Transparent Labs Multivitamin Review: Is This The Right Daily Vitamin for You?
Transparent Labs
The products featured in this article have been independently reviewed. When you buy something through the retail links on this page, we may earn commission at no cost to you, the reader. Sports Illustrated editorial staff are not involved in the creation of this content. Learn more here.
Multivitamins are some of the most popular supplements available, but many of them overpromise and under-deliver. They're often made with suboptimal doses and inferior ingredients that don’t do you much good in the long run. Because of this, it’s important to be extremely discerning about which multivitamin you choose. After all, you’re going to be taking it every day.
Transparent Labs is a supplement company that’s built on, well, transparency. The brand claims that it’s all about ingredient quality and bioavailability—and it says it has the third-party testing to prove it. In this Transparent Labs Multivitamin review, we’ll dive into the brand’s claims about this specific supplement and take a look at each individual ingredient to help you decide if it’s right for you.
Transparent Labs Multivitamin At a Glance
- Contains 19 vitamins and minerals
- Doesn’t include iron
- Includes supporting nutrients like organic ashwagandha, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and boron citrate
- Made without artificial sweeteners, colors and preservatives
- Serving size is four capsules; one bottle is a month's supply
Pros
- Highly bioavailable forms of nutrients
- Therapeutic dosages
- No unnecessary additives and fillers
- Contains supportive ingredients, like ashwagandha
- Third-party tested for potency and purity
- Fair price
Cons
- Have to take four a day
- Only one formulation (no separate options for men and women)
- Doesn’t contain all the B vitamins
Transparent Labs Multivitamin Claims
The Transparent Labs Multivitamin is designed to fill in nutritional gaps and supply essential nutrients that you might not be getting from food. While this multivitamin can work for anyone who needs extra nutrition support, Transparent Labs markets itself as a sports nutrition company. As such, the brand says that this multivitamin works best for anyone who lives an active lifestyle and is looking for an energy boost.
The nutrients in this multivitamin are all in bioavailable forms that your body can absorb and utilize. They’re also in therapeutic dosages, which means the dosage of most vitamins and minerals exceeds the minimum recommended amount for the entire day. In addition to the basic vitamins and minerals, the Transparent Labs Multivitamin also has organic ashwagandha, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), CoQ10 and boron citrate, which the brand says can help support overall wellness.
Quality of Ingredients
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs is all about high-quality ingredients. The company prioritizes bioavailable forms of all its active ingredients and uses therapeutic doses, or more than you need for the entire day.
Here’s a breakdown of all the essential vitamins and minerals in the supplement, with some research to back up their effectiveness.
Vitamin A
This multivitamin contains 1,204 micrograms—134 percent of your daily needs—of vitamin A in the form of beta carotene. Beta-carotene is actually a provitamin A carotenoid, which means it gets converted into vitamin A in your body. Synthetic forms found in dietary supplements have the highest bioavailability, but absorption is highly dependent on how much fat you eat. In other words, taking this multivitamin with a fat-containing meal may help increase absorption.
Vitamin C
The vitamin C in the Transparent Labs Multivitamin is in the form of ascorbic acid, which acts as an antioxidant and has the same bioavailability as the vitamin C in food. There are 100 milligrams in a serving, which is 111 percent of what you need for the entire day.
Vitamin D
Most people need about 800 to 5,000 IU of vitamin D per day, depending on individual nutritional status. Some people who are very deficient may need more, but you shouldn’t take higher doses without talking to your doctor first. The Transparent Labs Multivitamin contains 2,500 IU (international units) of vitamin D in the form of cholecalciferol, which isn’t the most bioavailable form. That being said, it likely provides enough for most people.
Vitamin K
There are two forms of vitamin K—menaquinone and phytonadione—both of which are naturally occurring and highly absorbable. You’ll get 500 micrograms in this supplement, which is 417 percent of what you need for the day.
Vitamin B1
The Transparent Labs Multivitamin contains 20 milligrams of vitamin B1 in the form of thiamine mononitrate. While there hasn’t been a ton of research on its bioavailability, it's commonly used in supplements and fortified foods. 20 milligrams is 1,667 percent of your daily needs, so most people will get what they need from this supplement.
Vitamin B6
There are 25 milligrams of vitamin B6 in the form of pyridoxine HCl, which is absorbed in the small intestine at a rate of about 75 percent. That means you’ll get about 18.75 milligrams from this supplement, which is still plenty for the day. Adults need 1.3 to 1.7 milligrams.
