Similar to the beauty industry, trying to navigate the wellness world can be a slippery slope. There’s not one capsule, powder, or tincture that isn’t strategically marketed to make it seem rather miraculous. (Trust me—I’ve heard every kind of claim!) And as someone who is pitched at least 100 new health and beauty products weekly due to my job, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a new wellness product that doesn’t tell me—explicitly or inexplicitly—that it will make me look and feel better with fairy godmother-esque speed. Which (sorry, not sorry) is pretty bogus.
Years ago, back when Instagram influencing was still new and exciting, I found myself in an insane predicament where I was simply buying every type of wellness aid because someone I looked up to said I should or preached its wonders to their legions of followers. Well, it worked! I 100% fell for it only to end up with literally dozens of supplements in my pantry that didn’t do much of anything aside from burning a serious hole in my bank account.
These days, I’m less easily influenced, I do a heck of a lot of research before trying new wellness formulas, and I am keenly aware of just how specialized and picky our bodies are. Finding the best wellness protocol is highly subjective depending on your genetics, likes, dislikes, goals, the time of the month, any medications you’re on… The list goes on and on. Additionally, it’s always best to consult with your doctor before adding anything new to your routine, and just because one person says something works wonders for them (myself included!) doesn’t automatically guarantee it will have the same effect for you.
That being said, I do think there are some really stellar, high-quality supplements on the market right now, and as a self-proclaimed wellness-obsessed beauty editor, I have tried my fair share of formulas over the years. (Many of which have some handy beauty-centric perks to boot!)
Here, I’m sharing the products I truly love, use, and recommend to my closest friends and family members. Take from this what you will, but below, I’m sharing 18 wellness and beauty hybrid products that have had a positive, noticeable impact on my well-being inside and out. Keep scrolling!
One of the ways I can tell if a new supplement is really working for me is what happens when I stop taking it. Such was the case when I ran out of my first jar of Moon Juice’s SuperBeauty capsules. Each little pill is chock-full of potent antioxidants (like glutathione, astaxanthin, plus vitamins C and E) all of which work at a cellular level to keep skin looking healthy, plump, and glowy. Now, I make sure to reorder my next batch before I run out.
This omega-rich oil from The Beauty Chef is my favorite way to upgrade my daily smoothie with some extra health and beauty perks. It has a subtle citrus-y/vanilla flavor to it which I love with my morning combo of frozen berries and banana, a date, coconut water, cinnamon, greens, a squeeze of lemon, peeled cucumber, and spirulina. (It’s Melissa Wood Health’s smoothie recipe, and I’m hooked!) If you’re working on trying to get a balanced source of healthy fats into your diet, a teaspoon of this each day makes it super easy and is a nice alternative if you’re vegan or if huge fish oil pills aren’t your jam.
I’m so obsessed with this stuff that I dedicated an entire review to it here. Essentially, it’s my favorite thing to blend up into my coffee each day, and when I’m extra good about incorporating it into my daily routine, I notice significant help in the bloating and *regularity* department. (If you catch my drift!) I notice a significant reduction in cravings that start to drive me wild around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. (anyone else?), and the fact that it makes anything you add it to taste like a chocolate dream scores it even more brownie points in my book.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I go wild for anything and everything Sakara. Everyone is different, but my body just seems to respond exceedingly well to its products and nutrition philosophy. It’s so hard to choose favorites, but if you’re looking to strategically supplement your water, I highly recommend this fan-favorite duo from the brand. I do the Beauty Drops in the morning (they add healthy minerals which are normally stripped from our water back in!), and then I add the Detox Drops (which brim with gut-healing, antioxidant-rich chlorophyll) at night. Both take a little getting used to in the taste department, but the pros outweigh the cons if you ask me!
I’ll be 100% honest: I haven’t noticed any significant changes in my skin when I take these, but in my eyes, there’s no better way to get a daily chocolate fix than a poppable, pyramid-shaped treat lovingly infused with raw dark cacao, and plant-based ceramides that might just give your skin an extra twinkle.
I’m so picky when it comes to protein bars, and these three from Sakara are pretty much the only ones I like to eat anymore. All three taste amazing—I especially love the Detox ones. They’re made with real, recognizable ingredients, they’re vegan and gluten-free (if that’s important for you!), and they give me a noticeable dose of clean-burning energy without all the bloat and fatigue-causing additives I’ve noticed from other popular bars on the market. Besides, what’s a better pick-me-up than eating a bright-blue or hot-pink snack in the middle of the day?
Lack of sleep is the bane of my existence and luckily for you, I’ve found some really epic supplements in the past year that have way transformed not only my ability to fall asleep, but to stay asleep. These handy packets especially help with the former. If you’re the type of person who has trouble falling asleep due to anxiety, frantic thoughts, or just a brain that didn’t get the hint that it’s time to get the heck to bed, Ned’s Mëllo Magnesium packets are definitely worth a shot. The powder easily mixes into cold water, and the strategic mix of chelated magnesium, L-theanine, GABA, and over 70 trace minerals will help support a less-stressed mindset before you hit the hay. I love the Lavenderberry flavor, but they also have Naked (aka plain) if that’s more your style.
ICYMI, CBN is the best thing to ever happen to my sleep quality. It’s one of the only ingredients I’ve true that helps me stay asleep the whole dang night, and while I have a few favorite CBN products on the market, Sandland Sleep is the latest brand on my radar. Sandland Sleep has two unique formulas (both of which have that magical all-star, CBN) although one is formulated to really help you fall asleep, and one is more strategic for staying asleep. Because I already know you’re wondering—yes, you can safely combine both (just one of each, please) for a double punch of beauty sleep.
