Best Value
Centrum
Adults Multivitamin
8.0Good
The drugstore benchmark: one tablet with 24 nutrients near 100% DV, including iron, iodine and folic acid, for about six cents a day. No third-party seal.
4 videosMultivitamins
Ritual Trending on TikTok
Essential for Women 18+
A nine-nutrient women's multi with vegan D3, methylfolate and 330 mg algal DHA; top-tier transparency, but no iodine or zinc and a premium price.
7.5
Good
Nutrition Reviews score
Weighted across efficacy, quality, value, experience & transparency. See breakdown
- Form
- Capsule
- Serving
- 2 capsules
- Servings
- 30
- Videos
- 5
USP VerifiedNon-GMO Project VerifiedClean Label Project
VeganGluten-freeDairy-freeSoy-freeSugar-freeNon-GMO
Check price on AmazonShop on TikTok Shop12.6K+ soldBuy from the brand
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Last reviewed September 29, 2026 by the Nutrition Reviews Editorial Team · How we review
Our verdict
Ritual's traceability and USP verification are genuinely best in class, and its own trial shows the vitamin D, folate and DHA doses raise blood levels. But at $33 or more a month you get nine nutrients, with no iodine or zinc and under half the iron most menstruating women need. It works better as a convenient vitamin D plus DHA supplement than as a complete multivitamin.
Best for
- Vegans and people who eat little fish and want DHA in their multi
- Women who prioritize supply-chain transparency
- People who prefer a short, simple formula
Skip it if
- Anyone who wants comprehensive coverage (no iodine, zinc, vitamin C or B6)
- Women trying to conceive, who need a prenatal with iodine and choline
- Budget shoppers
How it scored
Our five-factor score out of 10. Factors are weighted by how much they matter to the outcome you’re paying for. Methodology
7.5
Goodout of 10
- Efficacy30%6.9
Key ingredients at clinically studied doses, and how strong the evidence is.
- Quality & Purity25%9.0
Third-party testing and certifications, manufacturing standards, contaminant testing, recall history.
- Value20%5.8
Cost per effective serving compared with category peers.
- Experience15%7.2
Taste, mixability, texture and tolerability from aggregated buyer and creator feedback.
- Transparency10%9.4
Full label disclosure (no proprietary blends), available COAs, honest marketing.
Our review
Ritual's Essential for Women 18+ is less a classic multivitamin than a targeted gap-filler. Two delayed-release capsules deliver nine nutrients: vitamin D3 from lichen (2,000 IU), methylfolate (1,000 mcg DFE), methylcobalamin B12 (8 mcg), chelated iron (8 mg), vitamin E, vitamin K2 as MK-7 (90 mcg), 30 mg of magnesium, boron and 330 mg of algae-derived omega-3 DHA, with the nutrient beadlets suspended in oil inside the capsule.
The brand's disclosure is exemplary. Suppliers and manufacturing locations are published for every ingredient, the product is USP Verified and Non-GMO Project Verified, and a 12-week randomized trial funded by Ritual (94 healthy women aged 21 to 40) found higher blood vitamin D (+43.7%), folate and red-cell omega-3 levels than placebo. That trial measured blood levels rather than health outcomes, and it used an earlier version with more magnesium and boron.
What is missing matters. There is no iodine, which the American Thyroid Association recommends at 150 mcg a day for women planning a pregnancy, and no zinc, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C or B6. The 8 mg of iron covers less than half of the 18 mg RDA for women aged 19 to 50, and 30 mg of magnesium is only 7% of the DV.
At $37.50 one-time or $33 on subscription from Ritual (roughly $1.10 to $1.25 a day), you pay a premium for convenience, traceability and the DHA. Buyers and creators like the mint-scented bottle and easy-on-the-stomach capsules, but fishy burps from the DHA are a recurring complaint.
