MaryRuth’s is one of the most popular vitamin brands in the US, and is one of the few organic vitamin brands on the market. The company sells products for infants up to adults, and claims to be “Made With Pure Ingredients.”
But are MaryRuth’s vitamins effectively formulated, or are these just marketing claims? Do they contain any questionable additive ingredients? How do real parents and users review and rate this product line? And which retailer sells MaryRuth’s for the best price?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in MaryRuth’s famous liquid multivitamin based on medical studies to give our take on whether it’s effectively formulated, or if it’s a waste of money.
We’ll feature unsponsored customer reviews of the brand, provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells MaryRuth’s for the best price, and explain why the company voluntarily recalled its liquid probiotic supplement from the market.
Ingredient Analysis
The vitamins and minerals in MaryRuth’s Liquid Morning Multivitamin are shown above.
For the most part, we have no issue with the included vitamins and their formats.
Methylcobalamin is used as the vitamin B12 form and is highly absorbable and described as the “preferred” format in a 2017 medical review.
Notably, the mineral magnesium is absent from this formulation, even though up to 20% of the population is deficient according to a medical review published in the Open Heart journal.
We consider the vitamin and mineral blend pretty typical for the product category and nothing stands out to us (though we have no issues with these ingredients).
The remaining active ingredients in this liquid multivitamin are shown below:
All of these are relatively non-standard for a daily multivitamin.
Inositol is a sugar produced by the body that’s used in clinical studies to improve polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We haven’t come across any medical evidence suggesting this nutrient is beneficial to supplement for otherwise healthy children or adults, nor does MaryRuth’s cite any on the product page.
Methylsulfonylmethane may have anti-inflammatory effects according to a medical review published in the Nutrients journal.
We don’t understand why the remaining active ingredients are included in a multivitamin, nor does the brand explain on their product page.
The inactive ingredients in MaryRuth’s Liquid Morning Multivitamin are shown below:
Natural raspberry flavor is the only inactive ingredient we consider to be questionable from a health perspective.
As we discussed in our review of Hiya Vitamins, at least one medical review suggests that some flavoring additives may be toxic.
Overall, we consider MaryRuth’s multivitamin to be slightly-above-average in regard to its formulation. We don’t currently recommend it due to the inclusion of natural flavors, but it’s definitely a healthier option in our opinion than commercial multivitamins like Flintstones.
But what do real parents and customers think about this product? We’ll feature some unsponsored user reviews in the next section of this article.
Real People Try MaryRuth’s
A TikTok creator named Claire claims that MaryRuth’s Liquid Multivitamin helped get one of her vitamin levels into the normal range:
@just_claire_bear_ Replying to @Gabby73 #vitamins #maryruthsorganics ♬ original sound - Claire
A TikTok creator named Kat recommends the vitamin generally but claims it was ineffective for improving her hair:
@katchaomeow im so curious if it worked for anyone’s gray hair #hairgrowth #maryruthsorganics ♬ original sound - Kat Chao
Why Was MaryRuth’s Probiotic Recalled?
In 2021, MaryRuth’s voluntarily recalled two lots of their liquid probiotic.
The company claims to have “discovered the potential issue with one of its manufacturing partners during routine laboratory testing,” according to an FDA document.
According to the above-linked FDA release, two lots of MaryRuth’s probiotic were potentially contaminated with the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause infections in humans according to a 2023 medical review.
While it’s a good thing that the company proactively took this step, and it doesn’t appear to have affected any customers negatively given the lack of lawsuits, we consider it to be a red flag that this was discovered post-production.
Many supplement brands (ours included) test for contaminants prior to distributing a supplement. We don’t understand if MaryRuth’s completed such testing and this bacteria somehow contaminated the product(s) after-the-fact due to storage conditions or environmental contamination.
In any case, this proves why third-party testing and publication of such tests on product pages is so important, and so lacking, in the US supplement industry.
Our Clean Vitamin Picks
Ritual is our top multivitamin pick because the brand is clinically shown to be effective, and uses absorbable vitamin and mineral formats without any unhealthy additive ingredients.
Ritual Men's Multivitamin costs $33 and can be purchased at the brand's official website.
Ritual Women's Multivitamin costs $33 and can be purchased at the brand's official website.
This brand is highly-reviewed by customers, and also has the best packaging and design we've come across for multivitamins.
Interview with MaryRuth’s Founder
MaryRuth Ghiyam, the founder of MaryRuth’s, was interviewed on The Drew Barrymore Show and explains what prompted her to start her supplement company:
Where to Buy MaryRuth’s for the Best Price
MaryRuth’s Liquid Morning Multivitamin is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here’s a price breakdown at the time of publishing this article:
Brand website: $44.95 (plus $9.95 shipping, link)
iHerb: $44.95 (free shipping, link)
Walmart: $44.95 (free shipping, link)
Amazon: $44.95 (free shipping, link)
This multivitamin is currently 18% cheaper at select third-party retailers than at the brand’s official website when factoring in shipping fees.
Real Customers Review MaryRuth's
Amazon is a better resource for honest customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
MaryRuth's Liquid Morning Multivitamin has been reviewed over 36,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Carolyn" who gives the product a 5/5 star rating, and claims it improved various aspects of life:
"I have suffered with chronic insomnia for over 30 years, and now I'm sleeping all through the night. That right there makes the products worth their weight in gold. My appetite was all over the map, yet I lacked the energy to even prepare a single meal for the last 3 years. That's leveling out, WAHOO!"
The top negative review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Vikram Ramakanth" who gives the product a 1/5 star rating, and claims to have experienced product quality issues:
"I noticed the nighttime multi mineral supplement (coconut flavor) didn’t seem to look ok: there were white particles floating around in a clear base instead of the homogeneous white creamy liquid it usually was. I ordered a replacement and it also had the same issue."
MaryRuth's has an average review rating of 3 out of 5 stars on the Better Business Bureau (BBB) website, which has actually a higher-than-average rating on that platform. The company responds to the majority of customer complaints, which is a good sign of brand quality.
MaryRuth's has an average review rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on Facebook.
MaryRuth's Liquid Morning Multivitamin has an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google.
Pros and Cons of MaryRuth’s
Here are the pros and cons of MaryRuth’s in our opinion:
Pros:
- Effective vitamin formats
- Healthier formulation than most vitamin brands
- Uses glass bottles rather than plastic
- Clean Label Project certified
- Mostly positive online customer reviews
Cons:
- Contains natural flavor
- No magnesium
- Brand recalled two probiotic lots due to bacterial contamination
- Expensive
- Doesn’t appear clinically tested
- Contains other active ingredients beyond vitamins that we don’t understand
