Best Prenatal Gummies: An OBGYN Compares Needed, OLLY, Nature Made and SmartyPants

If swallowing a handful of capsules sounds unpleasant on a normal day, add first trimester nausea and suddenly the prenatal you carefully researched can become the last thing you want to take.

That is part of why prenatal gummies have become such an appealing alternative. They are easier to take, generally taste better, and can make staying consistent feel much more realistic. But there has historically been a catch. Gummies are harder to formulate with meaningful amounts of certain nutrients. And two prenatal gummies that look almost identical from the front of the bottle can be very different once you turn them around.

So what actually makes a good prenatal gummy, and how much do those differences matter?

We asked Tracy Shevell, MD, FACOG, a board certified high risk OBGYN with 25 years of experience in academic medicine. Dr. Shevell trained at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, completed her OBGYN residency at Mount Sinai and a Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship at Columbia University. She also spent 17 years as an attending physician and Director of Perinatal Ultrasound at Stamford Health.

We asked her to compare four popular prenatal gummy options, Needed, OLLY, Nature Made and SmartyPants, and explain what actually matters beyond the marketing on the bottle.

First, What Should You Actually Look For in a Prenatal?

“The first thing I tell my patients is that not all prenatal vitamins are created equal,” says Dr. Shevell.

For her, the difference between an average prenatal and a well formulated one comes down to three things: the right forms, meaningful doses and thoughtful nutrient pairing. She pays particular attention to folate, vitamin D, choline, B6, B12, iodine, zinc and selenium.

And simply hitting 100 percent of the Daily Value is not necessarily the goal. “What I find most useful isn't percentage of Daily Value covered,” she says. “It's whether the actual dose of each nutrient aligns with what the research shows is clinically relevant.”

So before comparing brands, the more useful question may be: How much am I actually getting, and is it an amount that matters?

Are Prenatal Gummies Actually as Good as Capsules?

Prenatal gummies have historically come with a real tradeoff: they are easier to take, but harder to formulate with meaningful amounts of certain nutrients.

“A gummy has a ceiling on how much nutrition it can hold without compromising texture or stability,” says Dr. Shevell, which helps explain why some gummy formulas are lower in key nutrients or leave certain ones out altogether.

That does not mean capsules are automatically the better choice. During pregnancy, nausea, gag reflex and capsule fatigue can make consistency just as important as what is on the label.

“The best prenatal is the one a woman actually takes and tolerates,” she says. Format alone does not determine quality. A gummy can be a strong prenatal option if it delivers meaningful nutrition in a form someone can consistently tolerate.

Needed vs. OLLY vs. Nature Made vs. SmartyPants

At first glance, these prenatal gummies check many of the same boxes. The bigger differences show up when you look at how much of each nutrient you are actually getting.

“The most striking thing is the dosing gap,” says Dr. Shevell. “When you look at the actual amounts, you're looking at a fundamentally different product.”

A Quick Prenatal Gummy Comparison

 

Needed’s Prenatal Gummy delivers roughly 8x more nutrition than Olly, 5x more than SmartyPants, and 6x more than Nature Made†.

Some differences worth noting: Nature Made includes calcium and magnesium in addition to omega 3s. SmartyPants combines methylfolate with DHA and EPA, while OLLY also includes DHA and EPA directly in its gummy.

Needed takes a different approach. Given the physical limits of the gummy format, it prioritizes higher amounts of several key nutrients within the prenatal gummy itself, including vitamin D, B6 and B12, and offers DHA and EPA in a separate dedicated formula.

The differences are substantial. Needed provides 40 mg of B6 compared with 2 mg in each of the other three, 4,000 IU of vitamin D compared with 800 to 1,200 IU, and considerably more B12.

Dr. Shevell says those differences are meaningful. “These are differences that translate to meaningfully different blood levels,” she says, pointing to the roles these nutrients play in areas including energy, fetal brain development, and bone health.

