Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you purchase a product recommended by HSG. While using these links won’t cost you any extra money, they will help support this site AND keep it ad-free! As always, thoughts and opinions are completely our own.
Essential for Women, the new and improved multivitamin.
Confession: the world of supplements confuses the heck out of me. In fact, I’ve been known to stand in the vitamin aisle of my local Whole Foods scanning the shelves for what feels like hours before becoming overwhelmed and leaving empty-handed. There’s a magic pill for everything these days—from poor digestion to brittle nails—and with all of the back-and-forth health information circulating out there, it’s hard to tell what’s actually worth investing in. (Supplements aren’t cheap.)
Which is why, before two weeks ago, you could’ve considered me a multivitamin virgin. In college, I read somewhere that most of us are already getting more than enough of certain minerals from our food. Take calcium, for example. If you’re eating a normal diet, chances are you don’t need any more of this bone-strengthening nutrient. (In fact, too much of a good thing can even be dangerous.)
Ever since, I’ve only taken specific supplements that have been recommended to me by my doctor (such as a daily probiotic). But with the rise of hip health brands such as Care/of and Hum, supplements have become all the rage again, and what kind of nutrition nerd would I be if I didn’t at least dabble in one or two of the latest health fads?
Enter Ritual, the cool-girl company responsible for creating a new and improved multivitamin for women.
I mean, just look at it. The aesthetically pleasing pill (and its minimalist packaging) oozes style and science-y sophistication. Ritual’s product is the sexy librarian of supplements—and being a sucker for good design, the look alone was enough to capture my attention. (Their head of marketing is pure genius.) But it was the simplicity of the company’s mission and the total transparency of its ingredients that made Essential for Women impossible to resist. Hook, line, and sinker.
Kat Schneider came up with the idea for Ritual after her search for the perfect prenatal vitamin proved inconclusive. She couldn’t find a brand she trusted, without synthetic fillers or stabilizers, so—alongside a team of doctors and scientists—she decide to create her own. Here’s her statement, straight from the website:
I founded Ritual with the belief that better health begins with better ingredients. With us, you’ll know where everything is coming from and why it’s there. Some call it obsess-iveness, we call it traceability.
Essential for Women contains only NINE ingredients, all of which have been identified by experts as the nutrients that most women aren’t getting enough of. Um, awesome. If you’re worried about stomach irritation, don’t be: “We use a vegan, delayed-release capsule that not only bypasses the stomach to prevent nausea, but also ensures maximum absorption of the nutrients.” And, bonus: Schneider’s multivitamin is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, GMO-free, and manufactured in the USA. How much “cleaner” can you get?
For $30 a month, they’ll send you a subscription box of 60 capsules every 30 days (a serving size is two capsules). I just started taking mine a little over a week ago, and I can already tell a difference in my overall mood and wellbeing. Not only am I sleeping sounder at night, but I have beaucoup more energy throughout the day—no more midday slumps for this girl! Only time will tell if this supplement holds up to its provider’s promises (supported immune system, heightened brain function, beautiful skin!), but I think I’ll take my chances.
*UPDATE: The lovely ladies at Ritual were kind enough to offer HSG readers a discount! Simply use the promo code SHETHRIVES at checkout when you purchase your first month’s supply of Essential for Women via their website. YAY! (Code expires September 4th, so don’t wait!)
What are your thoughts on the new multivitamin craze?

Co-Founder & Editor | Emily graduated from the University of Texas in December 2013 with a degree in English and journalism under her belt. She currently lives with her husband in Frisco, where she works for a chiropractor and moonlights as a lifestyle blogger. On any given day, you can find her hanging out at a quiet coffee shop, nose-deep in a good mystery novel or snapping photos of her extra frothy cappuccino.
Currently not taking a multivitamin, what makes you different from the rest?
Hi Cristina! I haven’t tried a lot of other brands, but I love Ritual because of their “less is more” approach. From what I’ve read, a lot of multivitamins contain vitamins and minerals that we already get enough of from our diets (like calcium, for example), but Essential for Women only includes 9 ingredients that most women are lacking. This is why I was drawn to Ritual in the first place. And after using it for a month, I will say I’ve noticed a huge difference in my energy levels! If you end up trying it, let us know what you think!
A vitamin is a vitamin is a vitamin is a vitamin is a vitamin… I believe tests have shown that $$$ does not equal efficacy, and that most Americans don’t need vitamins, as we all have pretty good diets. Places like vitacost.com or Costco brand make very high quality “brand” vitamins (for example).
HOWEVER, I have to give ritual major kudos for marketing, branding, roll out, the “origin story” behind the vitamins, social media stuff, customer service (etc). Not to mention the pretty yellow packaging.
I also think that if you can encourage people to take their vitamins (even if they decide to pay a lot for it), that’s a good thing, right?
They definitely suckered me in with their branding/marketing, but after taking them for a few months, I have to say I’m now a believer in the power of vitamins! (Or at least theirs!)
Hey Emily,
I want to take multivitamin supplements. I’m from India and I’m curious to know what all supplements brands would you suggest someone who is a newbie in this.
I found this article on the internet from a website named Fitness Goal where the guy is mentioning about top 10 multivitamin supplement. I don’t know how legit it is. Here is the link which I read a couple of days back.
https://fitnessgoal.in/best-multivitamins-supplements-india/
What do you think? Seems legit?
I’d love to know from you which supplement would you like me to suggest.
Thanks,
Meet Mehta
Hi Mehta! To be honest, I’m kind of a newbie when it comes to vitamins, too, so I can only comment on what I’ve tried. I personally love Ritual’s vitamins, but I’d recommend asking your doctor which multivitamin would be ideal for you! There are so many different brands out there, and it’s important to do your research. 🙂