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This comprehensive guide to the best vitamins for teens will help you figure out what to look for in a teens vitamin, what to avoid, and help you find the best multivitamin for your teen! Note: For younger children, head over to my guide to learn about best vitamins for kids.
Buying the right vitamins for your teens can be a stressful process. Oftentimes, it brings up many tough questions: What are the best vitamins for teens? Do teenagers need multivitamins? What are the best vitamins with natural ingredients?
These questions (and so many more) can lead to hours spent trying to find answers so you can ultimately purchase the best vitamins for teens. Luckily for you, I’ve done the research for you and rounded up my top picks. This in-depth list of the healthiest vitamins for teens will help you decide what to buy and what to avoid.
If your teens enjoy a healthy diet with the right foods (aka fresh fruits, fatty acids, green leafy vegetables, etc.), then there’s a good chance they don’t necessarily need daily vitamins. That being said, when our older kids hit their teenage years, it can become difficult to control what they’re eating for every meal.
Let’s be real. Many of us have teen boys or teen girls who won’t even touch certain foods. Carrots? Maybe on a good day. Brussels sprouts? Not a chance. As a mother of former picky eaters, I can tell you based on experience that your picky eaters might not be getting all of the essential vitamins they need for normal growth and healthy development.
Enter: vitamin supplements, mineral supplements, and nutritional supplements. These serve as easy and convenient tools to ensure that your teenager is meeting their nutritional needs. The teen years are essential for growth, so it’s incredibly important that you avoid (or confront) any potential nutritional deficiencies now.
What Kind Of Vitamins Should A Teenager Take?
For growing teenage boys and girls, growth spurts are inevitable, and there are certain vitamins that will support healthy growth and development in your child.
For example: Vitamin D is an essential fat-soluble vitamin for strong bones and cell growth. If your teen isn’t getting the recommended daily value of this important vitamin on a daily basis through a balanced diet, you may consider turning to a dietary supplement.
Vitamin C is essential to the proper growth of young women and men, primarily for its collagen-building properties. This is a water-soluble vitamin, which means it is not stored in the body and must come from external sources like citrus fruit, bell peppers, or daily vitamins if necessary.
Folic acid or folate is necessary for cell division and can be found in breakfast cereals, legumes, avocados, and spinach.
B vitamins like Vitamin B12 and Vitamin B6 are essential for maintaining energy levels, metabolizing fats, carbs, and proteins, and the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B6 can be found in plant and animal foods like dark leafy greens, fish, potatoes, and chickpeas. Vitamin B12 is primarily found in animal products, so if your teen follows a vegan diet or vegetarian diet then you may want to consider a supplement.
There are plenty more essential minerals and vitamins that provide a variety of health benefits to older children, like Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, Vitamin E, Vitamin K2, and Iron for teen girls. While many of these important nutrients can be consumed on a regular basis through food sources, many teens may not be getting the full amount of nutrients they need just through food, which is why it’s important to determine which vitamin supplements are best for your teens.
What Are The Best Vitamins For Teens?
If you’re looking for the best vitamins for teens, you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re on the hunt for gummy vitamins, chewable teenage vitamins, liquid vitamins, or natural vitamins, there are plenty of good vitamins for teens on this list to choose from. On this list of healthy vitamins for teens, you will find natural options that are free of artificial ingredients and nasty preservatives.
Before you select the best vitamins for your teen, I highly recommend speaking with a doctor to determine which (if any) nutritional supplements or daily multivitamins your teenager needs to ensure healthy growth and overall health. Consulting with an expert is the best way to get the guidance you need as far as which vitamins are good for your teen and which dosage works best.
Now, let’s dive right in with our comprehensive list of the best multivitamins for teens.
Best Multivitamins For Teens
All of the vitamins included on the list below are free of animal products, so they are the best multivitamins for vegetarian teenagers and meat-eating teens alike. They all support rapid growth and overall health, and many of them are also organic and free of common allergens. If you’re looking for the best vitamins for teenage growth, keep reading!
First Day is one of my absolute favorite vitamin brands because of their commitment to quality and their detailed sourcing of every vitamin they include. Their gummies are made with 12 organic fruits and veggies full of good-for-you antioxidants and phytonutrients.
