FAQ

The herbs used in Ricola products are cultivated using natural methods. However, in order to meet the strict Bio Suisse guidelines, a farm must use organic methods in all areas (cereals, fruit production, animal husbandry, etc.). Not all of our farmers are able to make this considerable effort, mainly for financial reasons. More than two-thirds of Ricola's herb farmers already meet the Bio Suisse requirements.

Information for vegetarians:

Ricola herbal specialties are suitable for vegetarians. However, some of our products do contain ingredients that are not permitted in all types of vegetarian diets. The list of ingredients on the packaging contains full details of all substances.

Information for vegans:

The Ricola range includes many sweets, cough drops, and teas that can be consumed by vegans. However, some products contain honey, and are therefore not suitable for vegans. In the interest of transparency, Ricola lists all ingredients on all product packaging.

All our products are based on the well established and tested Ricola 13 herbs mixture, and do contain essential oils as natural flavourings. We recommend that you discuss this topic with your homeopathist or your pharmacist.

The white layer on the herbal sweet is crystallized isomalt/crystallized sugar. This problem may occur with improper storage, such as high atmospheric humidity. The white layer is harmless to health.

As Ricola is primarily a production facility, we adhere to strict hygiene regulations in accordance with Swissmedic. Allowing tours of the facility would require us to implement the necessary precautionary measures and make spatial adjustments. For this reason, factory tours are exclusively available to Ricola’s business partners, and only on a highly restricted basis.

However, you can visit our experience shop and Herb Centre in Laufen, our various herb gardens across Switzerland.

A list of our herb gardens can be found here.

In principle, Ricola products are safe to use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. For your own safety, however, we recommend that you consult your doctor in advance to rule out any allergies or intolerances to certain ingredients in our products. All the ingredients are listed on the packaging.

The cube-shaped Ricola Original Herb cough drops are our traditional product. Their shape and recipe have hardly changed since 1940. The cube shape is characteristic of this product and is very popular with many consumers who like its straight edges. However, we understand that some consumers prefer an oval-shaped bonbon. That's why the sugar-free version of our original product and many other products are available in an oval shape.

The name Ricola is derived from the name of the owner family, Richterich, and the name of the town in Switzerland where Ricola products were invented and are still produced today - Laufen. So take the first two letters of RIchterich COmpany LAufen - and you have RICOLA!

We have never tested our products on animals and our products are not intended for animal consumption. If you have a pet that has ingested our cough drops, please contact your veterinarian. Ricola products do not contain xylitol, a sweetener that has been linked to health problems in pets.

Please visit the Products page of our website, then select the flavour you are interested in and you will find nutritional information on that page.

All Ricola products are considered gluten-free according to the Codex international food standards and are therefore suitable for people with gluten intolerance. In some countries, however, we are required by law to label ingredients as allergens if they have a gluten-containing origin, even if they no longer contain the allergen. You can be assured that none of our products contain gluten.

All Ricola products are considered lactose-free according to the Swiss Foodstuff Ordinance and are suitable for people with lactose intolerance.

All Ricola herbal specialties produced in Laufen are kosher and halal.

Ricola products may contain traces of alcohol (ethanol) due to their ingredients. This is similar to fruits and other foods containing sugar or starch, which may produce small amounts of alcohol when consumed and digested.

The alcohol content in Ricola products is less than 0.5% and therefore the products are considered “alcohol-free”.

In all markets where Ricola products are marketed, Ricola products comply with all requirements regarding GMOs, if such requirements exist in the respective country. Based on these requirements Ricola products are considered GMO-free.

The term “polyols”, which we use in the nutrition values table in compliance with the declaration requirements for food products, refers to the sugar substitutes.

In our sugar-free products, we use isomalt as a sugar substitute. Isomalt (or sorbitol and sorbitol syrup) belongs to a group of substances known as "polyols/polyalcohols " (sugar alcohols), and we are required by law to label them as "polyalcohols". Polyalcohols have no "alcohol-like" effects. Because isomalt has mild sweetening properties, it must be declared as a sweetener. However, most of the sweet taste in the sweets comes from the sweeteners (aspartame / sucralose / acesulfame-K) or the steviol glycosides from the stevia plant. Isomalt isn't actually that sweet, and must be used in combination with another sweetener (e.g. stevia) to give the product the sweet taste that consumers enjoy.

Each Ricola flavour has a different menthol level. This refers to a different taste experience due to different menthol levels.

All Ricola products are free of nuts and peanuts.

Ricola is not classified as organic, but we do use high-quality ingredients in our products. For a complete list of ingredients and nutritional information for our sweets, please visit our products page.

Most Ricola sweets are sugar-free, so we can offer consumers lower-calorie products that are tooth-friendly. To ensure that the sweets still have a sweet taste, they contain sweeteners. Wherever possible, we use sweeteners such as steviol glycosides, which are extracted from stevia plants.

The caramel colour in some of our products is made from sucrose (beet sugar), under very specific conditions. We can confirm that the caramel colour does not contain 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI). Only the colours Ammonia Caramel (E 150c) and Sulphite Ammonia Caramel (E 150d) contain 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) and we do not use these two colours in our Ricola products.

Yes, in the UK, our products are sold on our website. In most markets, our products are available through our retailers and since 2023 also in our shop in Laufen, Switzerland.

All orders placed via this website will be managed by our distribution partner, CLF Distribution, on our behalf.  You will receive email confirmation letting you know when your order has been received, and when the order is being processed, and then shipped.

All orders are shipped using our preferred couriers. Our Express courier deliveries can take place between Monday and Saturday.

Orders placed before 10am on working days (Monday to Friday) will be processed and despatched by CLF Distribution the same day (excluding bank holidays).  All orders placed over the weekend will be despatched on the following Monday. Once the order has been despatched you will receive tracking information from the relevant courier. Please ensure that you have the order delivered to an address where someone is available to sign for the delivery.

The majority of our UK orders are delivered within 2-3 working days if your order is placed before 10am Monday-Friday, although some consignments may take a little longer.

Postage cost varies depending on the location and also the size of the order. The shipping cost will be calculated at the checkout once you have entered your shipping address. Delivery is FREE for all mainland UK orders over £35.

We hope you are pleased with your purchase of products. If you are not satisfied with the goods supplied and wish to return any items bought from us then we will be happy to make a refund, as long as the product is unopened and in its original condition. Please let us know, in writing, the reason for the return and any returns should be made within a reasonable time (please try and return goods within 14 days).
If you wish to change or cancel your order then you should notify our Distribution Partner, CLF Distribution in writing of your intentions. To receive our returns address and instructions, please send us a message at Contact Us page, select E-Commerce as the reason for your message.
Following receipt of the goods by us we will be happy to accommodate changes where possible or you will receive a full refund, less any return delivery and/or collection charges, within 30 days of giving us your notice to change or cancel.