As supplement content racks up billions of views on social media, a new AI tool promises to cut through the chaos. The #Supplements hashtag has amassed over 2.8 billion views on TikTok, with countless influencers showcasing morning routines featuring dozens of pills, powders, and potions.
Related tags like #SupplementRoutine have reached approximately 678 million views, making wellness one of the platform’s fastest-growing content categories. But as enthusiasts continue to empty their wallets on trending supplements, a familiar question looms: are they taking what they actually need, or just what’s popular?
Enter VerveSmart, an AI-powered tool launched today that aims to bring clarity to the increasingly chaotic world of supplementation. Created by Oliver Cookson, the entrepreneur who disrupted the protein industry when he founded Myprotein in 2004 (which he later sold for a reported £350 million), the system promises to deliver personalised supplement regimens based on individual health profiles.
MyProtein and Verve entrepreneur, Oliver Cookson, whose innovations continue to transform the nutrition sector.
“I’ve watched social media transform supplement culture,” Cookson told me during a demonstration of the tool. “As a result people might take combinations that make no sense for their specific needs, wasting money and potentially undermining their health goals.”
The timing couldn’t be more relevant. According to a 2023 Food Standards Agency report, approximately 46% of UK adults now take food supplements, with usage rates significantly higher among women (58%) and adults over 55 years (56%). Perhaps most tellingly, the same Mintel research revealed that 38% of supplement users take products without fully understanding their specific benefits.
VerveSmart attempts to solve this problem with a conversational interface that asks about your health goals, dietary habits, sleep patterns, and budget constraints. Cleverly, when the Verve tool builds your supplement stack, it offers bronze, silver and gold price options, called ‘Foundation’, ‘Maintenance’ and ‘Performance’.
Putting personalisation to the test
I put the tool to the test, inputting my details as a 28-year-old journalist with erratic sleep patterns, moderate exercise habits, and a somewhat restricted budget.
The recommendations were surprisingly nuanced – suggesting magnesium and Montmorency cherry for sleep quality rather than the valerian root I’d been ineffectively using, and explaining why my current vitamin D dosage might be inadequate for my specific lifestyle.
“Supplements aren’t one-size-fits-all,” explains Rosie Millen, nutritionist. “What works for your favourite fitness influencer might be wrong for you. VerveSmart creates regimens based on individual nutritional needs rather than trends.”
An example of the personalised supplement stack created by Verve Smart
The transparency aspect feels particularly timely amid growing skepticism about the “proprietary blends” that dominate the industry but don’t disclose their ingredients nor their dosages. VerveSmart explicitly details dosages and interactions, an approach that aligns with calls from health professionals for greater supplement scrutiny.
For Cookson, this launch represents more than just a new product – it’s a mission to bring order to an industry he helped transform.
“When I started Myprotein, protein supplements were niche products. Now supplementation has gone mainstream, but the guidance hasn’t kept pace. VerveSmart aims to change that.”
As wellness content continues dominating social media with the broader #Wellness hashtag exceeding 74 billion views on TikTok alone, tools that help consumers navigate the increasingly complex landscape may prove essential. Whether VerveSmart can deliver on its ambitious promises remains to be seen, but it certainly addresses a growing need for clarity in an industry that’s become anything but transparent.
VerveSmart is free to use and available now at VaVaVerve.com.
Verve’s line-up of hero products, supplement blends with full transparency about their ingredients and benefits.