For someone prioritizing nutrient density within a prenatal gummy, this is where Needed separates itself most clearly from the other formulas we compared.

Dr. Shevell also notes that no prenatal gummy is likely to provide everything every person needs, particularly nutrients like iron, omega 3s and choline, which may need to be addressed through diet or targeted supplementation.

A Note on Iron, Omega-3s and Choline

Needed intentionally leaves iron and omega-3s out of its prenatal formulas and it's worth understanding why. Iron needs vary significantly from person to person, so building a fixed amount into a multivitamin risks giving some women too little and others too much. Needed offers it separately so it can be dosed to an individual's actual levels rather than a one-size-fits-all amount. Omega-3s present a different challenge: a clinically meaningful dose is difficult to fit into a gummy without substantially increasing serving size. Needed instead offers a dedicated Omega-3 formula delivering up to 1,000 mg of DHA+EPA per serving, about double what's typically included in a standard prenatal gummy.

Choline follows a similar logic. At 55 mg, Needed's gummy is in line with SmartyPants and Nature Made, though still below the Recommended Dietary Allowance for pregnancy, a gap common across the category given how bulky a full choline dose is to formulate into any multivitamin. For anyone looking to close that gap, Needed offers a Gummy + Choline+ bundle delivering an additional 500 mg of liquid choline per capsule to support baby’s brain and cognitive development during pregnancy, including healthy neural tube formulation*.

Price at a Glance

Needed's Prenatal Gummy runs $42.99 for a one-time purchase, or as low as $34.39 a month. Olly and Nature Made are less expensive per bottle, at $13.99 and $20.59 respectively, while SmartyPants sits closer to Needed at $34.99 for a one-time purchase.

At roughly a dollar more per day than the least expensive option, Needed delivers about 20 times more B6, 3 to 5 times more vitamin D, and considerably more B12 than the other three. In this case, you get what you pay for.

Why B6 Is Especially Worth Looking at if Nausea Is an Issue

Of all the differences in the chart, B6 may be the most practical one for someone choosing a gummy because of pregnancy nausea.

“Nausea is one of the most disabling experiences of early pregnancy and one of the most common reasons women stop taking their prenatal altogether,” says Dr. Shevell.

Vitamin B6 is commonly used in the management of pregnancy-related nausea, which is why she finds Needed's 40 mg dose notable.

“40 mg is a dose with actual clinical backing,” she says. Combined with a gummy format that may be easier to tolerate, Dr. Shevell says it can make the formula particularly well suited to someone struggling with nausea.

For someone reaching for a gummy because nausea is making a traditional prenatal difficult to take, the combination of a meaningful B6 dose and an easier format is particularly relevant.

Why Folate Form and Dose Matter

Folate is especially important during early pregnancy and neural tube development, but Dr. Shevell says both the amount and the form are worth considering. Needed provides 920 mcg DFE of methylfolate, while SmartyPants provides 600 mcg DFE of methylfolate and OLLY and Nature Made use folic acid.

Dr. Shevell prefers methylfolate because it is already in an active form. “Methylfolate bypasses that conversion step,” she says. “It's the active and readily usable form of folate, even for those with genetic variations impacting folate conversion.”

Folic acid still has extensive evidence supporting its role in reducing neural tube defect risk, so one form does not automatically make an entire prenatal better. But in this comparison, Needed stands out for pairing methylfolate with the highest overall folate amount of the four.

So Which Prenatal Gummy Would an OBGYN Recommend?

After reviewing all four formulas, Dr. Shevell says Needed stands out because it addresses one of the traditional compromises of prenatal gummies: getting an easier format while still prioritizing nutrient density.

“I've been really impressed with how Needed has pushed the possibilities of gummies beyond what's conventionally been done,” she says. For someone dealing with first trimester nausea, capsule fatigue or difficulty taking a traditional prenatal consistently, that combination becomes particularly relevant.

