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Vitamin E Supplements for 2021
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays several roles in your body, including serving as an antioxidant and boosting heart and eye health. It may also help promote healthy skin, especially when applied topically (1).
It’s found naturally in nuts, seeds, vegetable oils, fruits, and vegetables (2).
Generally, most people don’t need to supplement orally with vitamin E unless they’re directed to do so by a healthcare professional.
Some examples of people who may need vitamin E supplements include people with conditions that cause fat malabsorption, such as Crohn’s disease and cystic fibrosis (3, 4).
However, if you do need to take a vitamin E supplement, there are some great options. Products were included in this list based on these criteria:
- whether it been third-party tested
- whether it contains at least 100% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E
- whether contains minimal additives and fillers
Here are the 10 best vitamin E supplements for 2021.
Best vegan
Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Vitamin E
Price: $$$Vitamin Code Raw Vitamin E from Garden of Life is made with organic fruits and vegetables that are naturally rich in vitamin E. Because it uses cellulose (as opposed to gelatin) to make the softgel capsule, it’s also vegan.This supplement provides 833% of the DV for vitamin E per serving and contains the other fat-soluble vitamins — vitamins A, D, and K.Because fat- soluble vitamins can build up in your fat cells in excess, it’s important to not exceed the recommended dose on the product packaging, nor the one your healthcare provider instructed you to take.Fat-soluble vitamin toxicity may cause severe complications like stroke or excessive bleeding (5,6).The supplement is third-party certified for sport by NSF International — meaning it’s appropriate for athletes. It’s also certified gluten-free by NSF.
Best high dose
CVS Health Vitamin E
Price: $$This supplement contains a high dose of vitamin E for those who have been urgently instructed to replenish their vitamin E stores by a qualified healthcare provider.CVS is a nationwide chain of pharmacies that only sells third-party tested supplements. As such, their own line of supplements is third- party verified, including their vitamin E. However, they don’t disclose which lab conducts the testing.This supplement is made with dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate — a form of synthetic, lab-made vitamin E — along with soybean oil and a softgel capsule (7).This high dose supplement provides 1,000 mg of vitamin E, which is the maximum dose that can be safely consumed in one day.Taking high doses may lead to harmful side effects, so you should be careful with high dose vitamin E supplements like this one. It’s best to only take a high dose vitamin E supplement at the direction of your healthcare provider.
Best chewable
Nutrilite Chewable Vitamin E
Price: $Although most oral vitamin E supplements come in softgel form, there’s a chewable option.Nutrilite’s Chewable Vitamin E is a great option for kids or people who have trouble swallowing pills.It provides a reasonable 100% of the DV for vitamin E per serving. However, it contains a number of additives and fillers — like phosphates, silicon, and natural flavors. These ingredients, although they’re highly processed, help make the supplement tolerable as a chewable.It’s also third-party certified by NSF International.
Best softgel
The vast majority of vitamin E supplements come in softgel form. Here are seven of the best picks.
Pure Encapsulations Vitamin E
Price: $$This vitamin E supplement comes from Pure Encapsulations. It’s free of gluten and genetically modified organisms (GMOs).It contains 1,787% of the DV for vitamin E and is made simply with rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, and a softgel capsule.Pure Encapsulations employs four third-party labs to conduct independent testing — Silliker, Eurofins, Covance, and Advanced Laboratories.
Nature Made Natural Vitamin E
Price: $Nature Made’s Natural Vitamin E is made from naturally sourced vitamin E. It contains soy in the form of soybean oil, but the only other ingredients in the supplement are for the softgel capsule.It contains 1,333% of the DV for vitamin E per serving and is verified by United States Pharmacopeia (USP) — a third-party testing organization with strict standards.
Whole Earth & Sea Pure Food Sunflower Vitamin E
Price: $This vitamin E supplement from Whole Earth & Sea is soy- and GMO-free, with vitamin E sourced from sunflower oil. It also contains minimal amounts of other ingredients — only flaxseed oil and the softgel capsule ingredients.It boasts 1,333% of the DV for vitamin E per serving.It’s also independently-tested for GMOs and contaminants by a lab called Isura.
Nature Made Synthetic Vitamin E
Price: $Nature Made also offers a less expensive vitamin E supplement containing synthetic vitamin E — dl-alpha tocopherol acetate.This supplement only contains vitamin E and the gel capsule ingredients. To boost absorption, you may want to take it with a snack or meal that contains some fat. It provides 1,200% of the DV for vitamin E per serving (8).Like Nature Made’s natural vitamin E product, this one is USP-verified.
Kirkland Signature Vitamin E
Price: $Kirkland Signature is a private label brand for the warehouse club Costco. However, their supplements can also be purchased online, and they’re all USP-verified.This synthetic vitamin E supplement provides 1,200% of the DV for vitamin E and contains only dl-alpha tocopherol acetate and softgel capsule ingredients.To boost absorption, you should take it with a meal or snack that contains some fat (9).
Natural Wellness Vitamin E
Price: $This vitamin E from Natural Wellness is made from naturally sourced vitamin E. It’s gluten-free, non-GMO, and contains vitamin E, vegetable oil, and the softgel capsule.One serving provides 1,787% of the DV for vitamin E. It’s also third-party tested, but the lab responsible for testing is not disclosed.
Nutricost Vitamin E
Price: $Nutricost Vitamin E is non-GMO and gluten-free. It’s made with synthetic vitamin E, a softgel capsule, and soy lecithin — a filler that helps keep the ingredients evenly suspended.Because it contains no oil, you may want to take this supplement with a snack or meal containing fat (9).This supplement provides 1,333% of the DV for vitamin E. Nutricost supplements are third-party tested, but the laboratory that conducts the testing is not disclosed.
How to choose a vitamin E supplement
When choosing a vitamin E supplement, you should first look for one that has undergone third-party testing.
Given that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t regulate supplements in the same way it regulates drugs, third-party testing ensures that the supplement label accurately reflects what’s in the bottle.
Ideally, the brand you purchase will also disclose the company that performed the third-party testing. Some of these testing organizations include USP and NSF International.
Next, you should choose a vitamin E supplement that’s made with high quality ingredients and few fillers. Ideally, it will be made with an oil, as this helps boost your body’s absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (9).
If you prefer to take naturally sourced vitamin E, you should avoid supplements that contain the synthetic form — dl-alpha-tocopherol.
You should also choose one that contains at least 100% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E. However, you should be careful about taking high dose vitamin E products.
Vitamin E can build up in your fat stores over time and cause serious complications, such as excessive bleeding, if you’re taking too much (2).
Although some liquid vitamin E oils are available and can be taken orally, most are formulated to be applied directly to your skin. Additionally, it appears there are no — or few — liquid vitamin E supplements that have undergone third- party testing.
The bottom line
Vitamin E supplements generally aren’t necessary unless you have been instructed to take them by a healthcare professional.
You should choose vitamin E supplements that are third-party tested, contain minimal fillers and additives, and provide at least 100% of the DV per serving.
These 10 options make it easy to choose the vitamin E supplement that’s right for you.