Product ReviewsVitamin C Supplements Review
Initial Posting: 3/10/17 Last Update: 3/26/19
Find the Best Vitamin C Supplement
20% Of Vitamin C Supplements Fail CL's Tests of Quality
Brands compared in report
 | American Health Ester-C |
 | Bronson Laboratories Vitamin C Crystals |
 | CVS Pharmacy C |
 | Dynamic Health Liquid Vitamin C for Kids - Natural Citrus Flavors |
 | Emergen-C |
 | Garden of Life Mykind Organics Vitamin C |
 | GNC Vitamin C 1000 |
 | Jamieson C |
 | Kirkland Signature (Costco) Vitamin C |
 | Life Extension Vitamin C with Dihydroquercetin |
 | LivOn Laboratories Lypo-Spheric Vitamin C |
 | Metagenics Ultra Potent-C |
 | Nature Made C |
| Nature's Bounty C | |
 | Nature's Bounty C-1000 mg |
 | Nature's Plus Vitamin C |
 | Nutrifii VinaliC |
 | PipingRock.com Vitamin C |
 | Rainbow Light Gummy Vitamin C Slices |
 | Rexall Vitamin C |
 | Shaklee Vita -C |
 | Spring Valley [Walmart] C |
 | Sundown Naturals Vitamin C |
 | The Vitamin Shoppe Vitamin C 1,000 mg - Capsule |
 | The Vitamin Shoppe Vitamin C 1,000 mg - Softgels |
 | TwinLab C-1000 Caps |
 | Up & Up [Target] Vitamin C |
 | Vitacost Vitamin C |
 | Vitafusion L'il Critters Immune C Plus Zinc & Echinacea |
 | Vitafusion Power C |
 | Vitamin World C-1,000 mg |
 | Well at Walgreens Vitamin C With Natural Rose Hips |
More about this report
Many people take a vitamin C supplement believing it will improve their health or prevent disease. Will it really? Are there downsides?
And if you take a vitamin C supplement, does the product actually contain what it says? Is it the best product in terms of quality and value? ConsumerLab.com's tests of popular vitamin C supplements revealed that 20% contained much more vitamin C than listed on their labels — a concern because too much vitamin C can have negative short-term and long-term health effects.
In this report you'll learn about the benefits of vitamin C as an essential nutrient and whether taking it as a supplement helps prevent a cold, gout, or heart disease. You'll also learn that vitamin C may cause problems, including diarrhea, cataracts, and kidney stones.
Of course, you'll also get ConsumerLab.com's tests and comparisons of vitamin C supplements based on independent, laboratory analyses. You'll find out which products were "Approved" or "Not Approved" and why. You'll also learn which products offer exceptional quality and value - making them CL's Top Picks. Some of these cost as little as 1 or 2 cents per dose!
And if you take a vitamin C supplement, does the product actually contain what it says? Is it the best product in terms of quality and value? ConsumerLab.com's tests of popular vitamin C supplements revealed that 20% contained much more vitamin C than listed on their labels — a concern because too much vitamin C can have negative short-term and long-term health effects.
In this report you'll learn about the benefits of vitamin C as an essential nutrient and whether taking it as a supplement helps prevent a cold, gout, or heart disease. You'll also learn that vitamin C may cause problems, including diarrhea, cataracts, and kidney stones.
Of course, you'll also get ConsumerLab.com's tests and comparisons of vitamin C supplements based on independent, laboratory analyses. You'll find out which products were "Approved" or "Not Approved" and why. You'll also learn which products offer exceptional quality and value - making them CL's Top Picks. Some of these cost as little as 1 or 2 cents per dose!
