Dietitians Recommend These 12 Probiotic Supplements for a Happy Gut and Glowy Skin

Best Overall

Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Probiotics For Women

$40 $31 at Amazon $33 at Walmart View on Vitamin Shoppe

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 50 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegetarian

This probiotic is one of the best—it contains 50 billion CFUs with 16 diverse, specially selected probiotic strains. Among them are Lactobacilli and Bifidobacterium—two strains that are resistant to stomach acid and bile—to help improve immune, digestive, and vaginal health. There is also a prebiotic fiber blend of organic potato and organic acacia fiber to help boost the results. The capsules are non-GMO, gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free, as well as vegetarian. As an added benefit, they are also shelf-stable, meaning you don't have to refrigerate them between uses. This is an ideal perk for women on the go—all you have to do is stash it in your purse, work bag, or carry-on.

Best Budget

Culturelle Daily Probiotic

$18 at Amazon $18 at Target $26 at IHerb

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 10 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, soy-free, non-GMO

Affordable probiotic supplements are hard to come by, but one 30-day supply of Culturelle won't break the bank. Plus, it's effective. It contains a potent, evidence-backed strain of good bacteria called Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LGG), which has been used in multiple clinical trials focusing on common gut-related concerns such as stomach pain and eczema.

Culturelle contains 10 billion colony-forming units of this strain per serving. In addition to these beneficial bacteria, Culturelle combines 200 milligrams of inulin, a naturally occurring prebiotic fiber, to make the cultures even more effective. Consumer Labs, an independent supplement testing company, confirmed that this pick contains the listed amount of probiotic organisms and is free of contamination as well as yeast, milk, dairy, lactose, wheat, and gluten, which makes this a great option for those following a gut-healing specific diet looking for an extra gut health boost (like the eczema diet).

Best Budget, Runner-Up

Physician's Choice 60 Billion Probiotic

$30 $24 at Amazon View on IHerb

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 60 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Non-GMO, gluten-free

Taking probiotics on their own can be beneficial for gut health, but the best way to ensure results is to consume both probiotics and prebiotics, as prebiotics are the fuel for probiotics. Physician’s Choice probiotic provides 10 different strains of probiotics and 60 billion colony-forming units per dose—with 150 milligrams of prebiotics from organic Jerusalem artichoke root, acacia Senegal, and chicory root per serving. These ingredients work together to ease all types of stomach and gut discomfort, including constipation and bloating. To help ensure that the probiotics survive the acidity of the stomach, Physician’s Choice uses acid-resistant capsules.

Editor's Choice

Seed DS-01 Daily Synbiotic

$60 at Amazon View on Seed.com

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 53.6 billion AFU | Dosage: 2 daily | Certified: Vegan, allergen-friendly

Seed’s Daily Synbiotic extends beyond a focus solely on gut health—it also is able to support cardiovascular and dermatological functions. If you are wondering what a ‘synbiotic’ is and how it differs from a probiotic, it is a scientific way of naming a product that contains both a prebiotic and a probiotic in one capsule. As we mentioned earlier, you can think of prebiotics as the food that fuels probiotics. To ensure that the pre and probiotics in the formula survive the stomach’s acidity, the combination of bacteria strains is protected in a patented capsule made from microalgae. We love that Seed Daily Synbiotic does not have to be refrigerated, and they meticulously test their product to ensure they are free of gluten, dairy, corn, soy, binders, fillers, and excipients.

Hallie Gould, Byrdie's editor-in-chief and GM: "I've been taking the supplements for almost a month now. I've never been less bloated—before, during, or after my period."

Best for Vaginal Health

Lovebug Probiotics Yeast Is a Beast Probiotics

$25 at Amazon

Type: Capsule | Colony-Forming Units: 50 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Non-GMO, allergen-friendly

Love Bug’s yeast is designed specifically with women's health in mind. Featuring five different strains of Lactobacillus, this product may help support optimal vaginal flora, as well as both digestive and immune function. In addition to probiotics, this Love Bug includes 250 milligrams of D-Mannose from cranberry extract, which has been extensively researched for its ability to help prevent or treat urinary tract infections. All of Love Bug’s probiotics also use BIO-tract, a patented delivery technology scientifically developed to protect the tablets against stomach acids and other rigors of digestion. These probiotics are non-GMO, gluten, artificial flavor, and color-free.

Best Gummies

OLLY Probiotic Gummy

$15 $12 at Amazon $13 at Walmart $13 at Walgreens

Type: Gummies | Colony-Forming Units: 1 billion | Dosage: 2 daily | Certified: Gluten-free, B Corporation, NSF

Supplements in a gummy form are normally packed with added sugars and artificial colorings, which are both known triggers of tummy troubles. Good news: Olly does not use artificial colorings, flavors, or sweeteners in its products. Providing one billion colony-forming units of Bacillus coagulans and 1.5 grams of a prebiotic blend to promote healthy gut flora and a strong immune system, this product is an excellent choice for people looking for non-pill probiotics.

