Trademark Class 5: Pharmaceuticals and supplements
Anything taken or applied for a health purpose. The line between class 5 and classes 3, 29 or 30 is drawn by the claim you make, not by the ingredients.
“Pharmaceuticals, medical and veterinary preparations; sanitary preparations for medical purposes; dietetic food and substances adapted for medical or veterinary use, food for babies; dietary supplements for human beings and animals; plasters, materials for dressings; material for stopping teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides.”
Official class heading, Nice Agreement, Eleventh Edition. Published by the USPTO.
Typical goods and services in class 5
- Vitamins, minerals and dietary supplements
- Protein powders and nutritional gummies sold for health benefit
- Pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations
- Medicated skincare and medicated shampoo
- Plasters, dressings and first-aid supplies
- Disinfectants, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides
Example of pre-approved USPTO wording for this class: Dietary and nutritional supplements. Using the USPTO’s own ID Manual language keeps your filing fee at the base rate — describing your goods in your own words carries a surcharge of $200 per class.
Commonly confused with class 5
These look like they belong here and do not. Each one is a separate class with a separate $350 government fee, and a class cannot be added to an application once it has been filed.
Non-medicated cosmetics and toiletries
Class 3 — Cosmetics and cleaning preparations
Ordinary food and snacks with no health claim
Class 30 — Coffee, bakery, snacks and condiments
Sports drinks sold as beverages
Class 32 — Beer and non-alcoholic drinks
Medical devices and instruments
Class 10 — Medical and surgical devices
Medical services and clinics
Class 44 — Medical, beauty and wellbeing services
Filing in one class
A single-class application in class 5 costs $350 in USPTO government fees, paid to the government, plus our flat fee of $199 — $549 in total. Every additional class is another $350. Government fees are current as of 18 January 2025.
Work out how many classes you need Check if the name is taken
This page describes how the USPTO groups goods and services in general. It is not legal advice about your application, and the lists above are written for the common case rather than being exhaustive. Which classes you actually need depends on what you sell, and a licensed attorney confirms them before anything is filed.
Classes either side of this one
Class 3 — Cosmetics and cleaning preparations
Non-medicated beauty, personal care and cleaning products. One of the busiest classes for new consumer brands, and one of the easiest to get half-right.
Class 4 — Industrial oils, fuels and candles
Fuels, lubricants and wax — including candles, which is why a lot of small home-fragrance brands end up here rather than in a beauty class.
Class 6 — Common metals and metal goods
Goods defined by being made of common metal — building materials, hardware, containers and safes.
Class 7 — Machines and power tools
Powered machinery. The rule that catches people out: if it is powered, it is class 7; if a hand drives it, it is class 8.