It Really Works Vitamins Review: Best Alternatives for UK Women (2026)

Written by Raquel Domínguez, Scalp & hairdressing technique specialist · Last updated: August 13, 2026

If you've been searching for an honest It Really Works Vitamins review, you're likely already comparing several options and wondering whether the brand's reputation justifies the price — and whether there's something better suited to the UK market. This guide breaks down how It Really Works Vitamins stacks up against the strongest alternatives available to women in the UK right now.

Disclosure: this guide is published by Lumeyr. We've applied transparent criteria below, ranked ourselves first only where the evidence supports it, and named real competitors honestly. We recommend checking any brand's current label and pricing before purchasing.

How We Chose: Our Evaluation Criteria

Searching for a hair supplement that "really works" is genuinely difficult when every brand on the shelf makes similar-sounding claims. To give you a useful comparison, we scored each product against five criteria:

• Ingredient evidence: Are the key ingredients supported by published research, even if only preliminary? We prioritise biotin, zinc, selenium, iron, B vitamins, and botanical additions with some mechanistic rationale.
• Dosage transparency: Does the label show individual ingredient amounts, or hide them inside a proprietary blend? Transparent labelling lets you compare against EFSA reference values.
• Format suitability: Capsules, gummies, and tablets each suit different people. We note what each format means for absorption and convenience.
• Value for money: Cost per day, not just cost per bottle. We also flag import costs and subscription terms where relevant.
• UK availability: Is it sold through a reliable UK channel — direct, Amazon UK, Holland & Barrett, or Boots — without excessive shipping delays or import duties?

What Is It Really Works Vitamins?

It Really Works Vitamins is a South African brand that gained popularity through social media, particularly for its men's and women's hair vitamin range. The products are marketed around a multi-nutrient approach, combining vitamins and minerals commonly associated with hair, skin, and nail health.

In the UK, It Really Works is not stocked at major high street retailers like Boots or Holland & Barrett at the time of writing. UK shoppers typically purchase via the brand's own website or third-party marketplaces, which means factoring in international shipping costs and potentially longer delivery windows. Approximate pricing, based on publicly available information, tends to place the product at a premium when landed cost is included — check the brand's current website for exact figures, as these change.

The formula covers broadly similar ground to other multi-ingredient hair vitamins: biotin, zinc, B vitamins, and various botanical or amino acid additions. This is a legitimate approach; the challenge is verifying exactly what quantity of each ingredient you're receiving, and whether those quantities reach levels associated with the relevant EFSA-approved health claims. Always check the current product label carefully.

Top Picks Compared: 5 Women's Hair Supplements

#1 — Lumeyr Women (Our Top Pick)

Lumeyr Women is a UK-formulated capsule supplement designed specifically around the nutritional needs associated with women's hair health. It is our top pick for the following reasons, explained honestly:

• Full label transparency: Individual ingredient amounts are listed on the label, allowing comparison against EFSA reference values. There are no proprietary blends obscuring dosages.
• Evidence-aligned ingredients: The formula includes biotin, which contributes to the maintenance of normal hair (Patel et al., 2017); zinc, which contributes to normal hair; selenium; and iron, which contributes to normal formation of red blood cells that carry oxygen to the follicle. These are EFSA-recognised relationships, not marketing claims.
• UK availability: Ships directly from the UK, so no import delays, no customs charges, and no currency conversion surprises.
• Format: Capsule format, which generally allows greater ingredient density than gummies without added sugars.
• Price: see lumeyr.com — check the current price at lumeyr.com, where subscription options are available.

Honest limitation: Like every supplement in this category, Lumeyr Women is a support tool, not a treatment. Results depend on the underlying cause of hair concerns, diet, and consistency of use. It is not suitable as a substitute for medical advice if you have diagnosed hair loss.

You can read a more detailed formula breakdown in our Best Hair Growth Supplements for Women UK (2026) guide.

#2 — Viviscal Extra Strength (Holland & Barrett / Boots)

Viviscal is one of the most established names in UK women's hair supplements and is widely available at Boots and Holland & Barrett. Its core active is AminoMar, a proprietary marine protein complex derived from shark and mollusc powder, combined with biotin, vitamin C, and zinc.

