Does ibuprofen contain wheat or gluten as an excipient?

We cross-check each ibuprofen product label against four data sources: DailyMed (FDA Structured Product Labels), the European Medicines Agency centrally-authorised medicines database, the Plogsted curated gluten-free drug list, and the 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric pharmacy NDC analysis. Inactive ingredients are scanned against a 146-entry red-flag dictionary covering wheat, barley, rye, malt, source-ambiguous starches, and FDA gluten-free attestation phrases. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 19 product labels we checked, 11 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 8 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Can different manufacturers' generic versions of ibuprofen have different gluten status?

Yes. Generics in the United States must use the same active ingredient as the brand, but they are not required to use the same inactive ingredients. Two generics of ibuprofen from different manufacturers can use entirely different starch sources, binders, and fillers. A pharmacy may also switch which manufacturer it dispenses between fills without notifying you. Each manufacturer-specific entry below corresponds to a separately-filed product label.

DailyMed checked live · reference data updated August 19, 2026 · 19 product labels screened

Is ibuprofen gluten-free?

By Ned Walsch

Founder and maintainer of Gluten Screen

Updated October 13, 2026

Not clinically reviewed — verify with your pharmacist

Looks mostly clean — worth verifying with the maker. Mostly yes — but worth a quick call to the manufacturer for some generics. Of 19 product labels we checked, 11 are clean, 0 are confirmed gluten-free by the maker, and 8 contain an inactive ingredient (typically a source-ambiguous starch) whose botanical origin isn't fully disclosed. None contained confirmed gluten.

Drug context

About ibuprofen

Ibuprofen is an NSAID used for pain, fever, and inflammation, sold under brand names including Advil, Motrin.

Why this matters

Different manufacturers, different ingredients

Generics of ibuprofen use the same active ingredient, but they aren't required to use the same inactive ingredients. Your pharmacy may switch which manufacturer they dispense between fills, sometimes without telling you. The list below shows each manufacturer's product label as a separate entry, because that's the granularity that actually matters when you're celiac.

The labels

The 19 we checked

01

Actavis worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 7.5/200 [Actavis] · label dated 2019-04-23
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02

Amneal worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 2.5/200 [Amneal] · label dated 2019-04-23
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03

Amneal worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 5/200 [Amneal] · label dated 2019-04-23
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04

Amneal worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 7.5/200 [Amneal] · label dated 2019-04-23
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05

Amneal worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 10/200 [Amneal] · label dated 2019-04-23
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06

Aurolife worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 7.5/200 [Aurolife] · label dated 2019-04-23
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07

Gemini worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 2.5/200 [Gemini] · label dated 2019-04-23
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08

Gemini worth a call to confirm

Plogsted list · Hydrocodone/Ibuprofen tablet 5/200 [Gemini] · label dated 2019-04-23
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09

Publix Super Markets Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · IBUPROFEN TABLET, FILM COATED [PUBLIX SUPER MARKETS INC] · label dated Oct 05, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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10

Walgreen Company nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · INFANTS IBUPROFEN (IBUPROFEN) SUSPENSION/ DROPS [WALGREEN COMPANY] · label dated Oct 05, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · GLYCERIN · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SODIUM BENZOATE · SORBITOL SOLUTION · SUCROSE · WATER · XANTHAN GUM
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11

Kroger Company nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · IBUPROFEN TABLET, FILM COATED [KROGER COMPANY] · label dated Oct 05, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
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12

Target Corporation nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · UP AND UP DYE FREE INFANTS CONCENTRATED IBUPROFEN (IBUPROFEN) SUSPENSION/ DROPS [TARGET… · label dated Oct 05, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS CITRIC ACID · GLYCERIN · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SODIUM BENZOATE · SORBITOL SOLUTION · SUCROSE · WATER · XANTHAN GUM
View source label →
13

Aldi, Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · WELBY IBUPROFEN (IBUPROFEN) TABLET, FILM COATED [ALDI, INC] · label dated Oct 05, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYSORBATE 80 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
14

CHAIN DRUG MARKETING ASSOCIATION INC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · IBUPROFEN TABLET, FILM COATED [CHAIN DRUG MARKETING ASSOCIATION INC] · label dated Oct 05, 2026

Inactive ingredients ANHYDROUS LACTOSE · CARNAUBA WAX · FERRIC OXIDE RED · HYPROMELLOSE, UNSPECIFIED · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYDEXTROSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · SODIUM STARCH GLYCOLATE TYPE A POTATO · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
15

Publix Super Markets Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · IBUPROFEN PM (DIPHENHYDRAMINE CITRATE, IBUPROFEN) TABLET, FILM COATED [PUBLIX SUPER MAR… · label dated Sep 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C BLUE NO. 2 ALUMINUM LAKE · FERROSOFERRIC OXIDE · GLYCERYL DIBEHENATE · HYDROXYPROPYL CELLULOSE, UNSPECIFIED · LACTOSE MONOHYDRATE · MAGNESIUM STEARATE · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
16

HyVee Inc nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · DUAL ACTION (ACETAMINOPHEN, IBUPROFEN) TABLET, FILM COATED [HYVEE INC] · label dated Sep 30, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · CROSPOVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · POLYVINYL ALCOHOL, UNSPECIFIED · POVIDONE, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · SUCRALOSE · TALC · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
17

PLD Acquisitions LLC DBA Avéma Pharma Solutions nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · IBUPROFEN TABLET, COATED [PLD ACQUISITIONS LLC DBA AV&EACUTE;MA PHARMA SOLUTIONS] · label dated Sep 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients ALUMINUM OXIDE · CARNAUBA WAX · CELLULOSE, MICROCRYSTALLINE · CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FD&C YELLOW NO. 6 · HYPROMELLOSES · POLYDEXTROSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL, UNSPECIFIED · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
18

Aurohealth LLC nothing flagged on the label

US label (DailyMed) · IBUPROFEN TABLET [AUROHEALTH LLC] · label dated Sep 29, 2026

Inactive ingredients CROSCARMELLOSE SODIUM · FERRIC OXIDE RED · FERRIC OXIDE YELLOW · HYPROMELLOSE 2910 (6 MPA.S) · MICROCRYSTALLINE CELLULOSE · POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL 400 · SILICON DIOXIDE · STARCH, CORN · STEARIC ACID · TITANIUM DIOXIDE
View source label →
19

(manufacturer not listed) nothing flagged on the label

EU label (EMA) · Ibuprofen Gen.Orph 5 mg/mL solution for injection

Inactive ingredients Trometamol · Sodium chloride · Sodium hydroxide (for pH adjustment) · Hydrochloric acid (for pH adjustment) · Water for injections · water for injections. See section 2. Ibuprofen Gen.Orph contains sodium
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Background

What “gluten in a medication” actually means

Gluten enters drugs through their excipients — the inactive ingredients used to bind, coat, fill, or stabilize the dose. The main concern is wheat starch as a filler. Source-ambiguous starches (plain “starch”, pregelatinized starch, sodium starch glycolate, modified starch) get flagged for verification because their botanical origin isn't always disclosed on the label.

The 2024 Mangione et al. pediatric NDC analysis (689 NDCs across the top 100 pediatric medications) found 1.5% contained gluten outright; another 25.7% couldn't be confirmed either way. Liquid and oral-suspension formulations carry disproportionate risk because wheat starch is a common thickener. Full methodology →

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