---|---|---|
| CalciumEvidence-backed dose: from 800 mg per serving | 600 mg2 of 7 contain it · 0 reach the dose | 1 g1 of 15 contain it · 1 reach the dose |
The dose is per serving, not per tub. A big tub with a short dose forces you to take two scoops to get the same, and then it lasts half as long: that is why the price per dose in the next section does not match the price per kilo.
Why one is cheaper than the other
Factor by factor, with both stores’ data
PromoFarma costs 150 % more per capsule than Holland & Barrett (€0.312/capsule against €0.125/capsule, medians of both catalogues). That difference does not come out of nowhere. These are the data that explain it, with each store’s figure alongside: capsules per pack (median), different brands in the catalogue, products with declared additives.
| Factor | Holland & Barrett | PromoFarma |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of one effective dosePrice per capsule and price per dose point to the same store, so the dose does not erase the label difference: Holland & Barrett is cheaper both ways. | €0.166 | €0.228 |
| Capsules per pack (median)Holland & Barrett sells bigger packs, and a big pack spreads the same tub, the same label and the same shipping over more capsules. Part of the price gap per capsule is this and not a discount: comparing one store’s small pack with the other’s large one inflates the gap. | 100 caps. | 60 caps. |
| Different brands in the catalogueHolland & Barrett mostly sells one brand, Holland & Barrett: 86 % of its catalogue in this category. PromoFarma spreads its own across 14 brands. A store selling its own brand skips the manufacturer’s margin and can cut the price without touching the formula; a reseller pays that margin and passes it on, and in exchange carries brands the other does not sell. | 2 (86 % Holland & Barrett) | 14 (13 % TONGIL) |
| Products with declared additivesWhat the pages of both declare: anti-caking agents. An additive is not fraud, but it takes up grams that are not active ingredient and is cheaper than the active ingredient: where more additive is declared, the price per capsule drops without the product being better. | 71 % | 0 % |
None of these factors is an accusation. They are medians of what each store publishes on its pages on the day prices were collected: where a page does not declare a figure, that store does not count in that row instead of counting as a zero. A specific product can contradict its store’s median, and that is what the full table is for. How all of this is calculated.
All 22 products from both stores
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No product makes that cut
Out of the 22 in this table, none meets every filter that is currently set at the same time.
22 products in this table
Questions about Holland & Barrett and PromoFarma for calcium
Answered with the data on this page
- Holland & Barrett or PromoFarma for calcium?
- On price per capsule, Holland & Barrett: its median is €0.125/capsule against €0.312/capsule at PromoFarma, which is 150 % dearer. The median does not decide on its own: most of the rest of the mark is certification, and there Holland & Barrett has 0 products at level 4 and PromoFarma has 0.
- Which is the cheapest calcium across the two stores?
- Holland & Barrett Calcio + Magnesio & Vitamina D - Tabletas 180 Tabletas from Holland & Barrett, at €0.100/capsule (180 capsules pack for €17.99), at verification level 1 out of 4.
- Why don’t Holland & Barrett and PromoFarma cost the same?
- PromoFarma costs 150 % more per capsule than Holland & Barrett (€0.312/capsule against €0.125/capsule, medians of both catalogues). That difference does not come out of nowhere. These are the data that explain it, with each store’s figure alongside: capsules per pack (median), different brands in the catalogue, products with declared additives. Price per capsule and price per dose point to the same store, so the dose does not erase the label difference: Holland & Barrett is cheaper both ways. Holland & Barrett sells bigger packs, and a big pack spreads the same tub, the same label and the same shipping over more capsules. Part of the price gap per capsule is this and not a discount: comparing one store’s small pack with the other’s large one inflates the gap.
- Which of the two stores scores better?
- Solgar Calcio Magnesio Plus Zinc from Holland & Barrett, with 57 out of 100. The score is 35 % price per capsule against the cheapest in the category, 35 % verifiable quality (certification, purity and additives), 20 % the category's own requirements and 10 % the buyers' rating at the store, and it is computed without looking at affiliate links. Prices from October 15, 2026.
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