SmartyPants
A 2011-founded, Los Angeles gummy vitamin brand built around all-in-one formulas and a Vitamin Angels giving partnership, acquired by Unilever in 2020.
Founded
2011
Headquarters
Los Angeles (Marina del Rey), California
Ownership
Unilever, which acquired SmartyPants in November 2020
Verification
Cites non-GMO certification and stated "free from" claims (synthetic colors, artificial flavors and sweeteners); no USP or NSF certification found for its gummy line
History
SmartyPants Vitamins was founded in 2011 by married co-founders Courtney Nichols Gould and Gordon Gould, who set out to build a comprehensive, all-in-one gummy multivitamin using what the company describes as premium, non-GMO, sustainably sourced ingredients. Early funding came in part through crowdfunding platform CircleUp, and the company later took venture investment including from North Castle Partners in 2016.
The company expanded from children's gummies into adult formulas in 2016, and later into pet supplements in 2018 and infant products. It built a long-running partnership with the nonprofit Vitamin Angels, donating vitamins tied to product sales.
Unilever acquired SmartyPants in November 2020 for an undisclosed sum, adding it to a supplement and functional-nutrition portfolio that already included Olly and Liquid I.V. SmartyPants continues to be sold as a distinct brand within Unilever's health and wellbeing division.
Why it is trusted
- +Backed by Unilever's manufacturing and quality-assurance infrastructure since 2020, and has a longer operating history (since 2011) than many venture-backed gummy brands.
- +Publishes a clearer list of what it excludes (synthetic dyes, certain artificial additives) than many competitors, and holds non-GMO Project certification on relevant products.
- +No USP Verified or NSF certification was found for its gummy line, as with most gummy brands, consumers are relying on brand claims rather than an independently audited potency guarantee.
- +As a gummy-format brand, it sits in a category that independent testing organizations (ConsumerLab, Consumer Reports) have repeatedly flagged as more prone to potency variance than tablets or capsules industry-wide; SmartyPants' specific results in such testing should be checked before buying.
Where we would be careful
- −No public USP or NSF verification found; "non-GMO" and "free from" claims are not the same as a potency or purity audit.
- −Multivitamin gummies as a format are known to sometimes contain multiples of labeled folate or other nutrients; check the supplement facts panel against RDAs rather than assuming label accuracy.
- −Now part of a large multinational portfolio; watch for reformulation as Unilever integrates supply chains across its supplement brands.
Where SmartyPants ranks
Sources
- Unilever press release, "Unilever to Acquire SmartyPants Vitamins," November 2020: https://www.unileverusa.com/news/press-releases/2020/unilever-to-acquire-smartypants-vitamins/
- CB Insights company profile, SmartyPants Vitamins: https://www.cbinsights.com/company/smartypants-vitamins
- NutraIngredients, "Unilever to acquire supplement manufacturer SmartyPants," November 2020: https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2020/11/30/Unilever-to-acquire-supplement-manufacturer-SmartyPants/