You must be a member to get the full test results along with ConsumerLab.com's recommendations and quality ratings. You will get results for 15 vitamin C supplements selected for testing by ConsumerLab.com as well as for 16 others which passed the same testing in CL's voluntary Quality Certification Program. In this comprehensive review of vitamin C supplements you'll learn:
- Which vitamin C supplements passed testing, and which failed
- Which high-quality vitamin C supplements are also lowest cost
- What vitamin C can and cannot do for your health
- The potential advantages and differences of forms of vitamin C, such as Ester-C, sodium ascorbate, slow-release vitamin C, and liposomal vitamin C
- The value of additional ingredients, such as bioflavonoids (e.g., quercetin, dihydroquercetin, rutin, and hesperidin)
- The dosage of vitamin C used for different purposes
- The potential side-effects of vitamin C and its interactions with drugs and diagnostic tests
Related questions and answers
- Do vitamin C supplements help prevent cataracts? >>
- Is it better to get vitamins from foods or supplements, and are natural vitamins better than synthetic vitamins? >>
- Sometimes my powdered supplements get clumpy. Should I be concerned? >>
- Can vitamin C from a supplement cause blood in the urine and painful urination? >>
- What is Lipo-flavonoid and does it work for tinnitus or other ear problems? >>
- Some vitamin C products claim to use fully reduced vitamin C. Is this important? >>
- Which supplements have been shown to be helpful for autism? >>
- Do any supplements help prevent sunburn or skin damage from sun exposure? >>
- Some websites claim that synthetic vitamin C in supplements may be a combination the active "L" form and the inactive "D" form of ascorbic acid. Is that true? Should I be concerned? >>
- Is liposomal vitamin C (sold as Lypo-Spheric) better than other forms of vitamin C? >>
- Is there cause for concern with "gummy vitamins?" There are many different gummies out there. Are some better than others? >>
- Is it possible to take too much vitamin C? >>
- Do any supplements help with gum disease or periodontitis? >>
- I thought the B vitamins were all water soluble and did not build up in the body, so you would not build up toxic levels. Am I wrong? >>
- Do any supplements help prevent or improve cataracts? >>
- I take estrogen replacement (Vagifem), to help relieve the symptoms of menopause. Are there supplements I should avoid, or be taking, due to this drug? >>
- Which supplements can help to lower blood pressure? >>
- Which supplements are helpful for age-related macular degeneration (AMD)? >>
- Do any supplements help for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)? >>
- Are there negative interactions between the following supplements I take twice each day, as well as 60 mg of beta-sitosterol with dinner: Vitamin C (500 mg), CoQ10 (100 mg), grape seed extract (100 mg), fish oil (500 mg), vitamin D3/calcium/magnesium/zinc (200 IU/333 mg/113 mg/5mg)? >>
- Do glutathione supplements work to prevent aging or for other conditions? >>
- Are there any supplements I should avoid when taking acetaminophen (Tylenol)? >>
- How likely are Americans to be deficient in vitamins or minerals? >>
- After developing kidney stones, I was told to avoid tea -- but recently I've heard that green tea might actually be helpful for kidney stones. Is that true? >>
- Is Ester-C the best form of vitamin C? >>
- Does taking vitamin C (1,000 mg) deplete copper in the body? >>
- Which supplements can help lower or control my blood sugar? >>
- I've been taking a Daily Advantage multi but am now concerned by the very high % DV for vitamin C (833% DV), niacin (325% DV), and B vitamins (over 1,000% DV for several). The company tells me this formula is based on clinical experience and the scientific literature. What do you think? >>
- Can supplements with antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins A and E cause you to die sooner? >>
- Are the "% DV" numbers on vitamin supplement labels really based on what I need? >>
- Which supplements can cause diarrhea? >>
- Are there vitamins or supplements that can reduce my risk of breast cancer? >>
- Can vitamin C reduce the pain of shingles? >>
- Do any supplements reduce side of effects of chemotherapy? >>
- Do any supplements help prevent or reduce eye floaters? >>
- Can castor oil eye drops improve or dissolve cataracts? >>
- I was surprised when my doctor told me to stop taking supplements because my kidney function was low. But after stopping the supplements, my kidney function returned to normal. Can taking a lot of supplements really damage the kidneys? >>
- I do moderate exercise for about an hour a few times a week. Which supplements might help me? >>