Metamucil vs Benefiber: Fiber Type, Grams per Dose and Cost per 5 g of Fiber

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Metamucil and Benefiber share a shelf, and "is Benefiber the same as Metamucil" is common enough to show up in search autocomplete. The two differ in the fiber itself, in the label rules each product follows, and in how many grams land in a scoop. We have no relationship with either brand. We opened the labels in DailyMed, the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database and the brands' own label files, searched both names in the NSF, USP and Informed registries on October 29, 2026. Every number on this page comes from a label, a federal rule or database, or a registry; we read labels and did not send any product to a lab.

Before you decide

This page compares labels. It is general information, not medical advice, and it does not tell you how much fiber to take or whether fiber suits a condition you have. If a clinician has told you to take fiber for a specific reason, ask which fiber they mean, because these two brands do not share a single main ingredient.

Both brands print cautions worth reading before you buy. Metamucil's psyllium canisters say: "Mix this product with at least 8 oz (a full glass) of liquid. Taking without enough liquid may cause choking. Do not take if you have difficulty swallowing." Benefiber Original says: "If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications or supplements, and/or have medical conditions, talk to your healthcare provider before use." If either line describes you, that conversation comes before anything on this page.

One label fact runs through the rest of this page. Only one Metamucil format, the "Therapy for Regularity" powder packets, is sold as an over-the-counter drug with a Drug Facts panel. Every other Metamucil format we opened carries Supplement Facts (or, for the Fiber Thins wafers, Nutrition Facts), and every Benefiber label we opened is a dietary supplement label. That split decides what each label is allowed to claim, and we come back to it below.

This page is for adults comparing two shelf products by what is printed on them: fiber source, grams per dose, sweeteners, gluten wording and price per gram of fiber. If you want the wider picture of fiber types first, our complete guide to fiber supplements covers soluble and insoluble fiber across the category.

What you are actually buying: psyllium husk vs wheat dextrin

Metamucil's powders, packets and capsules are built on psyllium husk. The sugar-free canister lists "Psyllium husk, maltodextrin, citric acid, natural and artificial orange flavor, aspartame, Yellow 6," and the capsules list only "Psyllium husk, gelatin." The packets state an amount: the Drug Facts panel on the sugar-free packet gives "Psyllium husk approximately 3.4 g" as the active ingredient in each 5.8 g packet (DailyMed label, SPL version 23). The canister and capsule panels print grams of fiber but never grams of psyllium, so we could not verify the psyllium content of either.

Benefiber Original is a single ingredient. The current Haleon label reads "Ingredient: wheat dextrin" with a gluten footnote we quote further down (Haleon label file for Benefiber powder). The On the Go sticks use the same wheat dextrin, and the Caplets add microcrystalline cellulose and a little magnesium stearate. In a glass the two behave differently, and both labels say so: Benefiber "dissolves completely," while the Metamucil packet directions say "If mixture thickens, add more liquid and stir."

The gummies break the pattern for both brands. Metamucil Fiber Gummies list "Chicory root fiber (Inulin), soluble corn fiber (Fibersol®)" and contain no psyllium. Benefiber Prebiotic Fiber Gummies list "inulin (as chicory root fiber), soluble corn fiber, sugar, water" and contain no wheat dextrin. Buy either brand's gummy and you get inulin and soluble corn fiber rather than the fiber the brand is known for. Our psyllium vs inulin comparison explains how those two fibers differ.

Both labels print grams of "dietary fiber," yet the two fibers sit on different FDA lists. In its dietary fiber questions and answers, FDA names psyllium husk among the isolated fibers that meet its definition of dietary fiber, while "resistant maltodextrin/dextrin" and "inulin and inulin-type fructans" appear on the list FDA "intends to propose to be added" to that definition. That is a regulatory status; it says nothing about what either fiber does in your body.

Soluble fiber is where the panels diverge most. Benefiber Original prints 6 g of dietary fiber and 6 g of soluble fiber per 4-teaspoon serving. Metamucil Sugar-Free prints 3 g of dietary fiber and 2 g of soluble fiber per rounded teaspoon. On the panels, every gram of Benefiber's fiber is soluble, while Metamucil lists 2 of its 3 g as soluble.