When we asked whether she would recommend Needed over OLLY, Nature Made or SmartyPants for someone specifically looking for a gummy, her answer was yes.

“Needed's gummies are a delicious option, and their nutrient profile goes well beyond what I've seen in any other gummy on the market,” says Dr. Shevell.

That is ultimately where Needed earns the edge: meaningful nutrient dosing in a format designed for people who actually want or need a gummy.

That clinical perspective is echoed elsewhere. Needed is recommended by more than 20,000 healthcare practitioners, runs over 2,000 quality checks per product batch, and has conducted its own IRB-approved study of 235 pregnant women, which found that women taking Needed’s prenatal showed significantly higher blood nutrient levels of key nutrients compared to women taking a standard prenatal.

Chalkboard Mag readers can get an extra 20% off their first Needed order, one-time purchases and subscriptions included, with code TCM20 at checkout. SHOP HERE

All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding your health, and before beginning any diet, supplement, exercise or other health program. This story is brought to you in partnership with Needed.

†Based on a comparison of each brand’s labeled daily serving amounts of vitamins and minerals relative to the pregnancy Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), calculated as an average across those nutrients. As of May 2026.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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How to Look Polished Without Looking Overdone

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Let’s begin by admitting that looking effortlessly polished almost always involves some effort. The trick is making sure nobody can see exactly where you put it.

The people who always seem pulled together are rarely doing everything. Their hair is slightly undone but still brushed. Their skin looks fresh rather than covered. Their outfit is simple, but there is always one detail that makes it feel intentional.

The formula is surprisingly simple: take care of the basics, put your effort where people actually notice it, choose a few beautiful things and stop getting ready before you accidentally remove all the personality.

Begin With Skin That Still Looks Like Skin

The foundation of this look is not foundation. It is hydrated, comfortable skin that does not immediately make you want to cover every inch of it.

Created by French pharmacist Dr. Natacha Bonjout, Bonjout Beauty La Cream is the kind of rich, do-most-of-the-work moisturizer that makes a complicated routine feel unnecessary. With peptides, camellia oil and squalane, it leaves skin looking properly cared for rather than aggressively treated.

Smooth it over the face, neck and décolleté, then give it a minute to settle. We want healthy-looking skin, not shine visible from across the street.

Add Glow Without Adding a Full Face

Mix a few Typology Glow Drops into the brand’s Tinted Serum, then blend the combination outward from the center of the face. You get light coverage and luminosity while still allowing your natural skin to show through.

Use your fingers. It is faster, the warmth helps everything melt in, and there is something appropriately unfussy about not requiring a separate tool for every section of your face.

Once the base is blended, add Typology Tinted Concealer only where you still need it, usually under the eyes, around the nose or over a spot attempting to become the focal point of your face.

Skin tint generally comes before concealer because the base may already take care of more than expected. Even out the skin first, then cover the distraction rather than covering your entire face.

Use Beautiful Brushes Where They Matter

Not every makeup step needs a brush, but the finishing touches deserve something better than the frayed collection rolling around at the bottom of your makeup bag.

La Bouche Rouge Paris makes brushes with beechwood handles and vegan fibers for powder, highlighter, eyeshadow, blending and brows. Use the Highlighter Brush to softly diffuse light across the cheekbones or the Eyeshadow Blender Brush to blur a neutral shadow or smudged liner around the eyes.

Nothing should look sharply outlined. Blend until you can no longer identify exactly where the makeup begins, then stop before it disappears completely.

Let Brows Look Like Brows

A polished brow should frame the face without looking as though every hair has been formally instructed where to stand.

Use the Chantecaille Waterproof Brow Definer to make a few light strokes through sparse areas, then soften everything with the grooming brush. Follow with the brand’s Full Brow Perfecting Gel to lift and hold the hairs without making them stiff.

