5HT #118: why the recovery industry is overhyped, GLP-1 related hair loss, and 3 more

Nike and Hyperice just announced the Air Zoom Hyperslide, a $249 sandal with a pod in the strap that heats to 117°F and vibrates. The internet is into it.

And then there’s me: 

Look, I’ve used the $799 Hyperboot, its predecessor. It’s a cool experience. But totally unnecessary for me… and basically everyone? 🤷 If you’re into it, fine! But my problem isn’t the “slide,” it’s the business model. 

Normatec’s own origin story makes my case: the tech was invented by Dr. Laura Jacobs, a physician and bioengineer, to treat lymphedema in post-mastectomy breast cancer patients. Her son, Gilad Jacobs, then adapted and commercialized it for athletic recovery, including NBA partnerships. Hyperice bought the company in 2020. Entrepreneur told the story under the headline, “How One Company Transformed a Medical Device into a Mass Market Phenomenon.” Cancer patients, then LeBron, then normies on the couch. 

Each step down the ladder, the need gets thinner… but the market (and marketing!) gets bigger.

Maybe I’m being too cynical and skeptical here, but “recovery” is such a fantastic category to sell into. It’s unfalsifiable… just like the popular peptide BPC-157! (Too soon?) If your running shoes are bad, you find out because your shins tell you. If a $249 recovery slide does nothing at all, how would you ever know? You just… don't get sore, which you weren't going to anyway because you did a 25-minute Peloton class and not an Ironman. There's no feedback loop, no way to feel ripped off, and no reason to return it. It's maybe the highest-margin, lowest-accountability product in health.

Basically, I’m of the opinion that most “recovery” tools are unnecessary for 99.99% of people. If you’re like Virgil van Dijk (one of the athletes in their marketing) and play 50+ matches a season, then maybe you need something like this (though wouldn’t you get something bigger/better?). 

But most people buying this aren’t recovering from anything. They’re buying the identity of someone who trains hard enough to need it.

I guess since you can’t sell sleep (or food or walking, stuff we know really moves the needle) at 80% margins, it makes sense the industry’s selling you the thing you can buy instead of the thing you’d have to do. To me, these are like the equivalent of taking a bubble bath—nice to do and feels good but clearly not “science.” 

And yes, I feel the same way about vibration plates 😠 and cold plunges 😬 (which make sense for an extreme athlete, but there’s just not solid evidence they meaningfully improve physical recovery for the average person… as fun as they are).

To be fair, I have tried a ton of recovery tools. I’m a big Theragun believer, use the Theraback regularly, and try to get deep-tissue work at AustinDeep monthly. I mostly do these things for back care and prevention. I think all of it can be part of a healthy lifestyle, but shelling out $249 for a slip-on shoe that’s a little warm? C’mon 🙄. 

Selling aspiration isn’t a crime. Nike sold Jordans to people who can’t dunk for four decades, and I’m not mad about it. I think Nike is dope and their “everyone can be an athlete” stance is genuinely inspiring (and great marketing, too). But a basketball shoe doesn’t claim to treat you.

Bottom line: If you want the slides because they look cool, go for it. But this collab is basically a “high-tech” example of wellness washing, and we’re only going to see more of it. “Protein” on a bag of chips. “Natural” on a cleaning spray. “Recovery” on a sandal. For builders, pick a side of the line. Sell the feeling honestly or make the health claim and be ready to back it. (And definitely, actually, please for all that is good actually sell the thing you’re claiming is in your product.)

Speaking of, Timeline (disclosure: previous 5HT sponsor, and I take their product every night) just won a permanent injunction and $5.3M in damages against 19 online sellers hawking supplements labeled as Urolithin A, their champion ingredient. 

Independent lab testing found some had far less than advertised. Others had none at all! The complaint also alleged fake third-party-testing claims, phony addresses, and undisclosed fillers. (Worth mentioning this ended up being default judgments because the 19 defendants simply… never showed up, awkward 🐢.)

Chasing a swarm of drop-ship knock-offs is slow, expensive, and mostly thankless, but Timeline did it anyway. 👏And more brands should (!) because the copycat problem is genuinely unreal—and Amazon is its epicenter. 

