With two-thirds of Britons now taking vitamin supplements in a bid to boost their health, it is little surprise that more options than ever are springing up on shelves.
Where once there was just a chalky tablet helped down with a glass of water, there are now gummies, gels and even sprays offering new ways to get your daily dose.
Yet one emerging trend is proving to be among the priciest of the lot: vitamin sachets.
These little packets have been popping up in health food shops, gyms and supermarkets, promising everything from more energy to stronger immunity and glowing skin.
Some contain powder, while others are filled with pre-mixed liquid or gel, designed to be squeezed straight into the mouth or added to a drink – often in tempting flavours such as berry, citrus and tropical fruit.
And a Daily Mail analysis has found that a single dose sachet of Vitamin C can cost up to 16 times as much as its tablet equivalent.
It comes amid a growing market for vitamins and supplements, an industry believed to be worth around £1billion in the UK alone – a figure expected to continue rising.
So, with wellness companies cashing in, are these glossy sachets really any better for you than a standard pill?
Around two-thirds of Britons now take vitamin supplements in a bid to boost their health
Are vitamin supplements necessary?
Before comparing sachets and pills, it is worth noting that most people do not need vitamin supplements at all, according to experts.
The NHS says a varied and balanced diet should provide most people with all the nutrients they need, although supplements are recommended for certain groups and those with deficiencies.
Yet a Bupa survey this week found nearly half of UK adults are spending £120 a year on supplements advertised by social media influencers.
Professor Ramani Moonesinghe, deputy national medical director at NHS England, warned: ‘Unqualified wellness influencers should not be setting the agenda for people’s health.
‘There is a lot of misinformation online, with supplements being promoted as essential to good health or as treatments for specific conditions without good evidence.
‘For most people a healthy, balanced diet provides the nutrients they need, although some groups are advised to take supplements such as folic acid during pregnancy and vitamin D in the winter months.
‘Some supplements may be harmful or interact with either over-the-counter or prescribed medicines, so before taking any, check NHS advice or speak to a healthcare professional, particularly if you have any health conditions.’
How do vitamin sachets work compared to pills?
So, for those who do take supplements, does choosing a sachet over a traditional pill make any difference?
Potentially – but not necessarily enough to matter.
Tablets must first break down in the digestive system before their contents can be absorbed. Powder sachets are dissolved in water before being consumed, while liquid sachets already contain the vitamin in dissolved form.
This means their contents may become available for absorption sooner – but it does not necessarily mean the body will absorb more of the vitamin.
Vitamin C is a good example.
University of Reading pharmaceutical expert Professor Hisham Al-Obaidi says there is likely to be little difference between taking it as a pill or sachet because vitamin C already dissolves readily in water.
‘It is mainly when drugs have a problem dissolving that it may be helpful to take them as liquids,’ he says.
Indeed, nine of the 13 essential vitamins – vitamin C and the eight B vitamins – dissolve readily in water, meaning there may be little advantage to consuming them already dissolved in a liquid.
The remaining four – vitamins A, D, E and K – dissolve in fat, and are generally better absorbed when consumed alongside dietary fat.
Some liquid supplements therefore combine these vitamins with oils or other formulations designed to help the body absorb them.
But this does not mean that simply taking a fat-soluble vitamin in a liquid sachet makes it more effective than taking the same vitamin as a pill.
Are you getting more for your money?
With sachets often carrying a hefty price premium, another question is what exactly shoppers are getting for the extra money.
This warrants particular scrutiny after the Daily Mail found that one best-selling liquid vitamin C costs £24.99 for 14 sachets containing 1,000mg of the vitamin each.
That works out at £1.79 per dose.
By comparison, 120 own-brand 1,000mg vitamin C tablets cost £13.39 at the same shop – equivalent to just 11p per pill.
That means consumers are paying around 16 times as much for the same dose.
The more expensive product does, however, claim its vitamin C is absorbed ‘four times better’ than ‘regular vitamin C’ because it uses ‘liposomal delivery’.
This involves packaging the vitamin inside tiny fat-based structures designed to help it pass through the digestive system.
The claim is based on a trial of 24 adults, which found almost four times as much vitamin C in the blood after 48 hours.
However, the product was compared with another liquid vitamin C – not a pill.
The study was also sponsored by the brand.
Dr Al-Obaidi says: ‘There is unlikely to be a meaningful difference in the overall absorption between a standard liquid sachet and a pill.
‘For this reason, there is generally little reason to pay significantly more for liquid vitamin C purely on the basis of better absorption.’
David Beckham is the co-founder of IM8, a health supplement brand that sells sachets
Do sachets contain anything pills don’t?
While vitamin pills and sachets provide the same form and dose of vitamins, liquid sachets often contain far more ingredients.
The tablet contains the vitamin alongside a handful of ingredients mainly used to make, shape and coat the pill.
The sachet, meanwhile, contains additives such as water, oils, flavourings, colouring and sugar, which Dr Al-Obaidi warns that consumers should be aware of.
In the aforementioned vitamin C liquid sachet, for example, an important addition is phosphatidylcholine, a type of fat used to create the product’s ‘liposomal’ formula.
For shoppers, the fruity flavours, bright packaging and ease of consumption may make sachets more appealing.
But the additional ingredients may offer little benefit, and in the case of sugar, may make them worse than the pills.
Do the ‘energy’, ‘immunity’ and ‘glowing skin’ claims stack up?
Alongside providing vitamins essential for keeping our bodies healthy, many sachets promise more energy, a stronger immune system and even healthier, glowing skin.
There is some science behind these claims – but the benefits largely come from the vitamins themselves, rather than the sachet specifically.
For example, Harvard Health has highlighted vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D among the nutrients the body needs to help turn food into energy and maintain energy levels.
Vitamin C has also been linked to reducing fatigue.
And when it comes to the immune system, the British Heart Foundation says vitamins A, B6, B12, C and D all play a role.
However, experts caution: ‘This doesn’t mean that you need to be taking supplements – and some vitamin supplements can be harmful if taken in large doses.’
There is also evidence that several vitamins are important for healthy skin.
A 2024 review by researchers in Poland found that vitamin C helps the body produce collagen and protect the skin from damage, while vitamin A is involved in maintaining skin tissue and cell repair.
Vitamins D and E also play roles in maintaining and protecting healthy skin.
But there is no evidence presented here that getting these nutrients from a sachet provides greater benefits for energy, immunity or skin than getting the same vitamins from a conventional supplement.
What other benefits do sachets have, and who should actually buy them?
Although the cost of a sachet may be difficult to justify for the average person, there are some who may find liquid or powdered vitamins easier to take.
These include people who struggle to swallow tablets, such as some children and older adults, and those with dysphagia – the medical term for difficulty swallowing, which can be caused by conditions including stroke.
People with a dry mouth, sensitive gag reflex or anxiety about choking may also prefer a vitamin they can drink.
Others may simply dislike the taste or texture of pills.
But for people who have no such problems, Dr Al-Obaidi says the decision ultimately comes down to convenience and price.
‘Pills are generally cheaper and easier to carry around,’ he says.
‘For most people, if the vitamin and dose are the same, the choice will largely depend on their personal preference and cost.’
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