Supplement Brand Cymbiotika Launches Chainwide At Target As It Hits $200M In Sales

Cymbiotika is making the leap to big-box retail. 

The disruptive direct-to-consumer company is launching at all of Target’s more than 1,900 stores with $29.99 boxes of 12 “rip and sip” liquid supplements, specifically Glutathione, Vitamin C, Magnesium Complex and Irish Sea Moss, created exclusively for the mass-market chain, where it will be the only liposomal supplement brand. In late November, Cymbiotika end-caps will start rolling out to Target stores nationwide featuring educational displays that explain liposomal technology. The supplement format protects the nutrients in a lipid layer “bubble” designed to enable them to better survive the digestive process, thereby increasing absorption. 

The Target partnership comes as Cymbiotika has hit $200 million in sales over the last 12 months, and the supplement sector is scorching. It’s grown between 6% and 15% each year over the past seven years. Started in January 2019, the brand achieved a whopping $3 million in sales in its first 90 days and has seen its sales surge 106% over the past year. Cymbiotika made its retail debut at select Sprouts Farmers Market locations last spring. 

“At Target, we’re always looking for ways to make wellness more accessible and inspiring for our guests,” says Amanda Nusz, SVP of merchandising, essentials and beauty at Target, in a statement. “The launch of Cymbiotika brings an innovative, science-backed brand into our assortment, offering guests high-quality supplements in convenient formats they can trust. We’re excited to introduce Cymbiotika to Target stores nationwide and Target.com, giving guests even more ways to support their everyday health.”

One of Cymbiotika’s first products was Shilajit, a mineral-rich natural resin that supports energy levels, brain health and muscle recovery. The tar-like superfood isn’t exactly a sugar-filled gummy, but Cymbiotika’s early consumers didn’t mind. When the brand surveyed customers in March 2019 about what was most important to them, taste didn’t even make their top three priorities. “Hardcore folks just want it to work,” says Cymbiotika CEO and co-founder Shahab Elmi.

However, as Cymbiotika’s customer base expanded, taste became a leading priority—and it’s certainly a draw for Target shoppers. Other critical draws are affordability and convenience. Cymbiotika didn’t simply create watered-down versions of its supplements for Target. Instead, it infused functional ingredients to boost taste and results. For the Shilajit Liquid Complex at Target, for example, organic cacao and honey have been added.

Cymbiotika historically sells 28-count boxes of its supplements for $62 to $88, too steep a price for the Target supplement shopper. The reduced count allowed the brand to reduce the price for its Target launch. Ultimately, Elmi would like to get 30-count boxes on shelf at Target so the chain is not just a discovery play for Cymbiotika. He says, “Rather than just driving traffic back to our site, which—we’ll take the halo effect, we’ve seen it from other retailers—my preference as we start to scale to mass retail is that we are good partners and we add value propositions back in.” 

Cymbiotika has nine product launches planned for 2025, including a natural menopause support supplement inspired by Durana Elmi, Shahab Elmi’s wife and his co-founder at Cymbiotika. The brand is in the process of completing clinical testing for the entire range. 

Elmi reveals Cymbiotika has just raised $20 million in a funding round from several recognizable names. The serial entrepreneur had raised institutional funding at his previous startups such as customizable phone cases company Day Group, but sidestepped the formal institutional process for Cymbiotika. He envisions the brand securing private equity funding next year to fuel further expansion at mass-market retail, a channel that can be lucrative, but is cash intensive, with a protracted timeline for accounts receivable. 

Whole Foods, Costco and Walmart are on Cymbiotika’s vision board for future retail partnerships. As the brand builds its stockist list, Elmi admits, “It’s going to cost a lot of money. In DTC, we’ve got a product in the warehouse, it’s out within a week and then the money comes right into our account. Retail doesn’t work that way. It’s a lot of cash that’s going to be held in the next 18 months. The cash from this round will help.”