INTRO
It’s been a long day and you have decided to purchase a multivitamin... How complicated can that be?
The multivitamin market can be a minefield - even for the most seasoned professionals and nutritionists out there. We think it’s important that you’re clued up as nothing is more important to us than your health.
JUMP TO:
- THE BEST MULTIVITAMIN FOR MEN OR WOMEN
- WEIGHING UP YOUR OPTIONS - Supermarket vs High Street vs Amazon vs Evity vs Specialist Independent Stores
- WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR AND CRUCIALLY WHAT TO AVOID?
THE BEST MULTIVITAMIN FOR MEN OR WOMEN
Not all multivitamins are created equally, with too many brands overpromising and under delivering; so give us a moment to explain what your options are in the market of multivitamins. We’ll show you what's available and exactly where we fit in when it comes to some of the key considerations including quality, affordability and most importantly your health goals - whether that's immunity, energy, mood or just general wellbeing.
Looking for the best Multivitamin For Men or Women? We have got just what you need.
- Balanced for men or women - formulated to meet your specific needs based on age and gender.
- Comprehensive formula - not all multivitamins are created equally, but ours is a cut above the rest - we include essential nutrients others miss out like boron, vitamin K2 and selenium.
- Nutrient forms - optimal nutrient forms your body can utilise and absorb, giving you the best results.
- Added extras - blended with amazing bonus ingredients including herbs, amino acids, phytosterols and mushrooms.
- Recyclable pouch - good for you and the environment, delivered through your letterbox in a 100% recyclable pouch.
- No nasties - we prefer to pack our capsules full of active ingredients so you’ll never find any fillers, binders, flow agents or colourings in our multivitamin.
- The real deal - We’re upfront, honest and most importantly affordable. We offer nutrition you can believe minus any of the funny business.
Don’t just take our word for it. Have a read below to see where we fit in the market.
So you have decided to take a multivitamin. Where to start?
First things first, we want to start with the basics and let you know why we believe everyone should consider taking a multivitamin. A good way of looking at the need for a multivitamin, really starts with macronutrients and micronutrients. Even in the best diets you’ll often find small nutrient ‘gaps’, most commonly with micronutrients - which is where multivitamins can help. After all, life often comes down to the smallest of margins.
WEIGHING UP YOUR OPTIONS
We don’t want to name and shame so we won’t be picking out any specific brands. That’s not how we roll. We want to give you a high level overview of the most common products you can find in various locations so you can make your own mind up. We don’t want you to be misled or ripped off.
SUPERMARKET OWN BRAND
It’s amazing what you can find in the middle aisle! But are these products really any good?
Basic, without the bells and whistles.
If you’re after a basic, affordable multivitamin without any added extras then the supermarket is a great place to start. You won’t be getting a comprehensive formula and you certainly won’t be getting the most premium, bioavailable nutrient forms, but at the end of the day branded ascorbic acid is the same as unbranded.
The classic supermarket A-Z Multivitamins generally fall short when it comes to completeness as they only offer a small selection of vitamins and minerals. Often they lack the more expensive nutrients such as selenium and vitamin K. They’re broad spectrum, not tailored for your specific need or health goal but their price reflects that; but if it’s a cheap multivitamin you’re after then you can’t really argue with £1 for a month’s supply.
HIGHSTREET STORES
The most well-known brands on the market - but are they really the best?
This is where you’ll find some of the most well known brands on the market - you might have even tried them before, but the fact you’re still looking speaks for itself.
Here you’ll find mass-market multivitamin brands that make themselves very well known thanks to very expensive marketing campaigns!
These brands are often owned by large pharmaceutical companies that benefit from economies of scale. They’re completely safe and meet the strict criteria of these highstreet stores. It’s important to mention that these stores have stringent criteria for entry and have thorough regulatory teams. You can be sure you are getting a safe product and that you get what it says on the label.
Many people stick with these brands because they’re well known and pretty cheap. As they’re cheap they’re unlikely to have the most optimal nutrient forms which means that your body can’t absorb them as well. They also don’t have any added extras like herbs, mushrooms or amino acids - or if they do the doses will be pretty meaningless. If you want more bioavailable nutrients and meaningful doses of added extras, you’ll need to look a little further afield.
AMAZON
Lots of choice, cheap prices and very convenient.