Grams of fiber per dose, label by label

The table lists each format as its label prints it. Metamucil rows come from the brand's own label images, DailyMed and DSLD; Benefiber rows come from Haleon's label files and DSLD. We opened these panels on October 16, 2026 and again on October 29, 2026, and none of the values below had changed. The box in your hand may still carry a newer label version than the one we read.

"Not printed" means the panel we opened has no such line. "Could not verify" means we found the value in no primary source. Neither phrase is a guess at the missing number.

Two rows need a footnote. The Metamucil capsule footnote on the brand's site says one serving "has at least 1.8 grams of this soluble fiber," which a panel rounds to the 2 g shown. Benefiber Caplets print 3 g of fiber for 3 caplets but no soluble fiber line, so we left that cell open rather than borrow the powder's figure.

The %DV on both labels rests on the FDA's 28 g Daily Value for dietary fiber, which is why 6 g prints as 21% and 3 g as 11%. The Daily Value is a labeling reference, not a personal target. For daily fiber targets, which this page does not set, see our fiber target calculator.

Why one powder shows 3 g and 5 g: label rounding

Federal rules make labels round fiber to whole grams. Dietary fiber is declared "expressed to the nearest gram" under 21 CFR 101.9(c)(6)(i), and Supplement Facts panels follow the same increments under 21 CFR 101.36. A panel cannot print 2.4 g or 1.5 g of fiber; it prints the nearest whole gram.

Metamucil Premium Blend Sugar-Free shows what that does to a label. Its panel lists 3 g of fiber for 1 rounded teaspoon (5.7 g) and 5 g for 2 rounded teaspoons (11.5 g) (NIH label database record 291984). Twice 3 is 6, yet the panel says 5. Both columns can be correct at once: if a teaspoon held a hypothetical 2.6 g, one teaspoon would round to 3 g and two teaspoons, about 5.2 g, would round to 5 g. The real unrounded figure is not printed anywhere we looked, so we do not state it.

Benefiber shows the same effect in three places. An older 500 g Benefiber panel printed 2 g of fiber for 1 teaspoon and 3 g for 2 teaspoons (NIH label database record 276689). The stick pack record shows 2 g for half a stick and 3 g for a full stick (record 298941), and the Chewables print 2 g for 1½ tablets and 3 g for 3 tablets. In each case the smaller serving looks richer in fiber per gram of product than the larger one, and rounding explains the gap.

The same rule explains a mismatch on Metamucil's own packaging. The heart health sentence on several Metamucil labels says "One serving of Metamucil has 2.4 grams of this soluble fiber," while the panel lists 2 g of soluble fiber per serving (record 291975). 2.4 g becomes 2 g on the panel; the sentence and the panel describe the same serving.

This matters for one practical reason: cost. Count a container's fiber from the smaller serving column and you overstate how much fiber it holds, which makes the product look cheaper than it is. Our cost math below uses the column with less fiber per gram of product whenever a label prints two. For the rest of a panel, our guide to reading supplement labels walks through each line.

Cost per 5 g of fiber: the honest math

Per-serving price misleads here, because a serving of each product holds a different amount of fiber. A rounded teaspoon of Metamucil Sugar-Free holds 3 g of fiber, and a 4-teaspoon serving of Benefiber Original holds 6 g. That means a Benefiber serving that costs less than twice a Metamucil teaspoon is the cheaper fiber per gram.

So we price both on one unit: 5 g of dietary fiber. 5 g is a unit for comparing price, not a recommended amount. The math runs in three steps. First, fiber per container equals servings per container times grams of fiber per serving, both from the same label column. Second, when a label prints two columns, we use the one with less fiber per gram of product and flag the product if the columns differ by more than 10%. Third, cost per 5 g equals price divided by fiber per container, times 5, rounded to the cent.

Prices move, so this page does not print them. Check the current price on Amazon, divide it by the fiber per container in the table below, and multiply by 5.