Every vitamin in their gummy is formulated to be the most bioavailable form of that vitamin possible. What does that mean? Studies have shown that this bioavailability, also known as absorption level, varies based on how the chemical form of the vitamin interacts with our genes, health, and environment. The greater the bioavailability, the easier it is for our bodies to process each nutrient. And First Day sources the most absorbable forms of vitamins from around the world.
Buy If: You’re looking for a clean, high-quality, organic gummy multivitamin for teens and are focused more on filling the gaps for vitamin deficiencies in your child’s diet, versus having a 100% comprehensive multivitamin with 100% daily values for all ingredients.
Price: $30 for a 30 day supply.
Ingredients List: Organic Fruit and Veggie Blend (Apple, Kale, Broccoli, Spinach, Carrot, Parsley, Beet, Green Cabbage, Blueberry, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tomato), Tapioca Syrup, Cane Sugar, Water, Pectin, Citric Acid, Natural Colors, Natural Flavors, Sunflower Oil, and Carnauba Wax
Pros
Vegan
Non GMO
Gluten Free
Gelatin Free
Made with 12 organic fruits and veggies
Up to 80% less sugar than other teen vitamins
Cons
Meant to be a food-gap vitamin, so will not contain 100% daily value for all vitamins. Is missing nutrients like iron and selenium
Does not contain omega-3 fatty acids
On the more expensive side ($30 for a 30 day supply)
Ritual is another high quality multivitamin focused on bioavailable ingredients and filling key dietary gaps for teens.
It comes in two forms – a vitamin for teen girls, which contains 10 vitamins including Vitamin A, D, E, B12, K2, Folate, Omega 3, Magnesium, Zinc and Iron. And a vitamin for teen boys, which includes Vitamin A, D, E, B12, K2, Folate, Omega 3, Magnesium and Zinc.
The boys version differs from the vitamin for teen girls in two ways: it has different amounts of each of the vitamins listed and it doesn’t contain iron. (Note: For a nonbinary teen, consult your pediatrician on the best vitamin to choose.)
Buy If: You’re looking for a subscription-based multivitamin for teens, and want a vitamin that addresses iron deficiency.
Price: $33 for a 30 day supply.
Ingredients List: Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, Folate, Vitamin E, Iron (for girls), Zinc, Vitamin A as retinyl palmitate, Magnesium, Vitamin K2, Omega-3 DHA
Pros
Formulated in two versions specific to teen boys and teen girls’ needs
Vegan
Allergen free
Non GMO
Free of artificial colors and fillers
Science backed formula
Delayed-release capsules are designed to dissolve later, in less sensitive areas of the stomach, so you can take them with or without food
Contains DHA
Cons
Only available as a subscription
On the pricier side
Does not fill all nutritional gaps at 100% daily value
Naturelo vitamins are specifically formulated to support the nutritional needs of teenage boys and girls 12-18.
They’re whole food based and plant based, which means that their vitmins are sourced from plants and foods (e.g. Vitamin D3 from lichen, Vitamin E from Sunflower, and Calcium and Magnesium from marine algae).
Their formula includes activated B vitamins like Methyl Folate, B6 P-5-P, and B12 Methylcobalamin, and chelated minerals like Selenium and Zinc for better absorption and bioavailability.
Buy If: Your teen is ok with swallowing capsules, and you’re looking for a vegan multivitamin for teens that can help fill all of the nutritional gaps in your teen’s diet (since this vitamin is more comprehensive than most).
My Kind Organics is a comprehensive, whole food based multivitamin that is appropriate for both teens and adults. They have a women’s once daily that teen girls can use, and a men’s once daily that teen boys can use. They also have a gummy for women and a gummy for men in case your teen has trouble swallowing pills.
Their vitamins include 30 organically farmed fruits, vegetables and herbs, and 15 vitamins and minerals at 100% of the Daily Value (DV) or higher, including Folate, Biotin, Vitamins A, C, D3, K, B6 and B12 (Methylcobalamin) for energy and metabolism, with 2.5 mg of Iron.
They are the only vitamin on this list that is Third-Party Certified USDA Organic (100% organic ingredients) and contains NO synthetic binders or fillers—just real organic whole foods.
Buy If: You’re looking for a 100% organic multivitamin that works well for both teens and adults, that is solely whole food based, and your teen is ok with swallowing pills.
