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.