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The 8 Best Multivitamins for Teens
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- Best Overall Multivitamin for Teens: Codeage Teen Fermented Multivitamin
- Best Multivitamin for Teen Boys: Smarty Pants Teen Formula for Guys
- Best Multivitamin for Teen Girls: Smarty Pants Teen Formula for Girls
- Best Value Multivitamin for Teen Boys: GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin (Boys)
- Best Value Multivitamin for Teen Girls: GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin (Girls)
- Best Sugar-Free Multivitamin for Teens: MaryRuth Organics Teen Multivitamin Gummies
- Best On-the-Go Multivitamin for Teens: Olly Teen Girl Multivitamin
- Greatest Potency Multivitamin for Teens: Maxi Teen Supreme His Multivitamin
- Teen Multivitamin FAQs
For those of us who remember the glorious teen years, anything that can ease the transition into adulthood is welcome.
And while the teenager’s nutritional needs aren’t drastically different from the adult’s or child’s needs, multivitamins for teens are especially well-equipped to support the developing body.
We’ve kept our eyes on the best multivitamins for teens as the supplement world has slowly but surely caught on, forming this list of our top 8 selections on the market today.
In this article, we’ll highlight not only the best supplements out there for teenagers, but also key ingredients and quality standards you can look for to separate the best from the rest.
| Best Overall | for Teen Boys | for Teen Girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product | Codeage | Smarty Pants | Smarty Pants |
| Key Points | Capsule form; fermented fruit and vegetable blend; probiotics and digestive enzymes; essential vitamins and minerals; coenzyme q10 for heart benefits and more | Gummy form; organic cane sugar; omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) as well as eye-health ingredients lutein and zeaxanthin; essential micronutrients | Gummy form; organic cane sugar; omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA), higher biotin concentration than the boys’ version; lutein and zeaxanthin for eye and brain health; essential micronutrients |
Price | $26.99 ($0.90/serving) Shop Now | $19.19 ($0.64/serving) Shop Now | $14.93 ($0.50/serving) Shop Now |
Best for: Parents of teenage boys and/or teenage girls looking for a very nutritionally dense, whole-food-based, and easy to absorb vitamin supplement.
Codeage Teen Fermented Multivitamins stand out from the competition in two key areas: the fermented ingredient blend and the sheer breadth and depth of their ingredient list.
In addition to the most common vitamins and minerals (like vitamin C, zinc, etc.), this dietary supplement hits many often overlooked, but crucial nutrients like probiotics and digestive enzymes, plant-based antioxidants like rutin, boron, coenzyme Q10 (heart benefits and more), and several others.
The Teen Health Blend, which contains 10 fermented fruits and vegetables like blueberries, ginger, and spinach, absorbs more easily because fermented ingredients are partially pre-digested and thus easier for the body to break down.
Obviously, with capsules, there are zero sweeteners—real or artificial—to worry about, with the downside being that this format isn’t quite as fun. That said, Codeage Teen Fermented Multivitamin supplement is among the best multivitamins for teens we’ve reviewed along the lines of potency and absorption.
Best for: Parents looking for a clean and well-rounded multivitamin for their teenage boys that provides essential omega-3 fatty acids, eye health ingredients (lutein/zeaxanthin), and other enhancers on top of the standard multivitamin ingredients.
When that hallway vending machine calls, most high school boys are going to answer with gusto—so long as they have the scratch—which is why it’s a great idea to keep the omega-3 fatty acids coming.
Chips, cookies, and other processed snacks are loaded with omega-6-rich oils, which, while they have their place, are far too common in the modern diet.
This is one reason we appreciate Smarty Pants Teen Guy Multi & Omegas—they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which can restore the critical omega-3/omega-6 ratio to a much more health-affirming level.
The lutein and zeaxanthin, provided by a proprietary marigold flower extract, can protect the eyes from harsh UV light, and to a degree, excessive screen use. Just a tiny bit relevant.
And of course, Smarty Pants Teen Guy Multi & Omegas contain all the major letter vitamins (vitamin B6, B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, etc.), choline, zinc, manganese, chromium, and other essential micronutrients.
We don’t love the four-gummy serving size totaling five grams of added sugar, but otherwise, this is one of the best multivitamins for teen guys when it comes to heart, brain, eye, and overall health.
Best for: Parents looking for a clean and well-rounded multivitamin for teen girls that provides omega-3 fatty acids, eye health ingredients (lutein/zeaxanthin), and more.
Though the formulation is almost identical to that of the teen guys’ formula in a qualitative sense, Smarty Pants Teen Girl Formula has made a rare and refreshing adjustment: the nutrients are actually proportioned to reflect the differences between guys and girls.
There’s more biotin, for example, (37.5mcg per serving versus 25mcg), promoting healthy hair, skin, and nails.
The omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, and zeaxanthin remain largely unchanged, and most other nutrients are scaled in quantity predictably to reflect the smaller average size of a teen girl (versus a teen boy).
Though we’re glad to see the organic cane sugar and (also organic) tapioca syrup alongside natural coloring, the added sugar content is actually higher (6g per 4-gummy serving).
Otherwise, Smarty Pants Teen Girl Formula is one of our top recommendations to teenage girls and their parents for immune system health, brain function, hair/skin/nails, and heart health.
Best for: Parents looking for a trusted multivitamin for their teen boys with extra emphasis on antioxidant content, brain/eye health, and reproductive health.
The first half of the GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin for Boys supplement label is very much along the lines of most multivitamins out there—vitamins A-K, a B vitamin complex, biotin, iron, etc.—but it’s the real fruit and herbal extracts that helps this product stand out.