Yep, still talking about sleep over here. To be honest, I go back and forth with melatonin. I don’t always have luck with the ingredient as far as sleep goes, but the one option that has worked for me is these yummy mint-chocolate flavored chews from Goop. In addition to melatonin, each chew contains other dream-happy ingredients like vitamin B6 and tryptophan, both of which help support your body’s natural production of melatonin. They’re so good, it’s hard to stop at just one or two!
I struggle with my daily water intake, so anything that makes the act of sipping 64 or more ounces a day a little more fun is highly enticing for me. You might know In Fiore as one of the chicest fragrance brands in the biz, but I’m totally here for its first foray into wellness: tinctures! There are three different formulas: Lâche-Lymph, which supports healthy circulation and lymph function (this one is my fave!); Adapt’ Âscend, which features protective adaptogens to help offset the negative effects of stress; and Immun’ Attune, which is relatively self-explanatory but essentially gifts your immune system with a potent dose of immune boosters! Yes, they’re expensive, but they’re also impeccably high-quality and formulated by doctors using ethically sourced botanicals, vegan, and non-GMO ingredients.
Leave it to Olly to always give us a chuckle with its fun, sometimes-cheeky marketing. Usually, I get skeptical when something is overly cute or peppy, but I do happen to really love Olly’s range of supplements, and this latest release, in particular! Unlike lots of probiotics on the market, these handy capsules are specially made for women and utilize key bacteria strains to keep your vag happy, healthy, and balanced in the pH department.
I love Hum, and I’m pretty sure I use and rotate at least half of its offerings depending on what my body needs. And just when I was still freaking out over how great its new Calm gummies are, the brand launched the clean, vegan, gut-friendly protein powder of my dreams. (Seriously, guys, I’ve been manifesting this one for years!) So many protein powders make me bloat and give me digestive issues, and even though why and dairy formulas are the worst offenders for me, lots of vegan formulas give me issues as well. Not Hum’s! Delicious, perfectly vanilla-y, and smartly formulated to make you feel good, not gurgly, this is the only protein powder I’ll be using from here on out, thank you very much! Each serving has 20 grams of plant-based protein from high-quality sources like pea, hemp, and pumpkin seed, and the extra hit of flaxseed, enzymes, and probiotics help ensure healthy and proper digestion.
I swear, Lord Jones’s old-fashioned CBD gumdrops are the best pick-me-up. Personally, I like to pop one at the end of a long day or when my brain and mood starts to hit a wall around 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., and the quality, texture, and taste really can’t be beaten as far as gummies go. In my opinion, this new White Peach flavor is the best of all time.
I’ve tried to jump aboard the dry-brushing train too many times to count, but until I got my hands on this new brush from Pursoma, I just couldn’t stick with the practice. I have super-sensitive skin, and most brushes are just too harsh and aggressive. This model uses ethically harvested jute to slough off dead skin cells that can impede your glow all while revving up healthy circulation and lymphatic drainage.
Okay, I’ll admit that I was heavily influenced to order these capsules after I saw a handful of people I follow on Instagram swear by their magical de-bloating powers. I was skeptical, but all I can say is Wow. I eat a pretty clean diet with lots of vegetables, but sometimes all that fiber can leave my insides feeling stretched and not so fab. That said, if I swallow a few of these capsules from Arrae post-meal, it’s like it never even happened! Not that there’s anything wrong with bloat or that post-meal food baby (let’s normalize this, please!), but it doesn’t always feel good. Arrae’s strategic mix of herbs and fruit-based digestive enzymes works fast and offers so much relief. I’m hooked!
As I just mentioned, I’m pretty good about getting ample fiber through my diet, but hey, life (aka pizza and margs!) happens, and sometimes a little supplementation and clean-out action in the fiber department can be helpful. A lot of fiber-rich products wreak havoc on my digestive system causing bloat, sharp stomach pains, constipation, you name it, but these happy little capsules from Lo Bosworth’s brand, Love Wellness have the total opposite effect for me. I’m not big on swallowing pills, so I actually like to crack the capsules and dump the contents into my smoothie before I blend. When I’m consistent, I notice less bloat, more energy, and fewer cravings since fiber helps keep you feeling full and satiated.
I’m so excited that I can finally talk about the newest kid (or should I say kids?!) on the Prose Hair block. I’m a huge, huge fan of Prose’s uber-customized approach to haircare, so the fact that Prose just launched a personalized hair supplement system is very exciting. Meet Root Source: a plant-based, two-supplement per day system that is customized with natural, clinically proven ingredients to help your hair grow in two targeted steps. The first capsule is geared toward scalp health and your blend will feature key ingredients known to help rebalance your scalp’s homeostasis, curb excess oil, nourish dryness, calm sensitivity, and combat damaging effects of pollution and/or stress. The second capsule boasts the brand’s PureCatalyst™ proprietary blend which helps stimulate growth and reduce shedding. If you’re someone (like me) who can’t tolerate heavy doses of biotin—aka the majority of hair supplements on the market—you’ll love this.
As I just mentioned, biotin—the main ingredient in so many hair- and skin-focused supplements—just doesn’t mesh with my skin. In fact, it makes my face break out like crazy! So, when I’m looking for a little help in the glow department via supplements, I really have to do my research to find a high-quality formula that will deliver results sans biotin. Skin Discipline from ZitSticka is one of the best I’ve found. Instead of biotin which just might wreak havoc on your skin, this clinically proven group of ingredients will work in harmony to not only minimize breakouts, but to reduce surface-level inflammation, curb excess oil, and even regulate healthy skin-supporting bacteria. The key ingredients include zinc, probiotics, chromium, niacin, vitamin B6, selenium, pantothenic acid, copper, and omega-3s. Next: I Tried This Buzzy New Metabolism Powder for 20 days Straight—Prepare for TMI
