Many expensive menopause supplements "lack the nutritional basics" and offer less benefit than cheaper alternatives, according to an investigation by consumer champion Which?. The review examined 26 supplements marketed at women going through the perimenopause, menopause, or aged over 45.
Analysis of 80 active ingredients
The analysis, which looked at 80 active ingredients, found that none of the products contained the right combination of nutrients at appropriate doses to support their use specifically for menopause. Which? Nutritionist Shefalee Loth said: "Navigating mid-life is tricky enough, but with so many products making big claims about how they can help, finding what actually works can be completely overwhelming, and costs can spiral."
"Our research shows that despite these big claims, the vast majority of these products lack the nutritional basics to cover the deficiencies most likely to happen with menopause, despite some costing hundreds and hundreds of pounds a year," she added.
Key nutrients missing
Which? highlighted that the most important nutrients during menopause are calcium and vitamin D, which support bone health as oestrogen levels decline. Other nutrients, including magnesium, iron, B vitamins, vitamins C, E and K, iodine, selenium, and zinc, can also play a role.
The investigation found that the "menopause-friendly" Wild Nutrition Women's 45+ Daily Multi Nutrient, costing £1.27 a day, contained just 1.5µg of vitamin D, 60mg of calcium, and 30mg of magnesium—all well below the daily dose recommended by the NHS.
Underdosed products and high costs
My Vitamins Menosure, which costs 63p per daily dose, was found to have every vitamin, mineral, and botanical ingredient "severely underdosed" according to Which?'s standards. It contained only 100mg of evening primrose oil, while the recommended dose was 500mg.
The most expensive product reviewed was Love Mushrooms Empower, at £1.33 a day for a two-tablet dose. It contained a good mix of well-dosed ingredients but lacked menopause-specific nutrients like magnesium and calcium.
Which? concluded that buying a high-quality multivitamin and adding targeted supplements where needed could be cheaper and more effective than buying products marketed as menopause blends. Ms Loth added: "Our advice is to look beyond the marketing hype and think carefully about what you actually need. A higher price doesn't automatically mean a product will be effective, and a cheap multivitamin could do the same job without breaking the bank."
Manufacturers respond
Isabelle Nunn, head of nutrition science and formulation at Wild Nutrition, said its formulations were "designed to complement, not replace, a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle alongside weight-bearing exercise, sleep and stress management". She noted that NHS guidelines state adults should obtain most of their RDA of vitamins and minerals through a varied diet, not supplementation, and recommended speaking to a qualified nutritional expert before taking supplements.
A MyVitamins spokesperson said: "Our product is a multi-ingredient formulation, so individual ingredients are not intended to be used at the same levels as they would be in a standalone supplement. Evening primrose oil is included at 100mg per recommended daily serving as one component of the overall formulation, alongside sage, hops, soya bean, maca, magnesium and other nutrients. There is no single universally recommended dose of evening primrose oil applicable to all products or uses."
A spokesperson for Love Mushrooms said: "Empower was intentionally formulated as a broader combination of specialist ingredients rather than as a conventional calcium or magnesium supplement. It was not designed to be a catch-all multivitamin, but to bring together a carefully selected range of ingredients at meaningful levels." They added that the supplement contains a high amount of saffron, "an exceptionally costly botanical ingredient", as well as mushroom extracts, botanicals, vitamins and minerals, and the price reflects the breadth of formulation.
