This story is part of the GP100, our list of the 100 best new products of the year. Read the introduction to the series here, and stay tuned for more lists like it throughout the month.
The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly forced people across the world to focus, rather quickly, on their health. While countless brands created everyday face masks, we found a winner in 686’s Archetype design. Other companies launched products to support long-term health like Ritual’s multivitamins, Colgate’s smart toothbrush and Amazon’s fitness tracker. But it’s the brands that prioritize science-based products — like Elysium and Madefor — that are setting a new standard for the industry.
Elysium Matter
CourtesyServing Size: 2 pills per day
Ingredients: B-vitamin complex, omega-3 fatty acids, bilberry anthocyanins
Development Partner: University of Oxford
Price: $60 (per bottle)
Elysium Health’s newest supplement, Matter, targets the effects of aging in the brain. “We are beginning to see the benefits of decades of aging research translated into products that can help people support their health and wellness with methods that go beyond diet and exercise, but that still require a healthy lifestyle,” says Elysium CEO Eric Marcotulli.
Matter, which was developed in partnership with the University of Oxford, slows the atrophy in the brain that is associated with memory decline in older people. “Even healthy people lose up to twenty percent of their brain volume throughout their lifetimes — and this loss begins in our thirties,” Marcotulli says. “Matter contains a specific B-vitamin complex that was clinically proven and patented to slow grey-matter atrophy associated with memory decline in older people by up to eighty-six percent.”
CourtesyThe B-vitamin complex is enhanced by EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids that are up to four times more bioavailable than fish oil capsules. And, Matter also includes bilberry extract which provides strong antioxidant support, proven to support cognitive health.
Matter is certified for safety and quality and third-party tested during and after manufacturing. “We encourage people to be skeptical of everything they put in and on their bodies,” Marcotulli says. “And by setting new standards internally — through our commitments to human clinical research, third-party testing for purity and quality, and third-party seals like NSF for Sport certification and the Good Housekeeping seal for Innovation — we are working to establish new standards for the entire industry as well.
Read More
Madefor
CourtesyDuration: 10 months
Availability: U.S. only
Advisory Board: Stanford neuroscientist, UC Irvine psychiatrist, National Institutes of Health chronobiologist
Price: $95 (per month)
After being diagnosed with mild depression in 2017, Toms founder Blake Mycoskie sought out experts in the field of mental health to implement professional insights into his everyday life. “It worked so well I wanted to share this with others and help people bring their best to the world,” he says. So he founded wellness program Madefor to help people change habits to promote physical and mental wellbeing.
Madefor utilizes evidence-based research on neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to form new connections — to help people make practical changes in areas like gratitude, movement, clarity, breath and rest. The 10-month wellness program costs $95 per month or $750 as a one-time payment, and customers receive booklets and tools delivered monthly that focus on one specific theme. “By giving people the essential science, tools, steps and support, we help them make gradual but lasting positive shifts in their behaviors and mindset,” Mycoskie says.
CourtesyUnlike other app-based wellness programs, Madefor is completely analog: booklets of reading material come with an hourglass timer and other objects designed to engage the customer and form habits (for instance, a glass water bottle includes a beaded tracker to tally fluid consumption). And while many apps require subscriptions for continued use, Madefor gives people tools and techniques but doesn’t require a lifelong buy-in.
“Products have a role to play and can serve as accelerants to progressing towards one’s goals, but it’s important to never lose sight of the fact that you have everything you need inside of you to live well,” Mycoskie says. “If you know where to direct your attention and effort, you can unlock far greater benefits than any product on the market can give you.”
Read More
District Vision Keiichi Calm-Tech Sunglasses
CourtesyWeight: 22 grams
Hardware: Titanium screws
Adjustable Components: Hypoallergenic rubber nose and temple tips
Price: $219
District Vision focuses on teaching people meditation to maximize their workouts, train smarter and exercise in a way that is best for an individual’s body. The brand also offers high-performance sunglasses to support those pursuits. “Humans need little rewards along the way,” says Max Vallot, cofounder of District Vision. “If you go and torture yourself through a marathon, it goes a long way to get your special running shoes for the marathon, or your special eyewear, or whatever it is.”
This year, the brand updated its perennial-favorite Keiichi frame with the world’s first porous, anti-fog lenses, Calm-Tech. “Lens condensation is the major issue in sport optics mainly because it’s impossible to control the temperature of your face, the environment and the lens,” says brand cofounder Tom Daly. The Calm-Tech material, originally developed for car screens in Japan but never available to the public, is a membrane that absorbs moisture to remain clear.
Courtesy“We develop custom-lens programs by playing with three variables to reduce eye strain: light transmission, tints and protection [against UVA/B/IR],” Daly says. “It’s essentially an experiment for us at District Vision to mix these in different ways with the hypothesis that relaxed eyes and facial muscles improve the eye health and mental clarity of the runner.”
The Calm-Tech lenses were designed for athletes who wear sunglasses for hours at a time or in challenging performance situations, like marathon runners, cyclists, climbers and skiers. These athletes can’t repeatedly break to wipe foggy lenses and shouldn’t have to strain to see clearly. In the past, eyewear companies tried to create anti-fog lenses with chemical coatings or special venting, but now, the magic’s in the material.
Read More
686 Polygiene ViralOff Archetype Face Mask
CourtesyFabric: Wool-polyester blend, polyester-Spandex blend
Fit: Head-tie Closure
Properties: Anti-microbial, UPF 50 sun-protection, washable
Price: $27
COVID-19 had reached pandemic status before the first quarter of 2020 was finished, and it changed our lives almost overnight. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention along with the World Health Organization gave people guidelines on how to protect themselves from the deadly and highly contagious virus, and eventually, it became clear that face masks were critical in slowing transmission rates.
