The Best Multivitamins For Women For Energy, Iron, And More

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Shopping for a multivitamin can be overwhelming. There are formulas for men and women, multivitamins that claim fewer ingredients are better, some that contain herbs and probiotics, and brands that promise easier digestion. And even after you make your decision, you’re still hovering the mouse of the order button and thinking, “Am I just throwing my money away?” It’s a fair question.

What isn’t in question is the importance of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. The human body needs them to produce red blood cells, regulate brain and organ function, and repair wounds. It’s estimated that 90 percent of Americans don’t eat enough fruits and veggies — which are abundant in vitamins and minerals. As a result, about one-third of the U.S. population is at risk of being deficient in at least one vitamin. (1)

If you’re a woman, taking a women’s multivitamin can be used to address a variety of important health areas: supplementing a less-than-ideal diet, boosting your iron intake, supporting healthy joint health… the list goes on. But you need to know what you’re getting and why. To help you find the right multivitamin, we tried dozens of brands for women — from the most popular to newer, lesser-known labels. In the end, we narrowed down the list for best multivitamins for women to the top products for young women, female athletes, women over 50, and a few other categories.

Best Women’s MultivitaminsEditor’s note: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning a new fitness, nutritional, and/or supplement routine. None of these supplements are meant to treat or cure any disease. If you feel you may be deficient in a particular nutrient or nutrients, please seek out a medical professional.

Best Multivitamin for Women OverallSometimes more is less, especially when it comes down to what you put into your body. A good multivitamin gives you what you need without anything that you don’t.

Ritual Essential for WomenRitual simplified its formula to include what they consider to be the essentials. One of their multivitamins contains just nine ingredients that work in harmony to help keep your body running optimally. They include: vitamin D, omega-3 DHA, folate, vitamin B12, magnesium, boron, iron, vitamin E, and vitamin K2. It’s also a subscription-based service, so once you order, you don’t have to worry about remembering to buy more.

That said, there’s a chance that you may need (or want) an ingredient not found in Ritual’s formula. Probiotics, herbs, and other vitamins can also aid in relaxation, focus, and sleep. While we laud Ritual for producing a pure product, the doses are lower to ensure there’s not too much nutrient crossover with your diet. But that doesn’t apply to everyone, which is something to keep in mind. You can check out our full review of Ritual Essential.

Ritual Essential for Women

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A subscription-based multivitamin with incredibly transparent ingredient sourcing, easy-to-take capsules, and a minty scent. Each dose only contains nine ingredients.

Who Should Buy Ritual Essential for Women
  • Women who want just the essential vitamins and minerals at a reasonable dose will appreciate the simplicity of this supplement.
  • People who want to order and then not worry about re-ordering their vitamins.
  • Folks who already eat a well-versed diet that’s decently high in nutrients.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Ritual Essential for Women
  • Women who need (or possibly want) another nutrient, herb, or vitamin that isn’t included in Ritual’s nine-ingredient formula.
  • Those who may benefit from first trying to eat more fruits and vegetables before resorting to a supplement, as Ritual’s formula is an aid, not a replacement.
If you’re looking for a vitamin made specially for women to include nine essentials without any extras, Ritual’s minimalistic formula is a great option for you.

Best Multivitamin for Women Over 50For women over 50, you may want to look for a multivitamin that increases energy, supports bone health, and promotes immune function — this pick is that vitamin.

Ritual Essential For Women 50+Ritual has crafted a formula specific to women over 50 years old. It contains eight ingredients — including vitamin D, K2, E, B12, folate, omega-3, boron, and magnesium — in particular doses. Ritual packs their formulas with a lot of vitamins and minerals in high doses. They purposely leave out specific ingredients — vitamin C and calcium in this case — since women in this category most likely get enough of those two. Any more is unnecessary. The focus of this formula is heart health, immune function, bone support, and muscle function, and the label reflects that.

Ritual Essential for Women 50+

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A subscription-based multivitamin with transparent ingredient sourcing, easy-to-take capsules, and a formula specifically designed for women over 50 years old.

