In the forever war against fatigue, dehydration and the general malaise of hangovers, the rules of engagement are starting to change.
In some ways, that’s to be expected: though products have touted general “recovery” for decades with varying degrees of specificity, there are no defined parameters in the way that exist for other beverage categories. Pedialyte’s organic evolution over the years from medicinal children’s beverage to a hangover-beating sports drink for adults exemplifies a space that has been tough to pin down, potentially spanning from powder hydration mixes to coconut water to function-specific products like Morning Recovery, PartyAID and Magic Bullet.
As those borders continue to blur, we caught up with four young brands that are refining their approach to the hangover recovery space with different approaches and growth strategies.
Zbiotics: Leading with Science
For shot brand Zbiotics, defeating hangovers has never been the ultimate goal. Sold in 1.5ml bottles, the company produces a drink containing B. subtilis ZB183, a genetically engineered and patented probiotic strain that facilitates the body in breaking down acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol. But its true value lies in its technology and patents rather than the brand or even the product itself. According to founder Zack Abbott, Ph.D., the company can “program” any kind of biological function into a probiotic bacteria. In other words, there’s a lot more going on than just helping people to rebound from a rough night.
“We see this as a very exciting proof of concept that we can do something very specific using genetic engineering and the consumer can have a direct benefit that they can point to,” Abbott said. “That was a great place to start but by no means was that meant to be the purpose of the company.”
Rather than leading with lifestyle-based branding or flashy packaging, Zbiotics is leaning hard into its scientific credentials: for those so inclined to review, the company has a detailed breakdown of its methodology and process on its website (they used homologous recombination, for those keeping score at home). Creating its own brand of shots, rather than immediately looking to license the technology, was the company’s way to directly engage and explain the novel aspects of its probiotic-based platform to consumers, Abbott said. The product is sold direct-to-consumer in 3-packs ($36), 6-packs ($60) and 12-packs ($108).
Yet as a scientist, stepping back from the biochemistry and honing in on what consumers want and expect has been challenging, he admits. In keeping with a theme of wellness and productivity, Zbiotics has avoided using “hangover” on its package or marketing materials, instead looking to highlight “what kind of behaviors (consumers) want the next day.” That positioning has helped the brand fit with aspirational callouts to fitness and achievement, and also steer it towards a slightly older audience.
Zbiotics has already earned one notable backer in PepsiCo, which selected the brand to participate in the fifth edition of its annual Greenhouse Accelerator program recognizing companies in the fields of emerging science and technology. Each company will receive $20,000 in grant funding and participate in a six-month business development and mentorship program; at its conclusion, one will be awarded an additional $100,000 in funding and with the opportunity to continue working with PepsiCo. Teasing the further applications of the company’s technology, Abbott said that Zbiotics’ work with Greenhouse will be mainly centered around a new functional product, the details of which he didn’t share besides that it will not be directly tied to hangover recovery. B. subtilis ZB183 and other genetically engineered probiotic strains can be used in powders as well, providing another pathway towards innovation.
“It’s a second use case to demonstrate the breadth of the technology that we’ve developed,” Abbott said. “The patent that we just got granted is in part covering the specifics of our first product, it also covers the platform genetic technology that we’ve developed to build lots of products. This second product is showing what we can do with it.”
BrightFox: Night & Day
While skirting any explicit callouts towards hangover recovery on the bottle itself, electrolyte drink BrightFox’s positioning as a “nightlife hydration beverage for a brighter tomorrow” didn’t exactly try to hide the fact either. Launched in 2019, the product was initially offered to on-premise and hospitality channels, giving nightclubs and bars a sleeker and sexier — under UV lighting, the 10.1 oz. aluminum bottles glow in the dark — hydration (or mixer) option for patrons partying late into the night and early morning.
Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers still found ways to party — they just did it from home. With nightlife and on-premise channels effectively on hold due to the pandemic, BrightFox has made subtle tweaks to its messaging to position the product as a viable solution for a broader range of hydration occasions and retail channels. In recent months, the brand quietly dropped the “nightlife” reference from its bottles in favor of “high electrolyte” beverage, along with reformulating the liquid to remove preservatives.
“It’s impossible to be a nightlife brand in the wellness space, but we can be a wellness brand in the nightlife space,” he said. “We will always continue to hit on and build rituals of consumption in hospitality, on premise. But now, we’ve gone into a much more aggressive track in building our wellness credentials.”
That’s not to say the brand hasn’t found traction in high-income markets like New York and Miami. According to Sabry, at venue The Brooklyn Mirage in New York City, 70% of BrightFox sales from the general audience (excluding table service) came in the form of standalone bottles, with 25-30% coming from use as a mixer. But the pandemic increased the urgency to move outside on-premise and secure a presence in natural retailers and other channels, such as at boutique gyms and hotels, where it will compete more broadly with sports drinks, coconut water and other types of hydration drinks.
