This week, I checked in with Liz and Joey Zwillinger, the married co-founders behind a new line of women’s supplements called Biologica. The line includes three fizzy drink mixes that replace multivitamins for women in their reproductive years, perimenopause or menopause. Mr. Zwillinger is the co-founder and former CEO of Allbirds, the footwear company that reported $254 million in sales in 2023, his last year as CEO. Additionally, Sephora shutters its supplement business, Target pilots overnight delivery, and Classpass shares its biggest fitness trends of the year.
The co-founder and former CEO of footwear brand Allbirds is betting on the women’s hormone health space with new supplement brand launch
The supplement space is booming yet again — this time, powered by growth across niche formats and targeted solutions.
For example, fertility-focused Perelel, which recently expanded its focus to women in menopause, raised $27 million last month to expand its clinical testing. Cymbiotica, which sells liposomal vitamin sachets at Target, raised $25 million to scale distribution, and AG1 expanded its ingredient lineup for the first time in a decade. Meanwhile, Kourtney Kardashian’s Lemme vitamins became a top seller in Ulta Beauty’s newly expanded wellness section, vitamin sticker patches are trending, and the gummy vitamin market is projected to triple in size.
The latest to join this cohort is Biologica, a new line of fizzy drink mixes that replace multivitamins for women in their reproductive years, perimenopause or menopause.
“I’m 43, and I have always struggled with hormonal health,” said Biologica co-founder Liz Zwillinger. “[I got little help from my doctor] and found myself mixing pills and powders, and going to different resources that felt very disaggregated, like Instagram-famous doctors, Substacks, podcasts, friend group texts, all of it. And I was really overwhelmed and confused.”
This was right around the time her husband, Joey Zwillinger, was exiting Allbirds after a very successful tenure as CEO and co-founder. The footwear did $254 million in sales in 2023, his last year as CEO. Mrs. Zwillinger is a former family law attorney, and together, they have three children. According to the pair, they worked hand-in-hand on business decisions during Mr. Zwillinger’s time at Allbirds.
Fast forward to Tuesday and the couple launched Biologica, a line of three fizzy drink mixes that replace multivitamins for women in their reproductive years, perimenopause or menopause by delivering key nutrients, electrolytes and probiotics.
“Put very simply, it’s extremely simple, craveable and targeted to the actual current state of your biology,” Mr. Zwillinger told Glossy.
The duo took on $7 million in seed funding from VC firms like Addition, Hawktail, Greycroft, True Beauty Ventures and Good Friends, plus Gabrielle Bernstein and Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt. Each of Biologica’s three products is priced at $70 for a one-month supply, with cost savings of up to $16 per month when a user subscribes for auto-refills.
In a lot of ways, Biologica is exemplary for what’s becoming table stakes in the marketplace, like clinical-studied ingredients, third-party testing for safety and purity, a board of trusted medical advisors, and expansive online education campaigns. Its $7 million investment helped to fund all of this for Biologica, plus high-quality tin packaging — which will be refillable in the future — and dynamic branding.
The team hopes to accomplish clinical testing on its final products soon and to expand into retail, as well. The co-founders told Glossy they have their eye on Target, Costco and Amazon for distribution down the road.
The dietary supplement market size was valued at around $192 billion last year and could more than double to reach $414.52 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research. More broadly, consumer spending on longevity and wellness could reach $8 trillion by 2030, according to new data from the investment bank UBS. This includes wellness products, diagnostics, supplements and more burgeoning categories. Growth leaders include wearable tracking technology and strength training equipment, according to USB.
Executive moves:
- Healthier Helm, a longtime former employee of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the new evp of global strategies at The Personal Care Products Council. PCPC is the leading national trade association representing the global cosmetics and personal-care products industry. Tom Myers, president and CEO of PCPC, said this in a statement: “Against the backdrop of an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape, Heather’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for our industry. … Her leadership, deep understanding of global regulatory systems and ability to advance economic competitiveness will be instrumental in reinforcing our advocacy efforts worldwide.”
News to know:
- Sephora is reportedly shuttering its supplement business. According to several reports online, the retailer is rolling back its offerings, which have long been a small part of its business. The retailer currently sells hair- and skin-focused supplements from Moon Juice, Vegamour, Nutrafol and The Nue Co. A rep from Sephora did not immediately return Glossy’s request for comment.
- Avant-garde luxury fashion designer Rick Owens has partnered with the Swedish oral-care brand Selahatin. The limited-edition line consists of four products, including toothpaste made with Sichuan pepper, dark citrus, rosemary and peppermint.
- The retail sector has cut 92,000 jobs so far this year, including 3,200 in November, according to Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a global outplacement and executive coaching firm. This reflects a 140% increase in job cuts from the same time last year.
- L’Oréal Group is doubling its stake in the Swiss pharmaceutical company Galderma — the maker of consumer brands like Cetaphil and Differin and medical injectables like Dysport, Restylane and Sculptra — for an undisclosed amount. The conglomerate will purchase the additional 10% from a consortium led by Swedish private equity firm EQT, bringing its ownership to 20%.
- Nestlé, owner of supplement brands Garden of Life and Vital Proteins, has joined the Coalition for Reproductive Justice in Business, a women-focused coalition led by the United Nations. “From maternal health to menopause, our commitment is unwavering. We provide innovative and tailored nutrition solutions, ensure respectful workplace conditions and increase support to women. When women thrive, families, communities and economies flourish,” said Serena Aboutboul, global head of the nutrition division at Nestlé, in a statement.
- In an effort to compete with speedy e-comm delivery from Walmart and Amazon, Target is reportedly piloting overnight delivery. According to Chain Store Age, the retailer is testing the fast shipping option in the Cleveland market.
Stat of the week:
Pilates was the most searched and most rebooked workout on Classpass this year, according to the fitness class juggernaut’s latest annual trend report. More than 15 million pilates classes were booked in the first 11 months of the year, up 66% year over year. Fitness reservations rose 36% globally, while wellness reservations increased by 37% YoY. Other standouts included pickleball bookings, which jumped 750%, and cosmetic treatments, like manicures and waxing, which rose 91%.
In the headlines:
How inflammation took over the internet [The Cut]. Instacart launches app, end-to-end shopping in ChatGPT [Chain Store Age]. Macy’s posts strongest growth in more than 3 years, but strikes cautious note on holidays [CNBC]. The 5-3-1 Rule might be the wellness habit you’re missing [Vogue]. Are mushrooms really as healthy as the hype? Harvard-trained gut doctor reveals what wellness influencers won’t tell you [Economic Times]. How wellness influencers spreading misinformation signals a deeper problem within our health care system [CNET].
Need a Glossy recap?
Ulta Beauty CEO shares holiday sales focus, 12.9% sales jump and a shelf shakeup to grow fragrance sales. How top wellness brands are showing up at Art Basel Miami. Hero caps off a year of firsts with a holiday-themed pop-up.