KAL Enhanced energy is a very comprehensive multivitamin for teens that is also formulated to boost energy and focus. It’s a once daily, easy to take tablet that provides almost 100% daily value for every nutrient your child might need. It also provides food catalysts and the nutrients from 3 servings of fruits & veggies.
Buy If: You want a super comprehensive but still very affordable daily vitamin that also helps your teen meet their fruit and vegetable needs, and your teen is ok with swallowing capsules.
Price: $16.99 for a 30 day supply
Ingredients List: Vitamin A (as 100% Natural Beta-Carotene), Vitamin C (as Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B-6, Folate (as Folic Acid), Vitamin B-12, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Iodine (from Organic Kelp), Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Manganese, Chromium (as Arginate), Potassium (as Citrate), Choline Bitartrate, Inositol, Citrus Bioflavonoids Complex (Providing Orange, Lemon and Grapefruit Bioflavonoids), Hesperidin, Stay Sharp Blend (Grape Seed Extract, GABA, Phosphatidylserine Concentrate), Ecoganic Herbs and Superfoods, Ecoganic, Veggies and Greens, Ecoganic Super Fruits, Ecoganic Raw Mushrooms, Digestive Enzymes, ActiSorb Base; Other Ingredients: Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Maltodextrin, Stearic Acid, Lecithin (soy), Sodium Alginate, Pea Starch, Magnesium Stearate, Silica, and Peppermint Oil. See full ingredient list.
Pros
Made with organic fruits and veggies
Super affordable
Fresh mint coating on tablets for easier swallowing
Maxi Health vitamins are formulated specifically for teen boys and teen girls. Their vitamins include antioxidants and bioflavonoids to help with immune support, and digestive enzymes to help ensure your child’s body can absorb both the vitamins and the foods they eat. These vitamins are manufactured In An GMP Certified Facility, and contains nothing artificial and no preservatives.
Buy If: You are looking for an affordable, comprehensive vitamin for your child, that includes digestive enzymes, and your teen is ok with swallowing pills.
Pure Encapsulations is a great supplement brand that has a strong reputation for high quality, clean vitamins. Their junior nutrients vitamin can be used for kids aged 4-18.
The difference is just that kids ages 4 to 13, should take 2 capsules daily, with a meal. And ages 14 and up should take 2 capsules, twice daily, with meals. Their vitamins provide antioxidant protection, and are focused on vitamins for brain & eye health. They also test all of their vitamins for potency and purity.
Buy If: You are looking for a vitamin for your teen that does not contain iron, and your child is ok with swallowing up to 4 capsules per day.
Price: $24.40 for a 30-60 day supply depending on your child’s age ($12.20 for a 30 day supply)
MaryRuth’s is a highly reputable vitamin company dedicated to creating the most absorbable and healthy vitamins on the market today.
Their Raspberry Liquid Morning Multivitamin is super easy to take and can be used for the whole family. It is more of a food-gap vitamin and won’t provide comprehensive coverage across all of the vitamins your teen might need, but is more focused on the essential vitamins your child may not get enough of from food alone.
This supplement provides methylated B vitamins which are vital for metabolic processes, energy levels, as well as the nervous system. This multivitamin can be taken on an empty stomach, with food or liquid, or after a meal.
Buy If: You’re looking for a liquid multivitamin for teens that you can mix into smoothies and juices (that can also be used for the rest of the family), and you’re ok with the price point.
Smarty Pants vitamins for teens contain 20 essential nutrients including omega-3 EPA/DHA (from fish oil), lutein/zeaxanthin for eyes, vitamin D3 for immunity, vitamin K for bones, vitamin B12 to support energy metabolism.
Their gummies are made with all natural flavors and colors – nothing artificial here! They have both a teen girl and teen guy formula, made to address the nutrients needs of your child.
Buy If: You’re looking for an eco-friendly, affordable gummy multivitamin for teens that covers all of your bases, but you don’t need a vegetarian or vegan vitamin and you aren’t concerned about the high sugar content.
Rainbow light vitamins are made with targeted nutrients to meet the needs of growing teens. They contain a blend of fruits and vegetables, plus energizing B vitamins to promote natural energy production.
