This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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As beauty and wellness industry insiders are well aware, the supplement space has exploded in size and scope over the past decade.
Stiff competition has driven new ways for brands, retailers and adjacent tech companies to stand out, from third-party certification to award programs, and more recently, the advent of AI-powered wellness chatbots. Last year, Thorne became a first-mover with the launch of Taia, a first-of-its-kind generative AI advisor that lives on Thorne’s homepage.
“In the first six months, [Taia has fielded] over 200,000 messages and more than 350,000 product and lifestyle recommendations,” said Nathan Price, PhD., chief science officer of Thorne. “We get about 8% higher average order value for those who use Taia versus those who just visit Thorne’s [website].”
Thorne is a supplement category leader launched in 1984 and acquired by L Catterton equity group in 2023 for approximately $680 million. The brand has more than 300 SKUs but no hero product, which is one reason Taia exists.
“My primary thesis is that the No. 1 thing we can do to help Thorne as a company is to help the Thorne customer,” Dr. Price said. “If Taia and personalization can meaningfully make it so that the person gets the health outcome they were looking for, we think [Taia is] going to have a very big ROI.”
Dr. Price oversaw the creation of Taia, which is trained on Thorne’s internal knowledge database, powered by a team of researchers and doctors, and AI foundational knowledge of health and wellness. For example, Taia can provide insights into common queries around things like gut health, itchy skin or exhaustion. It then provides personalized supplement recommendations, and lifestyle and nutrition tips, and helps users locate informational blog posts or product information on Thorne’s site.
While the practical uses of Taia are somewhat obvious, Dr. Price is also a thought leader on the future of AI-powered health and wellness. He believes that every wellness brand should begin investing now or be left in the dust in the next two years.
“It’s like deciding not to have a website and be plugged into the Internet when that started becoming a thing in the late 90s,” Dr. Price told Glossy. “It’s absolutely table stakes [because] this is how most people are getting information, and in the future, it’s going to radically [increase].”
Dr. Price’s career sits at the forefront of where longevity and healthspan research intersects with evolving technologies like AI and AI companions.
He is the author of the 2023 bestselling book “The Age of Scientific Wellness,” has published over 200 scientific papers, and is a professor and co-director of the Center for Human Healthspan at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, a California-based research institute focused solely on aging. He’s also been the CSO at Thorne for more than four years.
In today’s episode, Dr. Price sat down with host Lexy Lebsack to break down the strategy, implementation and future of generative wellness chatbots like Taia, as well as big picture thoughts on the future of AI and wellness, and how brands must future-proof their businesses in the fast-moving AI revolution.
On positive early results
Dr. Price: “We’re learning quite a bit. We do have a feedback mechanism so people can say if they liked or disliked their responses. So far, that’s been overwhelmingly positive [with] 94% of those interactions being likes, versus 6% being dislikes. The biggest category of our dislikes tends to be from people who think it’s a customer service agent, and it’s not. … We have had, in the first six months, over 200,000 messages, more than 350,000 product and lifestyle recommendations. So lots and lots of conversations — so it’s being used. … And we think usage will go up a lot over time as people interact with it. … We get about 8% higher AOV for those who have used Taia versus those who are just on Thorne alone. … If Taia and personalization can meaningfully make it so that the person gets the health outcome they were looking for, we think [Taia is] going to have a very big ROI.”
On the fast-approaching proliferation of AI wellness chatbots
Dr. Price: “[Every wellness and supplement brand will need a generative AI chatbot soon] but it doesn’t mean they’ll all build them themselves. But you’ve got to have it. If you’re not plugged into that world, it’s like deciding not to have a website and be plugged into the Internet when that started becoming a thing in the late ‘90s — it’s absolute table stakes. This is how most people are getting information, and in the future, it’s going to radically [increase]. And many of us … are heavy users of this already, [with things like ChatGPT or Claude] — it’s just a radically better experience. You can get access to so much information. It’s accelerating. Move forward five years, and [can you] imagine being a brand that is not plugged into this in some way? I have a hard time imagining you’re much of a player in the area.”