SuppCo's lab testing found 4 of 6 best-selling creatine gummies on Amazon contained virtually no creatine… and those four moved 50Kish units in a single month, carrying 4.4+ star ratings 😳. Across their testing, roughly half of top-selling supplements didn't contain what the label promised.

So if you’re considering a new supplement (check out my protocol for ideas, just saying 🙃), check it on SuppCo (just acquired by Function) or buy brands with real third-party certification. Think NSF Certified for Sport, USP Verified, etc. 

Point is: Don’t take star ratings 🌟 as evidence, please.

A new study potentially linking GLP-1s to hair loss has been making the rounds. 

I don’t personally find this study that compelling (it was comparing GLP-1 drugs against other commonly used drugs in people with diabetes), but we know weight loss can cause hair loss (weight loss is stressful on the body in all kinds of ways!) and that’s worth paying attention to. Because, hey, a side effect of one of the world’s most popular drugs everrr is a huge business opportunity!

Prescription and OTC drugs can now successfully stop hair loss and regrow hair in a majority of people. I genuinely think entrepreneurs are underinvesting in solving for the downstream effect of GLP-1s.

If I were building in this space, I’d aggressively think about how to help people pair GLP-1s (I think there’s a very real world soon where the vast majority of people are on them) with preventative solutions—and hair care is just one example.

Loooots on CPG this week, so here’s more. Any health builder will tell you the same thing: building in health is not easy. And most 5HTers know I’ve been building my first CPG brand, Fixie Dust, for a while now.  

If you’re new here, Fixie Dust is like a grown-up Pixy Stix—for your brain, and I first shared it with readers last August. Back then I thought we’d launch that fall 😂. Little did I know major challenges with packaging size and the difficulty of creating something new that went right into your mouth (versus just dissolving in water) would eventually send us back to the drawing board to reformulate.

Was it the work of mischievous pixies 🧚 orrr just the slog of CPG development? Who knows! 🤷 But I didn’t get into this business to cut corners, and I can now without a doubt say I’m proud of the product we’ll be shipping.

Because, yes, Fixie Dust is coming!! We officially launch DTC this fall—a whole year later than planned 😅—with a soft launch at Founderland in October and preorders opening very (very) soon.

All that’s left is finalizing the packaging, and it’s finally starting to feel real 🥹. Here’s a sneak peek at our 30-count boxes, courtesy of our Healthyish Content designer, Kim D.

Point is: Building in health is not easy, but we do it anyway. (Annnd it’s a little easier when you have a focus powder to dust the fog away 😉.)

Fiber is having a moment… and I’m actually all about it. Fiber has always been my favorite macronutrient, and I’m glad everyone else is catching up to the science! 

Plus, it is genuinely tough to get enough every day (though I wrote about some ways to add it to your diet naturally here). I’ve tried all the products, and my favorite right now is Momentous Fiber+. (Note: not sponsored.)

I switched from Supergut's GLP-1 Daily Support to Fiber+ back in March, annnd I haven’t looked back. I like how it combines three fiber types: soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, and prebiotic resistant starch. This 3-in-1 combo does more than promote digestive comfort (but it does not not do that). It also helps build a more resilient microbiome and supports the important gut-brain axis (yep, it’s real!). 

I mix two scoops of the Unflavored version (though they have Cinnamon, too—just know it doesn’t taste right with berries) for 6g of additional fiber in my afternoon smoothie. If you’re also looking to add more fiber to your diet, I’m a genuinely big fan of this one. 

Plus, 5HTers get $$$ off using this link 👍.

Most clicked last week: This must-read story on endometriosis.

👋 Who are you again? I’m Derek Flanzraich, and I’m in the business of healthyish. I founded two venture-backed startups–Greatist (👍) and Ness (👎)—and helped dozens of brands you know grow including Ro, GoodRx, Midi, BetterHelp, and LMNT. I now run Healthyish Content, plus a few other healthyish things (like Fixie Dust, launching this fall).

Every Thursday, I share what’s hot, what’s not, and what’s next in consumer health. (Disclosure: I invest in and advise companies in this space—when I cover one, I'll say so.) I sometimes add affiliate links, but they influence my picks zero.

See something smart, strange, or seriously overhyped? Hit reply, I respond to every email.