What Vitamin Complex To Take Can Be, Er, Complex. Let Us Help

Finding the right supplement can mean navigating a mine of misinformation. Here’s what to pop, and what to definitely not.

- Ingeborg Van Lotringen

Beauty, it’s said, is only skin deep. This is true, but never truer than when you wade into the sometimes murky and sometimes magical world of supplements. Not a day goes by, it seems, that a new powder, pill, Goop dust or drink doesn’t zoom onto the beauty team’s desk promising to make us younger, healthier, with thicker hair and brighter skin. And while it signals a renewed faith in wellness and beauty from the inside out, you may want to think twice before jumping entirely onto this glossy bandwagon. A very famous 2013 study analysing 27 different clinical trials on supplements* concluded there was “no clear evidence” that any of them prevented disease – and the study’s co-author has seen “no proof” to change his mind since. Well, that’s encouraging.

But all is not lost. Lots of supplements are made in a way that doesn’t make them particularly effective, which will, experts agree, account for some of the damnation. Secondly, the world of supplements is regulated for safety, but not for proven results, meaning it’s up to you – the consumer – to do all the work. Or is it? Because, drumroll please… we have done it for you. Here are the 13 things you need to know when supp-shopping. If you want your investment to go beyond creating really expensive wee, please pay attention.

1 Take out dis-nutrition insurance