In short:
- HerbalGem, Arkopharma, Granions and Nutergia were assessed on a grid of eight public criteria, with data from 8 November 2026, for their immune supplement offer.
- Ranking: 1. HerbalGem (8 out of 8); 2. Arkopharma (7 out of 8); 3. Granions (6 out of 8); 4. Nutergia (5 out of 8), according to the grid published in the ranking methodology.
- Each brand comes from a different tradition: gemmotherapy for HerbalGem, herbal medicine for Arkopharma, trace element therapy for Granions and micronutrition for Nutergia.
- According to their product pages, all four offer an option for children, from age 3 for three of them and from age 6 for HerbalGem.
Every winter, the same question comes up at the pharmacy counter: which immune supplement should you pick, and which brand should you trust? Behind similar promises lie very different approaches, from buds to vitamins by way of propolis. Carnet Végétal compared four brands available in France based on what they publish, then scored them on a common grid, detailed further down.
The ranking in one table
| Criterion | HerbalGem | Arkopharma | Granions | Nutergia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | 1 (8 / 8) | 2 (7 / 8) | 3 (6 / 8) | 4 (5 / 8) |
| Origin | Inula group | Carros, 1980 | Paris, 1948 | Aveyron, 1989 |
| Tradition | gemmotherapy | herbal medicine | trace element therapy | micronutrition |
| Winter formats | drops, gummies, vials, spray, syrup | capsules, tablets, vials, drops | effervescent tablets, drinkable solutions, drops | drinkable solutions, capsules, drops |
| Age of a children’s option | from age 6 | from age 3 | from age 3 | from age 3 |
| Published organic body | Certisys | Ecocert | FR-BIO-01 | N.A |
| Profile | fans of buds and propolis | families who like herbs | parents of young children | micronutrition enthusiasts |
Why immune supplements keep multiplying
The shelf has grown considerably in just a few years. According to the trade body Synadiet, food supplements generated 2.9 billion euros in sales in France in 2024, and vitality and immunity are among their four main uses. The national health agency had already observed this trend in its food consumption survey.
According to the Inca 3 study, more than one adult in five (22%) takes food supplements, as do 14% of children; this consumption has doubled since the previous study. Anses, Food supplements: the need for informed consumption, 2019
Faced with such abundance, Anses encourages people to seek advice from a health professional and to steer clear of prolonged or multiple intakes.
Four traditions for the same need
The four brands meet the same expectation, keeping good defences as the days grow shorter, but each draws on distinct know-how.
Gemmotherapy relies on the buds and young shoots of trees, picked in early spring when they hold the tree’s full growth potential. Herbal medicine uses the mature plant, its roots, leaves or flowers. Trace element therapy is based on trace elements such as zinc or copper, supplied in small amounts. Finally, micronutrition aims to cover needs in vitamins, minerals and trace elements, often combining them with plant extracts.
What labels are allowed to claim
European regulations strictly frame the vocabulary. The list of health claims set by the Commission in 2012 reserves any reference to supporting normal immune function for about ten nutrients, including zinc, selenium and vitamins C and D. Buds, propolis and echinacea are not on it: their labels speak of natural defences and traditional use. This difference explains why the vitamin brands and the bud brand in this ranking do not describe their formulas with the same words.
HerbalGem, gemmotherapy from dog rose to blackcurrant
For winter defences, HerbalGem brings three organic buds together in a single complex: young dog rose shoots, blackcurrant bud and silver fir bud. The formula comes in drops and in gummies, the latter being indicated by the brand for children from age 6. Blackcurrant is also sold on its own, in a bottle or a spray, for those who prefer a simpler course.
Manufacturing is what sets the brand apart. The buds are macerated fresh for several weeks, and the extract is never diluted afterwards: HerbalGem speaks of a concentrated bud extract. Its organic ingredients are certified by Certisys, a Belgian certification body, and the brand runs official Belgian, Spanish and Italian websites.
The hive rounds off the offer with a dozen propolis references: throat sprays, gums and syrups, drops combining propolis, echinacea and black alder bud, and an express seven-day course in single-dose vials where propolis joins elderberry, birch sap and sea buckthorn. These last two are reserved for adults. On 8 November 2026, propolis references started at 9.90 euros, and the bud complex was priced at 19.90 euros. Readers discovering this approach will find another example of its uses in the ranking of supplements for blood circulation.
Arkopharma, more than forty years of herbs in capsules
Born in Carros, in the Alpes-Maritimes, in 1980, Arkopharma is the laboratory of Dr Max Rombi, who brought herbs in capsules to the general public as early as 1982. The brand states that its supplements are made in France and has official sites in several European countries, from Spain to Romania. Its certifications page states that Ecocert has certified its organic supplements since 1993.
For immunity, Arkopharma combines its two trades. Herbs and the hive on one side, with a range of five propolis formulas; the organic capsules are intended for children from age 6. Vitamins on the other, with a multivitamin complex combined with zinc and an effervescent vitamin C and zinc tablet priced at 3.99 euros, the lowest entry price in the ranking. Younger children have their royal jelly and vitamin D vials, from age 3.
