The launch supports the retailer’s broader strategy to serve women’s health needs across key life stages.
“Our women’s wellness strategy is designed to support women at all stages of their life from first period, pregnancy, menopause and every life stage in between,” Kristin Piper, vice president of merchandising and wellness at Walmart, told NutraIngredients. She noted that Ritual’s portfolio, including its clinically backed prenatal formula, aligns with customer demand in a high-interest segment.
Supplement selection reflects increased focus on science and trust
The retailer’s evaluation process includes branded documentation, third-party testing, ingredient integrity and alignment with consumer trends.
Piper said that trust remains a central factor, particularly in categories related to health, as Walmart strives to “offer the assortment our customers are looking for, when, where and however they are shopping,” she said.
Ritual’s Essential for Women 18+, Essential Prenatal, Essential Postnatal and Essential for Women 50+ are now available at select Walmart locations and through Walmart.com. Each formula was selected to correspond with a specific stage of the women’s health journey.
“They’re also some of our most loved and trusted formulas,” Katerina Schneider, founder and CEO of Ritual, told NI.
The brand, which built its business through a direct-to-consumer model before expanding to Target, Whole Foods Market and Ulta Beauty, emphasized that the move into Walmart was consistent with its larger retail strategy.
“We built a profitable nine-figure DTC business and have expanded into retail thoughtfully, through partners who align with our values,” Schneider said.
Retail presence developed without altering clinical messaging
Ritual did not modify product packaging or research positioning for the mass retail environment but developed in-store materials that highlight clinical attributes.
“We designed new shelf blades that proudly call it out,” Schneider said, referring to the clinical studies behind each product. She described the signage and packaging as a way to make the brand’s science more accessible to in-store shoppers.
Ritual’s Essential Prenatal, for example, is presented as the only leading prenatal multivitamin backed by its own human clinical trial. All four products now available at Walmart have received the Clean Label Project Purity Award, which includes independent testing for over 200 contaminants.
Schneider noted that Ritual maintained its traceability standards during the expansion.
“Every bottle sold at Walmart still reflects our commitment to traceable science and sourcing,” she said. Ingredient origins, clinical justification, and formulation rationale remain available through the brand’s traceability tools.
Walmart continues to broaden supplement category approach
The inclusion of a premium-positioned brand like Ritual reflects a broader effort to expand the definition of value in Walmart’s supplement aisle. Piper said that while affordability remains a focus, it “can mean more than price,” and the retailer is also addressing other aspects of shopper expectations.
Customer convenience is also part of the strategy.
“They may come to Walmart for groceries, and leave with a new supplement stack, all in one place,” she added.
Piper said Walmart is continuing to grow its health and wellness offering in response to increased interest in science-backed solutions and brand transparency.
“We are seeing that customers are more interested in their health, willing to do the research, and seek out trusted brands,” she explained, and “Walmart will be there for them on their journey.”