Vitamin B12
The vitamin B12 in this supplement is in the form of methylcobalamin, which is bioidentical to the vitamin B12 found in food. It’s been shown to adequately improve vitamin B12 status in clinical studies. The Transparent Labs Multivitamin has 200 micrograms, which is well over the daily requirement.
Biotin
Biotin is the formal name for vitamin B7. It’s highly bioavailable and completely absorbed. This supplement contains 200 micrograms, or 667 percent of the amount you need for the day.
Vitamin B5
This supplement contains vitamin B5 in the form of D-calcium pantothenate. There are currently no studies comparing bioavailability of different forms of the vitamin, but there’s a therapeutic dose of 50 milligrams (1,000 percent of your daily needs), so you should be able to get what you need.
Iodine
The iodine in this supplement is in the form of potassium iodide, which has a 96.4 percent bioavailability rate—meaning you absorb almost all of it. This is also the type of iodine that’s used in iodized salt. A serving contains 100 micrograms, or 67 percent of your daily needs. Because of this, you’ll have to get the remaining iodine you need from iodized salt or iodine-rich foods, like seaweed.
Magnesium
In general, magnesium supplements have a poor absorption rate, but the form in this supplement (and in most of the best magnesium supplements)—magnesium bisglycinate chelate—seems to be absorbed in your intestines better than others. There are 300 milligrams of magnesium, or 71 percent of your daily needs. Because about 20 percent of the population has low magnesium levels, you’ll want to be extra diligent about getting enough magnesium elsewhere.
Zinc
Zinc citrate, the form found in this multivitamin, is the most bioavailable type of zinc. It has an absorption rate of just over 61 percent. There are 15 milligrams, or 136 percent of your daily needs, in this supplement.
Selenium
The selenium in this supplement is in the form of L-selenomethionine, which has a very high absorption rate, or more than 90 percent. There are only 40 micrograms though, which is about 73 percent of your daily needs. Because of this, you’ll have to make sure you’re getting enough from food or other sources, too.
Copper
There are 0.3 milligrams (33 percent of your daily needs) of copper in the form of copper chelate. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, there haven’t been any studies comparing the bioavailability of different forms of copper. However, according to some animal research, chelated minerals may be better absorbed in the gut. You’ll still need to make sure you’re getting the remaining 67 percent elsewhere, though.
Manganese
The manganese in this supplement is in the form of a manganese amino acid chelate, although Transparent Labs doesn’t specify which one. There’s currently no research on the bioavailability of manganese, but this is a commonly used form. The supplement only provides 1.3 milligrams, which is 57 percent of your daily needs, so you’ll need to make sure you’re getting enough from food too.
Chromium
Transparent Labs Multivitamin contains 67 micrograms of chromium, or 193 percent of your daily needs. It’s in the form of Chromax Chromium Picolinate, which is more bioavailable than other forms. That being said, the overall absorption rate is still low, at just 1.2 percent. However, that’s the same amount that you absorb from food.
Chloride
Chloride is an electrolyte that helps balance sodium and potassium. The Transparent Labs Multivitamin has chloride in two forms: sodium chloride and potassium chloride. More on these below.
Sodium
Most people get more than enough sodium daily. Even those who exercise in the heat typically don’t need to supplement with sodium. As such, this supplement has only four percent of your daily needs, or 100 milligrams. It’s in the form of sodium chloride, which is the same as table salt.
Potassium
It’s generally not recommended to take potassium supplements unless your doctor prescribes them. Because of this, the Transparent Labs Multivitamin has only a minimal amount—150 milligrams, or about three percent of your daily needs.
Other ingredients
In addition to these essential micronutrients, the Transparent Labs Multivitamin also has organic ashwagandha extract, N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) and boron. These nutrients don’t have daily recommended intakes or different forms. They’re either considered semi-essential or non-essential, meaning you don’t have to consume them every day (but they can be beneficial if you do).
The multivitamin also contains a handful of inactive ingredients, including hypromellose (the vegetable capsule), vegetable magnesium stearate (a bulking and anti-caking agent) and rice flour.
Transparent Labs Multivitamin Cost
The Transparent Labs Multivitamin retails for $29.99 for a month’s supply, which breaks down to about $1.00 per day. As far as multivitamins go, this is about mid-range—you can find less expensive options, but you’ll likely have to sacrifice quality of ingredients.
If you purchase directly from the brand’s site, you can sign up for a subscribe and save option that brings the price down to $26.99 for the bottle. You can choose a 30-, 45- or 60-day subscription that you can pause or cancel at any time.