To support that expansion, the company partnered with beverage accelerator LA Libations in January to enter its So Cal Incubation Program (SIP), with an initial focus on driving BrightFox’s sparkling drinks through independent retail, regional grocery and convenience channels. Internally, the company has created separate divisions for its marketing team focusing on “Nightlife and Fashion” and “Premium Fitness and Wellness” to help nurture growth in both segments.
Though fighting hangovers has never been its chief target, the company’s innovation pipeline is likely to take it even further in the other direction: Erik cited innovation opportunities as coming from “biohacking” drinks that can be tailored to specific blood types or used for post-surgery recovery.
“The consumer even in the nightlife setting is becoming a lot more health conscious in what mixers they are choosing or looking for alternatives to alcohol altogether,” he said. “Whether its nightlife or hospitality or places like Equinox and the premium fitness centers, all of them have this great better-for-you, better-for-me, better-for-the-environment approach, and I think that’s where BrightFox fits really well.”
Iluna: Focus on Natural
As the founder of natural hangover recovery supplement Iluna, Chaho Song sees a direct parallel between his previous career in the cannabis industry and his brand, but not in the sense of recreational intoxication. Whether it’s alcohol or cannabinoids, consumers are becoming more aware and discerning about how individual decisions can influence overall wellness, and that not all products are the same beneath the surface.
“The reason we are different is we don’t rely on the excessive amount of vitamins, DHM (dihydromyricetin) or electrolytes,” said Song. Similar to how the effects of CBD are enhanced when complemented by the presence of other cannabinoids, the 14 medicinal herbs in Iluna are designed to work in concert to produce specific benefits. The brand concept was inspired by Song’s father and grandfather, both of whom operated Eastern medicine clinics, while his brother, who currently practices, helped develop the formula itself.
Though it uses the same single-serve stick format as powdered drinks like Cure and Liquid I.V., Iluna is not meant to be mixed with water; in fact, it’s not a powder at all. True to the focus on efficacy and purity, each stick is filled with pebble-sized pieces of the herbal blend, coated with honey for sweetness and with no added preservatives, which are designed to be swallowed with water.
“If you are drinking an excessive amount of vitamin D, why take a shot? Why not just take a vitamin?,” he asked. As for DHM — a compound found in the fruit of Japanese raisin trees that is a featured ingredient in hangover recovery products like Morning Recovery and The Plug — Song noted that while some studies indicate it can be effective in counteracting alcohol-related fatigue, it still needs to be enhanced with other ingredients.
For a startup brand still building its name in a vaguely defined space, finding a place at retail can be difficult — to say nothing of the added complications brought on by the pandemic. Without the ability to reach bars and nightlife venues, Song said that Iluna has had to “be bold” as it tries to create awareness, including by keeping an explicit reference to “hangover” on the package. But the 14 herbs and botanicals in the product also have other purported functional benefits that the site details, ranging from boosting mood to easing muscle aches.
Song credited Morning Recovery as a “trailblazer” in introducing the concept to consumers, with his task now to make the case for why his holistic, herbal medicine-centric approach is a better one.
“Not everyone has to drink a lot to have a hangover,” he said. “We position ourselves that we want to help people enjoy more and worry less about hangovers.”
LiveLife: Expanding the Tent
Rather than a connection to recreation or nightlife, LiveLife’s story is an indication that the concept of hangover recovery — or, more invitingly, let’s say “responsible alcohol consumption” — has room to grow with consumers of all types.
The Florida-based company markets a line of powdered “alcohol protection mix” products intended to be consumed before drinking. But not long before launching LiveLife in early 2020, founder Robin Bent admitted she didn’t even know a “hangover recovery” category even existed. Having recently discovered an abnormality during a mammogram, Bent had been researching how health and nutrition factors can influence the risk of cancer when she learned that alcohol is classified as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization.
“No doctor had ever told me that alcohol was a carcinogen,” she said. “You know you shouldn’t drink too much and you know it’s not good for you, but a carcinogen? That word scared me.”
Working with her sister-in-law, a biochemist, Bent developed the product formula and bootstrapped the company’s launch online. While the product was foremost inspired by her personal needs, it quickly became apparent that other women were also seeking to recalibrate their drinking habits as their risk factors changed. Women are more likely to experience hangovers and suffer the negative side effects of alcohol, Bent said, but noted they are also likely to be overall more interested in addressing long-term health issues than men. As such, LiveLife’s early digital marketing, mostly in the form of videos on social media, has targeted women with messages around imbibing responsibly.
As with some other hangover products, LiveLife’s formula is centered around DHM and supplemented with botanical extracts, vitamins, electrolytes and other herbs. Bent noted that in addition to fighting hangovers DHM can also help reduce cravings, an incremental step towards a healthier relationship with alcohol.
“In our marketing we focus on the short term effects because there are a lot of people who, especially as you get older, really are sensitive to alcohol,” she said. “We want them to understand that this can mitigate long-term, but that’s a harder message.”
LiveLife is currently available online, with Amazon eyed as its next stop on the eventual route to retail stores. When it does arrive on shelves, Bent envisions it fitting into health and wellness sets at natural retailers like Whole Foods, rather than at liquor stores or at bars.