The London-based company collects data on consumer health concerns and goals through an initial lifestyle and health questionnaire to generate a personalised capsules formulated from the company's portfolio of 40-some vitamins, minerals, botanicals and adaptogens.
Built in partnership with a scientific advisory board of nutritionists, doctors and formulators, example ingredient combinations can include: B12, niacin and ashwagandha to support energy levels; vitamin D, glucosamine and turmeric for joint health; and lemon balm and Montmorency cherry extract for mood and cognitive support.
“We use the highest available forms of each ingredient and a wider array than standard supplements containing vitamins and minerals,” explained Sam Price, CEO and founder at Alyve Wellness.
Price was diagnosed with ADHD in 2018, which started him on his health journey to explore diet and lifestyle interventions after deciding against medication. He had been taking multivitamins from a young age but said he never felt any real benefits.
"I was taking them thinking you were doing something deep down but never felt like a noticeable difference," he explained. "Whilst I was on my own health journey, and I started to look into the world of nutrition a bit more.
“I researched what can help with ADHD and the symptoms, and I began to improve my lifestyle and diet. After many months of testing and researching various ingredients, I built myself a nutritional cocktail that made me feel better and I felt like I had done 10 years ago back—I was energised and concentrating better.”
He noted some key ingredients in his cocktail were amino acids, botanicals and herbal extracts.
But his health journey led him to feel there was a gap in the market for more personalised nutrition platforms.
"I think people are becoming more aware that you need to be taking something that’s personalised to you with the key vitamins tailored to your needs over a standard multivitamin," he said. "The market for personalisation is definitely growing quite substantially."
Aiming to fill this gap, he partnered with his father, the cofounder of diagnostic testing company Regenerus Labs, to bring Alyve to market in 2020.
Long-term personalisation
The platform requires users to answer an online questionnaire about diet, lifestyle and health goals to generate a formulation supporting with three identified health areas.
"Alyve provides you with a personalised supplement, which is essentially the last bottle you will need," Price said. "As you’re taking it, you take part in consultations, which will result in adaptions to the formula based on any changes to your lifestyle or diet."
The platform also provides a DNA test offering further detail on nutritional status and potential vitamin deficiencies, as well as hormonal, stress, liver and thyroid statuses.
The questionnaire can be retaken whenever needed to enable a continuously personalised service, tailoring ingredients and quantities based on responses.
"We send you a reminder every quarter just to say, 'Has anything changed?' How are you feeling?', Price said. "So it always stays in tune with you, so you're not continuing to take the same supplement if you don't want to."
He highlighted energy as the area with which consumers most frequently requested support, adding that women often seek support with areas of beauty such as skin and hair, as well as mood, cognition and focus.