They are environmentally friendly and come in Eco Guard packaging with bottles that contain 25% post-consumer resin material. They are also free of all common allergens.
Note: A class-action suit against Rainbow Light came out in August 2019 due to the addition of heavy metals in their prenatal vitamins, so keep this in mind when deciding if this brand is right for you.
Buy If: You’re looking for an affordable, food-based gummy multivitamin for teens that is easy to digest, and you aren’t concerned about the high sugar content.
Vitamin B12 is essential for nervous system function, red blood cell production, brain function, and healthy skin. The vitamin is abundant in many animal food sources like meat, fish, and dairy. While few plant sources provide adequate sources of the B vitamin, it can be found in high amounts in plant-based foods like nutritional yeast, seaweed, mushrooms, and spirulina.
Getting your vegetarian teens (especially if they’re picky eaters) to eat these foods can be a challenge, which often leads to B12 deficiency. For this reason, plant-based Vitamin B12 supplements can be a huge help in getting your teens the key nutrients they need. Here are some of the best Vitamin B12 supplements for teens:
Mary Ruth’s Vitamin D3 and B12 Gummies (pectin-based, suitable for both adults and children over age 12, free of common allergens like gluten, soy, and wheat)
Also known as ascorbic acid, Vitamin C is essential for the growth, development, and repair of body tissues. This water-soluble essential vitamin has been linked to health benefits like strengthened immunity, brain function support, and reduced risk of disease.
Worried that your teens aren’t getting the recommended daily value of Vitamin C? Not to fear, there are a few natural supplements you can try out. Here are my top picks for the best Vitamin C supplements for teens. If you’re looking for a chewable teenage vitamin, I recommend Raise Them Well Children’s Immunity Chewables. While these are geared towards children, their website mentions that they work great for teenagers and advise that you double the dose if you’re using them for teens.
If you’re looking for a liquid Vitamin C supplement for teens, I recommend ChildLife Essentials Vitamin C. You can easily adjust the dosage to make this a suitable option for teens or even adults.
Best Vitamin D Supplements For Teens
Vitamin D is essential for immune function, bone health, and calcium absorption. If you’re looking for a liquid Vitamin D supplement that can be used for children, teens, and adults, I highly recommend the Vitamin D Drops from Raise Them Well. These drops contain both Vitamin D3 and Vitamin K2, and are completely flavorless so you can easily squeeze a drop into a glass of milk without noticing any difference in the taste.
If you’re looking for a gummy Vitamin D supplement for teens, I love these Vitamin D Gummies from Llama Naturals. These plant-based gummy vitamins are free of added sugar and synthetics, with Vitamin D3 from shiitake mushrooms. They make a great option for children, teens, and adults. Another great option is Mary Ruth’s Vitamin D3 Gummies, which works well for teenagers and adults.
Best Probiotics For Teens
Probiotic supplements are highly beneficial to people of any age. For teens, probiotics can help with many of the physical and emotional aspects of adolescence. Probiotics help teens manage stress, balance hormones, reduce inflammation, and produce B vitamins.
If you’re looking for a liquid probiotic for teens, I recommend the organic liquid probiotic from Go Healthy Natural. This product contains 14 plant and soil-based strains of probiotics to support digestive and immune health. As an added bonus, it works well for both kids and teens.
Looking for a refrigerated probiotic powder? Garden of Life Raw Probiotics is a great powdered option for children, teens, and adults. This gluten-free and vegan probiotic supplement contains 23 raw organic fruits and veggies, as well as an impressive probiotic blend. This product ships cold and can easily be mixed into milk, juice, or water. Garden of Life also has an organic chewable probiotic if you want a product that does not require refrigeration, but keep in mind it does contain maltodextrin. If you’re looking for an organic gummy probiotic, I like Children’s Best.
Best Prebiotics For Teens
Prebiotics strengthen your digestive health and overall gut health by increasing good bacteria in the gut and warding off pathogens in the intestinal tract. There are several plant-based food sources of prebiotics you can eat; including chicory root, dandelion greens, legumes, and Jerusalem artichokes.
