This week, I checked in with leaders in the vitamin sticker category, including execs at The Good Patch, Barrière, and Esker. The category revolves around transdermal, sticker-like patches that deliver active ingredients through the skin, like Vitamin D, ashwagandha and NAD+. Additionally, Oura Health sues Reebok for allegedly copying its health-tracker ring, a study shows health providers can now see stress on a CT scan, supplement company Perelel secures $27 million in funding, and college students can now minor in holistic wellness at a top university.
What’s driving the vitamin sticker category?
As the supplement category expands, so have new and novel delivery systems.
Vitamin stickers and patches, also called supplement stickers or wearable wellness patches, come in an array of styles, from cutesy designs that mimic a tiny tattoo to discreet patches designed to go unseen. They’re based on a transdermal delivery system, not unlike a nicotine patch from the drugstore or hormone replacement therapy patch from a pharmacy. However, these patches feature OTC ingredients commonly found in the supplement aisle, like melatonin, vitamin D, NAD+, and even nootropics like ashwagandha and food ingredients like green tea. Like oral supplements and cosmetics, FDA approval is not needed to sell in the U.S.
Top sellers by The Good Patch — the category leader based on sales, according to the company — include its B Awake patch with B vitamins, caffeine and green tea and its Be Calm patch with ashwagandha, hemp and passionflower. A pack of four sells for around $12 DTC and through retailers like Target, Ulta Beauty, CVS, Walgreens and Nordstrom.
The Good Patch’s primary customer is women between the ages of 28 and 45 shopping at Target or Amazon. “There definitely are a lot of people who are skeptical anytime you introduce a new [form],” said Christie Cipriano, marketing manager at The Good Patch and former marketer at Nutrafol. Because of this, Cipriano and her team are focused on awareness and education now and into 2026. That includes leaning into content around clinical studies and statistics. The line is also dermatologist- and third-party-tested for purity and safety, she said, and these tests are referenced in marketing materials.
The category features dozens of brands creating competing sticker types, shapes and colors, with various multi-vitamin cocktails that appeal to specific use cases around sleep, energy, stress, immunity, appetite, hair growth and skin brightness, for example. There are many reasons why a consumer may select a wearable over a traditional oral supplement, such as aversion to swallowing pills, or nausea or stomach issues from traditional vitamins. Other reasons could include travel, convenience and even self-expression.
“Our consumer is looking for things they can trust, but [the products] are also little conversation starters,” said Cleo Davis-Urman, co-founder of Barrière. “[Our patches are for] people who like to have something that feels like self-expression. … They don’t necessarily want to just have a patch that’s generic and feels medical.”
Davis-Urman launched the company in 2020 with Alexa Adams. Davis-Urman’s CV includes director and management roles at Saks Fifth Avenue and Moda Operandi, while Adams’s CV includes design positions at Helmut Lang and Karl Lagerfeld.
Barrière is known for chic, tattoo-like designs delivering single ingredients. “[We launched with multi-vitamin patches], but we quickly learned that there are a lot of customers who are looking to change from their existing single-vitamin routine, or they want to start a vitamin routine [and] are looking for more targeted solutions,” Davis-Urman said.
The brand’s top seller is a NAD precursor served up on silver and gold stars, squiggles, and flames. In September, it launched kids’ stickers in colorful smiley faces, trucks, animals and more.
Davis-Urman told Glossy that retailers were hesitant at first, but that the brand flew off shelves during initial product testing at airport retailer Hudson News, Walmart and Walgreens. The brand started in 12, 50 and 275 doors as a test, respectively, and has since been expanded to 2,400 Walmarts, 1,700 Walgreens and every Hudson News in the country, at just under 300.
Despite her background in luxury retail, Davis-Urman believes Barrière’s approachable price tag is one of its primary sales drivers: A pack of 30 stickers sells for under $20. The indie company will announce its first raise next year.
Glossy has tracked the launch of several vitamin-sticker companies in the past few weeks, as well. This includes What The Supp, a line of colorful vitamin stickers launched last month by former British Vogue beauty editor Kelly Gilbert. Also on our radar is Feelings, a line of patches delivered through vibe-y designs in bright colors, made by Feel Good Club, a U.K.-based lifestyle brand. Then there’s Half Past 8, a more aesthetically-subdued offering by the lawyer and gym owner turned wellness influencers, Meto and Kyle Pierce.
