Chlorophyll: liquid chlorophyll benefits, chlorophyll water and what the evidence shows

Chlorophyll vs chlorophyllin: what’s in the bottle

Chlorophyll is the green pigment plants use to capture light. It’s in spinach, parsley, broccoli and every other leafy green. But a bottle labelled “liquid chlorophyll” usually contains something else.

Most supplements contain sodium copper chlorophyllin. It’s a semi-synthetic mixture of salts made from chlorophyll, with copper replacing the magnesium at the centre of the molecule. Natural chlorophyll is less stable and far more expensive, so supplements rarely use it. Unlike natural chlorophyll, chlorophyllin dissolves in water, which makes it easy to sell as drops and concentrate.

The difference matters for absorption. In animal studies only 1–3% of natural chlorophyll was absorbed; the rest left in the stool. Chlorophyllin is absorbed better: people taking 300 mg a day had its breakdown products in their blood.

Chlorophyllin isn’t only a supplement. In the US it’s an approved green colouring for a few foods such as chewing gum, and for drugs and cosmetics. It also contains copper and sodium, so count it if you take other supplements with copper, such as a multivitamin or spirulina.

For other gut supplements, see our gut health section.

Chlorophyll benefits: what the studies say

Check the claim on your bottle:

Odour. In the US, chlorophyllin is sold over the counter for colostomy odour and incontinence. Early reports looked promising, but in a controlled trial it reduced odour no better than placebo. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) also notes no significant improvement in older patients with stomas or catheters. There are no studies for ordinary sweat or bad breath.

Trimethylaminuria. This rare inherited condition makes the body and urine smell fishy. In a small Japanese study, chlorophyllin at 60 mg 3 times a day for 3 weeks clearly lowered the odour compound in urine. That result doesn’t carry over to everyday body odour. Persistent bad breath or body odour is worth a visit to your dentist or GP: finding the cause beats masking it.

Aflatoxin. In a 2001 randomised trial, 180 adults in a Chinese area with high liver cancer risk took 100 mg of chlorophyllin or a placebo 3 times a day for 4 months. A urine marker of aflatoxin damage to DNA fell by 55%. That’s not a whole-body “detox”: it’s about binding one specific toxin from contaminated food. A lower cancer rate in people hasn’t been shown.

Skin. Acne and sun-damaged skin have only been studied with chlorophyllin gel on the skin. In one study 10 adults with acne used a gel twice a day for 3 weeks; in another, 10 women over 40 used one for 8 weeks. Both saw improvements, but neither had a placebo group. Drinking chlorophyll for skin hasn’t been studied. Chlorophyllin ointments have been used on wounds since the 1940s, but those studies were mostly uncontrolled too.

Chlorophyll water: the TikTok trend explained

The trend is simple: a couple of droppers of liquid chlorophyll in a bottle of water turns it bright green. Videos credit it with clear skin, fresh breath, weight loss and flushing out “toxins”.

What might actually be true:

• you’re drinking more water, which is good in itself;
• green water replaced sugary drinks, and that genuinely helps with calories;
• everything else, from glowing skin to “cleansing” and energy, hasn’t been tested.

Paediatricians at CHOP point out that most of the data come from labs, animals or small studies. For teenagers with acne, they suggest treatments with stronger evidence first. If weight is your goal, read do weight loss supplements work.

How to take liquid chlorophyll

There’s no daily requirement: chlorophyll isn’t a vitamin. Pointers from studies and labels:

• studies used 100–300 mg of chlorophyllin a day, split into 3 doses;
• stir drops or concentrate into a glass of water;
• don’t go over the label dose;
• if nothing has changed after a few weeks, there’s no point carrying on.

Liquid or tablets:

Side effects: green poo and sun sensitivity

In more than 50 years of medical use, no toxic effects have been attributed to chlorophyllin. But some side effects are predictable:

• green poo and green urine – harmless; it’s the pigment leaving your body;
• a yellow or black tongue;
• diarrhoea – occasionally;
• sun sensitivity – skin burns more easily, especially fair skin, so wear sunscreen;
• a false positive guaiac test for hidden blood in stool: tell your doctor if you’re having one.

Green poo is expected on chlorophyll. Black, tarry stools or blood are not, so contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than blaming the supplement.

Who should avoid chlorophyll

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. Safety hasn’t been tested, and the Linus Pauling Institute advises avoiding chlorophyllin.
• Children and teenagers. There’s little safety data; CHOP suggests talking to your child’s doctor first.
• Medicines that make you sun-sensitive: amitriptyline, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, tetracycline and methoxsalen. Together with chlorophyll, sunburn, blistering and rashes become more likely.
• Other copper supplements. Add up your total copper, especially with multivitamins.
• Stool tests for hidden blood. A guaiac test can give a false result.

To check combinations, see our vitamin compatibility chart.

Green vegetables instead of drops

CHOP’s paediatricians recommend getting chlorophyll from whole greens rather than supplements. According to the Linus Pauling Institute, a cup of raw spinach holds about 24 mg of chlorophyll, half a cup of parsley 19 mg, and a cup of garden cress about 16 mg. These foods bring fibre too, and they’re food, not supplements. If your goal is gut health, fibre and psyllium husk have far stronger evidence. If it’s your skin you’re buying drops for, see which supplements for skin have better evidence.

Compare the chlorophyll in an ordinary portion of greens with the chlorophyllin doses used in studies:

How to choose chlorophyll on iHerb

1. Decide why you want it. For odour, skin and weight there’s almost no evidence.
2. Check the Supplement Facts panel for mg of chlorophyllin (sodium copper chlorophyllin) per serving, not only ml.
3. Check for sugar, flavourings and sweeteners.
4. If you take medicines that make you sun-sensitive, ask your GP or pharmacist first.
5. Compare the price per 100 mg of chlorophyllin.

Our label-reading guide explains how to read a Supplement Facts panel. To find out what you actually need, try our vitamin check.