If you’re worried that your teen does not have an adequate amount of prebiotics in their diet, there are a few great options to choose from. Here are my picks for the best prebiotic supplements for teens:
BeginHealth: This can be used for toddlers, kids, teens and adults! It contains only three ingredients: 2’FL HMO (Human Milk Oligosaccharide), Oligofructose (Chicory root fiber), and avocado oil. It’s super clean and really effective!
Garden of Life Organic Fiber Powder (contains prebiotic fiber from organic acacia, organic orange peel, organic baobab fruit, organic apple peel, and organic cranberry fruit)
Runner Ups – Borderline Healthy Vitamins For Teens
GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin – It’s important to note that this product contains gelatin and glucose syrup. However, it also meets the daily value of folate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin D, chromium, and biotin.
When choosing the best vitamins for teens, you should always do your research on any added ingredients that are not vitamins. Your best bet is to opt for vegan and organic vitamins that are free from added sugars, artificial flavors, and artificial colors. Here are the top ingredients to avoid when buying a vitamin for your teen:
Artificial colors like Yellow #5, Yellow #6, Red #40, Blue #2
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose
Stabilizers and thickeners like carrageenan and maltodextrin
Non-vegetarian friendly ingredients like gelatin
Sugars like glucose syrup solids, fructose, and cane sugar
The world of vitamins and supplements can be a tricky one to navigate, so I hope this guide to the best vitamins for teens has proven to be helpful! If you have any questions about vitamins for your kids, feel free to leave a comment or contact me. I respond to every question I get!
10 responses to “Best Vitamins For Teens (2023 Guide)”
Have to share this for other parents… Nature’s Way Alive! Teen Gummy Multivitamin For Him, we cannot get past the smell! They smell horrible! My son was gagging just opening the container. I don’t even want to try how they taste just based on the smell. Just a warning!
Hi Mandy! Do you mean Raise Them Well (not raise them up?) If so – both Raise Them Well and Hiya are great options and I would rank them very highly, but they are not specifically designed for teens. Teens can take them and it would work just fine, but some of the vitamins on this list are specifically formulated for teens (e.g. including iron for girls, different levels of vitamins for teens vs. younger kids, etc). Hope that helps clarify!
How do these vitamins measure up? I never know if a more expensive vitamin is a better product but these looked good. Codeage Teen Fermented Multivitamin Vegan Capsules
Hi Michelle! I hadn’t heard of this brand before but on first glance they look pretty good! They have methylated B vitamins, very minimal added ingredients, fruits/veggies added, a comprehensive list of vitamins, etc. They don’t look organic but that’s not a deal breaker – so they look good to me!
Wow this is the best article I’ve come across that is so detailed and gives all the relevant info one would need in making a decision.
Thank you for putting it together and summarizing it for us!
Have to share this for other parents… Nature’s Way Alive! Teen Gummy Multivitamin For Him, we cannot get past the smell! They smell horrible! My son was gagging just opening the container. I don’t even want to try how they taste just based on the smell. Just a warning!
Thanks for the feedback Leslie! That is good to know!
How does Raise them Up or Hiya rate compared to the ones above that you did review?
Hi Mandy! Do you mean Raise Them Well (not raise them up?) If so – both Raise Them Well and Hiya are great options and I would rank them very highly, but they are not specifically designed for teens. Teens can take them and it would work just fine, but some of the vitamins on this list are specifically formulated for teens (e.g. including iron for girls, different levels of vitamins for teens vs. younger kids, etc). Hope that helps clarify!
Hi!
Looking for a recommendation for a chewable( not Gummy)multi vitamin for a 12 year old. Currently using animal parade thoughts
Thanks so much
Hi Brittany! You can try Raise Them Well or Hiya Vitamins – both are high quality chewable vitamins that a 12 year old can take. Hope that helps!
How do these vitamins measure up? I never know if a more expensive vitamin is a better product but these looked good. Codeage Teen Fermented Multivitamin Vegan Capsules
Hi Michelle! I hadn’t heard of this brand before but on first glance they look pretty good! They have methylated B vitamins, very minimal added ingredients, fruits/veggies added, a comprehensive list of vitamins, etc. They don’t look organic but that’s not a deal breaker – so they look good to me!
Wow this is the best article I’ve come across that is so detailed and gives all the relevant info one would need in making a decision.
Thank you for putting it together and summarizing it for us!
Hi Ruche! Sure thing – so glad you found it helpful!