But that’s just the start of potential use cases for transdermal patches, experts tell Glossy. Last month, Esker, an indie body-care line that launched in 2018, launched what they call Lymphatic Drainage Dots for $28. They’re part supplement sticker — delivering magnesium, green tea, buckeye seed, vitamin B12 and ginger — and part massage guide, designed to teach the user how to perform lymphatic drainage at home.
Using 12 dots per session — the pack comes with 36 stickers — the user is meant to use an included guide to stick the patches in the proper spots on the neck, collarbone, underarms, elbows, groin and knees before performing the massage routine.
“[We just launched], but it feels like people are really interested to learn, and it’s a value proposition that people really want,” said Esker founder Shannon Davenport. This is Esker’s first sticker launch. The company also sells body tools, oils, body wash and more, with plans to lean deeper into the sticker craze next year.
“I’m kind of excited about the category because I think there hasn’t been a ton of innovation yet,” she said. “There’s definitely been [innovation] for the face, with all the eye patches and mouth tape, but what other [patches and stickers] are used on the body?”
News to know:
- Perelel Health, a Los Angeles-based leader in the clinically proven prenatal and postnatal vitamin space, has taken on $27 million in funding from Prelude Growth Partners. The round replaces early angel investors. Other backers include Willow Growth Partners, Selva Ventures and Unilever Ventures, which led Perelel’s $6 million series A round last year.
- Health tracking juggernaut Oura Healthy Oy has accused Reebok of copying its smart ring in a new lawsuit, according to attorney Julie Zerbo’s The Fashion Law blog. Reebok joined Oura’s competitors, including Samsung and Ultrahuman, with the launch of its Reebok Smart Ring in October. It retails for $249, while Oura’s latest ring, called Gen 4, retails for $499. Samsung and Ultrahuman charge $399 and $349, respectively. According to TFL, Oura has filed a sweeping patent infringement lawsuit in Texas accusing Reebok of copying core technology, internal architecture and its sizing kit, calling it “nothing more than an imitation product.”
- Bonside, a NYC-based financial technology provider, has secured $100 million in funding through a strategic partnership with global investment firm i80 Group. Bonside provides back-end tech for fitness studios and gyms like Y7, Wundabar, F45 Training, Amped Fitness and Natural Pilates.
- As the popularity of elective imaging grows, so do the benefits. Announced at the annual Radiological Society of North America conference this week, CT scans can now be used to measure chronic stress. Using a deep-learning artificial intelligence model, researchers found several signals of stress, including the size of the adrenal glands, according to Athletech News. Prior to this breakthrough, stress was primarily measured by questionnaires, blood cortisol levels or chronic inflammation.
- A new study published in October by the British Journal of Health Psychology is raising a caution flag on the efficacy of fitness tracking apps. The study, which analyzed around 60,000 social media posts discussing tracking apps, found that many users experience loss of motivation as well as feelings of guilt, shame and irritation when using tracking apps, especially those that track calories. The study was conducted by University College London and Loughborough University, and primarily looked at users who discussed MyFitnessPal, Strava, WW, Workouts by Muscle Booster and Fitness Coach & Diet online.
- College students at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey can now minor in holistic wellness. The college “aims to equip students with the practical skills to design and deliver wellness programs – in their lives and in their careers,” according to the school’s announcement. It includes coursework on mental and emotional health, physical wellness, arts, policy and the environment, and will fall under the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences.
Stat of the week:
Function Health has raised $298 million in series B funding at a $2.5 billion valuation. The round was led by Redpoint Ventures. The telehealth platform was founded by longevity leader Dr. Mark Hyman in 2022 and will use the new funding to lower monthly user costs from $499-$365, among other things.
In the headlines:
Cynthia Erivo takes a ‘Wicked’-inspired Peloton class in New York City [Variety]. Study finds mental health benefit to one-week social media break [New York Times]. What is selenium and how can you tell if you’re deficient? [Vogue]. ‘Regulate us like alcohol, don’t ban us’: Proposed hemp THC ban threatens to shut down countless brands [Modern Retail]. Senada Greca, Kim Kardashian’s personal trainer, launches supplement company Aonic [WWD]. ‘You want to play defense’: Amid economic pressure, brands usher in Black Friday by trimming deals [Modern Retail].
Need a Glossy recap?
Salomon plans to double its number of US stores next year. How brands are showing up trackside at this week’s F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. Value is winning holiday sales as TJX, Ross and Walmart surge, Target tumbles. Abercrombie & Fitch, Nordstrom Rack and more are driving holiday sales with location data.
