Store Brand Supplements: Are Generic Vitamins Just as Good as Name Brand?

Walk into any pharmacy and you’ll find walls of pills, powders, and gummies, all claiming to be the secret to better health, perhaps even the literal fountain of youth (this statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration). But when it comes to name brands vs. store brands, are you just paying more for fancy marketing?

To answer that question, we’re judging Walmart’s Equate and Spring Valley private labels against their big-name competition. Read on to find out which Walmart supplements are worthy of your money.

Multivitamins

The undisputed king of supplements, one study found that about 70% of supplement users take multivitamins, which are available in a truly baffling array of formulations.

In the “multi"-verse, cost differences are vast. For example, Centrum Silver 50+ and Equate Complete Multivitamin 50+ contain largely the same ingredients, but Equate’s version costs four cents a pill while Centrum costs more than double at eight-and-a-half cents each. According to a 2010 study by Consumer Reports, major store-brand multis met the same claims and performed just as well as national brand, dissolving properly in the body.

One of the few reasons to go with a premium-brand multi like Garden of Life (56 cents per serving) or Thorne ($2.26 per serving) is if you’re set on taking vitamins in their most bioavailable or natural forms. For the average consumer who isn’t a competitive athlete or longevity influencer, however, that’s probably a distinction without a difference.

Verdict: Equate-able!

Fish Oil

Fish oil supplements are a $2.38 billion industry that’s growing by 10% annually, according to the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s. They could have cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory health benefits but are prone to issues like oxidation and may contain impurities if not properly distilled.

Experts recommend taking fish oil supplements that have been certified by third-party organizations like NSF International and USP, but Equate’s version isn’t certified by any of these groups. In fact, a 2023 class action lawsuit alleged that Walmart’s fish oil supplements were full of “fish waste" treated with industrial solvents; Walmart settled with the plaintiffs in 2024.

Verdict: Un-Equate-able

Herbal and Botanical Supplements

A 2015 investigation by the New York Attorney General concluded that only 4% of herbal supplements sold at Walmart actually contained the plants listed on the bottles. At the time, Walmart promised to improve its supply chain.

Unfortunately, many of Equate and Spring Valley’s botanical supplements (just like the aforementioned fish oil) still lack displayed proof of third-party testing. Spring Valley products claim to be “produced under strict quality guidelines," but this might be less reassuring than name brands that certify each batch of raw materials for purity.

Verdict: Un-Equate-able

Patented ingredients

Sometimes, if a special ingredient is what you’re after, then buying it from a store brand is totally trustworthy because legally there can be no “generic" formulation.

For example, UC-II is a patented collagen supplement that’s derived from chicken sternum cartilage. It’s included as part of Equate’s Triple Action Joint Health supplement, and — thanks to the patent — you can feel confident it’s the real deal.

Verdict: Equate-able!