The 10 Largest Vitamin Companies In The United States

Dietary supplements and vitamins are experiencing huge growth in this country. They’re helping people fill in their missing nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and other key elements that they’re not consuming in their food.

According to a 2017 consumer survey, 76% of adults in the United States take a dietary supplement. That’s roughly 170 million people.

Supplements fall into a few categories; the most popular by far are vitamins and minerals, the second most popular are specialty supplements. The next most popular supplements are herbals and botanicals, followed by sports nutrition supplements. Surprisingly, the last category is weight management supplements.

Even though weight management falls at the bottom of the list, it still includes 15% of adults in the United States.

Because this industry is so popular with no signs of slowing, there is a lot of competition from manufacturers and suppliers. How do you choose which ones to use and which ones you trust? Knowing the biggest companies might make your selection process easier.

DETAILED LIST OF THE BIGGEST VITAMIN COMPANIES

1. Kirkland Signature

   2021 Annual Revenue: $59 billion

   While Nature Made can be found almost anywhere, Kirkland Signature can’t because it’s Costco’s private label. Like most products at Costco, a discounted price is their real selling point. Other than that, they do offer a large selection of supplements that offer different benefits. Some of them have a USP Verified Mark and some don’t.

   It’s important to note that not all supplements can earn a USP mark, so not having one doesn’t necessarily mean that the supplement isn’t good or is unsafe. If you have concerns about a particular supplement, then it’s best to research that supplement, and then start your search for the right brand.

   If you’re a little confused by the fact that Costco has their own supplement brand, that’s okay; it’s a bit of a confusing process. The Kirkland Signature brand is made by another company that specializes in making a lot of a certain product and then marketing it to private label companies.

   In this situation, Costco is a private label company. Their manufacturer puts the Kirkland Signature label on their products and then Costco sells them. That manufacturer probably makes the same product for other private labels. It benefits them to produce top-quality products so they can win these private label deals.

2. Nature Made

   2021 Annual Revenue: $324.9 million

   Nature Made is a subsidiary of the larger dietary supplements company Pharmavite. Pharmavite was founded in 1971 in California. In 1989 they were purchased by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals and the next year Nature Made vitamin brand was created.

   Nature Made is proud of its quality, which is a key factor in winning over customers. They claim to have the largest amount of USP verified products.

   Having the USP Verified Mark on a supplement label means that the supplement has been inspected and it contains the ingredients that are listed on the label in the potency and amounts that the brand claims. This is important because supplements don’t have to go through the rigorous testing that prescription medications do.

   USP labeling also ensures a consumer that there are no harmful levels of contaminants in the product and that they will break down in the body properly.

   The USP mark also means the product has been made according to FDA Good Manufacturing Practices using sanitary procedures. These facts are true of any product that has the USP Verification Mark, not just Nature Made products.

   Nature Made has a huge catalog of products that cover a wide variety of health interests. They offer supplements for general wellness to specific health concerns and conditions. Nature Made is a very popular brand and can be found in many pharmacies and even in big-box retailers across the country.

3. Life Extension

   2021 Annual Revenue: 145.8 million

   Life Extension promotes the belief that you can have a longer, healthier life if you choose the right supplements. They’ve been around since the 1980s and have a broad base of products. They define their products in categories that include Vitamin Supplements, Diet Lifestyle, and Beauty Personal Care.

   But that’s not all they offer to patients. They have a Lab Testing arm to the company where you can buy test kits for certain medical conditions. For instance, if you are concerned that you have a gluten intolerance, you can get their celiac disease antibody screen blood test to be sure.

   LE products have a unique model for a supplement company. While they offer their dietary supplements in specialty stores, they sell supplements online. They’re also actively recruiting people and companies to become their retail partners.

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4. Garden of Life

   2021 Annual Revenue: $139.9 million

   Garden of Life is another company that puts its faith in food. While the company is known for its probiotics, vitamins, and protein powder, they are still focused on foods. That’s because they believe their products should come from food, not from chemicals.

   Garden of Life is proud to offer a traceability program. That means you can discover where every ingredient in their products comes from. Learn about the farming practices, how the workers are treated, how they pay the workers, and where the ingredients come from.

   Garden of Life has paired with the actress Alicia Silverstone to create the kind Organics brand. Every product in this segment of the company is Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Verified. With this brand and every other product they sell, the Garden of Life company promises Empowering Extraordinary Health®.

5. Standard Process

   2021 Annual Revenue: $74 million

   Standard Process takes a more natural and holistic approach to supplements. They have always put a focus on sustainability and environmental stewardship. They use organic and regenerative farm practices, while constantly looking for ways to conserve energy and water while creating less waste.

