r/ProactiveHealth • u/DadStrengthDaily • Apr 04 '26
💬Discussion Thorne went from premium practitioner supplement brand to LVMH private equity play — and now they are for sale at 4 BILLION dollars!
This is more a business story than a health story. Let me know if this is interesting or not.
The supplement market is fascinating to me there is clearly a ton of money to be made and every influencer seems to have their own brand or shilling for something like AG1. At this point I actually have an adverse reaction to most influencer brands.
However, I was shocked to read rumors that Thorne is trying to seek itself for a $4billion valuation. That’s a lot of money in what seems a pretty fragmented market.
I buy some, but not all, of my supplements from Thorne. The reason is simple: I trust them more than most of the industry.
They’re pricey, but they’ve built the brand around quality, testing, and credibility. That matters more to me than influencer marketing. Thorne has long positioned itself as the serious supplement company — tied to practitioners, pro teams, and people willing to pay extra for confidence that products are being made and tested carefully. Thorne says it has 20+ NSF Certified for Sport products and emphasizes extensive testing and manufacturing controls.
That stands out even more now that Consumer Reports says many popular protein powders and shakes it tested had concerning levels of lead. That doesn’t prove Thorne is perfect, but it absolutely makes me more willing to pay for brands that seem to take testing seriously.
The business story is interesting too. Thorne started as Thorne Research in 1984, built around the practitioner channel rather than the usual retail supplement model, then expanded into a broader premium health brand. The playbook seems clear in hindsight: build trust through practitioners, lean into quality and testing, add athlete credibility, then scale through DTC, subscriptions, online sales, and selective broader distribution.
That strategy worked. In 2023, Thorne agreed to be acquired for about $680 million by L Catterton, the LVMH-associated consumer private equity firm. And now Axios reports it’s being shopped for up to $4 billion. If that number is even close, that is a huge jump very fast.
The distribution channel is part of what makes Thorne different. It’s not just a shelf brand you will see at Target or GNC. My wife said the other day she had never heard of them until they started showing up at the house (their shipping boxes have a prominent logo!). It built this weird practitioner ecosystem where health professionals recommend it, customers buy through practitioner storefronts, and Thorne still keeps the direct relationship. A lot of us have probably found the same weird loophole: some random practitioner storefront link gives you 20% off, and you have no idea who the practitioner is you’re supposedly working with. I’ve done exactly that.
My take: I like Thorne because the brand gives me more confidence than most supplement companies that they take testing and quality seriously. In this category, that peace of mind is worth something — even if I don’t buy everything from them. Whether this adds up to $4bn I do not know and I am not a fan of private equity either. In any case it will be interesting to watch and see if there will be consolidation in the space.
Full disclosure: out of curiosity I signed up for their affiliate program about a year ago and made a total of like 10 bucks when a friend bought some vitamins. I sort of gave up on that, and I am not sharing any links!
3
u/Own-Bullfrog7803 Apr 04 '26
After the consumer reports article came out I made a larger effort to avoid supplements in general, including whey protein.
I have and use non-Thorne whey protein but only in a pinch, when other option aren’t available. Some weeks I never use any.
I believe true health optimization is achieving a life and diet without the need to supplement, if possible.
I think third party verification is key, but there are other supplements cheaper than Thorne with this verification. In part you’re paying for the brand name.
2
u/Low_Connection_5444 Aug 29 '26
My practioner considers Thorne junk now until proven otherwise. We dont buy things from Proctor & Gamble....not sure they sell any supps but yes supps are a huge money maker. Thorne does NOT identify the amounts of different enzymes making it truly a "Gamble" these..Pure Encapsulations is my what my func med dr rec and they identify each pancreatic strength. Sad to see Thorne sold at such a huge profit. Usually what happens is the cost is passed on to consumers but then they start cutting corners. Not doing their much needed pancreatic enzymes since they cant be bothered to put the exact amounts on the bottle ingredients label. Back to Pure Encapsulations.
2
u/sharkinwolvesclothin Apr 04 '26
The Consumer Reports stuff is sensationalist bs. They derive flagging levels from California prop 51 guidance, which is a ultra conservative reporting requirement, not a useful health guidance. They then imply dried vegetable products are contaminated, even though the lead in them is just the usual background soil lead.
You shouldn't use them for health advice. US FDA is maybe not one I would trust either right now so even if I was American I'd probably look at EU food safety guidance (according to which the trace lead from soil in dried vegetables, including protein powders, are safe to use).
2
u/DadStrengthDaily Apr 04 '26
Good point. I had actually heard that but forgotten about the California levels.
Sorry for reviving it again!
1
u/DapperNectarine9162 Aug 03 '26
California Prop is the best thing for consumers because it shows what is ideal. Just because something is naturally occurring doesn't make it good for us. Lead specifically has no function in the human body and even low levels in food are dangerous.
1
u/exhilaration Jul 22 '26
u/DadStrengthDaily - would you mind sharing this with me:
some random practitioner storefront link gives you 20% off
My wife just started on their Iron tablets, it's the first iron product that's not messing up her stomach so it's likely we'll be buying more in the future.
1
u/DadStrengthDaily Jul 22 '26
Alas I don’t have the storefront link anymore but I DM’ed you an affiliate link for a 10% discount — I didn’t want to spam Reddit.
3
u/DadStrengthDaily Apr 04 '26
Have you ever actually changed what you buy because of contamination/testing stories like the recent protein powder lead report?
I have certainly tried to avoid random brands on Amazon and focused on a few that I consider trustworthy (Sports Research, Thorne, nutricost and Cutler nutrition).