Who Should Buy Ritual Essential For Women 50+
  • For women over 50 who may benefit from a formula specifically tailored to bone health and immune function.
  • Women who already eat a healthy and complete diet. This formula is meant to act as a supplement, not a nutrient replacement.
  • Anyone who only wants to take two capsules per day for their full dose of multivitamins.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Ritual Essential For Women 50+
  • Women under 50 who may not yet be dealing with the same biological hurdles as older adults.
  • Folks who need a more complete multivitamin formula.
If you’re over 50 and want a vitamin with a streamlined formula that caters specifically to women in your age group, Ritual’s 50+ formula is your best bet.

Best Personalized Women’s MultivitaminSome companies offer you the ability to make your own formula for a multivitamin that is completely customized to you and your needs — this pick is one of our favorites.

Care/ofTake five minutes to fill out their online quiz, which asks you a few questions about your goals, lifestyle, and values, and Care/of will customize a pack of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and probiotics tailored to you. Care/of’s aim is to simplify the process of getting your daily nutritional needs and make it more affordable (and easier) than the bottles you’d pick at your local drug store.

Monthly subscriptions start at $20 and go up depending on your particular blend. To keep the cost down, we recommend staying away from the specialty blends and herbs, which add up quickly. Bonus, if you’re looking to become pregnant, are pregnant, or nursing, they also offer a prenatal regimen specifically designed to be easy on the stomach.

The one potential downside is that, similar to Ritual, you may miss certain vitamins and minerals. Everyone is different, and an online quiz isn’t the most thorough way to identify your nutrient needs. So, before you take any vitamin, check in with your doctor to truly find out what your nutrient needs are.

50% off first purchase

Care/Of

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Care/of creates custom multivitamin packs that are tailored to the user's specific needs. Whether you want to prioritize your bone health, heart, brain, or up your focus and energy, Care/of has a formula for that. Use the code BARBEND50 for half off your first purchase

Who Should Buy Care/of
  • Folks who want a customized vitamin pack that’s tailored to them based off of a nutrition quiz.
  • People who want the freedom to try different vitamins or minerals will like that you can alter your order to suit your needs.
  • Those who want to pay for a subscription service and have vitamins show up each month at their doorstep.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Care/of
  • Women who are pill-adverse may not want to have to take the numerous pills in these personalized packets.
  • Forgetful people who may not remember to cancel their subscription if they ever need to.
For anyone who values a formula that’s made specifically for you, these packets will include only vitamins you personally need based off of your precursory nutrition quiz.

Best Women’s Multivitamin GummyIf you’re looking to add a little flavor to your daily multivitamin, a gummy supplement is a great way to go. This gummy multi is one of the best we’ve tried.

Smarty Pants Daily Organic GummyThe Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummy packs 15 essential nutrients — including omega-3’s, vitamin D3, vitamin C, and vitamin B12 — into one four-gummy serving. In addition, this supplement contains biotin, which may help with hair, skin, and nail health, a benefit many women take a separate supplement for already. Smarty Pants also includes zinc, which may help with immune support. This product is certified organic and vegetarian, and comes in a 120-gummy bottle of multiple fruity flavors.

Smarty Pants Adult Complete Gummy

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Folks looking for the added benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids in their multivitamins may want to check out Smarty Pants Daily Gummy. These small chewable gummies provide a number of vitamins and nutrients as well as fatty acids from fish oil.

Who Should Buy Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummy
  • Women who want a great-tasting gummy vitamin supplement.
  • Customers who are looking for additional supplementation for hair, skin, and nail health from biotin.
  • Anyone who prefers a gummy supplement to a pill or a powder multivitamin.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummy
  • Women who don’t want to have to take a lot of gummies — each dose of this product is four gummies.
  • Folks who prefer a powder or pill multivitamin over a gummy vitamin.
Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummies are comprehensive and great-tasting — though you do have to take four gummies per serving, which may be a lot for some to chew.

Best Women’s Multivitamin with IronSince iron deficiency often affects more women than men, it’s not uncommon for women’s multivitamin supplements to include iron — this is one of our favorites.

Legion Triumph for WomenIron deficiency can affect women during their period and often during pregnancy, so some may find it important to have a supplement that includes iron, so they don’t have to take a separate iron supplement altogether.

