ADVERTISEMENT

The 5 Most Effective Vitamin C Supplements In 2022

Discover the best vitamin C supplements that are worth buying and which ones to watch out for.

Linda is our resident health and wellness editor. As a long time health and nutrition enthusiast, she spends her time researching scientific studies and keeping up with the latest health and wellness trends to provide top nutrition tips.

Vitamin C is a key vitamin, and consuming adequate daily amounts of it is critical for good health. However it can be hard to consume the recommended daily dose of vitamin C through diet alone. This is why most people rely on high quality supplements to ensure they are consuming enough of this important antioxidant.

Below we will outline what you should look for when choosing your vitamin C supplement, what you should avoid, and which are the top 5 best vitamin C supplements according to experts.

Why should I choose a natural vitamin C supplement instead of synthetic one?

Almost every vitamin C product on the market contains synthetic vitamin C instead of natural sources of it (we checked over 200 products). The reason why is simple: it costs more to create a natural supplement. Brands use synthetic vitamin C to keep their costs low and their profits high. While synthetic vitamin C can have some benefits, we believe you're also much better ingesting natural products where possible, which in the case of citamin C comes from extracts of fruit.

One of the only benefits of choosing a synthetic vitamin C supplement instead of one made with natural ingredients is that they tend to be less expensive. However, like most products, you get what you pay for. This is especially true when it comes to nutritional supplements and we don't think it's worth it for something you're going to ingest.

At Trustworthy Reviews, we've analyzed some of the top-selling Vitamin C supplements on the market to help guide you in the right direction. We'll show you what to look for and what to avoid in a high-quality supplement, plus, we share our top 5 picks of the year.

What should I look for in my supplement?

Look for a supplement with bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids are rich in antioxidants and research has shown that these compounds can provide numerous health benefits, including protecting the body from free radicals, reducing inflammation, supporting metabolic and cognitive health, and more. Bioflavonoids are often added to high quality natural vitamin C supplements because they help to significantly improve absorption.

Studies have found that when vitamin C and bioflavonoids are paired together, they have a complementary effect. This means that when the two are taken together, efficacy and absorbency is improved.

Choose a supplement with multiple sources of vitamin C

Different ingredients have different benefits and different concentrations of vitamin C, so in order to choose a strong and effective vitamin C supplement, choose one that provides multiple sources of vitamin C (hopefully from several natural fruits!).

Money-back guarantee.

Look for a product that offers a money-back guarantee on all purchases. Offering a money-back guarantee is a sign that a company is confident in the quality of the products they are providing.


What should I avoid?

Products with synthetic vitamin C

While synthetic vitamin C does provide benefits, it is not always as effective as natural vitamin C because certain synthetic forms are not as easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Moreover, natural sources of vitamin C also other minerals that synthetic forms do not, which makes it a much more favourable option.

Low potency products

When choosing a quality Vitamin C supplement, it’s important to choose a potent formula. Make sure that the supplement you choose contains adequate dosages for the ingredients in their product. Many brands pack their formulas with a great lineup of ingredients, but they don’t put the recommended dosage. Thus, if your supplement is not potent enough, you will likely not see the results you are hoping to see.

Beware of online reviews (especially on Amazon)

Before purchasing any product, one of the first things we do when researching it is check its online reviews. Unfortunately, these are not always a trustworthy way to measure the quality and effectiveness of a product. Companies often pay for reviews on popular online retailers, like Amazon, to try and trick their way to a five star rating. While you should definitely consult these reviews before purchasing, do your own research as well.

How we evaluated the top 5

With its many health benefits, it’s easy to see why vitamin C is one of the most popular nutritional supplements that consumers add to their diets, and there is a lot of choice to choose from on the market. While it’s great to have many options to consider, it can also be difficult to narrow down which vitamin C supplements will deliver the best results. So, we made it easy for you.

We researched the top rated vitamin C supplements on the internet to find the best ones available on the market and evaluated them based on product quality, customer service, and pricing.

Here are our top 5 vitamin C supplement picks for 2022.

9.7 / 10 963 Votes TOTAL RANKING

A+

Overall Grade
INGREDIENT SAFETY
100%
PROJECTED EFFECTIVENESS
97%
VALUE
93%
RETURN POLICY
98%
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
98%

10

/10

9.7

/10

9.3

/10

9.7

/10

9.8

/10

PROS

  • Potent doses of each ingredient in their formula
  • Contains 5 ingredients providing natural vitamin C, including: Rosehip, Acerola, Blackcurrant, Guava and Pomegranate
  • No artificial colourants
  • GMO-free & vegan-friendly
  • Money-back guarantee.
  • Recommended by healthcare professionals.
  • Made in the UK.

CONS

  • Only available online

  • Express delivery is only available in the UK and certain European countries

The Bottom Line

Coming in our number 1 spot is Hey Nutrition’s Natural Vitamin C, a well researched and natural vitamin C supplement. Using only natural ingredients, their supplement provides a potent daily dose of vitamin C. This product contains several excellent sources of natural vitamin C, including Rosehip, Acerola, Blackcurrant, Guava and Pomegranate. They also pack 60 capsules into each bottle, meaning each bottle lasts 2 months where-as many other premium brands only give you a 1 month supply. This makes Hey Nutrition's product better value for money.

Moreover, Hey Nutrition’s product also provides 25mg of bioflavonoids per capsule. As we mentioned previously, highly effective and quality vitamin C supplements should have bioflavinoids in their formula. Bioflavinoids are rich in antioxidants and they have a complimentary effect when combined with vitamin C, providing even greater health benefits.