Drug Facts vs Supplement Facts: what each label says

The Metamucil "Therapy for Regularity" packets are an over-the-counter drug. DailyMed held three labels for them on October 29, 2026, two from Procter & Gamble and one relabel from Atlantic Biologicals, and none for any Metamucil canister, capsule or gummy. The packet with sugar reads: "Active ingredient (in each PACKET (12 g)) Psyllium husk approximately 3.4 g," with the Purpose "Fiber laxative" (DailyMed label, SPL version 22, published October 5, 2026). Its Uses line reads: "for relief of occasional constipation (irregularity). This product generally produces bowel movement in 12 to 72 hours." We quote that as printed and do not turn it into advice.

The same Drug Facts panel says: "Ask a doctor or pharmacist before use if you are taking any other drug. Take this product 2 or more hours before or after other drugs. Laxatives may affect how other drugs work." Metamucil's supplement-labeled canisters carry a similar line: "Bulk-forming fibers like psyllium husk may affect how well medicines work. Take this product at least 2 hours before or after medicines." We quote both lines as printed and add no interaction advice of our own; for general spacing questions, see our medication and supplement timing guide.

The Metamucil powder labels we opened also carry an allergy alert: "This product may cause allergic reactions in people sensitive to inhaled or ingested psyllium." The sugar-free packet box puts the Drug Facts panel and a Supplement Facts panel side by side, so one box shows the drug wording and the fiber grams together.

No Benefiber label we opened has a Drug Facts panel. DailyMed returned no labels for Benefiber on October 29, 2026, and every Haleon label file we opened presents a Supplement Facts panel for a dietary supplement. Its structure claims carry the standard asterisk: "These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease." None of the four Benefiber label files we opened uses the word laxative.

Metamucil's supplement labels also print a heart health claim: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 7 grams of soluble fiber per day from psyllium husk, as in Metamucil, may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol." That wording follows 21 CFR 101.81, which names 7 g or more a day of soluble fiber from psyllium seed husk and requires at least 1.7 g of soluble fiber per reference amount customarily consumed. The rule's eligible sources are beta-glucan soluble fiber from whole oat and barley sources and psyllium husk of no less than 95% purity. Wheat dextrin is not among them, and no Benefiber label we opened makes this claim; that is a reading of the rule, not a finding about what wheat dextrin does.

Gluten, sugar and sweeteners on the labels

Benefiber is made from wheat and labeled gluten-free, and federal rules allow both at once. The Original powder label reads "Ingredient: wheat dextrin§" with the footnote "§The wheat has been processed to allow this food to meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for gluten-free foods." That footnote is the exact sentence 21 CFR 101.91 requires when "wheat" appears in the ingredients of a food labeled gluten-free, and the same rule sets the limit: a food does not qualify if it contains "20 parts per million (ppm) or more" gluten. The On the Go sticks and the Caplets also print "Less than 20 ppm" on the label.

Metamucil's psyllium powders print "GLUTEN FREE" on both the canister and the packet panels. The capsule wording depends on the bottle: the label database record for the 300-capsule bottle says "Gluten free" (record 262215), while the 100-capsule record has no gluten statement. At least one Metamucil product does contain wheat: Fiber Thins Cinnamon Spice list "Wheat flour" first and print "CONTAINS: SOY, WHEAT."

Sugar is the next split. Benefiber Original, the sticks and the Chewables print 0 g of sugars, and the Caplets print no sugars line. Metamucil's orange packets with sugar carry 8 g of added sugars per 12 g packet (record 277460), and the canister with sugar lists the same 8 g per 12 g serving. A Fiber Thins packet lists 7 g of total sugars, 6 g of them added. If you want to avoid added sugar, look for "Sugar-Free" on a Metamucil tub, since the sugar-sweetened orange version carries 8 g of added sugars per 12 g serving.

Sweeteners differ by version. Metamucil Sugar-Free Orange uses aspartame, and the packets print "PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE, 25 mg per packet"; the canister record gives 25 mg per teaspoon. Metamucil Premium Blend swaps aspartame for stevia. Benefiber Chewables list sorbitol, sucralose, aspartame and acesulfame potassium and carry their own phenylketonurics warning. Benefiber Original and the On the Go sticks list no sweetener at all: wheat dextrin is their only ingredient. On the gummies, Metamucil lists 2 g of total sugars with 0 g added and uses xylitol, while Benefiber lists 2 g of total sugars including 1 g added.