Amazon is a bit of a mix between the good, the bad and the ugly - it requires you to do a little more digging for quality products. A large proportion of products are developed specifically for Amazon meaning brands are aiming for as many tablets as possible for as cheap as possible. We find this to be the place with the highest level of trickery. Brands are gaming the platform to offer seemingly cheap products by pulling all sorts of tricks. Products that seemingly look to be value for money turn out to be far from it once you dig down into the ingredients table and dissect the quantities of the ingredients.
The majority of the time, you get what you pay for - multivitamins that are cheap, contain low quality nutrients alongside fillers, binders and flow agents without any bonus ingredients. Often the doses are irrelevant, and brands mislead with fake reviews and incorrect information on the product listing - don’t be fooled they’re out to trick you.
Not only that, but it’s highly likely that the supplements that you buy have been sitting in warehouses for years as they’re made on such a large scale. Trust us, you get exactly what you pay for.
DIRECT TO CONSUMER - Evity Multivitamins - This is where you’ll find us!
We offer an affordable top quality multivitamin alongside a dose of good old fashioned honesty.
We believe everyone should have access to the very best multivitamin at an affordable price. That’s why you can be assured that our Multivitamin offers top quality nutrient forms with the hefty doses of added extras the other multivitamins are lacking. We sell directly to you, cutting out the middleman which ensures a genuinely good price.
We also care, which goes a long way when it comes to creating a multivitamin. We tailor our formulations with specific groups in mind, ensuring they’re perfectly balanced with expertly calibrated, specialised nutrients in optimal forms. We also aim to provide clear, concise, no nonsense information on our website so it’s easy for you to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Alongside our high-potency nutrients, you’ll also find measurable quantities of bonus ingredients, like herbs and amino acids, tailored for target groups and designed with your health goals in mind. On top of that, it’s delivered through your letterbox in a completely recyclable pouch. We believe we offer true value for money.
SPECIALIST INDEPENDENT STORES
Here you’ll find quality products - but this does come at a price that isn’t affordable for everyone. Often the prices are justified as nine times out of ten these are premium products that offer optimal nutrient forms in meaningful doses, as well as those bonus ingredients we’ve spoken about. They may offer organic products too - if that’s important to you.
You’ll find you’re paying a premium for recyclable packaging, which is rightly very important to some people. They may also have B corp status alongside well trained staff who can offer suitable recommendations and have plenty of product knowledge - all of which comes with a pretty hefty price tag. A solid option if you’ve got a lot to spend.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR AND CRUCIALLY WHAT TO AVOID?
1. THE CORRECT BALANCE FOR YOUR AGE AND GENDER
Choose a multivitamin that considers your individual requirements and formulates carefully based on the way nutrients interact with each other
We’re all unique and our nutrient requirements are no different, changing largely based on gender. Nutritional needs also go beyond being male or female; you need to be keeping up with the nutrient demands of our body at every stage of life and keep on top of the nutrient imbalances that may come as a result. Whether you’re a 50 (something!) male or a female experiencing the dreaded PMS, here at Evity, we’ve done the hard work for you. You can be sure that our multivitamin is carefully formulated to suit you whatever your individual needs.
2. HEALTH GOAL
We’ll help you reach your health goals
We’ll make a bet that you’re looking for a multivitamin because you’ve got a specific health goal. Whether it’s boosting your immune system or optimising your energy levels, you need to pick a multivitamin that has been formulated with this in mind. Alternatively, you may decide to take a multivitamin as an ‘insurance policy’ for your health, sometimes the primary reason for a multivitamin is to plug any nutrient gaps. Unfortunately, not all multivitamin brands actually consider this. Some are just too generic with a too broad spectrum of nutrients to actually make a difference, let alone help you achieve those goals.
Your goals are important to us. We consider them at every stage of our development process. This is reflected in our choice of nutrients and our bonus ingredients. You won’t find these in the cheaper, mass-produced multivitamins out there.
3. AFFORDABILITY
We want to help you get bang for your buck
For many people the purchase of a multivitamin will come down to price. They’re are lots of ‘cheap’ options out there, but if they’re lacking in bioavailable nutrient forms and aren’t tailored to you - is there really any point in bothering? Most are just a waste of your hard earned cash, cheap certainly doesn’t mean good value for money.
Pro-tip:Don’t be fooled by the price, you get what you pay for, always check the label to see what you’re getting. Look past the product size and cost, zoom in on the quantity of each ingredient and the specific form that is included.