   Their approach is preferred by many because they believe that being healthy as a human also means supporting the health of the environment. It’s a cyclical thought process and does very well for the company.

   Standard Process was founded in 1929 by Dr. Royal Lee who was deeply involved in food nutrition. The company is one of very few that grow their own raw, organic materials to use in their supplements.

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6. Klean Athlete

   2021 Annual Revenue: $73.8 million

   Their name is a big clue to their business, but to spell it out, Klean Athlete specializes in supplements that give athletes a nutritional advantage and helps them achieve optimal health. They do not deal in illegal substances or illegal performance-enhancing substances.

   Sports supplements are a niche market; it’s not that a non-athlete couldn’t benefit from these products, but their target market is athletes. One way you can tell if your sports pills are safe and a top-quality product is by looking for the NSF Certified Sport seal.

   NSF International is the leading third-party certifier of dietary supplements. Coaches and athletes alike look for this certification to ensure the safety and efficacy of supplements.

   The NSF Certified for Sport® certification program is so popular and rigorous, its evaluation process is recognized by the NFL®, NFL Players Association®, MLB®, MLB Players Association®, the PGA®, and the LPGA®. Of course, this information applies to all supplements that earn the NSF Certification.

   Klean Athlete was founded in 2012 by athletes who wanted to achieve optimal health and realized other athletes wanted the same thing. They stress their belief in quality through nature and are popular with professional athletes and sports trainers.

7. MegaFood

   2021 Annual Revenue: $31.7 million

   Another company that is also focused on growing nutrients is MegaFood. They have a clever slogan that announces this, “Fresh from Farm to Tablet.”

   MegaFood got its start in 1973 producing quality supplements. As the public became more interested in boosting health through supplemental means, MegaFood also grew. Today they can be found in many different retail markets.

   MegaFood has four main categories including Women’s Health, Pre/Postnatal Health, Men’s Health, and Kids’ Health. Their real focus is on providing a daily vitamin or a multivitamin for their customers. Instead of a focused and targeted supplement theory, they believe in a well-rounded approach to nutrition and supplements.

8. Nordic Naturals

   2021 Annual Revenue: $29.3 million

   Nordic Naturals was founded by Joar Opheim, a Norway native. As a graduate student in California, Opheim noticed that the pure omega-rich cod liver oil that he was used to in his homeland couldn’t be found in the states. Instead, there was an inferior quality product with an awful taste.

   This prompted Opheim to bring fish oil from Norway to share with friends and family, which eventually led to him founding Nordic Naturals with fish oil offerings.

   Today, Nordic Naturals offers many different supplements in several categories. Their audience includes children, seniors, athletes, and pets.

9. Matsun Nutrition

   2021 Annual Revenue: $27.3 million

   At Matsun Nutrition, they have a little different approach to supplements. While they still think that people can add to their health through nutritional support, instead of using pills, they provide liquid vitamins and supplements.

   Matsun Nutrition also creates products that are for families and pets. This can be very beneficial for parents of young children or pets because liquids can be much easier to take than pills. This can be a big plus for consumers.

   Quality is a primary concern for Matsun and they are proud of the fact that they exceed standards including NSF registration, the Food and Drug Administration, and GMP compliance, and they’re manufactured in the USA.

   But the one thing that sets Matsun Nutrition apart is that they are a private label producer. Those companies like Kirkland Signature and Amazon Elements rely on companies like Matsun and others to produce their vitamins for them.

   They trust them enough to put their company label on these products and assume responsibility for their quality and results.

10. Amazon Elements

    2021 Annual Revenue: N/A

    Amazon Elements is another private label supplement company. As you learned above, that means a supplement manufacturer makes the vitamins, and then the Amazon Elements label is affixed.

    Amazon Elements is, of course, a supplement sold by the online retail giant Amazon. But, if you remember, Amazon purchased Whole Foods a few years back, so you can find these supplements there also.

    If you’ve seen the Amazon Elements name but it wasn’t attached to a vitamin, nutrient, or mineral product, that’s because the label is broad-reaching and applies to many different products. Much like Kirkland Signature and Costco.

    Amazon Elements began with four supplements: Turmeric Root Extract, Calcium Complex, Vitamin D2, and Vitamin K2. They’ve expanded that line considerably since then.

    But rather than the supplements creating a stir, it was the QR code on the packaging that people were talking about. The QR code is part of their traceability program which will give you greater insight into where the ingredients are sourced.

Author

Kristin Kizer

Kristin Kizer is an award-winning writer, television and documentary producer, and content specialist who has worked on a wide variety of written, broadcast, and electronic publications. A former writer/producer for The Discovery Channel, she is now a freelance writer and delighted to be sharing her talents and time with the wonderful Zippia audience.