Who should pick Metamucil, and who should pick Benefiber

We sort this by format and label text, because those are the things we can check. Health goals are a conversation for your clinician; a label comparison cannot settle them.

Pick Metamucil if:

• You want psyllium husk specifically. Every Metamucil powder, powder packet and capsule we opened lists it as an ingredient; the gummies do not.
• You want a capsule. Five Metamucil capsules give 2 g of fiber, and the shell is gelatin.
• You want a product sold as an OTC drug, with a Drug Facts panel, its warnings and its directions: that is the Therapy for Regularity packets.
• You prefer a sweetened orange drink and do not mind a powder that thickens in the glass.

Pick Benefiber if:

• You want a powder that disappears into what you drink. The label says to stir it into 4 to 8 oz of a beverage or soft food until dissolved, for up to 60 seconds, and calls it "Not recommended for carbonated beverages."
• You want one ingredient: Original and the On the Go sticks list only wheat dextrin, with 0 g sugars and no sweetener.
• You want caplets labeled "Vegetarian," or sticks and caplets with "Less than 20 ppm" printed on the label.

The serving sizes differ enough to change your routine. Metamucil's sugar-free powders deliver 3 g per rounded teaspoon, while Benefiber's current label sets its serving at 4 teaspoons (8 g) for 6 g, and its label notes the product is "Packaged by weight, not volume." If you switch brands, the scoop that felt right for one will not deliver the same grams with the other.

If neither fits, the gummies from both brands are a different fiber altogether, and our fiber supplement roundup covers other psyllium and inulin products in the category.

What to look for when buying

Read the fiber source line before the brand name. The brand on the front does not tell you the fiber inside: Metamucil gummies list inulin first, and so do Benefiber gummies. The ingredient list settles it in one line.

Compare price per gram of fiber rather than per scoop, and read the serving column you will actually use, since rounding can make the smaller serving look richer. If sweeteners matter to you, the short version is aspartame in Metamucil Sugar-Free Orange, stevia in Premium Blend, 8 g of added sugar in the sugar-sweetened orange version and none in Benefiber Original; the phenylalanine warnings sit on Metamucil Sugar-Free Orange and on Benefiber Chewables.

Check registry status with a date attached. On October 29, 2026, Benefiber was listed under the name Benefiber in NSF's NSF/ANSI 173 listing, with 8 products under Haleon US Holdings LLC, among them the Prebiotic Supplement powder, the On the Go sticks, the Fiber Gummies and the Caplets. Metamucil was not found in NSF's NSF/ANSI 173 listing on October 29, 2026. Neither name was found in USP's verified products list, in the Informed Sport or Informed Choice searches, or in the NSF Certified for Sport search on October 29, 2026. A listing is tied to a trade name, not to a particular bottle or label version, and "not found" means only that the name did not appear in that search on that date.

Registry lists move faster than you might expect. Compared with our October 16, 2026 check, the Benefiber listing had gained the Caplets and dropped three other Benefiber products by October 29. That is why every registry line on this page carries a date. Our guide to third-party supplement certification covers these programs and how to search them yourself.

Recall records are dated too. On October 29, 2026, openFDA's food enforcement data held 13 Benefiber records, all marked "Terminated"; the latest two were reported May 13, 2020 (Class II, "small plastic pieces" in 500 g and 760 g powders) and terminated June 1, 2021. Searches for Metamucil returned no matches in openFDA's drug or food enforcement data that day.

Neither label names a factory. The Metamucil packets say "DIST. BY PROCTER & GAMBLE, CINCINNATI OH 45202," and the manufacturing site is not disclosed on the label. Benefiber's label says "Dist. by: Haleon, Warren, NJ 07059" and "Made in France." NSF's listing names facility cities, but those are listing sites and do not tell you which plant filled a given box.

The three products below match label rows in our table: the 72-teaspoon Metamucil Sugar-Free canister, the 124-teaspoon Benefiber Original and the 28-count Benefiber On the Go sticks. We did not include the Therapy for Regularity packets because they are sold as an OTC drug, and we left the Metamucil capsules out of the cards.

