Health supplement company AG1 is betting big on clinical studies to anchor its first reformulation in nearly a decade.
“We could have launched this product a year ago — it was ready — but we didn’t because it was undergoing multiple gold-standard human clinical trials,” AG1 CEO Kat Cole told Glossy. “[We invested in these studies] so we could say there is additional evidence — not just on the ingredients, but on the finished formula — of what it does when you drink it every day.”
Called AG1 Next Gen, the reformulation launches on May 1 and includes new probiotics, vitamins and minerals, as well as a new packaging choice between a full-size bag or new, smaller individual travel sticks.
The reformulation will replace AG1’s classic formula in the brand’s DTC channels, although Cole told Glossy AG1’s OG formula will be available on Amazon for some time to ensure late adopters can still access it if desired. A green sticker design was added to the packaging to note the new formula. Cole told Glossy that AG1’s price will not change: A 30-day supply costs $79 for DTC subscribers or $99 for a one-time buy either DTC or on Amazon.
The reformulation is anchored by four human clinical trials, which will be the focus of a website redesign and new marketing strategy.
Clinical trials, which are time-consuming and around five times more expensive than consumer perception testing, are becoming increasingly more popular as the wellness industry balloons in size.
As previously reported by Glossy, there were around 4,000 supplements for sale on the U.S. market three decades ago. Today, there are more than 95,000. According to the FDA, which oversees the supplement industry as part of the food category, there are currently around 4,000 brands selling into the supplement space, which includes vitamins, minerals, herbs, drink mixes, vitamin gummies and protein powders. Yet, critics say the industry is underregulated.
Cole told Glossy she plans to use the four clinical trials to evolve AG1’s marketing beyond “a beautiful green drink trusted by athletes,” she said. “That’s great that we can say that, but it’s even more powerful to make the science the marketing. When I stepped in as CEO a year ago, I recognized that the industry had started to organize itself around ingredient research.”
That is, the industry is focused on marketing claims tied to existing research on a single ingredient, like vitamin C or biotin, as opposed to research done by a brand on the efficacy of its finished product. “What [ingredient research] doesn’t prove, though, is [whether or not] whatever that thing is that you’re putting in your body has an impact [on your health],” Cole said.
AG1, formerly called Athletic Greens, was launched in 2010 and is privately held by founder and former CEO Chris Ashenden. NYC-based creative studio Creech led Athletic Greens’ renaming to AG1 in 2021. In July 2024, Ashenden stepped down as CEO amid scrutiny of his prior business dealings in his home country of New Zealand, according to The New Zealand Herald.
Prior to taking over the CEO role, Cole served as president and COO of AG1 starting in 2021. Her CV also includes longtime executive roles at Hooters of America restaurants and Go To Foods, the franchise owner of chains like Cinnabon, Auntie Anne’s and Jamba brands.
AG1 has received intense criticism on Instagram, Youtube and Reddit for its $99 price point and prolific sponsorship of wellness podcasts from thought leaders like Dr. Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, journalist Kara Swisher and NYU professor Scott Galloway. In one YouTube video with nearly a million views, longevity influencer Bryan Johnson suggests that AG1’s podcast sponsorships, not nutritional merits, have garnered the company its stunning growth. Johnson has his own supplement company, called Blueprint, which he touts in his YouTube videos and his recent Netflix documentary, “Don’t Die,” as a better option for health and longevity-focused consumers.
Even with just one product sold DTC and on Amazon, AG1 did $600 million in sales in 2024, Cole told Glossy. “We have over 3x the business in three years,” she said. AG1 was valued at $1.2 billion in 2022, according to TechCrunch.
With this new launch, “we are changing our website to be more educational, more informative and have deeper dives on the research,” Cole said. “You could even say we’re taking a step into a new chapter of our marketing strategy, [moving] from brand partnerships and pure testimonials to a more science-forward [approach].” It will also prime consumers for AG1’s forthcoming foray into retail, Cole told Glossy.
“We wanted proof that AG1 closes nutrient gaps, even in healthy eaters, athletes and non-athletes, proven by blood serum levels,” Cole said. “In multiple populations, [it also] proves that AG1 increases beneficial gut bacteria by 10x.”
As the industry becomes more competitive and consumers become more longevity-focused, Cole hopes this investment will push the industry toward more research and innovation while securing AG1’s place as a leader in the space.
“Customers are becoming not only more informed and more educated, but also more confused by what’s out in the market,” Cole said. “As CEO, I knew what would make me most proud is for our product to cut through the confusion and the clutter. The only way to do that was to put our heads down and make the investment for a long time, with a lot of capital being put to work. … We’re considered the leader in the industry, we should make the best better.”
