Issue No. 293: Cleaning Up
Powering private-label personalized lab testing.
Toxins are taking a toll.
Toxic Relationship
Chemicals and carcinogens are infiltrating our bodies.
- In the US, pesticides are present in 94% of water, 90% of fish, and 60% of wells.
- >95% of Americans have PFAs (aka forever chemicals) in their blood.
- 51% of American kids have traceable levels of lead in their bloodstream.
Inescapable, air pollution, chlorinated tap water, and microplastics have been linked to premature death and infertility.
Taking action where regulators won’t, concerned consumers are detoxifying their lifestyles — but avoiding harmful ingredients is almost impossible.
Contamination nation. On average, Americans’ personal care products contain 112 chemicals — including known carcinogens like formaldehyde, mercury, and benzene.
Meanwhile, Big Food uses titanium dioxide in frozen pizza, gum, and coffee creamer, while mass-produced baked goods have potassium bromate, linked to kidney damage.
Laissez-faire in all the wrong ways, the US and EU are worlds apart on safety.
- EU checks food additives before shelving; the FDA permits them until proven harmful.
- European countries have banned 1.3K suspect chemicals in cosmetics to the US’s 11.
- The US uses 85 herbicides outlawed by other countries, including glyphosate, found in 59% of the food system.
Since legal battles can be cheaper than reformulating, major companies fight change. Worse, others pretend to be cleaner than they are.
Coming Clean
Appeasing consumers, many brands claim to be toxin-free — but not all check out.
Natural beauty. “All-natural” and “chemical-free” are common callouts in beauty and skincare, despite there being no consensus on meaning.
Walking the talk, W3LL People was acquired in 2020, RMS Beauty in 2021, and ILIA in 2022.
While sunscreen makers Vacation and Supergoop defend their active ingredients, surfer Kelly Slater launched a sans sunblock claiming to enhance skin microbiome.
Staying active, OffCourt offers “functional” personal care for athletes, and Equinox locker rooms swapped Kiehl’s for clean Aussie label Grown Alchemist.
Clean eating. A minefield, even “healthy” foods have asterisks — with organic kale counting more PFAs than conventional and car tire additives leaching into lettuce.
Removing heavy metals from baby food, ByHeart and Jennifer Garner’s Once Upon A Farm have made certified ingredients central to operations.
Touting fewer pesticides, the government recently announced $40.5M in grants to support organic farmers.
Poison pills. With dyes, preservatives, and fillers in OTC drugs potentially making people sick, clean medicine is emerging.
J&J’s Genexa uses fruit for flavor, Jessica Biel’s KinderFarms certifies inactive ingredients, Wonderbelly reimagines antacids, and Beekeeper’s Naturals sells honey-derived alternatives.
Spiked supps. A massive category, only 11% of supplements have accurate labels.
Restoring trust, Ritual emphasizes ingredient traceability, while L Catterton acquired healthcare-trusted Thorne HealthTech for $600M.
Daily Detox
Hoping to undo damage, consumers spend big on detoxes.
Selling a clean slate, bookings for sauna, halotherapy, and toxin-flushing IV drips are surging. But their efficacy remains uncertain.
Takeaway: Not all chemicals or compounds are bad, but consumers aren’t willing to roll the dice. For brands, transparency is a must — and products with questionable ingredients are falling out of favor.
🎙 On the Podcast
The Athletic Clubs founder Dane McCarthy discusses community-first gyms.
Training in squads, members of NYC’s The Athletic Clubs meet twice weekly for a full-body workout and social fix — holding each other accountable while having fun in the process.
We also cover: creating community, optimizing for member retention, and scaling intentionally.
Listen to today’s episode here.
🏆 Youth sports boost mental health
Surveying 4K adults, researchers found those who played sports through age 18 were least depressed and anxious.
Quitters never win. But, dropping out led to worse outcomes than never playing at all, with experts concluding:
“It is not a simple story of playing sports is good for kids. It is complicated by whether kids stick to playing sports and the reasons why they do.”
High stakes. As youth leagues grow more professionalized, kids are having less fun — nearly half said lack of enjoyment drove them to quit.
Hands in. Redesigning the youth sports journey, new orgs hope to support kids holistically.
- Launched in March, Unrivaled Sports has acquired a portfolio of leagues and properties — from soccer to action sports.
- Partnering with adidas, Tonal, and Spanx, League One Volleyball is fostering the next generation of players.
- A content-led resource for parents, Youth Inc. secured $4.5M in May.
A delicate balance, programs should support kids’ dreams, but prepare them for the reality that the odds of going pro are ~2.5%.
Takeaway: Pro ambitions or not, making sure kids enjoy sports—and aren’t scarred by them—increases their likelihood of becoming physically and mentally healthy adults.
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🤝 LA Fitness parent acquires XSport chain
Fitness International acquired 35 XSport Fitness clubs across Illinois, New York, and Virginia.
Bulking up. With 700+ sites across 27 states and Canada, the company will renovate and rebrand the sites under its existing banners, which include LA Fitness, Esporta, and City Sports Club.
Inside the box. As brick-and-mortar fitness evolves, competitors are upping the member experience.
- Equinox and Life Time are leaning into longevity services.
- Fast-growing rival EōS Fitness is seeking $100M for growth.
- Crunch Fitness partnered with Break The Love for pickleball classes
Outside the box. Breaking from tradition, Fitness International’s boutique-in-a-box concept Club Studio—complete with recovery area and medspa—has 14 studios open or in development.
Takeaway: Health clubs are fundamentally changing, and LA Fitness is investing in new territories, facilities, and amenities to keep pace.
📰 News & Notes
- Wellness companies tout AI health coaches.
- Bandit launches free AI-powered marathon training app.
- January AI lends its digital twin tech to Mars for food R&D.
- WNBA, New Balance ink broadcast, digital, retail partnership.
- David Beckham co-founds wellness company with Prenetics.
- Technogym deploys AI innovations to support Paris Olympians.
- Health optimization platform Lifeforce quantifies holistic health.
- WHOOP integrates Withings’ smart scales, body composition tech.
- Freeletics rolls out Coach+ AI personal trainer replicating IRL sessions.
- Loud Rumor, SupaFitGrow partner to help fitness operators boost business.
- Samsung unveils Galaxy Ring, metabolic health and biological age features.
- Xplor Mariana Tek debuts gamified features for fitness and wellness studios.
- Hiring? Enlist Fitt’s network-driven recruiting firm to access exceptional talent in our inner circle.
💰 Money Moves
- AI-personalized supplement brand Bioniq raised $15M in a Series B round.
- Healthcare AI company Huma added $80M in a Series D round.
- Hybrid physical therapy practice Kins closed a $7M Series A round.
- Maternal mental healthcare startup Seven Starling secured $10.9M in a Series A round.
- LA Fitness parent Fitness International acquired 35 XSport Fitness health clubs across Illinois, New York, and Virginia.
- Bluegrass Fitness, an affiliate of Manna Capital Partners, acquired 18 Florida-based Orangetheory Fitness studios.
- ImmuneAGE Bio raised $2M for its drug discovery platform focused on immune system rejuvenation.
- Women’s health startup 3Daughters secured $4.7M in an oversubscribed seed round for its next-gen IUD.
- Outdoors-focused production company Steep Life Media acquired Oregon-based UltraRunning Magazine.
- Value-based cancer care company Thyme Care closed a $95M Series C round.
Today’s newsletter was brought to you by Anthony Vennare, Joe Vennare, Ryan Deer, and Jasmina Breen.