Who Should Use Transparent Labs Multivitamin
The Transparent Labs Multivitamin is a good choice for anyone looking for a high-quality supplement that can help fill in the nutritional gaps in your daily diet. It may be especially beneficial for athletes and those who live an active lifestyle. It’s also a good choice for those who are dealing with a lot of mental stress. It contains organic ashwagandha, an adaptogen that can help your body better manage all forms of stress.
Who Should NOT Use Transparent Labs Multivitamin
If you have problems taking capsules, the Transparent Labs Multivitamin may not be the best choice for you. A serving size is four capsules—other companies offer similar doses in one or two capsules. The capsules are fairly large, too.
You also may want to look elsewhere if you need a multivitamin that contains iron. Transparent Labs purposely leaves it out of this supplement for those who don’t need it.
What Customers Are Saying About Transparent Labs Multivitamin
Overall, customers are happy with the Transparent Labs Multivitamin. It has a 4.5/5-star average on the brand’s site (it isn’t available on Amazon or other third-party retailers at the time of this review). Many customers say they felt a difference in as little as two weeks. The biggest callout is an increase in energy and the drive to get through a workout (or a long to-do list). Customers also say their sleep has improved. Another common review theme is the praise around the company’s ingredient transparency and clinically effective dosages. Users feel good about taking the brand.
According to reviewers, the biggest drawback is that you have to take four pills a day—some other vitamin brands provide the same dosages in one or two capsules. That being said, most users say the capsules are easy to take, and it still provides a 30-day supply, so the overall quantity is similar to others.
All in all, the pros outweigh the cons here. If you don’t think you can take four capsules a day, this might not be the choice for you. But if that doesn’t bother you, reviewers really have nothing else negative to say.
About Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs
Transparent Labs is a Utah-based supplement company that was founded in 2015. The company’s founder was tired of the fact that other companies took advantage of the very little FDA oversight in the supplement industry to create inferior products with under-dosed ingredients and unnecessary fillers. Transparent Labs creates a wide range of products, from essential nutrients to pre-workout supplements, that are marketed toward sports nutrition (athletes, bodybuilding and weight loss).
All products have clinically effective dosages and are sent out for third-party testing to verify purity and potency. Each supplement comes with a certificate of analysis and a certificate of composition that you can access directly on the site. The certificate of analysis shows results for contamination testing—you can see levels of heavy metals, yeast, mold and bacteria. The certificate of composition shows the percentage of each ingredient in each product.
Transparent Labs has supplements that can work for anyone, but the brand really focuses on people with active lifestyles who are looking to build muscle, boost recovery, increase energy levels and/or improve memory and focus. There are also fat-burning supplements that are designed to help with weight management. In addition to the multivitamin, some of brand’s bestsellers include the Lean Pre-Workout, Transparent Labs BULK Black Pre-Workout, Creatine HMB, 100% Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder, BCAA Glutamine, Fat Burner, Sleep Aid and Mass Gainer.
Transparent Labs Multi vs. Thorne Research Basic Nutrients 2/Day
The Transparent Labs Multivitamin and Thorne Research Basic Nutrients 2/Day are very similar with some notable differences. The Thorne multivitamin has some additional B vitamins, like pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and riboflavin, and a much higher dose of vitamin B12. It also contains some supportive ingredients, like boron and lutein, but doesn’t contain ashwagandha, CoQ10 or NAC. You only have to take two capsules of the Thorne supplement, compared to the four capsules of the Transparent Labs vitamin. Both companies prioritize high-quality ingredients with superior bioavailability, and add minimal inactive ingredients to their products. At $36 per bottle, the Thorne 2/Day is slightly more expensive.
Transparent Labs Multi vs. Ritual Multi
While Transparent Labs has only one multivitamin, Ritual offers nine formulations for different sexes and life stages. There are multivitamins specifically designed for men and women under and over 50 years of age, as well as prenatal and postnatal options. There are considerably fewer active ingredients in the Ritual multivitamins. They have six vitamins and two minerals with some omega-3 fatty acids in the form of DHA. All Ritual multis are gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan, and slightly more expensive at $33 per bottle.
Takeaway: Is Transparent Labs Multivitamin Worth It?
Yes, the Transparent Labs multivitamin is a high-quality supplement at a fair price, especially for what you get. In addition to essential vitamins and minerals, it also contains other nutrients that can help you manage your stress and support your well-being. There are also minimal fillers and full transparency into supplement quality. Whether you’re trying to correct a deficiency or just get the nutrients you need for the day, this is a good choice.
Prices are accurate and items in stock as of publish time.