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FAQ

Is Benefiber the same as Metamucil?
No. Metamucil's powders, packets and capsules are psyllium husk, while Benefiber Original is wheat dextrin. Benefiber lists all 6 g of fiber per 4 teaspoons as soluble, and Metamucil lists 2 of its 3 g per rounded teaspoon as soluble. Only Metamucil's Therapy for Regularity packets are sold as an OTC drug.

Is Benefiber psyllium husk?
No. The Benefiber Original label lists one ingredient, wheat dextrin, and the sticks, Caplets and Chewables use wheat dextrin as well. Benefiber gummies use inulin and soluble corn fiber instead. None of the four Benefiber label files we opened on October 29, 2026 lists psyllium.

Is Benefiber soluble fiber?
On its label, yes. Benefiber Original prints 6 g of dietary fiber and 6 g of soluble fiber per 4-teaspoon (8 g) serving, and the sticks print 3 g of each. The Caplets panel we opened has no soluble fiber line, so for that format we could not verify it.

Is Benefiber a laxative?
Not by its label class. Benefiber is labeled a dietary supplement with a Supplement Facts panel, DailyMed held no Benefiber labels on October 29, 2026, and none of the Benefiber labels we opened uses the word laxative. In this comparison, only Metamucil's Therapy for Regularity packets carry a Drug Facts panel naming the purpose "Fiber laxative."

Is Benefiber gluten free?
It is labeled gluten-free. The label footnote says the wheat "has been processed to allow this food to meet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for gluten-free foods," the wording 21 CFR 101.91 requires, and that rule excludes foods with 20 ppm or more gluten. The sticks and Caplets also print "Less than 20 ppm."

How much fiber is in 1 teaspoon of Benefiber?
About 1.5 g, by arithmetic: the current label gives 6 g of fiber per 4 teaspoons and prints no 1-teaspoon figure. An older 500 g label printed 2 g for 1 teaspoon, which is consistent with panels rounding fiber to the nearest whole gram. The exact unrounded amount is not printed.

The bottom line

Metamucil and Benefiber are different fibers sold under different label rules. Metamucil is psyllium husk, with 3 g of fiber per sugar-free rounded teaspoon and 2 g of it listed as soluble; Benefiber is wheat dextrin, with 6 g per 4 teaspoons, all of it listed as soluble. Only the Metamucil Therapy for Regularity packets carry a Drug Facts panel; every other label we opened from both brands is a Supplement Facts label, except Metamucil Fiber Thins with Nutrition Facts, and both brands' gummies switch to inulin and soluble corn fiber.

On October 29, 2026, Benefiber was listed under its name in NSF's NSF/ANSI 173 listing, and Metamucil was not found there. Choose by fiber source, format and sweetener, and if you take fiber for a condition, ask your clinician which fiber they mean.

Sources and corrections

Label data on this page was first gathered on October 16, 2026. Label versions and registry listings were checked again on October 29, 2026, as dated below.

• DailyMed, Metamucil Therapy for Regularity orange packet, SPL version 22, published October 5, 2026; version checked October 29, 2026.
• DailyMed, Metamucil Therapy for Regularity sugar-free orange packet, SPL version 23, published October 3, 2025; version checked October 29, 2026.
• Metamucil label images on metamucil.com for the canister, packets, capsules, gummies, Premium Blend and Fiber Thins, used as label text only; checked October 29, 2026.
• NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database records 277460, 291975, 291984, 262215, 277461, 276689, 298941, 320872, 274295, 291974 and 276688; opened October 29, 2026.
• Haleon label files for Benefiber powder, On the Go sticks, Caplets, Gummies and Chewables; checked October 29, 2026.
• eCFR, 21 CFR 101.9, 101.36, 101.81 and 101.91, text current as of October 14, 2026; opened October 16, 2026.
• FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels and Questions and Answers on Dietary Fiber; opened October 16, 2026.
• NSF/ANSI 173 listing for Benefiber and for Metamucil, listings current as of October 29, 2026.
• USP verified products list, Informed Sport, Informed Choice and NSF Certified for Sport searches; October 29, 2026.
• openFDA enforcement data for Benefiber and Metamucil; October 29, 2026.

Published November 7, 2026. Label versions and registry listings checked October 29, 2026. Corrections: none so far.