What’s inside
| Key ingredient | Per serving | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol from lichen) Vegan D3; Ritual's trial found serum vitamin D rose 43.7% over 12 weeks. | 50 mcg (2,000 IU) | Vegan D3; Ritual's trial found serum vitamin D rose 43.7% over 12 weeks. |
| Folate (as 6S-5-methyltetrahydrofolate, glucosamine salt) 250% DV in an active form; not a substitute for a full prenatal. | 1,000 mcg DFE | 250% DV in an active form; not a substitute for a full prenatal. |
| Omega-3 DHA (from Schizochytrium microalgae) Vegan DHA that raised red-cell omega-3 levels in the trial; the likely source of fishy burps. | 330 mg | Vegan DHA that raised red-cell omega-3 levels in the trial; the likely source of fishy burps. |
| Iron (as ferrous bisglycinate) 44% DV; less than half the 18 mg RDA for women aged 19 to 50. | 8 mg | 44% DV; less than half the 18 mg RDA for women aged 19 to 50. |
| Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) 333% DV; useful for vegans, who get little B12 from food. | 8 mcg | 333% DV; useful for vegans, who get little B12 from food. |
| Vitamin K2 (as menaquinone-7) Relevant for anyone on warfarin, who should check with a clinician. | 90 mcg | Relevant for anyone on warfarin, who should check with a clinician. |
| Magnesium (as dimagnesium malate) Only 7% DV, far below daily needs. | 30 mg | Only 7% DV, far below daily needs. |
Supplement Facts
Serving Size Two (2) Vegan Capsules
Servings Per Container 30
Amount Per Serving% Daily Value
Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol¹) [from Lichen (whole plant)] 50 mcg (2000 IU)250%
Vitamin E (as alpha tocopherol from mixed tocopherols) [from Brassica napus (seed)] 6.7 mg45%
Folate (as 6S-5-methyltetrahydrofolate [glucosamine salt]) 1000 mcg DFE250%
Vitamin B12 (as methylcobalamin) 8 mcg333%
Iron (as ferrous bisglycinate) 8 mg44%
Magnesium (as dimagnesium malate) 30 mg7%
Omega-3 Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) Fatty Acids [from Schizochytrium sp. (whole microalgae)] 330 mg**
Boron (as calcium fructoborate) 0.7 mg**
Vitamin K2 (as Menaquinone-7) 90 mcg**
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. † Daily Value not established.
Other ingredients: Beadlets (cellulose, NON-GMO corn zein), stomach acid-resistant vegan capsule (hypromellose, gellan gum), silica.
Flavors & variants
MintCitrus
Testing & quality
Ritual states every lot is third-party tested for heavy metals, microbes and major allergens; Essential for Women 18+ is USP Verified and Non-GMO Project Verified.
Goals it supports
Creator video reviews
Independent creators reviewing Essential for Women 18+ on TikTok and YouTube.
2 positive1 mixed2 critical
Pros & cons
What we like
- USP Verified and Non-GMO Project Verified, with suppliers and manufacturing sites disclosed for each ingredient
- 330 mg of vegan DHA from algae, rare in a multivitamin
- Active forms: methylfolate, methylcobalamin, ferrous bisglycinate and vitamin K2 as MK-7
- A published randomized trial showed higher vitamin D, folate and omega-3 blood levels after 12 weeks
Watch-outs
- Only nine nutrients: no iodine, zinc, selenium, vitamin A, C or B6
- About $1.10 to $1.25 per day, expensive for the nutrient count
- Fishy burps and aftertaste are a recurring complaint despite the scent tab
- 8 mg of iron is under half the RDA for women 19 to 50, yet unnecessary for women who don't need iron
Questions buyers ask
Is Ritual Essential for Women 18+ clinically proven?
Ritual funded a 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial at Auburn University in 94 healthy women aged 21 to 40. The multivitamin raised serum vitamin D by 43.7% and increased serum folate and red blood cell omega-3 levels compared with placebo. The study measured blood levels, not health outcomes, and the tested capsules contained more magnesium and boron than the current label.
Can I take it while trying to get pregnant?
It supplies 1,000 mcg DFE of methylfolate, but it has no iodine or choline, both important before and during pregnancy. The American Thyroid Association recommends 150 mcg of iodine a day for women planning a pregnancy. Ritual sells a separate prenatal, and anyone trying to conceive should choose a prenatal formula and review it with a clinician.
Why do some people get fishy burps from it?
Each serving contains 330 mg of omega-3 DHA from algae, and DHA can leave a fishy aftertaste whether it comes from fish or algae. Ritual adds a mint or citrus scent tab to the bottle, yet reviewers still report repeated fishy burps. If that bothers you, a multivitamin without DHA plus a separate omega-3 you tolerate may suit you better.
Sources we checked (14)
- 1.ritual.com/products/essential-for-women-multivitamin
- 2.ritual.com/products/essential-for-women-multivitamin.js
- 3.amazon.com/dp/B09W35DHLH
- 4.shop.tiktok.com/us/pdp/ritual-essential-for-women-multivitamin-60-capsules-vegan-glut
- 5.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.610382/full
- 6.quality-supplements.org/usp_verified_products
- 7.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/
- 8.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/
- 9.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
- 10.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn4RtgfFmqc
- 11.youtube.com/watch?v=cTD5ZQ4w2sU
- 12.tiktok.com/@trainwithjk/video/7191955132119076138
- 13.tiktok.com/@brittanybae/video/7464829347808202030
- 14.tiktok.com/@sophie_espinosaa/video/7581925972174294286
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