For example, cranberry, apple, blueberry, and marigold flower extracts add a host of key antioxidants and vision-boosting ingredients like lutein. There’s also a flax seed hulls extract, which strengthens immunity and may help prevent hundreds of chronic diseases and cancer.
The addition of the antioxidant lycopene (500mcg per serving) also helps with male reproductive health, including sperm quality and fertility.
We would prefer the “other ingredients” list to be as minimalistic and clean as the Smarty Pants teen multivitamin supplement, and caplets are not as fun as gummies, but other than these more surface-level gripes, GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin for Boys is among our top picks for guys between the ages of 12 and 17.
Best for: Parents looking for a well-reviewed multivitamin for their teen girls with naturally sourced antioxidants and collagen for hair, skin, and nails.
First of all, we realize there are many athletic women out there who care just as much about their muscles as their hair and nails.
But the great part about GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin for Girls is that you can check off both of these boxes without compromising in either camp. This is thanks to a Beauty Blend—featuring hydrolyzed collagen, silica, lutein, and zeaxanthin—that compliments the laundry list of essential micronutrients.
Like the teen guy version, GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin for Girls also includes an antioxidant-rich fruit blend and a flaxseed hulls extract.
Between the more than two dozen essential nutrients and these blends, GNC Milestones Teen Multivitamin for Girls positions itself as one of the top vitamins for teens.
Best for: Parents of teen boys and/or girls who want a multivitamin that’s fun to take and free of sketchy ingredients.
They may not have separate options for boys and girls, but parents continue to laud MaryRuth Organics Teen Multivitamin Gummies for a few reasons—namely, the lack of sugar. This alone makes them the best vitamins for teenagers in many a parent’s book.
Each two-gummy serving is completely sugar-free, sweetened with organic erythritol and xylitol. While some people do experience digestive problems with these sweeteners, they are otherwise well-tolerated and highly prevalent in keto-friendly foods especially.
Mary Ruth Organics Teen Multivitamin Gummies hit most of the major nutrients we want to see—vitamins A-E, biotin, zinc, iodine, and more—but the ingredient lists aren’t quite as robust as most competitors, leaving out herbal extracts, iron, and some other common ingredients.
However, these are among the cleanest and tastiest gummy vitamins for teens out there, and with zero sugar, parents have one less thing to worry about when it comes to their teen’s nutrition.
Best for: Parents of teen girls looking for a highly affordable, clean, and easy-to-use multivitamin gummy that covers the basic nutrients.
There are plenty of multivitamins out there that will undercut even this price point, but if you refuse to lower the bar on quality (as we all should), Olly Teen Girl Multivitamin is just about as affordable as it gets.
Made from a trusted, B Corp Certified company, these teen girl multivitamins provide vitamins A-E and key minerals like iodine, zinc, selenium, and chromium.
Each two-gummy serving can be taken without food or water, and totals a below-average 2 grams of added sugar.
If your teen has broader and/or deeper nutritional gaps to cover, Olly Teen Girl Multivitamin may come up a bit short, but for everyone else just looking for a boost that covers the basics, it’s a reliable money-saver.
Best for: Parents of teen boys looking for a robust, plant-forward multivitamin that incorporates naturally occurring nutrients from real food.
Layering some less common additions on top of a large assortment of staples, Maxi Teen Supreme His Multivitamin is one of the most well-rounded multivitamins for teens we’ve seen, teens or otherwise.
In addition to the letter vitamins (e.g., B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E) and essential minerals, including iron, biotin, and more, Maxi Teen Supreme also contains the following:
- Barley grass juice powder
- Aloe vera powder
- Carrot powder
- Coenzyme Q10
- Garlic powder
- Lemon bioflavonoids
- Spinach Powder
- Proprietary spirulina (crude protein and chlorophyll)
These additions offer a broad range of naturally occurring nutrients that support the heart, brain, skin, bone health, joints, and much more.
Though the ingredients are squeaky clean (including the capsule constituents), it would be nice to have some organic ingredients—that’s our key gripe outside of not having a gummy option.
Whether you’re looking to replace other dietary supplements for your teen and/or cover larger nutritional gaps, Maxi Teen Supreme His Multivitamin is our top pick for potency.
Teen Multivitamin FAQs
Should I give my 13-year-old vitamins?
Though teenagers may differ slightly in their nutritional needs than adults, the same question can be applied to both groups: are they getting enough nutrients from their diet?
Nobody can precisely count every microgram of every nutrient their teenager consumes with their diet, but if he or she is routinely skipping breakfast, consuming nutritionally underwhelming meals and snacks, and foregoing fruits, vegetables, and nutritious protein sources, then researching the best multivitamins for teens’ healthy development (like those above) can help cover these gaps. As always, it’s best to source key nutrients from foods within a balanced diet, but vitamin supplements can be very helpful.
Are gummy multivitamins effective?
Gummy multivitamins can be effective if they’re manufactured by a high-quality brand. It’s true that it’s easier to fit more nutrients into a capsule than a gummy, but that doesn’t mean gummy vitamins can’t be highly nutritious as well. They also digest more efficiently and are easier to take than capsules.
How much vitamin content does a 13-year-old need?
The Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University has published this comprehensive guide to the micronutrient needs of children aged 4 to 13 years old. In addition to educating yourself on dosage levels, the ingredients listed on this guide can be used as a checklist to compare brands against when browsing vitamins for teenage boys and girls. Some key micronutrients featured in the guide include vitamins B12, A, D, and E, plus iron, copper, zinc, selenium, and potassium.
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