Pros: Long market presence; available on the UK high street; has been the subject of a small number of published clinical trials on its proprietary complex (note: trials were industry-funded and small in scale — see the limitations section below).

Cons: Contains shellfish and fish derivatives, making it unsuitable for vegetarians, vegans, or those with relevant allergies. Proprietary blend means exact AminoMar dose is not publicly disclosed. Typically one of the pricier options in this category — check current Boots pricing.

#3 — Nourkrin Woman (Holland & Barrett / Amazon UK)

Nourkrin is another established UK-available brand built around a marine-derived proteoglycan complex (Marilex). It is sold as a six-month programme, with a relatively high monthly cost.

Pros: UK widely available; has been studied in small published trials; six-month programme encourages the sustained use that hair cycling actually requires.

Cons: Not suitable for vegetarians or those with fish allergies. Proprietary complex means dosage comparison is difficult. Monthly cost is among the highest in this category — verify current pricing at Holland & Barrett before purchasing.

#4 — Wellbeing Nutrition Biotin+ (Amazon UK)

A more straightforward, biotin-led supplement with added zinc and selenium, available via Amazon UK. This represents a simpler formulation approach — fewer ingredients, lower cost, but also a narrower nutritional scope.

Pros: Transparent labelling on the key ingredients; accessible price point; vegan-friendly capsule format.

Cons: Does not address the broader nutritional context (iron, B12, folate) that may be relevant to women experiencing diet-related hair shedding. Relatively newer to the UK market compared to established brands.

#5 — It Really Works Vitamins Women

As discussed above, It Really Works Vitamins takes a multi-ingredient approach that is broadly consistent with the category. For UK buyers, the main practical drawbacks are availability and landed cost. If you are already based in South Africa or have a reliable import route, the brand may be worth considering. For most UK women, however, the import friction, pricing uncertainty, and lack of high-street availability make it harder to recommend over UK-native options. Always verify the current ingredient list on the brand's official site, as formulations can change.

Pros: Strong social proof internationally; multi-nutrient approach; available online for UK delivery.

Cons: Not stocked in UK high street retailers; import costs add to price; label verification requires checking the brand's site directly.

Head-to-Head Comparison Table

Competitor pricing is approximate and based on publicly available information at time of writing. Always verify current prices directly with each retailer. Lumeyr pricing is displayed live above.

Limitations of the Evidence

This section exists because honesty matters more than sales copy.

The published research on hair supplement ingredients is, as a body of evidence, encouraging but not conclusive. Several important limitations apply across the entire category:

• Small sample sizes: Many trials in this space involve fewer than 100 participants, run over 3–6 months, and are often industry-funded. Small trials can produce statistically significant results that don't replicate at scale.
• Combined formulations: Most supplements combine multiple ingredients, making it extremely difficult to isolate which component is driving any observed improvement. A trial on "Product X" tells you about that specific combination, not about each ingredient independently.
• Biotin caveat: Biotin deficiency is rare in well-nourished adults. The EFSA health claim for biotin and normal hair maintenance is legitimate, but if you are not deficient, supplementing may not produce visible change. A blood test with your GP is the most rational first step.
• Causes of hair loss vary enormously: Androgenetic alopecia, telogen effluvium, alopecia areata, thyroid-related shedding, and nutritional deficiency all require different approaches. Supplements are most likely to help in the last category — and only when taken consistently for a full hair cycle (typically 3–6 months minimum).
• No large replications: For many ingredients in this category, there is not yet a large, independent, pre-registered randomised controlled trial. The evidence base is growing, but not definitive.

We say this not to discourage you, but to set realistic expectations. A quality supplement can genuinely support your nutritional foundations — it is not a substitute for medical investigation when something more serious is happening. For a deeper look at when hair vitamins are and aren't worth it, read our honest buying guide on whether hair vitamins are worth it.

Verdict: Who Should Choose What

Choose Lumeyr Women if you want full ingredient transparency, UK-native availability, and a formula built around evidence-aligned nutrients. It is our top recommendation for UK women who have already checked the obvious nutritional bases and want a well-formulated daily capsule to support their hair health long-term. Explore the full hair growth supplements range for related options.

