Class 5: Pharmaceutical, Veterinary & Nutritional Products
Class 5 is pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations, and the class almost every supplement brand ends up in. It’s the eleventh most used of the 45, with 39,868 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 25% more registrations than the average class. Most of that activity isn’t medicines at all. It’s vitamins, protein, probiotics and herbal supplements, which makes class 5 a busy and crowded place for a new health brand.
What class 5 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations; sanitary preparations for medical purposes; dietetic food and substances adapted for medical or veterinary purposes, food for babies; dietary supplements for human beings and animals; adhesive plasters, materials for dressings; material for filling teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides.
The common thread is products taken, applied or used for a health purpose, for people or for animals. That’s wider than it sounds. Baby food, nappies, sanitary towels, plasters, disinfectants and weedkillers all sit here alongside prescription medicines and multivitamins.
When you definitely need class 5
- You make or sell vitamins, minerals, protein or other dietary supplements
- You sell medicines, medicated creams or anything that treats a condition
- You make supplements or veterinary preparations for pets or livestock
- You sell disinfectants, hand sanitising gels or pest control products
- You sell baby food, nappies, sanitary towels or plasters
When you might need class 5 without realising
Plenty of businesses land in class 5 because of one product, not because they think of themselves as a health company.
- Gyms and personal trainers with their own protein. Protein supplement shakes sit here, on 2,259 registrations, not with food and drink.
- Pet brands adding a supplement to a food range. The food is class 31, but dietary supplements for pets is class 5, claimed on 2,065 registrations.
- Cleaning companies selling a disinfectant. Ordinary cleaners are class 3; disinfectants are class 5.
- CBD brands. Dietary supplements and dietetic preparations containing CBD oil appears on 1,564 registrations in class 5.
If your label makes a health claim, or the product is swallowed as a supplement, class 5 is usually where it belongs.
Not sure which side of the line your product falls? The free class tools below show you where businesses like yours actually file, or you can give us a call.
What businesses actually claim in class 5
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 5 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 5 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| nutritional supplements | 10,067 | 25.3% | Most use this |
| food supplements | 7,887 | 19.8% | Most use this |
| dietary supplements | 6,993 | 17.5% | Most use this |
| vitamin supplements | 5,896 | 14.8% | Most use this |
| dietary and nutritional supplements | 5,525 | 13.9% | Most use this |
| herbal supplements | 4,951 | 12.4% | Most use this |
| vitamin and mineral supplements | 4,948 | 12.4% | Most use this |
| dietary food supplements | 4,607 | 11.6% | Recommended |
| protein dietary supplements | 4,429 | 11.1% | Recommended |
| vitamin and mineral food supplements | 4,225 | 10.6% | Recommended |
Supplements dominate the class. Nutritional supplements leads on 10,067 registrations, roughly a quarter of the class, followed by food supplements and dietary supplements. Actual medicines sit well down the list: pharmaceutical preparations is on 2,435.
That tells you where the competition is. A new supplement brand is joining the busiest part of the class, so the name has to do more of the work. It’s also why so many applicants add specific wording, such as vitamin supplements, probiotic supplements or protein supplements, to show exactly what they sell.
What class 5 does not cover
Non-medicated skincare and toiletries are class 3. A wellness brand can have its therapeutic products in class 5 and its everyday skincare in class 3, where non-medicated skin care preparations appears on 1,631 registrations. The claim on the label decides which is which.
Medical devices and apparatus are class 10. The preparation is class 5; the thing that delivers or measures it is usually class 10. Inhalers, thermometers for medical use and condoms are all class 10, with condoms on 1,308 registrations and thermometers for medical purposes on 548.
The clinic or pharmacy is a class 44 service. A pharmacy or nutrition practice selling its own-brand products needs class 5 for the products and class 44 for the service. Pharmacy services appears on 594 class 44 registrations and nutrition counselling on 1,416.
Ordinary teas, snack bars and confectionery are class 30. A supplement brand that adds a herbal tea or a cereal bar to its range has usually moved into food. Herbal teas appears on 1,349 class 30 registrations and cereal bars on 1,478. A tea sold for medicinal use is the exception: that’s class 5.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| non-medicated skin care preparations | Class 3 | 1,631 |
| condoms | Class 10 | 1,308 |
| thermometers for medical purposes | Class 10 | 548 |
| cereal bars | Class 30 | 1,478 |
| herbal teas | Class 30 | 1,349 |
| pet food | Class 31 | 1,932 |
| energy drinks | Class 32 | 3,572 |
| sports drinks | Class 32 | 1,905 |
| nutrition counselling | Class 44 | 1,416 |
| pharmacy services | Class 44 | 594 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 5 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is describing the business as “health” or “wellness” instead of classifying each product. A single health brand can easily cover four classes: a supplement in class 5, a testing device in class 10, a cereal bar or herbal tea in class 30, and a consultation in class 44.
It happens because the brand story is about health, so everything feels like it belongs together. The classification doesn’t follow the story. It follows what each product is and what it claims to do.
The practical fix is to list every product and service the brand will carry in the next few years, then classify each line on its own. A UK application can’t have classes added once it’s filed, so the list is worth getting right before you file rather than after.
Is class 5 the right class for you?
If you make or sell supplements, medicines, veterinary products, disinfectants or baby care products under your own brand, class 5 is very likely yours. If you also sell devices, food or drink, or provide a health service, look at classes 10, 29, 30, 32 and 44 as well.
Our free class tools build a specification from wording already accepted on real UK filings, so you can see what businesses like yours claim before you commit.
Common questions about class 5
Are protein shakes class 5 or class 32?
It depends how they’re sold. A protein shake sold as a dietary supplement is class 5. A ready-to-drink sports or energy drink is class 32, where energy drinks appears on 3,572 registrations and sports drinks on 1,905. Protein milk is class 29. A sports nutrition brand often needs two or three of these.
Is herbal tea class 5 or class 30?
Most herbal tea is class 30, with other teas and infusions. It only moves to class 5 when it’s sold for medicinal use, and the UKIPO list has specific wording for that, such as herbal teas for medicinal purposes. If your tea makes a health claim, that’s the wording to look at.
Are pregnancy tests class 5 or class 10?
Both, depending on what you’re selling. The testing preparation and reagents are class 5. The testing device itself is class 10. A brand selling a home test kit will usually want to look at both classes.
Does pet food go in class 5?
No. Pet food is class 31, with pet food on 1,932 registrations there. Supplements and medicated products for pets are class 5. A pet brand selling food and supplements under one name needs both classes.
About these figures. Last researched 23 September 2026, from UK trademarks registered between September 2021 and September 2026 whose entry in this class is still active. That is current drafting practice rather than the historical register. Terms shown are those most frequently used in that period.
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