Hey Nutrition offers a 60-day money back guarantee on all purchases and reviews consistently praise their great customer service, so this really is a no-brainer and entirely risk-free to try! Moreover, out of all the other products we have reviewed, Hey Nutrition has the most 5* reviews on Trustpilot, a trusted source for reviews.

2. NATURELO Vitamin C

7.9 /10 412 Votes TOTAL RANKING

B

Overall Grade
INGREDIENT SAFETY
91%
PROJECTED EFFECTIVENESS
81%
VALUE
90%
RETURN POLICY
78%
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
83%

9.1

/10

8.1

/10

9.0

/10

7.8

/10

8.3

/10

PROS

  • Contains Acerola Cherry extract
  • Non-GMO and Vegan friendly
  • Gluten-free

CONS

  • Vitamin C is derived from l-ascorbic acid instead of a natural source
  • No money back guarantee available

The Bottom Line

Naturelo’s Vitamin C supplement is one of Amazon’s most popular vitamin C products. Their supplement is reasonably priced, and it contains Acerola Cherry extract, which is one of the most potent natural sources of vitamin C available. It also contains bioflavonoids, which are an important criteria to look for when choosing a good vitamin C product.

While Naturelo’s supplement is a great product, it only has one source of natural vitamin C in its formula. The rest of the product is composed of l-ascorbic acid, a common form of synthetic vitamin C that is often included in supplements because it is cost effective.

3. Natures Aid Vitamin C

7.8 /10 269 Votes TOTAL RANKING

B

Overall Grade
INGREDIENT SAFETY
90%
PROJECTED EFFECTIVENESS
85%
VALUE
83%
RETURN POLICY
78%
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
87%

9.0

/10

8.5

/10

8.3

/10

7.8

/10

8.7

/10

PROS

  • Potent dose of Vitamin C
  • Includes bioflavonoids
  • Vegan and vegetarian friendly

CONS

  • Vitamin C is derived from ascorbic acid instead of a natural source
  • No money back guarantee available

The Bottom Line

Nature’s Aid’s Vitamin C supplement is a very reasonably priced vitamin C product that provides a potent dose of Vitamin C in each serving. Their product also contains a concentrated dose of bioflavonoids, which provides additional health benefits. Their supplement is suitable for vegans and vegetarians and it is also free of artificial colours and preservatives.

Unfortunately though, there is only one source of vitamin C in Nature’s Aid’s supplement: ascorbic acid. Ascorbic acid is the most popular ingredient in most vitamin C supplements because it is cheap to use and widely available, but it is a synthetic form. Therefore, it does not provide any additional benefits that a natural vitamin C provides.

4. N2 Vitamin C

7.3 /10 301 Votes TOTAL RANKING

B-

Overall Grade
INGREDIENT SAFETY
90%
PROJECTED EFFECTIVENESS
82%
VALUE
82%
RETURN POLICY
78%
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
95%

9.0

/10

8.2

/10

8.2

/10

7.8

/10

8.5

/10

PROS

  • Potent dose of Vitamin C
  • Includes bioflavonoids
  • Vegetarian and vegan friendly
  • Made in Europe

CONS

  • Vitamin C is derived from l-ascorbic acid instead of a natural source
  • Contains colourant
  • No money back guarantee available

The Bottom Line

N2’s Vitamin C supplement is a concentrated formula that is made with a synthetic form of vitamin C, l-ascorbic acid. It also provides bioflavonoids, which are rich in antioxidants. Their product is non-GMO and it is suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

However, we were disappointed to see that N2 (full name N2 Natural Nutrition) did not include even one source of natural vitamin C. Given that they pride themselves on delivering “natural” nutrition through health supplements, we were surprised that their vitamin C was made using l-ascorbic acid and contains colourants.

5. Healthspan Gentle Vitamin C

7.3 /10 207 Votes TOTAL RANKING

C

Overall Grade
INGREDIENT SAFETY
79%
PROJECTED EFFECTIVENESS
70%
VALUE
76%
RETURN POLICY
78%
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
70%

7.9

/10

7.0

/10

7.6

/10

7.8

/10

7.0

/10

PROS

  • Vegan-friendly, GMO-free, no synthetic fillers and binders

CONS

  • Only contains 50mg of 5-HTP
  • Does not contain any GABA stimulating ingredients
  • No money-back guarantee
  • Does not include any additional ingredients

The Bottom Line

Healthspan is a well-known supplements brand, and it is particularly renowned in the UK. They create good health products at wallet friendly prices, and their vitamin C product is no different. Their Gentle Vitamin C supplement provides a concentrated dose of vitamin C and claims to be gentle on the stomach, as the name suggests. When taken in large doses, synthetic vitamin C can cause unpleasant digestive symptoms, like cramps, diarrhea, and more. This formula supposedly helps to avoid these unpleasant symptoms.

However, their product does not include any natural ingredients, which is likely why their supplement is reasonably priced. It also does not contain any bioflavonoids, which is an important component to look for in a quality vitamin C product.

Final Thoughts

The Bottom Line

When it comes to choosing a great vitamin C supplement, it is essential to choose a product that is made with high quality ingredients, providing natural sources of vitamin C, that are delivered in potent doses.

After searching the internet to find the best sleep products and evaluating them based on their customer service, ingredients and pricing, we believe Hey Nutrition Natural Vitamin C Complex is the best on the market.

Hey Nutrition provides a 100% satisfaction guarantee - or your money back.

Click Here To Get Hey Nutrition's Natural Vitamin C Complex

CITATIONS

1. https://europepmc.org/article/med/9630738

2. https://academic.oup.com/cdn/article/5/Supplement_2/372/6293013?login=true

3. https://akjournals.com/view/journals/036/99/2/article-p133.xml

4. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0037290

5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965229917302601.

6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22476977/