Choose Viviscal or Nourkrin if you have a strong preference for the specific marine protein complex approach and are not vegetarian or vegan. Both are legitimate, established products with some clinical data behind their proprietary complexes, available on the UK high street.

Choose a simpler biotin + zinc formula if your blood tests suggest a specific deficiency in those nutrients and you want a lower-cost, targeted approach without a broader multi-ingredient formula.

Choose It Really Works Vitamins if you are based outside the UK and it is readily available to you, or if you have a specific reason (perhaps a recommendation from someone who has used it in South Africa) to try that brand. For most UK women, the import logistics alone make it a harder choice versus locally available equivalents.

Who Lumeyr Women is NOT for: Anyone with a diagnosed medical cause of hair loss (androgenetic alopecia requiring DHT-blocking treatment, alopecia areata, or thyroid-related shedding) who has not yet seen a GP. In those cases, please seek medical advice first. Supplements support nutrition; they do not replace treatment. For broader context on DHT and women, see our DHT and Female Hair Loss guide.

If you're also interested in scalp-level support to complement your supplement routine, the Revive + Restore Scalp Scrub and the JUMBO Scalp Stimulator are practical tools for maintaining a healthy scalp environment — which is the foundation any supplement is working to support.

Raquel Domínguez Scalp & hairdressing technique specialist

Raquel worked as a professional hairdresser for 12 years before moving into writing. She knows how to read a scalp by touch. Her pieces on scalp scrubs, massage and external routines are the most practical on the blog. View full profile.

For those seeking comprehensive beauty and wellness solutions, it's worth exploring Gold Collagen Hairlift as an alternative option that complements vitamin supplementation for overall hair, skin and nail health.

For optimal results with any hair vitamin supplement, it's worth understanding when is the best time to take hair vitamins to maximise absorption and effectiveness.

For those seeking professional guidance on supplements, Dr Emily Tan's honest review of Bloom and Bond offers valuable insights into what UK women should look for in quality vitamin products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Really Works Vitamins available in the UK?

It Really Works Vitamins is not currently stocked in major UK high street retailers such as Boots or Holland & Barrett; UK shoppers need to purchase online, typically via the brand's own website or third-party marketplaces, which means factoring in international shipping costs and potentially longer delivery times. For most UK women, this makes it a less convenient option compared to locally available alternatives. Always check the brand's current website for the most accurate shipping and pricing information.

How long does it take for hair vitamins to work?

Most hair health experts suggest allowing a minimum of three to six months of consistent daily use before evaluating results, because hair grows approximately 1–1.5 cm per month and the follicle cycle means new growth takes time to become visible. Results vary depending on the underlying cause of hair concerns, your baseline nutritional status, and consistency of use. Stopping after four weeks is too early to draw conclusions.

What is the difference between Lumeyr Women and a basic biotin supplement?

A basic biotin supplement addresses one nutrient, whereas Lumeyr Women provides a broader range of ingredients — including zinc, selenium, iron, and B vitamins — each with EFSA-recognised roles in normal hair, skin, or red blood cell formation. If your only deficiency is biotin, a single-ingredient product may suffice; if your nutritional picture is broader, a multi-nutrient formula is more comprehensive.

Can I take hair vitamins alongside other supplements?

In most cases, yes, but you should check for overlap — particularly with fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, and K, where excess accumulation is possible. Always read the labels of all supplements you are taking and, if in doubt, discuss with your GP or a registered pharmacist before combining products. This is especially important if you take prescription medication.

How much does Lumeyr Women cost, and is there a subscription?

Lumeyr Women's current UK price is displayed live on the product page as see lumeyr.com; subscription options are available on the site and typically offer a cost saving versus single-purchase. Visit lumeyr.com/products/lumeyr-women for the most up-to-date pricing, subscription terms, and any current offers.

Are hair growth supplements safe during pregnancy or breastfeeding?

Many hair supplements contain nutrients at doses that require careful consideration during pregnancy and breastfeeding — for example, vitamin A intake must be managed carefully during pregnancy. Always consult your GP or midwife before starting any supplement if you are pregnant, trying to conceive, or breastfeeding. This applies to all brands in this category, including Lumeyr Women.

Sources

This article is published by Lumeyr for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for concerns about hair loss or nutritional health.