Legion Triumph includes 10mg of iron per serving, which is 60 percent of your RDI. On top of that, you’ll find 22 key vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, C, D, and E, vitamins K1 and K2, B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, biotin, zinc, and iron. Legion’s ingredient list is one of the most comprehensive we’ve seen, but you will pay a little more for that — this product is more expensive than a lot of multivitamins on the market.

Legion Triumph for Women

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Legion Triumph includes 10mg of iron per serving, which is 60 percent of your RDI. On top of that, you’ll find 22 key vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, C, D, and E, vitamins K1 and K2, B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, biotin, zinc, and iron.

Who Should Buy Legion Triumph for Women
  • Women who are looking for added iron in their multivitamin supplement — this multi has 10mg in each dose.
  • Anyone who wants a comprehensive ingredient list of 22 essential vitamins and minerals.
  • Folks who want biotin for hair, skin, and nail health to be included in their multivitamin instead of having to take a separate supplement for it.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Legion Triumph for Women
  • Women who don’t need extra iron in their multivitamin supplement.
  • Customers who don’t value the comprehensive ingredient list can find less expensive supplements out there.
While Legion Triumph may be a little more expensive than other multivitamins, it offers a solid dose of iron, as well as 21 other vitamins and minerals, which is on the top end of what you’ll find for most multivitamins on the market.

Best Women’s Daily MultivitaminThis pick is easy on the stomach, contains all the essentials for women, and only requires two capsules per day.

Ritual EssentialRitual Essential includes nine traceable ingredients — folate, omega-3 DHA, vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron, and vitamin K2. All of these were selected because they are considered the “foundation for better health” for women, targeting brain health, bone health, red blood cell formation, and antioxidant support.

Ritual uses a delayed release capsule that allows the capsule to make it through the stomach to the small intestine before it dissolves since the small intestine is the most ideal place to absorb nutrients. The mint in the bottle keeps everything fresh, so you won’t be turned off by the taste of the capsule when it comes time to take your vitamins. Plus, this product is vegan and only requires two capsules per day.

Ritual Essential for Women

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A subscription-based multivitamin with incredibly transparent ingredient sourcing, easy-to-take capsules, and a minty scent. Each dose only contains nine ingredients.

Who Should Buy Ritual Essential
  • Women who are looking for the essentials in just a two-capsule dose will appreciate the simplicity of this supplement.
  • Those who already eat a healthy diet of whole foods. Since this mult doesn’t contain every vitamin and mineral, it is truly meant to be used as a supplement, not a replacement for a nutritious diet.
  • Folks who have digestive issues with capsule supplements and need a capsule that is light on the stomach and easy to digest.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Ritual Essential
  • Women over 50 years old — Ritual has a separate multivitamin that is created for older women.
  • Folks who want a more comprehensive list of ingredients in their multivitamin.
While Ritual Essential keeps their multivitamin formulation fairly minimalistic, its nine ingredients were chosen specifically to supplement women who already follow a healthy lifestyle. Plus, you only need to take two of these easy-to-digest capsules each day.

Best Women’s Multivitamin for EnergyWhether you’re working through a tough training schedule or just seem to be hitting a lull in the afternoon, a multivitamin with ingredients like vitamin B12 and CoQ10 could help boost your energy levels.

Legion Triumph for WomenVitamin B12 can help release energy from the food you eat into your body, and CoQ10 may help generate energy in your body’s cells. Legion Triumph for Women contains both of these ingredients — 600mcg of vitamin B12 and 90 mg of CoQ10.

In addition to these energy-boosting ingredients, Legion contains a pretty comprehensive list of vitamins and minerals — 22 to be exact — which include vitamins A,C, D and E, vitamins K1 and K2, biotin, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and iron. A downside of this supplement, however, is that for the full dose, you do have to consume eight capsules daily, which can be a lot for some.

Legion Triumph for Women

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Legion Triumph includes 10mg of iron per serving, which is 60 percent of your RDI. On top of that, you’ll find 22 key vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, C, D, and E, vitamins K1 and K2, B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, biotin, zinc, and iron.