Olly also has an NSF certification, meaning the product has been independently tested and evaluated against a rigorous set of quality and material safety requirements.

Best for On the Go

Renew Life Ultimate Flora Probiotic

$54 at Amazon $18 at Walmart View on Vitamin Shoppe

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 50 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free

A major obstacle when it comes to staying consistent with taking probiotics is that many of them need to be refrigerated. Refrigeration keeps bacteria viable and supports overall efficacy. Finding a probiotic that ensures potency not just at the time of manufacture—but at the time of purchase—can be difficult.

Renew Life’s On The Go Probiotic takes away the stress of refrigeration. Plus, they provide 50 billion live cultures from 12 different probiotic strains designed to reestablish digestive balance. Ensuring quality and potency through expiration, Renew Life’s capsules are designed to be delayed-release, making sure the contents make it past the acidic environment of the stomach. The fact that they're shelf-stable is also a plus when shipments might be delayed, routines are disrupted by travel, or emergency times without refrigeration.

Best Pesticide-Free

Innate Response Flora 20-14 Capsules

$48 at Amazon $55 at IHerb

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 20 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: B corporation, non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free

Innate Response is one of the first supplement companies to guarantee that their products are glyphosate residue-free, which increases the efficacy of their potent Flora 20-14 probiotic by limiting interference from a known microbiome disrupter. Glyphosate, a key ingredient in the weed killer Roundup, has been making headlines recently due to its negative effects on hormones, gastrointestinal health, respiratory health, and immune functioning, among other concerns. In addition to glyphosate, each batch of incoming ingredients for this product is tested for over 125 different pesticides and herbicides.

We also love that this supplement is formulated with 20 billion live cultures from 14 different probiotics to promote both immune and digestive health and is gluten-, dairy-, and soy-free.

Best Multifunction

Happy V Prebiotic + Probiotic

$40 at Amazon View on Happyv.com

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 20 billion | Dosage: 2 daily | Certified: Vegetarian, allergen-friendly

Happy V’s Prebiotic + Probiotic Vaginal Health Supplements can effectively fight against bacterial vaginosis, UTIs, and yeast infections thanks to its lineup of powerhouse ingredients. The formula's probiotics optimize your vagina’s pH for wellness and prevent infection. You can also rely on the supplement's probiotics to help restore your gut health, increase gut comfort, and even decrease bloating.

The capsules are made with a patented prebiotic that destroys bad bacteria, improves the probiotics' efficacy, and maintains urinary tract and vaginal health. To round things out, the ingredient list also boasts lactobacillus, which is the most common beneficial bacteria found in the vaginal flora.

Best Probiotics + Botanicals

Align Probiotic Women's Dual Action

$30 $27 at Amazon

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 6 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Gluten-free, soy-free, vegetarian, dairy-free

Align Probiotic is one of the original probiotic brands, and now they have a formula designed specifically for women’s health. Although this product contains fewer varieties of bacteria, this probiotic uses research-backed, strain-specific ingredients Bifidobacterium longum 35624, La-14, and HN001. Bifidobacterium longum 35624 has been shown to be beneficial in treating the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, while La-14 and HN001 have been researched for their effect on combating vaginal bacteria.

In addition to targeted probiotic strains, one dose contains 42 milligrams of chaste tree berry. Chaste tree berry (aka Vitex) is a botanical that is commonly used to decrease symptoms related to PMS.

Best for Hair Growth

Nutrafol Hairbiotic Hair Wellness Booster

View on Dermskincare.com View on Renewskinsolutions.com View on Drmonicascheel.com

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 25 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, non-GMO

Hair growth is probably the biggest wellness trend of the year, and you might have not known that you can use probiotics to reach your goals. This option from dermatologist-recommended hair growth brand Nutrafol has 25 billion CFUs and seven probiotic strains, and it's formulated with a Lactobacillus reuteri—the only probiotic strain shown to improve hair growth.

While it may take up to three months to see super noticeable results, within one to two months, you will notice shinier hair and less breakage—improved fullness and volume come around three to four months. After six months, you should be able to see hair that grows quicker and feels stronger.

Best 3-in-1

Ritual Synbiotic+

$60 at Amazon View on Ritual.com

Type: Capsules | Colony-Forming Units: 11 billion | Dosage: 1 daily | Certified: Gluten-free, vegan, non-GMO

At this point, we've touched on probiotics and prebiotics, but postbiotics are lesser known and just as beneficial for your overall health. This formula contains all three (prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics) for an optimal gut microbiome. Frances Largeman-Roth, RDN, explains that postbiotics are "the waste left behind after the body digests pre and probiotics and are helpful for slowing the growth of harmful bacteria." The one included in this formula, Tributyrin, is great for decreasing inflammation in the body, as well as improving overall gut and immune function.

We love that it's formulated with Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis, two strains that have been extensively studied. They both work to decrease bloating and other stomach discomfort, while the prebiotics improve healthy bacteria growth in the gut.