For naturally fuller brows, skip the pencil and use the gel alone. Brush upward, but not completely vertical. We want groomed, not electrocuted.

Choose a Lip That Looks Better Worn In

This kind of understated makeup works best when one feature speaks slightly louder than the others. The easiest option is usually the lips because they require very little technical skill and often look better as the color fades.

Chantecaille Lip Chic sits somewhere between a lipstick and gloss, giving the lips comfortable color with a soft shine. Choose a muted rose, warm neutral or subtle berry and apply it directly from the tube.

Then blot once. The goal is not a perfectly sculpted lip. It should look soft and lived in, as though you applied it earlier and have since been occupied with more interesting things.

Polish the Hair Without Overstyling It

 

The effortless-hair fantasy falls apart slightly when “undone” becomes dry, frizzy and visibly asking for help.

On clean, towel-dried hair, work a few pumps of Deborah Pagani Beauty The Essential Nectar through the lengths to hydrate, detangle and add shine without weighing everything down. Follow with The Vital Mist before heat styling to help smooth frizz and protect the hair while keeping it soft and weightless. It also works well on day-two hair when the roots are fine but the lengths have begun making separate plans.

You do not need to turn this into a full blowout production. Rough-dry the hair, add a soft bend where needed and let some of its natural texture remain. Then use the Bachca Gloss and Detangling Hair Brush starting at the ends and working upward before lightly smoothing the top. Its mix of nylon pins and boar bristles helps detangle while distributing natural oils through the lengths.

Hair does not have to look freshly styled to look good. A little movement, bend or evidence that you have been outside usually makes it better. Perfectly uniform curls tend to look as though they have somewhere more formal to be.

Master One Hairstyle That Always Works

Everyone needs one hairstyle that can rescue a late morning, a bad hair day or a wash schedule that has become slightly ambitious.

A low bun, loose twist or clipped-back style will do. The Bachca Sleek Back Brush catches shorter hairs and smooths the hairline, while its pointed handle helps with parting and sectioning.

For second-day hair, mist a little Deborah Pagani Vital Mist through the lengths before brushing. It adds just enough polish to make the style look intentional rather than like a response to circumstances.

Use the Bachca brush around the face, then secure the hair with one of the brand’s tortoiseshell pins or clips. Keep it neat in front and slightly softer through the back.

The goal is not a competitive-dance bun. A few loose strands are charming. Seventeen loose strands are a weather event.

Keep the Tiny Details Tidy

Your nails do not need to be professionally painted at all times. They do, however, look infinitely more polished when they are clean, evenly shaped and not actively catching on your sweater.

The Bachca Manicure Kit includes a glass file, nail clippers, tweezers and cuticle sticks in a compact case. A clear polish, sheer pink or milky nude is more than enough.

The same rule applies elsewhere. Brush the brows. Steam the shirt. Lint-roll the coat. Clean the shoes. Remove the stretched-out hair tie that has apparently become a permanent bracelet.

These are deeply unglamorous activities that somehow produce a glamorous result.

Make the Outfit Simple, Not Boring

This is where looking polished can go terribly wrong. You do not need to assemble a costume involving ballet flats, a striped shirt, red lipstick and a silk scarf tied somewhere unexpected.

Instead, pay attention to proportion. Try relaxed trousers with a fitted tee, straight-leg denim with an oversized shirt or a slip skirt with a soft knit. A Sézane cardigan works because it feels feminine without becoming fussy, while a structured A.P.C. bag adds polish without announcing itself across the room.

The best outfits usually contain a little contrast: masculine with romantic, polished with worn in, delicate with oversized. If every piece is saying exactly the same thing, the outfit can begin to look like it arrived as a coordinated set.

Choose One Good Accessory

There is a point during getting ready when we start adding accessories because we are no longer sure whether the outfit is working. This is usually when it is time to step away.

