Are Personalized Vitamins Necessary for Your Health?
Diet & NutritionNutrients & Supplements

What Are Personalized Vitamins, and Do You Need Them?

What Are Personalized Vitamins, and Do You Need Them?
Marc Tran/Stocksy
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Updated on February 19, 2026
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If you’ve ever walked down the supplement aisle and felt confused — which ones do I really need? What dose is appropriate? Can I just take this multivitamin and be done with it? — you’re not alone. Several companies have set out to solve this issue, changing the vitamin industry along the way.

These companies, including Ritual and others, started popping up in online ads (and likely in your Instagram feed, too) in 2015. Most of them work in similar ways: They try to get to know you and then recommend vitamins and supplements specific to your needs.

Are Personalized Vitamins Necessary?

Multivitamins are extremely popular — about 60 percent of Americans older than 20 take one.

 But the question of whether they’re necessary or helpful is up for debate.
An analysis of vitamin use in 2,877 Chinese centenarians — people who’ve lived to 100 — found that only 1 in 10 took supplements like multivitamins. Overall, the study didn’t find a strong link between vitamin use of any kind and longer life.

Meanwhile, a review of 19 meta-analyses involving more than five million people linked regular multivitamin use to health benefits for specific populations, like better cognition for older adults and lower systolic blood pressure in both healthy adults and those with chronic conditions.

Researchers concluded multivitamins could help reduce the risk of certain diseases like colorectal cancer. They also emphasized that using vitamins for specific health purposes, such as during pregnancy, may be more useful than taking a general, one-size-fits-all supplement.

“Generally, we are better off getting the essentials through whole foods, but most people don’t eat this way,” says Ian Smith, MD, the Chicago-based author of several diet books. He adds that high-quality vitamins and supplements can help fill nutritional gaps in modern diets.

How Do Personalized Vitamin Services Work?

One criticism of multivitamins is that not everyone needs the same nutrients in the same amounts — even one person’s needs likely change throughout their life. For example, people who follow a vegetarian diet are more likely to be low in vitamin B12 and calcium.

Custom vitamin companies propose a solution to the one-size-fits-all approach. Many of these companies start with a short quiz asking about factors such as your:

  • Gender
  • Age
  • Health goals and concerns
  • Lifestyle
  • Diet
  • Exercise routine
  • Allergies

Then, they’ll give you a supplement recommendation which you can have delivered monthly (or at some other interval) if you purchase a subscription. It may be a supply of one multivitamin or a packet of a few different capsules.

Some custom vitamin companies, including Bioniq and VitaminLab, use more invasive approaches, basing formulations on blood tests or DNA testing. The latter will even include previous results from 23andMe or Ancestry to customize supplements.

Benefits of Personalized Vitamins

Personalized vitamins come with two major benefits: convenience and personalization.

It’s easier to have vitamins delivered to your doorstep than remember to stock up at the store — it could even increase your chances of taking them regularly. “Many people may stop taking vitamins because they don’t have a chance to replenish their supply,” says Dr. Smith.

The additional information these companies factor into their recommendations could also help you get nutrients you’re missing. Grocery store multivitamins use data from thousands of people, while personalized vitamins try to use data from people closer to your demographic, says Caitlin Self, a licensed dietitian-nutritionist based in Baltimore City.

Drawbacks of Personalized Vitamins

These companies may have all the bells and whistles: sleek websites with fancy quizzes, curated social media presences, and cute packaging. But your quiz responses are self-reported rather than objective, and Self notes they may not be sufficient.

As for blood tests, they can be reliable when done correctly. “The issue may be human error, considering that those doing the test are not trained in drawing, handling, and storing blood,” says Trista Best, RD, MPH, an environmental health specialist and consultant in Dalton, Georgia, with Balance One, a company that sells supplements.

And while many brands have a team of doctors or nutritionists to develop recommendations and research specific nutrients, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t approve their products.

 Most of these companies haven’t been properly vetted by third-party groups, adds Self.

