It’s a simple truth—people like to look and feel great. These desires have been at the core of countless consumer categories, but historically, looking and feeling great were two distinct goals. Some might use NYX’s lipstick to add a pop of color to your face, while others might take Omega-3 pills from Nature Made to support a healthy heart. Each of these product categories are deeply engrained with consumers, as seen in the fact that the beauty market and the vitamins and supplements market are each huge, at $62 billion and $30 billion respectively.
However, today’s consumer is becoming increasingly aware of the connection between what goes into their body and how it impacts how they feel and how they look. There is a huge opportunity for products that bridge the gap between beauty and nutritional supplements, addressing the benefits of both in one simple product. To do so in a way that is clear and easy to understand empowers people to make the right choices to feel great.
That’s why I am thrilled to announce that we are leading a Series A investment into HUM Nutrition, a company at the forefront of the exciting and growing category of ingestible beauty. These are pills, powders, and drinks that both improve health and the appearance of skin and hair—benefits that, until now, have been mostly restricted to products like lotions and creams. In less than three years, HUM has built a large multi-channel business, including close relationships with top tier retailers like Sephora, Anthropologie, and Nordstrom as well as a strong direct-to-consumer business through their own website.
When I first met Walter Faulstroh and Chris Coleridge, the founders of HUM, I knew almost immediately that they were entrepreneurs that I wanted to partner with. They had previously built and sold a consumer brand in another one of the most competitive categories in consumer- beverages. They had also shown an ability to truly connect with their customers and understand what those consumers wanted. You can see how strongly HUM’s products resonate with customers by looking at their off the charts reviews and the strong engagement on social media, both factors that fed into the high Helio brand score that first led us to the company. In fact, of the nearly 3,400 vitamin and supplement companies tracked by Helio, HUM was in the top 3% based on its brand score.
One of the ways that HUM is able to connect so well with its customers is their unique consumer quiz, which allows the company to customize a list of products that address each customer’s specific needs, whether that is breakouts, digestion, stress, or low energy. HUM has mapped the concerns and needs of tens of thousands of people and is able to use this to give each customer exactly what they need, ultimately leading to high loyalty from customers. This focus on data was music to my ears, given how much we focus on using data at CircleUp to improve the likelihood of success for companies. As HUM captures more data, they will become even better at knowing what each customer needs and be able to develop new products to support their broad range of concerns.
As HUM says, beauty starts from within, and we’re excited to be able to partner with them in spreading that message.