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Zyrtec’s labels list no wheat, barley or rye ingredient and the 10 mg tablet contains no starch, but Zyrtec isn’t labeled gluten-free and Kenvue makes no gluten statement.
It depends on the form. Zyrtec Allergy 10 mg tablets list no starch (they do contain lactose), the chewables list corn starch that the label names as corn, and the Dissolve Tabs list sodium starch glycolate with no source named. We found no gluten statement on zyrtec.com or on any Zyrtec label.
Zyrtec (cetirizine) is one of the three allergy pills people ask us about most, so we re-checked this page against the current Zyrtec labels on DailyMed and Kenvue’s own site. Two things in the earlier version were wrong: Kenvue’s quoted gluten statement isn’t on its site, and the “tablet” ingredient list we showed was really the chewable’s. Both are fixed below.
Check your medicine cabinet for gluten
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What Kenvue Says About Gluten in Zyrtec
Kenvue makes Zyrtec, and we couldn’t find any gluten statement from it. The Zyrtec ingredients page lists every tablet ingredient but says nothing about gluten, and neither does the Zyrtec FAQ. The statement an earlier version of this page attributed to Kenvue isn’t on zyrtec.com.
What’s in Zyrtec, Form by Form
These lists come from the current Kenvue labels on DailyMed. None of them names wheat, barley, rye or malt.
- Zyrtec Allergy 10 mg tablets: no starch. Colloidal silicon dioxide, croscarmellose sodium, hypromellose, lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyethylene glycol and titanium dioxide (DailyMed label).
- Zyrtec chewables: corn starch, coded on DailyMed as corn, plus lactose monohydrate and mannitol (DailyMed label). This is the corn-starch list an earlier version of this page showed for the tablets.
- Zyrtec Dissolve Tabs: sodium starch glycolate with no plant source named, plus mannitol.
- Zyrtec Liquid Gels: no starch. Gelatin, glycerin, polyethylene glycol, sorbitan and sorbitol, among others.
- Children’s Zyrtec syrup: no starch. Sorbitol solution, sucralose and propylene glycol, among others.
- Zyrtec-D: no starch. The same inactive ingredients as the 10 mg tablet, including lactose.
If you also avoid lactose, note that the tablets, chewables and Zyrtec-D all contain lactose monohydrate.
What the FDA Says About Gluten in Medicines
Medicines have no gluten-free standard: the FDA’s gluten-free labeling rule only covers food. The FDA’s Medications and Gluten page and its draft guidance on gluten in drugs cover what a Zyrtec label can and can’t tell you:
- No added wheat gluten: the FDA knows of no oral drug sold in the US with wheat gluten or wheat flour added as an inactive ingredient.
- Derived starches don’t name their plant: plain wheat starch must say “wheat starch,” but sodium starch glycolate, like the one in Zyrtec Dissolve Tabs, never names its source. The FDA says the starch used is often corn or potato.
- A small worst case: in the very rare drug with a wheat-derived ingredient, the FDA’s high estimate is no more than 0.5 mg of gluten per dose.
- No “Contains: Wheat” rule for drugs: the food allergen law behind that line doesn’t apply to over-the-counter drugs, per the FDA’s allergen labeling guidance.
The FDA says that when a medicine’s ingredient list doesn’t mention wheat gluten or wheat flour, it shouldn’t contain gluten in an amount that would harm a typical (non-refractory) person with celiac disease. For readers who react to very small amounts, the 10 mg tablet, with no starch on the label, leaves the fewest open questions.
Cross-Contamination Risk
- No current Zyrtec label names wheat, barley, rye or malt.
- Kenvue makes no gluten statement for Zyrtec.
- Store-brand cetirizine has its own inactive ingredients. Compare its Drug Facts before you swap.
- Keep the box. Its NDC number finds the exact label on DailyMed.
How to Check the Zyrtec You Bought
- Read the Drug Facts on your box: the “Inactive ingredients” line tells you which form you have and whether it lists a starch.
- Look it up on DailyMed: search the NDC number from the box at dailymed.nlm.nih.gov to find the exact label.
- Ask your pharmacist: the NIH’s digestive diseases institute tells people with celiac disease to ask a pharmacist about ingredients in over-the-counter medicines.
- Call Kenvue: the number under “Questions?” on the Drug Facts label reaches the maker, if you need the source of the Dissolve Tabs’ starch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Zyrtec gluten-free?
Zyrtec isn’t labeled gluten-free, and the FDA has no gluten-free standard for medicines. The current Zyrtec labels on DailyMed list no wheat, barley or rye ingredient, and the 10 mg tablet lists no starch at all. Kenvue makes no public gluten statement for Zyrtec.
Is Zyrtec-D gluten-free?
The current Zyrtec-D label lists no starch and no gluten-containing grain. Its inactive ingredients match the 10 mg tablet’s, including lactose monohydrate. It isn’t labeled gluten-free.
Is Children’s Zyrtec gluten-free?
Children’s Zyrtec Allergy syrup lists no starch and no gluten-containing grain on its current label. Children’s chewables list corn starch, which the label names as corn. Neither is labeled gluten-free, so check the version you buy.
Do Zyrtec tablets contain corn starch?
No. The current Zyrtec Allergy 10 mg tablet lists no starch of any kind. Corn starch is in the Zyrtec chewables, where DailyMed codes it as corn. An earlier version of this page mixed the two up.
Is store-brand cetirizine the same as Zyrtec?
The active ingredient is the same, but each maker chooses its own inactive ingredients. Compare the inactive ingredients on the store-brand box, or look up its NDC number on DailyMed, before you switch.
Are Zyrtec Dissolve Tabs gluten-free?
Zyrtec Dissolve Tabs list no gluten-containing grain, but they list sodium starch glycolate, and the label doesn’t say what plant that starch came from. They aren’t labeled gluten-free. If you need the source, ask your pharmacist or call the number on the box.