Both Smith and Self say shopping these companies is still likely preferable to buying off the shelf. “I do believe these personalized approaches are better than the average grocery store multivitamin, but not nearly as good as a clinical signs and symptoms assessment by a nutritionist,” Self says.

A registered dietitian-nutritionist can identify nutritional gaps in your diet and offer ways to fix them through whole foods, which is generally preferable to supplements of any kind.

Should You Try Personalized Vitamins?

If you want to try personalized vitamins, Smith advises doing your own research so you can make an informed decision. Make sure you agree with the recommendations, that the dosages are correct, and look into any potential side effects of the ingredients using resources like MedlinePlus.

It’s also a good idea to consult with your doctor before taking any new supplements and to make sure the supplements are legitimate.

Third-party testing is the main way to tell if you should trust a supplement manufacturer to provide a safe and quality product, Best says. Seals from the following organizations reliably certify supplement purity, integrity, and safety, according to the National Institutes of Health:

Not all supplement companies put their products through third-party testing, but Best points out that Ritual is one that does.

Overall, Smith says these companies can make it easier for you to prioritize your health. “An investment in your health is always a good one, in my estimation,” he says.

The Takeaway

  • Custom vitamin companies use information about you, and sometimes blood or DNA tests, to create personalized supplement recommendations to suit your individual needs.
  • Whole foods are still the best way to meet your nutritional needs, but personalized vitamins could help fill in the gaps if you’re not getting enough of a specific nutrient.
  • If you decide to try a customized supplement, it’s a good idea to make sure it’s been third-party tested to ensure its efficacy and safety.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Zhao L et al. Trends in Dietary Supplement Use Among U.S. Adults Between 2011 and 2023. European Journal of Nutrition. October 2025.
  2. Grgic J et al. Dietary Supplement Use in Longevity: Evidence From 2,877 Centenarians. GeroScience. July 2025.
  3. Wang W et al. Multivitamin and Mineral Use: A Rapid Review of Meta-Analyses on Health Outcomes. Ageing Research Reviews. January 2026.
  4. Vegetarian Diet: How to Get the Best Nutrition. Mayo Clinic. March 1, 2023.
  5. FDA’s Regulation of Dietary Supplements with Dr. Cara Welch. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. March 5, 2024.
  6. Christ E. Supplements Versus the Real Thing. Purdue University. December 10, 2024.
  7. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). National Institutes of Health: Office of Dietary Supplements. March 21, 2023.
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Karen E. Todd

Karen E. Todd, RD, CSCS, EP-C, CISSN

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Karen E. Todd, RD, CSCS, EP-C, CISSN, is a registered dietitian and strength and conditioning specialist committed to evidence-based education in lifelong wellness, sports nutrition, and healthy aging.

With more than 30 years of experience in nutritional education, dietary supplements, functional foods, and exercise performance, she specializes in nutrition and exercise performance communications, providing expert insights to both media and consumers. She serves as a nutrition communicator, speaker, spokesperson, and brand consultant, and currently works in nutraceutical ingredient innovation and development, focusing on how nutrients and ingredients support health, performance, and wellness across the lifespan.

Karen also runs TheSupplementDietitian.com, a free online resource dedicated to helping consumers navigate the world of dietary supplements. The site provides science-based education on how supplements are regulated, how to identify safe and effective products, and how to fill nutritional gaps when diet alone isn’t enough.

Her experience spans clinical nutrition, exercise performance, and product development, giving her a broad perspective on the scientific, practical, and regulatory considerations that shape the supplement and functional food industries. Karen is a contributing guest blogger for Psychology Today’s “Feed Your Brain” column, a scientific advisory board member for Agro Food Industry Hi Tech, and a board member for Council for Responsible Nutrition, a leading professional organization in the nutraceutical space.

She is widely recognized for her ability to translate complex research into clear, evidence-based insights that help students, practitioners, and consumers make informed decisions about nutrition and supplementation.

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Moira Lawler is a journalist who has spent more than a decade covering a range of health and lifestyle topics, including women's health, nutrition, fitness, mental health, and travel. She received a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, two young children, and a giant brown labradoodle.
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