Choose one or two personal details: small gold hoops, a watch, an interesting ring, a leather belt or a structured bag. Hair accessories count too. A tortoiseshell Bachca pin makes a simple bun feel far more intentional than the black elastic that has been living at the bottom of your handbag since 2022.

The point of an accessory is to finish the outfit, not to begin a second outfit on top of it.

Build a Five-Minute Emergency Formula

On days when you have very little time and even less enthusiasm, use the same formula.

Apply Bonjout La Cream. Mix Typology Glow Drops into the Tinted Serum. Add concealer only where needed. Brush up the brows and apply a soft Chantecaille lip. Refresh the hair with Deborah Pagani Vital Mist, then smooth it into a low bun with a Bachca brush and pin. Put on trousers that fit properly, a simple knit and one good bag. Finish with fragrance.

That is it.

Looking polished is rarely about doing everything. It is about knowing which few details make the biggest difference and getting very good at those. The philosophy is simple: choose fewer, better things, put effort where it counts and know when to stop.

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7 Health Trends Dr. Steven Gundry Thinks Are Worth the Hype (and 3 He’d Skip)

Wellness trends have a way of moving at lightning speed. One week everyone is taking olive oil shots, the next we’re lining up for NAD infusions and testing our biological age. Sorting what’s actually worth incorporating into our routines from what’s simply very good marketing is the harder part.

Dr. Steven Gundry has spent decades looking at health through the lens of the microbiome, metabolism, and longevity. We’ve previously turned to him to unpack the connection between the gut and brain, explain why so many of us feel tired all the time, and make the case for polyphenols and plenty of olive oil.

This time, we asked him to weigh in on the wellness trends filling our feeds, clinics, and kitchen counters right now. Which deserve a place in our routines, and which are better left to the algorithm?

Below, Dr. Gundry takes it from here, sharing the seven health trends he thinks are worth the hype and the three he’d skip.

Dr. Gundry on 7 Health Trends Worth the Hype and 3 to Skip

After more than twenty-five years of treating patients with food and lifestyle changes alone, I've learned to be a little suspicious of anything labeled a "hack." Most of the time, the so-called shortcut is just an expensive detour around something your body already knows how to do. But every so often, a trend comes along that our gut buddies, the trillions of bacteria living in your intestines, would genuinely appreciate. Here are seven I'm happy to endorse, and three to save your money on.

+ Olive Oil Shots

I've said for years that the only real purpose of eating any food is to get more olive oil into your mouth, so naturally, I'm thrilled people are finally drinking it straight. Here’s looking at you, Hailey Bieber!

High-quality extra-virgin olive oil is loaded with polyphenols, and your gut buddies convert those polyphenols into powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. It kick-starts autophagy, your cells' recycling program, and even helps stimulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which supports the growth of new neurons.

In one Spanish study, folks who consumed the most olive oil had significantly better cognitive function five years later compared to those who didn’t drink up.

One buying tip, though: don't shoot the bland table or cooking oil sitting in most pantries. Reach for a genuinely high-polyphenol olive oil. Look for 1,000 mg or more of polyphenols per serving. My own Gundry MD Polyphenol-Rich Olive Oil delivers over 1,200 mg of polyphenols per shot.

In fact, my team loved this ritual so much, they created National Polyphenol Day back in 2021, held every July 11 (yes, my birthday), a day to celebrate with an olive oil shot and spread the word about the remarkable power of dietary polyphenols.

+ Movement Throughout the Day

This one is dear to my heart. In my book The Energy Paradox, I coined the term "exercise snacks," because doing little bursts of movement across your whole day beats one heroic slog at the gym.

Studies show three ten-minute sessions can match, or even beat, thirty minutes of continuous exercise. Do squats while you brush your teeth (I do, morning and night). Bang out a 60-second wall squat during the TV commercials. Take a ten-minute walk after dinner; it dramatically lowers your blood sugar. Even one minute of climbing stairs improves mitochondrial function.

