Longevity deal activity tripled between 2023 and 2024—and it’s not expected to slow.

“There has been a huge uptick in consumer interest and also awareness and knowledge in this space,” said Susan Lin, an investor at Felix Capital, a venture capital firm with Goop, Peloton and Allplants in its portfolio, during a panel discussion on longevity at Beauty Independent’s Dealmaker Summit in London last November in which she was joined by Federico Luna, CMO of Timeline, a supplement and skincare brand backed by L’Oréal VC fund BOLD, Sarah Power, GM of supplement brand Revive Collagen, and plastic surgeon Tunc Tiryaki. “What we’re also seeing is translating to consumers’ willingness to spend much more. From the venture perspective, it is a very broad market, and there are a lot of very credible, very thoughtful players.”

The concept of longevity has been around for centuries, but its messaging has shifted from fountain of youth promises to pledges of improved health, better cognitive function and longer lifespans. Brands within it are marketing that they deliver both mental and physical benefits with everything from preventative MRI scans to nootropic supplements. Luna argues that longevity isn’t just anti-aging, it’s an entirely unique category.

“We truly are entering a new era where I think it’s much more multifactorial,” he said. “All of these things are going to get connected, and I think it’s, on one hand, maybe a little overwhelming, but, on the other hand, pretty remarkable.’’

People Want Proof

Products that sound too remarkable in many cases are, and consumers today are looking for brands to prove their remarkable claims with clinical validation.  In a survey of consumers by management consultancy McKinsey & Co., 60% reported they want vitamins and supplements to have clinically proven efficacy versus 52% for beauty products.

“It needs to work,” said Lin, noting that the results of longevity-related products may take months to materialize, a challenge when consumers demand immediate effects. Confronting that challenge, she said products should “be in a format that’s convenient and accessible enough that people are repeating and engaging on a long-term basis.”

Timeline dedicated over 12 years to research before launching its key ingredient, Mitopure, which is a pure form of urolithin A. Urolithin A is a natural compound produced by gut microflora that enhances muscle function and reduces inflammation. At Timeline, Luna highlights the brand’s secret sauce is controlled clinical studies that show Mitopure helps people stay mobile. It may take the average consumer a while to perceive benefits from Timeline’s supplements, however, and that’s where its skincare comes in.

“Skincare, for us, has almost become the visual proof that the brand works,” said Luna. “Because the skincare products, unlike the muscle side, you actually see the difference very, very quickly. You see it within a few weeks.”

In addition to clinical studies, reviews are important to convey benefits. Power shared that Revive Collagen’s direct-to-consumer business has been driven by reviews and customers posting before-and-after images. Once the number of positive reviews reached thousands, the brand featured satisfied customers in its campaigns.

Longevity can be a hard idea to grasp, and products in the space, with a bewildering array of ingredients most consumers haven’t heard of, can be confusing. Brands approach the category from several angles to combat confusion. Timeline, for example, provides consultants to walk consumers through its supplements. “We help them understand, how does this compare to exercise?” said Luna. “We’re very intentional about that whole customer journey.”

At Manual, a health platform facilitating access to weight loss, diabetes, hair, erectile dysfunction and testosterone treatments, offers digital tools customers can use to track their progress and dedicated experts that they can connect with via phone, email or WhatsApp. Lin said, “Having things that are not just on the prescription side, but I think in products and content and also coaching that is bringing those interventions that we know do work to a much more easily accessible and affordable price point, that’s very exciting.”

Stores Must Educate 

Stores are a stage for brands that DTC distribution can’t be. At Revive Collagen, Power said, “It was always really important that the product could be picked up and touched and felt because the packaging of the product is luxury as well.” However, she emphasized that longevity and wellness, particularly in the United States, have been tricky to retail. She said, “The States are a little behind in terms of a wellness journey for a shopper.”

A British brand, Revive Collagen has partnered with the health and well-being chain Holland & Barrett in the United Kingdom. Power believes the difference between retailers doing wellness right and those doing it wrong is in-store education. She mentioned staff at Holland & Barrett have hours of mandatory training every week. She said, “These guys are potentially like mini nutritionists. When you walk through the doors, there isn’t an ingredient they don’t know or understand.”

But Power suggests the store staff not only must understand wellness and longevity ingredients and products, they must talk about them in a fashion customers understand—and that means following the beauty industry’s playbook. She said, “We’re talking about things that are going to help her hair, skin and nails. So, it’s about talking to the consumer in beauty terms rather than scaring them off.”

Along with terminology that’s hard to decipher, price can be a deterrent to consumers. Revive’s Enhanced Plus Collagen Supplement is $54.99 for a 14 day-supply, and Timeline’s Mitopure Softgels are $125 for a one-month supply. “There’s a great quote that is, ‘The future’s already here, it’s just unevenly distributed,'” said Lin.

Mitopure Softgels

Tiryaki foresees prices coming down in the future, though, and widening the reach of longevity goods. “You look at the price of probiotics 10 years ago, they’re very different today. I remind people it’s half the cost of a pumpkin latte at Starbucks,” he said. “I think longevity, with the right investors, with the right brands, with the right scale with the right retail partners, that’s absolutely where we could be maybe 10 years from now.”