Who Should Buy Legion Triumph for Women
  • Women who are looking for an extra boost of energy in their multivitamins from ingredients like vitamin B12 and CoQ10.
  • Anyone who wants a comprehensive list of ingredients that includes 22 vitamins and minerals.
  • Folks who prefer to take their vitamins in capsule form over powder or liquid form.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Legion Triumph for Women
  • Those who don’t want to take a lot of capsules each day — this multivitamin requires eight daily.
  • Anyone looking for a more reasonably priced multivitamin as this product is not the least expensive option on this list.
While Legion Triumph may be a little more expensive than some other multivitamins, this supplement contains 22 key vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B12 and CoQ10, which may help with energy.

Best Women’s Multivitamin with ProbioticsSome women may be on the hunt for a multivitamin that includes probiotics to help with gut health. These gummies are some of the best in this category.

Smarty Pants Daily Organic GummySmarty Pants Daily Gummies contains 10mg of Bacillus subtilis probiotics that have a 99 percent survivability rate — this means that most of the probiotics will reach your gut alive without the need to refrigerate your supplement. However, it is worth noting that probiotics work best when combined with prebiotics (food that these good probiotic bacterias can live off of), which this supplement does not contain.

This multi does have vitamins and minerals like vitamin B12, vitamins A,C,D and E, folate, omega-3, biotin, and zinc though. The gummies have a delicious fruity flavor, but you do need to take four each day for a full dose.

Smarty Pants Adult Complete Gummy

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Folks looking for the added benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids in their multivitamins may want to check out Smarty Pants Daily Gummy. These small chewable gummies provide a number of vitamins and nutrients as well as fatty acids from fish oil.

Who Should Buy Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummy
  • Women who are looking for a dose of probiotics included in their multivitamin.
  • Anyone who prefers to take their multivitamin in gummy form, instead of capsule or powder.
  • Folks who want a multivitamin that includes omega-3 — this product has 171mg.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummy
  • Those who don’t want to have to chew four gummies daily to get their full dose of their multivitamin.
  • Anyone who wants prebiotics included with their probiotics for optimal gut health.
While Smarty Pants Daily Organic Gummies do contain a solid dose of probiotics and don’t need to be refrigerated, they don’t contain prebiotics, so you’ll need to get those separately for optimal gut health. They do, however, contain a wide range of other vitamins and minerals, like omega-3 and biotin, to fill gaps in your diet.

Best Multivitamin for Women AthletesActive women may require a more thorough vitamin formula to assist in recovery and support overall health — this pick is a solid option for women who fall into this group.

Legion Triumph for WomenLegion Triumph for Women includes 22 key vitamins and minerals, like B vitamins that may help with energy, amino acids that may help with tissue repair, and grape seed extract that can help with heart health. On top of these nutrients, you’ll find an array of multivitamin staples like vitamins A, C, D and E, biotin, zinc, calcium, magnesium, and iron.

This supplement is third-party tested, contains no artificial dyes, but does require you to take four capsules, two times daily with meals, which may be a lot if you are pill-adverse. Legion Triumph is also a little more expensive than some options on the market because its ingredients list is so comprehensive.

Legion Triumph for Women

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Legion Triumph includes 10mg of iron per serving, which is 60 percent of your RDI. On top of that, you’ll find 22 key vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A, C, D, and E, vitamins K1 and K2, B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, biotin, zinc, and iron.

Who Should Buy Legion Triumph for Women
  • Active women who want high-doses of certain vitamins like vitamin B12 and CoQ10 that may have benefits for athletic performance, like a boost in energy.
  • Women who lift will appreciate that this formula’s amino acids may aid in recovery.
  • Those who want a robust list of 22 key vitamins and minerals included in their multivitamin.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Legion Triumph for Women
  • Folks who are cautious of ingesting too many ingredients at once, as this supplement does contain 22 key vitamins and minerals.
  • People who want a single capsule supplement; one serving size here is eight capsules.
Legion Triumph contains ingredients like vitamin B12 and amino acids, which may help athletes with energy and recovery. It also has a long list of essential vitamins and minerals, including zinc, magnesium, and calcium, to round out its robust formula.

