In honor of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Awareness Month, AAPI-owned wellness brand Elix is taking a stand against medical misogyny with its latest social campaign.
Founded by Lulu Ge in 2020, Elix is a digital wellness platform that integrates Traditional Chinese Medicine and technology and aims to empower consumers to explore holistic healing targeting the root causes of chronic conditions like PCOS. After an online health assessment, Elix offers consumers personalized treatments that can improve a range of symptoms. Prices for Elix’s products, which include supplements and elixirs, range from $20-$48. Consumers can also subscribe to the brand’s monthly subscription service for $48 per month.
On Wednesday, Elix rolled out a social campaign to celebrate the launch of its second independent clinical study approved by the Institutional Review Board. The campaign, titled “Real Feels: My PCOS Journey,” highlights the implications medical misogyny has on PCOS while also advocating for increased research and development in its diagnosis and treatment.
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, PCOS is an hormonal imbalance that happens when one’s ovaries create excess hormones. Some of the symptoms include irregular periods, abnormal hair growth, acne and, more commonly, complications with fertility. While there currently isn’t a cure for PCOS, adequate healthcare can help improve symptoms for patients diagnosed with the chronic condition.
In a June 2023 report, the World Health Organization found that more than 12 million people with PCOS are struggling to manage their symptoms due to misdiagnosis. However, according to information revealed in Elix’s study, 50% of U.S. counties lack access to OBGYN offices.
The campaign, which went live on the brand’s social channels, features 21 members of Elix’s community, as well as paid content from PCOS creators and educators. The community members highlighted in the campaign will be featured in videos recounting their PCOS journeys and how Elix’s products have helped eliminate or improve some of their symptoms. With the content creators and healthcare professionals involved, Elix will host Instagram Live fireside chats to discuss the findings from the clinical study and what needs to be done to further advance education and treatment for PCOS. Some creators and professionals involved include Teo (@thesyncway; 364,000 Instagram followers), Natalie Avni (@natalieavni; 253,000 Instagram followers) and Tania Villalta (@pcosnowmama; 106,000 Instagram followers).
Elix will also release data from the report online through graphics and digital assets.
“[With this report, we thought,] ‘It can’t just be words on a page. We need to spotlight [the data] and women and give them an opportunity to share.’ We’re excited to just to give a voice to this community and start conversations,” Ge told Glossy. “When we launched the our first clinical trial in 2022, the campaign generated over 20 million impressions, so we’re very excited for the potential of this campaign. We’re hoping this campaign sparks conversation within the medical and practitioner world, as well.”
Data from Market research firm Grand Market Insights shows that the North America PCOS treatment market was valued at $2.2 billion in 2023. It is predicted to reach $3.5 billion by 2032. Though Ge says her “East meets West perspective” to treating the condition is a key differentiator for the brand, competitors such as supplement brands Perelel and Needed have released hormonal balancing products catering to the steadily growing community.
Prior to running Elix, Ge ran a management consulting agency before going in-house to work as the head of change management at Hudson’s Bay Company, which is home to Saks Fifth Avenue, Off 5th, Gilt Groupe, Lord & Taylor and The Bay. Ge left to start period care company #PeriodPainFree in December 2018, and shortly after that, she founded Elix in January 2020. Four years in, Ge says Elix is on track to become profitable this year.
“We’re growing by triple digits year-over-year, and a majority of that is driven by word of mouth and organic social,” Ge told Glossy.
Moving forward, Ge said she’s taking a page from doctor-recommended brands and building Elix’s DTC channel before going into retail. However, when the time does come for retail expansion, she’ll be looking for a retail partner “that’s willing to invest alongside us in education around growing the hormone health category,” she said.
