Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to multivitamin use, especially for women seeking prenatal vitamins.
Ritual is a supplement brand primarily focused on women's health that claims to have "studied diets and genetics to make daily essentials based on what we need." The company has beautiful branding and is one of the more popular women's health brands, becoming famous for their multivitamins.
But are Ritual vitamins clinically proven to work? Do the brand's supplements contain research-backed ingredients at effective doses? Do they contain any unhealthy ingredients? And is Ritual better or worse than other popular women's vitamin brands like One A Day Women's?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the clinical trial on Ritual's multivitamin to determine if the supplement is proven to work.
We'll also analyze the ingredients in three of Ritual's most popular supplements (Women's Multivitamin, Prenatal Multivitamin and Essential Protein) to give our take on whether or nor they're likely to be effective, and whether or not they're healthy.
Key takeaways:
- Ritual has funded legitimate clinical trials on some products
- Multivitamins are very well-formulated
- Protein supplements contain some active ingredients we recommend avoiding
Are Ritual Vitamins Proven to Work?
Ritual funded a legitimate clinical trial on their multivitamin for women that was published in the Frontiers in Nutrition journal.
It’s a sign of a high-quality brand to fund research that's published in peer-reviewed medical journals, as this is the gold standard of product research.
Ritual's multivitamin was clinically shown to improve nutrient levels in women, and specifically to increase omega-3 DHA levels by 41% and vitamin D levels by 43%.
While it's a good thing that Ritual's multivitamin can improve levels of certain nutrients, we don't find this information particularly useful to consumers because it's well-established in clinical research that vitamin supplementation increases blood levels of that vitamin.
As one example, a 2013 clinical trial found that vitamin D supplementation increased vitamin D levels in the blood.
What would have been more convincing, in our opinion, is a study proving Ritual's multivitamin to have some positive outcome, such as reduced mortality or improved cholesterol levels. This study doesn't really differentiate the potential health effects of Ritual's multivitamin from any other multivitamin.
We haven't come across much convincing clinical evidence that multivitamin use improves health. A medical review published in the International Journal of Preventative Medicine did not report any population-level health benefits to multivitamin supplementation, and even found that multivitamins may increase the risk of some types of cancer.
Ritual Women’s Multivitamin Review
The ingredients in Ritual Women's Multivitamin 18+ are shown above.
Vitamin D3 is the best form of supplemental vitamin D, but it may be unsafe to take 250% of the Daily Value (DV) for extended periods of time. We'd recommend speaking to a doctor first.
Methylcobalamin is the best-absorbed form of vitamin B12 according to a 2017 medical review.
Dimagnesium malate is a chelated form of magnesium used by Ritual, and chelated magnesium is more bioavailable than cheaper forms like magnesium oxide, which is why we recommended magnesium malate in our review of the best magnesium supplements.
We believe Ritual could use a higher dose here: 30 milligrams (mg) of magnesium is somewhat low. Most multivitamins that we've reviewed provide at least 100 mg of magnesium per serving.
Folate is used as the vitamin B9 source instead of the cheaper folic acid. This is a good choice, as the synthetic folic acid was shown in a clinical trial published in the Cancer Prevention Research journal to potentially increase cancer risk.
Overall we find this to be a very well-formulated multivitamin. Every active ingredient appears to be the best-absorbed format, which indicates that Ritual is serious about the science backing their products and has educated researchers on their team.
All of the inactive ingredients are safe and non-toxic as well.
Ritual vs. Popular Vitamin Brands
Here's how Ritual compares to other popular women's vitamin brands in terms of potential effectiveness and healthiness, in our opinion:
Olly
Doesn't appear to be clinically tested, and the gummy vitamin format yields more inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy than Ritual.
Winner: Ritual Vitamins
MaryRuth's
Women's vitamins some of the healthier formulations on the market, as we documented in our Maryruth vitamins review.
However, some formulations contain an inactive ingredient we consider unhealthy, and liquid formulations can be packaged in plastic.
Winner: Ritual Vitamins
One A Day Women's
Contains folic acid, vitamin and mineral form is not listed on Supplement Facts panel in most cases.
Contains talc as an inactive ingredient, which is clinically shown to be contaminated with asbestos in some cases.
Winner: Ritual Vitamins
Ritual Prenatal Multivitamin Review
The ingredients in Ritual Prenatal Multivitamin are shown above.
Whether or not prenatal vitamins are beneficial for ensuring the health of the newborn is still up for debate in the scientific community. An extensive meta-analysis published in the Nutrients journal found the benefits to outweigh any risks for women in low-and-middle-income countries where nutrient deficiencies may be more common.
Vitamin D3 is typically recommended as a supplement to pregnant women because at certain latitudes it’s impossible to synthesize from the sun in the winter. 33% of pregnant women in the U.S. are vitamin D deficient, and upwards of 80% of women in Northern Europe are, according to a medical review on supplementation during pregnancy.
Magnesium can also be an effective supplement for pregnant women, as it’s proven to minimize risk of preeclampsia and can improve glucose and insulin control based on the findings from the previously-linked research review. However the effective magnesium dose for pregnant women described in the research review was 250 mg per day, while Ritual only provides 32 mg per serving.
DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that was shown in the above-linked research review to reduce risk of early birth, reduce risk of postpartum depression, and improve the newborn's immune health.
Another interesting medical review published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal found that maternal vitamin supplementation during pregnancy may reduce risk of autism disorder in offspring.
Because optimal pregnancy nutrition depends on individualized factors like diet, genetics and bloodwork, we would recommend that pregnant women speak with their doctor or nutritionist prior to taking any prenatal supplement. We do consider Ritual Prenatal Multivitamin to be effectively formulated and free of any questionable inactive ingredients, but it may not be necessary for all pregnant women.
Ritual Protein Review
The ingredients in Ritual Essential Protein Daily Shake 18+ are shown above.
Pea protein is an effective vegan form of protein as it’s a complete protein containing all essential amino acids, as we documented in our article on is Beyond Meat healthy.
However, the protein dose in Ritual of only 20 grams (g) may be slightly underdosed for a workout aid. A 2013 medical review suggests that protein doses around 25 g maximize post-workout muscle recovery.
We do not understand the need for minerals like calcium and iron in a protein supplement, and Ritual does not cite any clinical trials suggesting these ingredients are healthy or effective in this type of product.
There is one inactive ingredient that we consider questionable from a health perspective.
Natural flavor is a broad descriptor that fails to document the specific flavoring agents used. A medical review published in the Toxicology Research journal found that some food flavoring substances may have toxic effects.
All of Ritual's protein supplements are Informed Sport Certified, which is a certification that ensures the product has no harmful banned substances. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has documented how many workout supplements are tainted with illicit chemical compounds, so the Informed Sport Certification is definitely a net positive for consumers, and further signals Ritual’s commitment to high-quality products.
Overall we consider this to be the worst formulation of the three Ritual supplements reviewed in this article, and we don't recommend it due to all of the additive ingredients that we deem unnecessary for a protein supplement.
MBG Whey Protein Isolate+ is our top protein powder pick.
Whey protein is a "complete" protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids, and MBG's supplement is sourced from grass-fed animals.
Ritual Vitamins Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Multivitamin clinically shown to increase nutrient levels
- Vitamin supplements free of unhealthy additives
- Beautiful branding
- Optimal nutrient formats for absorption
Cons:
- Health benefits of regular multivitamin use are questionable
- Protein supplement may be underdosed
- Protein supplement contains flavoring agents
- Website doesn't offer one-time purchase option