Best Women’s Multivitamin with Transparent IngredientsFiguring out which ingredients you need is one thing, but you should also know where those ingredients come from. After all, don’t you want to know what’s going into your body?

Ritual Essential for WomenRitual Essential is the brand that we found to be the most transparent about their ingredients. One of their key missions is to provide the user with information about where each of the ingredients is sourced. On their website, Ritual provides a map that shows you exactly which state and country a specific ingredient is from. They also divulge the form the nutrient is in and the manufacturer of that specific product. And if you want to research why you may need a particular nutrient, they provide that information, too.

While it’s great that they provide the user with complete transparency about where their nine ingredients are from, that doesn’t mean you only need those vitamins and minerals. Also, the doses are lower than what you’ll find in other multivitamins, so you may need a heftier formula depending on your individual needs.

Ritual Essential for Women

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A subscription-based multivitamin with incredibly transparent ingredient sourcing, easy-to-take capsules, and a minty scent. Each dose only contains nine ingredients.

Who Should Buy Ritual Essential for Women
  • People who value transparency from a company in regards to ingredient choice.
  • Folks who want information, from the brand, about the granular details of the ingredients — including the form it’s in and why they may need it.
  • Anyone looking for a minimalist formula that only contains the essentials to support an already healthy diet.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Ritual Essential for Women
  • Women who need more of a specific nutrient, including the ones in Ritual’s formula that may be offered in this formula at doses that are too low.
  • Anyone who wants a more robust ingredient list as this product only contains nine ingredients total.
If you value a transparent label and website that lists all of your multivitamin’s ingredients in their entirety, Ritual Essential is going to be your best bet.

Best Greens for VitaminsGreens powders offer up a plethora of vitamins and minerals from whole food sources as well as extras such as probiotics and digestive enzymes.

Athletic GreensThis complete greens powder is packed with vitamins and minerals — like Vitamins A, C, E and B12, biotin, folate, zinc, and selenium — and a 75-ingredient superfood complex. Athletic Greens also boasts digestive enzymes and probiotics for gut health and an antioxidant and herb blend. For folks on the go often, Athletic Greens comes in pouches as well, so you can take exactly what you need for a weekend. While many greens powders may taste like dirt, Athletic Greens actually has a delicious sweet flavor that you may even want to savor.

Athletic Greens Ultimate Daily

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This nutritious greens powder is NSF certified for sport and includes 75 absorbable ingredients and is free of gluten, sugar, dairy, eggs, and nuts. It is compatible with vegan, keto, and paleo diets.

Who Should Buy Athletic Greens
  • People who want a nutrient blend derived from plants and herbs will like this greens formula.
  • Folks who would rather drink their daily vitamins — either in shake form or on its own.
  • Anyone who values having prebiotics, probiotics, and digestive enzymes included in their vitamin supplement for optimal digestive health.
Who Shouldn’t Buy Athletic Greens
  • Those who prefer pills. Greens powders, to some, are an acquired taste and capsules can be more convenient.
  • Penny pinchers. This is the most expensive multivitamin featured on this list.
If you’re looking for a greens powder that tastes great and packs 75 ingredients into one scoop, Athletic Greens is one of the best on the market.

Ingredients to Look for in a Women’s MultivitaminWhile different companies take a different approach to gender-specific nutrition, many multivitamins for women emphasize ingredients like biotin and collagen, which may help hair and nail health, a common concern among women.

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1989studio/ShutterstockYou can also expect to find more iron, vitamins C, E, and K, as well as calcium and magnesium in multis made for women. Below, we explain why.

BiotinBiotin is a B vitamin that has been shown to improve hair and skin health, as well as your nails, according to a Swiss study published in Cutis. (2)(3)

ZincTake a look at your nails. Are they discolored or split? It could be a sign of zinc deficiency, according to research in the Journal of Drugs & Dermatology. (4)(5) Zinc plays a crucial role in healthy cell division, and because our nails grow quickly, signs of deficiency make themselves known on your nails quicker than any other areas. Zinc may also help with protein synthesis, which means it could help athletes recover faster.

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