Can’t climb the stairs? Ride up, then walk down. You’ll get the same benefit, as shown in an Austrian study.

+ NAD, With One Big Caveat

NAD is a real darling of the longevity world, and for good reason: your mitochondria need it to make energy, and raising your NAD+ levels helps activate the SIRT1 gene, which in turn quiets mTOR. Suppress mTOR and you tend to live better and longer.

The catch is that your NAD+ levels fall off a cliff as you age, and here's where most people get fleeced. You can't simply swallow or inject NAD itself and expect it to reach your cells. You have to give your body the right precursor, NMN or NR, so it can build NAD+ on its own.

The problem? NMN is famously fragile. It degrades on the shelf, and stomach acid finishes off much of what's left before it ever gets absorbed. That's exactly why I waited to make my own until I could do it right. Gundry MD Elevate NAD+ uses a patent-pending, acid-resistant beadlet system to keep the NMN intact all the way to your gut, paired with a second precursor (nicotinamide riboside), ergothioneine, and a few other longevity allies.

So those trendy NAD injections? Skip them. NAD without the right precursor, delivered intact, is money down the drain.

+ Red Light Therapy

Here's a trend with real mitochondrial muscle behind it. The red and near-infrared wavelengths of light help break up the excess nitric oxide that would otherwise bog down your ATP production, and they actually influence how your mitochondria make energy.

It's the same reason a walk on the beach at sunrise or sunset leaves you feeling so wonderful. Your mitochondria are quite literally being told what time it is. It’s also a great beauty secret for youthful-looking skin.

You can buy a red light mask or device like one from BON CHARGE, which I use personally, or simply get outside at sunrise or sunset and let the sun do its job for free.

+ Vibration Plates

Think of the vibration plate as a close cousin of the rebounder (mini-trampoline) I've long recommended. What I love about it is that it fits everything I preach: it's low-impact and easy on the joints, it stresses your muscles and bones against gravity, exactly the kind of "good stress" that helps fend off the invisible muscle loss and bone thinning that creep up on us with age, and it gets your lymphatic system moving, which is how your body ferries nutrients around and carts toxins out.

But what most excites me about vibration therapy, and I use a Juvent plate myself, is how, according to a 2019 study, it can actually improve microbiome diversity. And when it comes to helpful bacteria in the gut, more variety is generally better.

Hop on for a few minutes here and there. It's the perfect exercise snack for people who tell me they "don't have time" to work out.

+ Fibermaxxing, But Please, Finish the Recipe

Loading up on fiber is a wonderful instinct because your gut buddies adore the right kind of fiber: prebiotic fiber.

But I have to share the latest science, because it's a plot twist most people miss: it takes two. Researchers at Stanford found that a high-fiber diet alone didn't improve microbiome diversity or reduce inflammation. Only when people also ate fermented foods with the fiber did diversity climb and inflammation drop.

Your gut buddies actually need that fiber "pre-fermented" before they can turn it into the short-chain fatty acids, like butyrate, that do you so much good. So by all means, maximize your prebiotic soluble fiber with foods like artichokes, basil seeds, seaweed, allulose sweetener, and asparagus. Just don't forget the fermented half of the equation, or you're throwing a party and forgetting to feed the guests.

And please, skip insoluble fiber like wheat bran. It may clear your colon out, but that’s because you swallowed razor blades (i.e., lectin-heavy foods)! Insoluble fiber, in general, does not feed your good gut buddies.

+ Apple Cider Vinegar (and Friends)

To continue the fermented-food theme, this conveniently brings me to vinegar. The more fermented foods you eat, the more you feed your good bacteria, and any vinegar, apple cider included, counts.

Even better, as I wrote in Gut Check, vinegars like aged balsamic are a terrific source of fermented polyphenols, meaning they're already in their active, ready-to-use form.

