Comparison updated 2 September 2026 · compositions verified on official sources on that date · next re-check: March 2027
Orthomol vs base One: the «orthomolecular» pioneer facing its own principles
Orthomol is the German giant that brought the word «orthomolecular» into pharmacies: drinking vials, massive doses, a para-medical image. base One is formulated by the president of the discipline's francophone Academy. The most legitimate duel there is: verdict first.
Our verdict
Our verdict: base One : for a reason written on Orthomol's own label: the pioneer of the word «orthomolecular» uses folic acid, cyanocobalamin, magnesium as oxide and carbonate, iron mixed with zinc : and four artificial sweeteners. Orthomolecular means: the molecules the body knows : our product applies the principle, plainly said. Everything is below.
The detail few people notice: the Orthomol vial contains cyclamate, acesulfame K, sucralose AND saccharin: four artificial sweeteners in a product claiming nature-aligned nutrition.
Massive doses & vial ritual
Orthomol
the German para-medical experience, in pharmacies
Fidelity to the orthomolecular principle
base One
active forms: the molecules the body knows
The clean label
base One
zero artificial sweeteners, no iron with zinc
- Orthomol if the daily-vial ritual and very high pharmacy-framed doses suit you.
- base One if you want the orthomolecular principle actually applied: active forms, no artificial sweeteners.
- Neither one if a symptom persists or settles in: that is your doctor's job, not a supplement's.
29 nutrients in active forms · one glass a day · reviews published unfiltered
The proof, line by line, below ↓
Not all vitamins are equal. The same vitamin exists in several chemical versions: its “forms”. Some are active forms: the ones your body uses as-is; others must first be converted, with losses along the way. Systematically choosing active forms, at useful doses, is the orthomolecular approach: the discipline taught by David Giovenco, formulator of base One and president of the International Francophone Academy of Orthomolecular Medicine. Keep this key: the whole comparison reads with it.
The German pioneer (1991) of «orthomolecular nutritional medicine» in pharmacies: Orthomol Vital f, the anti-fatigue reference : one drinking vial + one capsule a day, ~25 nutrients at very high doses (vitamin E at 1250% NRV).
The daily base: covering the essentials every day : 29 vitamins, minerals and amino acids : in active forms (the versions your body uses without converting them), in one pomegranate-flavoured glass. Not a one-off cure: the foundation, day after day.
The comparator, line by line
Green = a form the body uses as-is, or a strength. Amber = a version that must first be converted, or a partial point. Each line says what the nutrient is for.
The systematically active forms (5-MTHF, active B12, citrates, selenomethionine) and the amino acids: the orthomolecular principle applied to every line, not just the brand name.
The omega-3 (300 mg), lutein and lycopene, very high doses, and the German pharmacy network: a para-medical ecosystem honed over 30 years.
The word and the thing
«Orthomolecular» literally means: the right molecules : those the body knows and uses as-is. It is Orthomol's founding word... and its label tells the opposite story: folic acid (to convert), cyanocobalamin (to convert, even at 450 µg), magnesium as oxide and carbonate, mineral selenium : and four synthetic sweeteners in the vial. The doses are massive; the molecules are industry's, not the body's.
base One was born from the discipline itself : its formulator presides over the International Francophone Academy of Orthomolecular Medicine : and every line applies the principle.
What Orthomol does well : and its limits, in plain words
Its strengths. Thirty pioneering years, the pharmacy network, honest doses, integrated omega-3 and carotenoids, and a beloved vial ritual.
Its limits. The cheap historic forms at every decisive line (folic acid, cyanocobalamin, oxide), iron in the same intake as zinc, and four artificial sweeteners: far from the principle whose name the brand carries.
base One in practice: for whom, when, and what to expect
Who it is for. Adults who want the essentials covered daily without stacking boxes : and especially those who have taken vitamins before and “felt nothing”: often the sign of forms the body used poorly. After 50 or on a plant-based diet, the active B12 in the formula counts double.
When. One glass a day, at the moment that becomes your ritual: morning, or the 5 p.m. alcohol-free apéro. The 90-day course follows the body's own rhythm: skin renews in a month, blood in four.
What to expect, honestly. We promise nothing : here is what biology says. If your diet left gaps : common for magnesium and the B vitamins, which contribute to reducing fatigue : the difference may be felt within weeks. If your intake was already good, base One works silently: it is background coverage, not a stimulant. The honest check-in is at 90 days : and you judge.
What base One does not contain : and why
An honest comparison also lists our absences. They are deliberate:
- No iron. Iron and zinc use the same entry door of the gut: putting them together makes them hinder each other. A real iron deficiency is measured (ferritin) and corrected in a targeted way. The full explanation.
- No vitamin D. The right dose depends on your blood status and the season: it varies tenfold between people. One dose for everyone would be either useless or insufficient. Our dedicated article.
Why these choices? base One follows the orthomolecular approach: giving the body molecules it already knows, at useful doses : rather than cheap synthetic versions at minimal doses. It is the discipline practised and taught by David Giovenco, president of the International Francophone Academy of Orthomolecular and Integrative Medicine.
Your questions
Is Orthomol available in Switzerland?
Yes, in Swiss pharmacies and parapharmacies (Vital f remains the distributed version; data of 03.09.2026).
Isn't 450 µg of B12 better than your doses?
It is 450 µg of cyanocobalamin: a form to convert, whose active absorption is capped by intrinsic factor (~1.5-2 µg per intake). The number impresses; the form decides.
Why does Orthomol use sweeteners?
To make the vial drinkable despite the doses. A format choice: ours is a pomegranate glass, sweetened by glycine, with no synthetic sweeteners.
Ready to try the daily base?
29 nutrients in active forms, one glass a day, made in Switzerland : and 5 CHF welcome credit on your first order, applied automatically with your e-mail.
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Sources
[1] Orthomol Vital f composition, shop-apotheke/orthomol.com, recorded 03.09.2026 · [2] Excipient list (sweeteners) Orthomol Vital f · [3] Scaglione & Panzavolta 2014 · [4] Obeid 2015 · [5] base One product page, nuho.ch
This content is published for information purposes and does not replace medical advice. For any health question, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Compositions recorded on 2 September 2026: report any inaccuracy.