Vitamins & Essential Nutrients: Overview
Vitamins & Basics is the umbrella category for essential vitamins, minerals, and trace elements at VitaminExpress – from individual supplements like vitamin D3 or magnesium to combined multi-formulas. Here you'll find an overview of all available dosage forms, dosages, and active ingredient combinations, allowing you to compare and find the right product for your needs.
Vitamins and essential nutrients are umbrella terms for micronutrients that the body can absorb through food or dietary supplements. Vitamins include fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and water-soluble vitamins (B vitamins, vitamin C). In this context, “essential nutrients” refers to fundamental minerals and trace elements, such as magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, iodine, copper, manganese, chromium, and selenium.
This category at VitaminExpress brings together products containing individual vitamins, individual minerals, or combinations of these – from single supplements (e.g., vitamin D3, magnesium glycinate) to multi-complexes (e.g., vitamin D3 + K2, multi-mineral formulas).
Product forms
Products in this category come in various forms, including:
- Capsules and tablets
- Powder
- Drops
- Gummies
Selection criteria
When comparing products in this category, the following features may be relevant:
- Dosage per daily serving (expressed in mg, µg, or IU)
- The compound form of the ingredient (e.g., magnesium citrate vs. magnesium oxide, vitamin D3 vs. D2)
- Additives (e.g., vegan capsule shells, gluten-free, lactose-free)
- Combination supplements vs. single supplements
- Origin/quality certification (e.g., organic, tested raw materials)
Frequently Asked Questions about Vitamins & Basic Nutrients
Vitamins are organic compounds that the body is generally unable to produce on its own. Minerals and trace elements are inorganic substances that also need to be obtained through food. Both groups are often referred to together as “vitamins & essential nutrients” in everyday language.
Here, the term refers to essential minerals and trace elements found in many multi-supplements, such as magnesium, zinc, calcium, iron, and iodine.
Single supplements typically contain a higher dosage of an active ingredient. Multi-complexes combine several vitamins and/or minerals in one product, usually with a lower individual dose per substance.
Capsules and tablets are the most common forms in this category. Powders and drops are mainly available when flexible dosing is desired.
The dosage is usually given per recommended daily serving (e.g., “1 capsule daily equals X mg/µg”). The units vary depending on the substance: mg (magnesium, vitamin C), µg (vitamin D, iodine, selenium), or IU/international units (common for vitamin D).
Not all of them. The filter function on the category page lets you specifically search for vegan or certified organic products.