Tula founder Dr. Roshini Raj is back in the probiotic game.
On Thursday, Raj, a Harvard and New York University educated gastroenterologist, is launching a new brand, YayDay, with a Super Digestive Daily Supplement, $75 for a 30-day jar or $25 for seven single sachets. It is a powder that includes prebiotic fiber, digestive enzymes and magnesium to support healthy digestion and sleep.
Cofounders include Ouai chief executive officer Colin Walsh and his brother Ryan Lietaer, who owns London-based creative agency Accomplice and handled YayDay’s design and messaging.
“The piece that is not being addressed as much as it should is this gut-mind connection,” Raj said. “What I see most in terms of my patients where they’re suffering the most is both gut health, lack of fiber but also the mental piece of it.…Part of the cause and also where the solution lies is in our gut.”
With this in mind, the formula, which should be taken nightly, includes magnesium glycinate, which supports a restful sleep, addressing the mental health component. The ingredient has recently been trending, as it is the key to the “sleepy girl mocktail.” Furthermore, the formula includes fiber, which 90 percent of people are deficient in, according to Raj.
“That’s where YayDay is born. The idea is to help you have a solution,” said Walsh, who is also the brand’s CEO. “For us that boils down to, ‘Can you have a great night’s sleep?’ and ‘Can you have an amazing, productive morning movement?’ From that place, the world’s your oyster.”
In addition, the product, like the sleepy girl mocktail, is created to provide users with a nightly self care moment. Therefore, the flavor Sunset Citrus is a light lemon mixed with notes of chamomile and vanilla.
Similar to the mission behind YayDay, Raj also founded Tula back in 2014 with a focus around the gut-skin connection. Today, the P&G-owned brand, which is sold at Sephora and Ulta Beauty, has an array of probiotic-infused topicals and ingestibles to support a healthy skin microbiome.
“When we started in 2014, nobody was talking about probiotics and skin,” said Raj, who is still part of the brand. “It took a lot of education in the beginning. We’re starting now with gut-mind in the same way.”
For the brand, education looks like content, explaining how the product works and what the gut-mind connection is. Raj hinted at a podcast in the future as well.
Over the past several years the conversation around the microbiome has continued to trend, as beauty brands launched probiotic-rich skin care products and supplement brands developed new digestive health supports. The hashtag #microbiome alone has more than 206 million views on TikTok. Raj, who wrote a book about the subject titled “Gut Renovation,” expects the space to keep growing.
While the team said it is focused on this launch for now, expansion is on the horizon.
“This we see as the cornerstone of the beginning of that day,” said Walsh, adding future products will explore “all the different ways we may be able to support, encourage and sustain someone’s best day ever.”
The brand, which launches direct-to-consumer Thursday and will launch on Amazon soon, declined to share sales projections.
Source: WWD