Vitamin A comes in two forms with two different back-stories. One can be pulled from fish liver, the other is pure plant pigment, and the label decides which you are getting.
Retinol formFish-liver oil or synthetic
Provitamin formBeta-carotene (plant)
VerdictIt depends
Where it hides
Supplements and multivitamins
Fortified foods
Skincare (retinol)
Cod-liver oil products
What it is
Vitamin A is not a single molecule. The body gets it either as ready-made retinol or by converting plant carotenoids, most famously beta-carotene.
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The term "vitamin A" encompasses a group of chemically related organic compounds that includes retinol, retinyl esters, and several provitamin (precursor) carotenoids, most notably β-carotene (beta-carotene).
Preformed retinol in supplements and cod-liver oil can be extracted from fish liver or made synthetically. Provitamin A on a label usually means beta-carotene, which is from plants or algae and is vegan, though as a supplement it can be delivered in gelatin beadlets. For skincare, retinol is typically synthetic. So vitamin A is vegan or not depending on which form a product uses and how it is encapsulated. On a plant diet, beta-carotene from orange and leafy vegetables covers the need.
Beta-carotene (E160a)Beta-carotene is the orange in carrots, bottled as a colour and a supplement. The pigment is plant or lab-made; the only animal risk is the capsule it sometimes rides in.
Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol)Vitamin D3 is usually made from lanolin in sheep's wool, but a lichen-derived vegan D3 exists, and D2 is plant-based. Check the label or ask.
Omega-3 (EPA and DHA)Fish oil is not vegan, but the EPA and DHA in it start in algae, and algal oil delivers the same omega-3s. Plant ALA from flax and chia is vegan too.
Vitamin A on a vegan dietThe Evidence · Vegans get vitamin A the long way round: plants supply beta-carotene, and the body turns it into the active vitamin. The conversion is real but not identical in everyone, which is why the orange and dark-green vegetables earn their place.
Frequently asked
Is retinol vegan?
It can be. Retinol used in supplements and cosmetics is often synthetic, which is vegan, but in cod-liver oil and some supplements it is from fish. The source decides, so check the label or the brand.
Do vegans get enough vitamin A?
Yes, typically. The body makes vitamin A from beta-carotene in orange, yellow and dark-green vegetables, so a varied plant diet supplies it without preformed retinol.
The sources
What each verdict rests on. Read them yourself.
Vitamin A · Wikipedia, 2025 · encyclopedia overview
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