Hot Niche: After Perfumes and Cosmetics, Celebrities ‘Attack’ the Supplement Industry

Four years ago, the oldest sister of the Kardashian clan, Kourtney, decided to try her hand in the wellness industry by launching the media platform Poosh. After this business child, which attracts a similar audience as Goop by actress and entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow and brings her an average of $10 million in annual revenue, Kourtney expanded her business to dietary supplements in the form of gummy candies – ‘Lemme’. Since last week, the line has been enriched with a supplement aimed at vaginal health, ‘Lemme Purr’, which Kardashian promoted with a video in which she eats the candies in the company of cats and tells the audience to ‘give their vagina a treat it deserves (and turn it into a sweet treat)’.

Some internet users criticized the product, and gynecologist and bestselling author of ‘The Vagina Bible’ Jen Gunter went a step further, concluding that anyone who claims a vagina is not ‘fresh’ and needs to improve its taste is a misogynist and a terrible person. Regardless of whether the oldest Kardashian sister fits into the category of terrible and misogynistic, the fact is that she excellently follows trends, as Fast Company claims, supplements are the new hot niche for celebrities who, after breaking into the cosmetics industry, are now seeking a place under the wellness sun.

There’s no one missing

For example, actress and entrepreneur Jessica Alba was among the first to start with clean, sustainable beauty products by launching the brand The Honest Company. Dietary supplements are her new playground, as she recently launched supplements that improve immunity and sleep under the Honest brand, costing around $25 per bottle. This puts her in the company of numerous celebrities, such as Halle Berry, Ellen Pompeo, Cindy Crawford, Elle McPherson, Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Jennifer Lopez, and of course, Gwyneth Paltrow, who have launched brands that guarantee everything – from top-notch vaginal health (Naomi Watts and her brand Stripes) to beautifying sleep (Cindy Crawford and her brand Meaningful Beauty). However, this world is not reserved only for women. Fast Company noted that Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James have launched a supplement brand called Ladder, while Alex Jones and Brian Jones aka The Liver King have amassed a fortune operating in this niche.

Social platforms have allowed users to dive into the lives of celebrities, analyze their beautifully designed homes, learn all about their daily routines, but also, recently, their wellness journeys. However, Fast Company reminds us that platforms do not function as mirrors; their lives do not reflect those of users. In other words, users may know that Kate Hudson feels great after exercising and smoothies or that Elle Macpherson gives her picky children WelleCo supplements/snacks, but those stars know nothing about the users. And they are not doctors. Even if they were, it’s tricky to recommend supplements, as not only are some not sufficiently researched, but the American FDA does not regulate them either. Unlike drugs, American dietary supplement manufacturers do not have to prove effectiveness before launching on the market.

Questionable effectiveness

‘Many celebrities nurture parasocial relationships on social media. Many of their followers think they are trusted arbiters. They can say they use a certain thing every day and that they are experts in it,’ said Jane Marie, author of the podcast ‘The Dream‘, which deals with the business side of wellness, to Fast Company. Marie noted that users with supplements, or their marketing communication, need to be cautious as rules are often circumvented with clever descriptions, so a product may ‘support brain function’, which essentially means nothing. Pharmacologist and owner of the company Proov, which sells herbal dietary supplements, Amy Beckley, confirmed that manufacturers cannot claim to cure diseases, but they can state what a particular product can help with. For example, a supplement aimed at diabetics can be described as a supplement that helps maintain healthy blood sugar metabolism. Thus, the supplement industry (many of which do indeed help) is in a gray area, but quite potent and as such ideal for investments. Especially if you are a celebrity. And especially if you are tired of their perfumes, the first niche they dipped into.

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However, supplements go a step further than perfumes, which peaked in the early 2000s when every celebrity worth their salt launched a fragrant bottle so customers could smell like them. Dietary supplements, Fast Company states, sell the idea that you can literally ‘swallow’ a piece of a celebrity’s life and also gain a healthy vagina or radiant skin. Although there are doubts about effectiveness, it is undeniable that dietary supplements are quite a lucrative business. The profit margin in the American perfume market varies from 15 to 90 percent, depending on the ingredients, while for dietary supplements it hovers around 38 percent.

Lucrative business

In addition to being a good way to earn money, now is also an excellent time to enter the business. During the pandemic, many consumers turned to these products to improve immunity, regardless of whether they believe in vaccines or not. The vitamin and dietary supplement industry is worth $40 billion in the U.S. alone and has grown at an average rate of one percent from 2018 to 2023. Thanks to social platforms, these products have become more accessible and visible, and sales costs are significantly lower than through traditional channels, i.e., ‘brick-and-mortar’ stores. Also, when comparing this market to the perfume industry, users want to try or smell celebrity perfumes, but that is not the case with supplements. They are simply easier to sell online. Especially if you are famous.

Fortunately, as host Jane Marie claims, alongside the trend of celebrity supplements, a trend of deinfluencing is developing. This is a sort of reduction in the power of celebrity influencers. There are more and more videos on Instagram or TikTok where users criticize products that are heavily advertised. This may be a sign that they are not falling for (all) promotional tricks and are starting to critically examine the products served to them by celebrities. However, these criticisms are more related to cosmetic products, as proving or disproving the effectiveness and quality of supplements is a bit more challenging; it is individual. Testing takes time, and some users may feel benefits from the placebo effect. In that, Marie concludes, there is nothing wrong. ‘If you buy a bunch of supplements from Goop (Gwyneth Paltrow’s brand, ed.) and they help you feel better due to the placebo effect and do not cause any side effects, great. But I still feel bad because someone like Paltrow makes a lot of money selling garbage,’ Marie is sharp.

Regardless of whether you believe in the effectiveness of celebrity supplements, the fact is that this market is in its prime. Celebrities are great sellers (especially if they sell what they use in life) and have a ton of followers eager for a better, prettier, and healthier life. Entering this market is indeed smarter than launching another perfume. However, consumers should always keep in mind that celebrity pills should be taken with a grain of salt, check the ingredients, and research whether it is worth spending a few dollars on products that promise Jessica Alba’s healthy, radiant skin or Kourtney Kardashian’s libido and fragrant vagina.