Posted by
Kelly McGeehan
If you’re looking for ways to improve your hair or nail health, you’ve likely heard of biotin. It’s a vitamin B complex that contributes to the body’s energy production. It also helps keep the hair, nails, and skin healthy.
Biotin deficiency is rare, and it’s unclear whether biotin is helpful for those without a deficiency. However, if you are biotin deficient, a supplement might help. We’ve narrowed down the best biotin supplements on the market.
What is Biotin?
Biotin is a vitamin B complex that the body uses to produce energy from food. It supports hair, nail, skin, and nervous system health. Biotin also plays an important role in embryonic growth, making it a crucial nutrient throughout pregnancy.
Many people get their required amount of biotin by eating a healthy diet. It can be found in various foods, including meats, nuts, eggs, and certain vegetables. It’s rare to have a biotin deficiency, and it’s unclear if a biotin supplement is useful for people without a deficit. Still, some people opt for a biotin supplement to enhance the vitamin’s effects.
If you have a biotin deficiency or want to boost biotin’s natural effects, a supplement might be worth the try. The recommended dose for a biotin supplement is between 3 and 10 mg daily.
Why Should You Take a Biotin Supplement
More research is needed to draw concrete conclusions on biotin’s effectiveness as a supplement. Based on current research, biotin may have the following benefits:
- It may help manage symptoms of diabetes.
One animal study suggests that taking a biotin supplement can help regulate blood sugar levels. However, more research is needed to support this further.
- It may support hair, nail, and skin health.
A review of 18 different case studies found that participants in all cases who had a history of poor hair or nail growth showed improvement after taking biotin.
- It may support a healthy pregnancy.
While rare, a biotin deficiency while pregnant can disrupt embryonic growth. Taking a biotin supplement might prevent deficiency and its related complications. However, many prenatal supplements already contain biotin, so additional supplementation might not be necessary.
*Note: We do have affiliate links throughout this article, which means we receive a commission if you purchase from any of our links. This supports our mission to bring complicated health and fitness info in an entertaining package. And it keeps us from putting up annoying things like banner ads. Those suck.
1) Life Extension Biotin
Price: From $6.00
Life Extension’s supplement offers 6 mg of biotin in every serving, which is 2000% of your daily value. It also has a vegetarian capsule and is gluten-free.
Each bottle contains 100 servings if taking one capsule a day.
2) Microingredients Biotin with Hyaluronic Acid
Price: From $26.34
Microingredients Biotin with Hyaluronic Acid is a potent supplement with 10 mg of biotin and 25 mg of hyaluronic acid in each capsule. Hyaluronic acid can help keep the hair and scalp moisturized, making it a nice additional ingredient. It also has a coconut oil base and is free of soy, dairy, gluten, and peanuts.
This is a great bulk option with over 300 servings.
3) NOW Foods Biotin
From $8.61
NOW Foods Biotin is a high-quality supplement at a great cost. It has a vegetarian capsule and is free of soy, gluten, dairy, and egg. You also can choose between different potency (5 and 10 mg) and quantity levels (60 and 120 capsules) to customize your supplement.
4) Natrol Biotin
Price: From $11.49
Natrol Biotin provides both quality and quantity. Each capsule contains 10 mg of biotin, and you can choose between a 100 or 200-count bottle. It has a vegetarian capsule and is free of dairy, egg, wheat, preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors. It also contains 66 mg of calcium, which is important for nail health.
5) Thorne Research Biotin
Price: From $24.00
Thone Research Biotin offers a moderate dose of 5 mg per serving, which makes it a great option if easing into supplementation. It’s also free of gluten, dairy, and soy.
Each bottle contains 6o capsules.
6) California Gold Nutrition Biotin
Price: From $9.00
Califonia Gold Nutrition is a potent supplement with 10 mg of biotin in every capsule. It’s suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets and is free of gluten and soy.
Each bottle contains 90 servings, making it a cost-effective option.
7) Lake Avenue Nutrition Biotin
Price: From $12.00
Lake Avenue Nutrition Biotin contains over 100 servings which makes it another cost-effective option. It’s suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets and is free of gluten and soy. You also can choose between different potency (5 and 10 mg) and quantity levels (30 and 120 capsules) to customize your supplement.
8) 21st Century Biotin
Price: From $7.80
21st Century Biotin is a potent supplement with 10 mg of biotin and 96 mg of calcium in each capsule. It’s suitable for vegans and free of sugar, gluten, preservatives, and artificial flavors and colors.
Each bottle contains 120 servings.
How We Ranked
Although we ranked these supplements, we want you to decide on the best product for you.
Here’s what we took into consideration when ranking the best biotin supplements.
Strict Testing Standards
The supplement industry isn’t FDA-regulated, which can make finding a reputable supplement challenging.
That’s why we only select companies that adhere to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations and have their products third-party tested.
Ingredients
The recommended dose of biotin ranges from 3 to 10 milligrams, so we looked for products with biotin levels in that range. We also looked for other ingredients that might enhance its benefits.
Value
Living our healthiest lives can get expensive. That’s why we selected high-quality products that won’t hurt your wallet.
Are there any drawbacks?
Biotin is a safe supplement, and there have been no reported side effects in doses up to 10 milligrams. Taking too much biotin can cause negative effects such as rashes, digestive issues, and trouble sleeping.
The best way to determine if biotin is right for you is by speaking to a healthcare professional. However, if you have hair loss, rashes, or weak nails, that’s a sign you may be deficient.
Does Biotin Cause Weight Gain?
This question is so surprisingly popular, we had to write a whole article debunking the claim that biotin causes weight gain.