Back in 2006, I came up with a little hack I call my "healthy coke" (see the recipe here) to help wean myself off my eight-can-per-day Diet Coke addiction. FYI: all aspartame-sweetened diet sodas quietly kill off your gut buddies.

My alternative is a shot of high-quality aged balsamic in a glass of San Pellegrino. It's the color of cola, just as fizzy, and infinitely better for the inner you. Try it once and you may never go back.

Just please, as I’ve seen on social media, do not use salad dressing (true story) in place of straight vinegar in your healthy soda recipe!

3 Health Trends to Save Your Money On

Now for the part of biohacking where I'd gently steer you away from your wallet. Here are the biohacking trends to skip:

Vitamin IV Drips

Glutathione, high-dose vitamin C, B vitamins, methylene blue. They make a dramatic show, but the effect lasts about as long as the needle is in your arm.

Vitamin C is water-soluble; you simply pee it out in a few hours. And you can't meaningfully swallow or infuse your way to lasting glutathione anyway, because your liver is built to manufacture it around the clock from NAC and the amino acid glycine.

The reason people swear they feel amazing afterward is largely the placebo effect, which is remarkably powerful when you've just paid a lot of money to be poked. I've never had one, and I've had a patient suffer a severe reaction to IV glutathione. Buyer beware.

Biological Age Tests

The Kardashians made these fashionable, and I understand the appeal, but they only capture a single snapshot in time.

My own Oura Ring once told me I'd lost a year of biological age while hiking eight to ten miles a day in France, then promptly added it back the week I rested an injured hamstring.

Methylation tests have the same problem: those methyl groups are constantly attaching and detaching from your DNA, so test again in two weeks and you may get an entirely different number.

These tools are interesting, but they're not ready for prime time. My advice? Skip the test and just show people your hands (they ought to look very young!).

Stem Cell Treatments

This is my number one on the "save your money" list. I've had many patients spend a fortune flying to Mexico or Costa Rica for stem cell injections, and most do feel better for three months, six months, maybe a year.

But if you don't change the underlying problem, heal your gut wall, restore your microbiome, and stop the damage, those benefits unravel because you never addressed what created the need in the first place.

Here's the secret the industry won't tell you: you already have enormous reserves of stem cells lining the wall of your gut, in your fat, and in your bone marrow, just waiting to be switched on. Two of the best ways to wake them up cost almost nothing: vitamin D and intermittent fasting.

The through-line in all of this is simple. The trends worth your money tend to be the ones that work with your biology, feeding your gut buddies, supporting your mitochondria, and gently stressing your body the way nature intended.

The ones to skip are usually the ones that try to buy a result your body would happily give you for free. Simply put: Take care of your gut buddies, and they will take care of you.

About Dr. Steven Gundry

Steven Gundry, MD, is a former cardiac surgeon turned restorative medicine practitioner, host of the chart-topping Dr. Gundry Podcast, founder of Gundry MD, and author of bestselling books including The Gut-Brain Paradox and The Plant Paradox. For over three decades, his research has focused on the microbiome’s role in chronic disease and longevity at his clinics in Palm Springs and Montecito, California. He received his degrees from Yale University and the Medical College of Georgia and completed his surgical residencies at the University of Michigan. Follow him on Instagram @drstevengundry.

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We Trained With Jennifer Aniston’s Trainer and Yes, It Was Humbling

We recently sat down with Dani Coleman, Jennifer Aniston’s trainer and Pvolve’s VP of Training, to find out exactly how she trains Jen, from the workouts they do together to the surprisingly realistic philosophy behind her routine. After hearing Dani talk about strength, consistency and working with your body instead of absolutely destroying it every time you exercise, we had one obvious follow-up question: Can you put us through it?

So, naturally, we asked if Dani would lead a private workout for our team at Pvolve’s West Hollywood studio. She said yes. We showed up ready to work and, perhaps, slightly overconfident.