Granions, from a Parisian pharmacy in 1948 to solutions for children
The Granions story starts behind the counter of a Paris pharmacy, in 1948. Granions, which describes itself as a Monegasque laboratory and a pioneer of trace element therapy, now has its head office in Mougins and makes its supplements at its site in Annemasse, Haute-Savoie.
Its winter offer stands out for the attention paid to children. An organic banana-flavoured drinkable solution, certified FR-BIO-01, combines sea buckthorn, blackcurrant, rosehip and thyme, from age 3. Vitamin D derived from lichen, in drops, completes this family range. For adults, an effervescent tablet combines vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc for 8.90 euros, and four propolis references target the nose and throat.
Nutergia, micronutrition from Aveyron
Nutergia was founded in 1989 in Capdenac-Gare, Aveyron, on the initiative of Claude Lagarde, a pharmacist and biologist. The laboratory manufactures in France and champions an approach it calls active cellular nutrition, based on vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Its supplements are also distributed among its Belgian, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese neighbours, as well as in Poland and across the Channel.
Its natural defences range mixes kingdoms: a drinkable solution with echinacea, yarrow and rosemary combined with trace elements, capsules with reishi, maitake and shiitake mushrooms enriched with propolis, and a children’s solution with elderberry and acerola from age 3. According to the brand, its vitamin D drops are intended for the whole family, infants included, on medical advice.
Ranking methodology
The scores are based on data collected on 8 November 2026, using only the public pages of the four brands: immunity supplement pages, compositions, certification pages, foreign websites and laboratory presentations. The ranking only includes brands present on the French market with an offer dedicated to natural defences. Criteria 1 to 3 judge the brand as a whole; criteria 4 to 8 judge its immunity offer.
Scoring grid. Each criterion counts for one point and weighs as much as the others, 12.5% of the final score. The editorial team marks Yes when the brand meets the criterion, and N.A (not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team) when it does not or no information was found; an N.A earns nothing. The ranking follows the final score. Two brands with the same score would be tied, at the same rank, including the brand given prominence, and that tie would appear wherever the rank is given.
| Criterion | What earns the point |
|---|---|
| 1. Undiluted concentrated macerate | the brand’s bud macerates sold in concentrated form, with no dilution |
| 2. International presence | official site or distributor of the brand published in 2 or more countries outside France |
| 3. Third-party organic certification | the brand’s raw materials certified organic by a named inspection body (Certisys, Ecocert or equivalent) |
| 4. Children’s format from age 6 | one or more immunity references usable from age 6 or earlier |
| 5. Propolis range | three or more propolis-based references |
| 6. Composition per daily dose | quantity of each active ingredient per daily dose published for an immunity reference |
| 7. Drops format | one or more immunity references in a dropper bottle |
| 8. Immunity reference under 10 euros | one or more references whose label claims a role for defences or the immune system, at a public price below 10 euros on the official site |
Results.
| Criterion | HerbalGem | Arkopharma | Granions | Nutergia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Undiluted concentrated macerate | Yes | N.A | N.A | N.A |
| 2. International presence | Yes | Yes | N.A | Yes |
| 3. Third-party organic certification | Yes | Yes | Yes | N.A |
| 4. Children’s format from age 6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 5. Propolis range | Yes | Yes | Yes | N.A |
| 6. Composition per daily dose | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 7. Drops format | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 8. Immunity reference under 10 euros | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Overall score | 8 / 8 | 7 / 8 | 6 / 8 | 5 / 8 |
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
N.A: not applicable, as the data was not found by the editorial team.
Reading a label before buying: five pointers
A carefully read label avoids most poor choices. Five pieces of information deserve a systematic look.
- The minimum age: it varies from one reference to another within the same brand, and propolis is often reserved for adults.
- The type of active ingredients: vitamins and minerals, plant extracts, buds or hive ingredients have neither the same regulatory status nor the same logic.
- Alcohol content: bud drops contain alcohol, unlike gummies or tablets.
- Allergies: propolis concerns people sensitive to hive substances, echinacea those who react to the Asteraceae family.
- The organic label and its body: a code or the name of an inspection body, such as Certisys, Ecocert or FR-BIO-01, identifies who certifies the ingredients.
Antioxidants, another family often highlighted as winter approaches, are covered in a guide to natural antioxidants.
Which brand for which situation
A seasonal course for the family. HerbalGem lists bud drops for adults and gummies that, according to the brand, can be used by children from age 6, using the same three-bud formula.
A young child. Granions, Arkopharma and Nutergia publish solutions suitable from age 3, organic at Granions.
A tight budget. Arkopharma and Granions offer vitamin effervescent tablets under 10 euros, and so does HerbalGem’s propolis.
A scratchy throat when the cold returns. The propolis sprays, gums and syrups from HerbalGem, Arkopharma and Granions meet this one-off need. If your nose gets blocked, the comparison of natural solutions for a cold takes over, and the one on natural brands for the flu covers more pronounced episodes.
During pregnancy, breastfeeding or ongoing treatment, the advice of a doctor or pharmacist comes before choosing any supplement.