The women and doctors behind supplement brand Sisterly want you healthier, energised, with really great hair. They created a one-a-day you’ll actually stick with. Maria Neuman tried it …
Business strategists say the key to creating a successful product is to make something that is already missing from your own life. Just look the most profitable launches on the entrepreneur pitch-session show, Dragon’s Den, and the bestsellers are often seemingly mundane but necessary items like a portable office whiteboard (true story), gadgets and snacks.
When longtime friends Aoife Matthews, Jennifer O’Connell and Louise O’Riordan were on a Zoom call during Covid lockdown, each logging on from their respective homes in Madrid, Dublin and Los Angeles, the chat invariably turned to health. “I think it was a timing thing really,” says Jenny, who was a senior counsel at the time. “We all felt exhausted, and trying to figure out the different types of supplements we should all be taking to stay well and energised proved really challenging.”
For most of us, navigating the vitamin aisle can be equally daunting, with rows of supplements touting all sorts of claims, as well as of-the-moment ingredients that promise to cure everything from inflammation to insomnia. So the Sisterly women decided to create a supplement that would cut to the point of female-focused wellness, be easy-to-take, with no synthetic ingredients or fillers, and offer something different. “We created Sisterly for ourselves, our mums and our friends, and we always keep that as our North Star,” adds Aoife, whose nutrition and investment banking background have proved indispensable. “She’s the one who pores over our spreadsheets and keeping it all moving,” says Jenny.
Three years in the making, with insight from a myriad of doctors and nutritionists, as well as friends, family, and informal focus groups, the first box of single-serving powder sachets of The Elevator arrived (even the box is smart, designed to look chic and unobtrusive on a kitchen counter). “If this formulation was in tablet form, it would need to be eight different pills because it’s impossible to fit all these 24 nutrients into one capsule,” says Louise, a marketing strategist who used her network of wellness-focused Los Angelenos for insights. “I’m never going to take eight capsules. Taking a supplement successfully means making it a daily habit. In Los Angeles, I’d peer into friends’ cupboards, and they all had loads of bottles of vitamins they had just given up taking. The Elevator replaces a shelf-full of supplements for energy, immunity and hormone balance.”
Sisterly is founded on data-backed science. The women settled on the down-to-earth nature and exhaustive knowledge of Dr Daniel Jones, BSC PHD, who they appointed scientific expert at Sisterly. “I was raised by two moms so I’m very familiar with the female energy,” smiles Jones, who had a previous background in creating his own line of powder supplements. “The idea of Sisterly really resonated with me: my only requirement was that it be different, better, break the mould, and raise the bar.” Dr Jones adds that powders are the optimal way for a body to absorb supplements as they are easier to digest and, unlike a pill, can’t make it too far into the stomach where oftentimes well-intentioned ingredients disappear.
What was created was a daily supplement that was going to fill the basic supplement needs of all women, addressing the most common nutrition deficiencies, and promising the benefits we all hope for (the most common complaint among women is, hands-down, lack of energy). “If I had to pick one nutrient to take with me on a desert island, it would be CoEnzymeQ10, I think of it as the mother of the body,” says Dr Jones, of the vitamin-like molecule present in our cellular membranes that helps to regulate metabolism, blood sugar, heart health, and energy levels. “It’s naturally found in high-energy protein sources, but to get the recommended daily amount of 150mg included in The Elevator, you’d have to eat five rotisserie chickens,” says Dr Jones, who succinctly sums up the need for a daily vitamin boost, even if your diet is well-rounded and clean.
His other key players are the B complex vitamins, which aid immunity and hormone balance, as well as magnesium, which is necessary for muscle recovery, cell function, and sleep. Of course, the key to all these benefits is consistency, and Dr Jones advises sticking to The Elevator for at least three months because “that’s the time it takes to penetrate the tissues, and complete cellular turnover.”
Aoife, Jenny, and Louise agree, adding that women noticed improved energy at the end of month one. Sleep was another benefit that new clients often mentioned. “That’s the magnesium – 70 per cent of post-menopausal women are deficient in it,” adds Aoife. Dr Jones also mentions the noticeable uptick in increased cognition and memory (we did notice a decrease in our frantic morning search for keys, phone, etc.) as well the “beauty benefits” that come with a consistent three-month regime, such as better skin, stronger nails and hair (thanks to biotin and riboflavin).
While supplements aren’t going to be the cure-all for everything that ails you, Dr Jones suggests we think of them to optimise our bodies, to feel your best at any time of life. “We also like to think of it along the same lines as creating a capsule wardrobe,” adds Louise. “Get your essentials, but make them better.” The Elevator is at Brown Thomas and at www.sisterlylab.com. A month’s supply costs from €94.40 online.