4. COMPREHENSIVE FORMULA
A multivitamin designed to give you results
Although multivitamin products all share the same name the formulations can be wildly different. Some formulations simply don’t include essential nutrients like boron, vitamin K2 and selenium. It is not surprising there is often a correlation between the cost of the nutrient and whether or not it is included. Are you after a multivitamin brand that contains low doses of inactive ingredients, trying to trick you and make a quick buck or would you prefer an advanced formulation that considers your health goals with amazing bonus ingredients at a good price? Either way we know you’ll be looking for measurable results. If that’s the case, there isn’t really much of a comparison.
5. DOSAGE
Some brands are out to trick you, so don’t forget to check the daily dose
One thing is for sure, when it comes to multivitamins the body can’t deal with being bombarded with huge megadoses that it doesn't know what to do with. This can do more harm than good and cause nutrient imbalances. Alternatively watch out for meaningless doses with misleading information. Many brands trick you into thinking you’re getting value with lots of capsules or tablets in a bottle when they’re actually just spreading the dose over a higher number of tablets - you need to check the NRV per daily dose. Yes it might be £10 for a year’s supply, but do you know what you’re really paying for?
Pro-tip: Watch out for fillers like talc, maltodextrin and stearic acid which bulk up lots of multivitamins so the dose can be spread over more capsules or tablets.
6. WATCH OUT FOR NASTIES
Unfortunately fillers, binders and flow agents are commonplace in many mass market multivitamins. Often cheaper multivitamins come alongside unnecessary extras that make them cheaper to produce, provide ‘bulk’ and make the product last longer. Offering no benefit to health, we prefer to pack our multivitamin with ingredients that are going to get you where you want to be.
Pro-tip: Look out for things like silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and vegetable starch on the label - and steer clear!
7. NUTRIENT FORMS
Nutrient forms are a big indication of the quality. Often companies use the cheapest nutrient forms that your body can’t utilise as well or absorb. These mass-produced nutrients are cheap for a reason and ‘quality’ is something that we think is worth paying that little bit extra for.
Often poor quality nutrients can do more harm than good resulting in nutrient imbalances or some not particularly pleasant side effects. So perhaps luckily, more often than not, they are poorly absorbed by the body anyway. This means that not only have you wasted time and money, but you’ll be purchasing a product that your body doesn’t absorb very well and doesn’t do what you wanted it to do.
Pro-tip: Check out our blog on choosing the best nutrient forms to make sure you’re totally clued up!
8. NATURAL, NON NATURAL & ORGANIC
Choosing which multivitamin to buy, and where from, can be a challenge. Throw into the mix phrases like natural, synthetic and organic and the challenge becomes even greater.
Organic supplements are often accredited by the Soil Association which means they come with a higher price tag. You’ll often find these in the specialist independent health stores. Organic doesn’t necessarily mean that the multivitamin will be better; they likely don’t have any greater impact on health. It is rare to find truly natural nutrients and vitamins and minerals fall into a grey area when it comes to natural and organic. Your best bet here is to eat fresh fruit and veg. We find organic vs non organic often comes down to a lifestyle choice.
9. HERBALS EXTRACTS vs HERBAL POWDERS
If a product says it contains herbs you need to look out for one that contains measurable and guaranteed quantities of active compounds, derived from the most nutrient-rich and active parts of the plants. These are the parts that offer the most health benefits, you should be looking for high extract ratios on the label. Look out for products containing only raw powders of herbs as these lack the active compounds on which most of the scientific studies have been conducted - they don’t offer as many benefits to health.
Pro-tip: Check the amount of herb being included in the bottle as a whole. Often brands can trick you into thinking you’re getting more than you actually are. In addition 500mg of extract is wildly different to 500mg powder. In a market rushing to the highest number on a label we increasingly see brands selling inactive powders.
10. REVIEWS
Don’t be fooled by glowing reviews
Fake reviews aren’t always easy to spot. They can often seem quite genuine, but if something seems too good to be true then it usually is. Sadly it can be quite commonplace on platforms that sell mass-market multivitamins. If a product receives hundreds of 5 star reviews in a day, saying similar things then you’d be right to think twice. Watch out for reviews with dodgy formatting, capitals and no punctuation - these can be telltale signs! A healthy dose of caution is advised when shopping for multivitamins and we’d always urge you to check out the reviews and avoid if you suspect something fishy.
Pro-tip: On amazon click the name of the person who wrote the review. If you see the reviewer has only left reviews on the same brand this can be suspicious. Look carefully at the dates of the reviews as a big influx of reviews and a drop off can be a sign of something fishy.
