How Are Vitamins Made?

As a parent, you make it a point to feed your children foods rich in the vitamins they need to grow and thrive. You probably read all the information on the labels of the products you purchase and use in your home because you want your home to be a safe place where your children will thrive.

Many parents have the same level of care with vitamins they buy for their children.

While you can see the vitamin content and ingredients on the label, that's only part of the story. How are vitamins made? Is there a difference in the quality of vitamins? Before you purchase a multivitamin supplement for your family, here's what you need to know.

How Are Vitamins Made in Nature?

Humans can't produce vitamins on their own, so we obtain these micronutrients from plant and animal sources in our diets.

Many plants produce vitamins as they use sunlight to convert nutrients from soil into other compounds, enzymes, and phytonutrients.

Vitamins like vitamin B12 are most prevalent in animal-derived foods, created and stored in the bodies of the animals that later went on to produce beef, dairy, eggs, fish, or shellfish.

Animals don't directly produce vitamin B12. Instead, the bacteria they regularly come into contact with will produce the B12 that ultimately winds up in animal food products. Vitamin D is uniquely made in nature.

The body can make vitamin D from sunlight, but it's not a reliable or safe primary source since UV exposure can damage skin and sunscreen reduces production. That's why food and supplements are often recommended to help kids meet their vitamin D needs.

How Are Vitamins Made for Vitamin Supplements?

The vitamins in your child's multivitamin supplements can come from two sources. They're either derived from foods naturally rich in those vitamins or synthetically made in a laboratory.

Naturally Derived Vitamins

Vitamins can be extracted from foods. For example, oranges are very high in vitamin C. Medical laboratories can extract vitamin C from oranges and produce a concentrate, blending it with other vitamins or binding ingredients to create an appropriate single-use dosage.

Vitamins are often extracted with a food-safe solvent. The solvent and other nutrients, sugars, and carbohydrates naturally found in the plant will be purified from the final extraction, leaving only the vitamin behind.

Raw vitamins may appear similar to crystals or rock salt before they're granulated and blended into the final product.

Synthetically Produced Vitamins

Synthetically produced vitamins use inorganic materials to produce structurally identical vitamins. Compounds in these materials are scientifically rearranged to mimic and perfectly duplicate the structure of vitamins found in food.

Although synthetically produced vitamins may sound off-putting, they're safe and sometimes necessary. Children with certain dietary restrictions or allergies can't have vitamins or minerals derived from animal products.

Synthetically produced vitamins allow children to receive adequate amounts of vitamins without compromising their health, safety, or lifestyles.

How Are Vitamins Made Into Supplements?

When you buy a bottle of multivitamins, you won't find loose powders or liquids inside. Instead, nutrients are measured into safe doses and shaped into tablets, capsules, soft gels, or gummies.

Vitamins are first ground into very fine particles.

These particles are then combined and thoroughly mixed into a batch. From there, the mixture is either placed into a capsule, pressed into a tablet, or turned into a gummy. Gummy vitamins go through extra steps. To create their familiar taste and texture, manufacturers may add flavors and colors along with ingredients similar to gummy candy, such as pectin or gelatin.

The vitamin blend is mixed in before everything is poured into molds and left to set.

What Kind of Vitamins Are Best for Your Children?

The best way to provide vitamins and minerals to your children is through a variety of foods. Meeting the recommended daily values of each vitamin is possible with a balanced diet and a few small nutrient-packed snacks.

Unfortunately, this goal isn't always possible to achieve.

Some children are great eaters. They don't have any allergies or intolerances, and they're willing to try a wide variety of foods. But many kids, especially toddlers and preschoolers, quickly form strong opinions. Anything they don't love often gets pushed to the side (or tossed off the plate).

Children with food allergies or intolerances may also miss out on foods many families rely on for key nutrients. Dairy, eggs, seafood, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, and red meat can be rich sources of vitamins and minerals that support r early growth and development. If these foods are off the table, their nutrients are, too.

This can be a concern for parents. Every caregiver wants to see their child healthy and thriving, but feeding challenges and restrictions can make that feel harder than it should be.

Is There a Difference in the Quality of Vitamins?

Vitamins that don't undergo third-party testing, such as NSF certification or USP verification, or those that may not meet regulatory standards can vary in quality. These supplements may not have gone through the same level of care and testing as products from more reputable brands.

Reading the ingredient list and checking the expiration date can help parents spot potential issues. Over time, vitamins can lose potency, may contain unnecessary fillers or preservatives, or may be made with ingredients that aren't clearly sourced.

If a product has a suspiciously low price point and there isn't much reliable information available about the brand, it may be best to avoid it. Supplements made outside the U.S. may also not follow the same safety and quality standards required here.

In some cases, there's no way to know if these products are free from contaminants like heavy metals or if the amounts listed on the label are truly accurate. That's why certifications matter—Hiya proudly earned the Clean Label Project certification, a third-party verification that tests for safety and quality beyond what's required.

Do Children Need Multivitamin Supplements

Many children don't need multivitamin supplements. Kids who eat a wide variety of foods often meet their daily nutrient needs through diet alone.

But for children who are picky eaters, have food allergies, or have special health concerns, a multivitamin can sometimes help fill the gaps.

Before giving your child any supplement, it's always best to check with their pediatrician. A pediatrician can determine if a deficiency is likely and recommend the best next steps. They may recommend a high-quality children's multivitamin as a safe, affordable way to support healthy growth.

How Are Hiya Vitamins Made?

Hiya's children's chewable multivitamin is different. You won't find any typical preservatives, artificial colors, artificial flavors, added sugar, or gummy additives here.

Instead, Hiya blends 12 fruits and vegetables and 15 essential vitamins and minerals into chewable tablets that are easy for kids to take every day.

Hiya's multivitamins don't look like gummy candy — because they aren't. While most kids' vitamins are designed to taste like sweets, Hiya was created to nourish without sending mixed signals about candy and health.

For taste, Hiya is naturally sweetened with monk fruit and mannitol, a plant-based sweetener, making each tablet just sweet enough for kids—without the sugar crash.

Hiya is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and non-GMO. Every vitamin is made in the U.S., shipped in refillable bottles, and delivered with sustainability in mind.