We’ve been following Pvolve for a while now. We’ve previously broken down Jennifer Aniston’s Pvolve workout, covered the Sculpt Anywhere Bundle she helped create, and most recently asked Dani to walk us through how Jennifer actually trains. But talking about a workout and having Jennifer Aniston’s trainer standing in front of you telling you there are, in fact, a few more reps left are two very different things.

The Workout

When we arrived at Pvolve’s West Hollywood studio, each of us had our own station set up with the equipment we’d be using. First up were the 3 lb Ankle Weights. Three pounds sounds innocent enough until you strap one to each ankle and start moving.

We also worked with pieces from Jen’s Arms & Abs Bundle, including the P.ball, P.band and P.3 Trainer. We moved through lower body work, arms and, eventually, core, with Dani guiding us through each section and always there adjust our form to keep going.

Low Impact, Very Much Not Easy

Pvolve is low impact, but low impact should absolutely not be confused with easy. The movements can look deceptively simple from across the room. Once you are actually doing them correctly, it is a different story.

The method is built around strength, mobility and stability, three things that become increasingly important if your goal is to keep moving well for a very long time. 

And you feel it.

As someone who prides myself on going to the gym pretty regularly, I was suddenly working muscles I apparently had never formally introduced myself to. My glutes were shaking. My arms were cooked. Moves that looked completely manageable somehow became significantly less manageable about halfway through the set.

Dani walked around the room cueing us, correcting our positions and making tiny adjustments that somehow made everything harder. Sometimes the difference between “Oh, this is fine” and “Why is my side glute on fire?” was moving a leg a few inches or changing the angle of your body.

She also kept us going when we were ready to stop, and somehow always seemed to catch me the second I tried to sneak in an early break.

The Part That Surprised Us

What I liked most was that the workout did not feel like it was trying to exhaust us just for the sake of proving we had worked out. The challenge came from control.

You are balancing, resisting, stabilizing and paying attention to where your body is in space at the same time. Larger muscles are working, but so are all those smaller stabilizing muscles that are very easy to ignore when your usual gym routine is built around bigger lifts and machines.

It also made Dani’s emphasis on form during our original interview make a lot more sense. When movements are this precise, small corrections matter. Having her there to reposition a foot, change an angle or remind us where we should actually be feeling an exercise completely changed some of the moves.

By the end of the session, I felt like I had gotten a genuinely complete full body workout. Arms, legs, glutes, core, balance, mobility. Everything had done something.

And unlike the feeling after certain workouts where walking downstairs suddenly feels like an extreme sport, I felt worked without feeling wrecked.

So, Would We Do It Again?

Absolutely.

We admittedly came into this with a certain amount of Jennifer Aniston curiosity. The woman has the kind of arms that inspire investigative journalism. But experiencing the workout firsthand made it much easier to understand why she has stayed so consistent with the method.

It is challenging without feeling punishing, there is enough variety that your brain actually has to stay engaged, and the workout catches muscles your normal routine may be conveniently avoiding.

Also, there is something deeply humbling about thinking you are in pretty good shape and then being defeated by a three-pound ankle weight.

Want To Try It Yourself?

You do not need Dani standing six feet away from you to try the method, although we can confirm it is excellent motivation. Pvolve has more than 1,800 on-demand workouts plus live virtual classes, so you can use the equipment at home, at the gym or while traveling.

The Jen’s Arms & Abs Bundle we used includes the P.ball, P.band and P.3 Trainer, along with access for new members to Jen’s Express Arms & Abs Series, six of Jen’s go-to express workouts that target the arms and abs in 15 minutes or less. Translation: you can get a taste of what we did without having Jennifer Aniston’s trainer personally witnessing you give up on your last three reps.

If you’re in LA, though, we highly recommend trying it in person.

Pvolve West Hollywood
8447 Melrose Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90069

This is where we trained with Dani, and the studio also offers group classes and 1:1 private training.

Pvolve Santa Monica
3110 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Come prepared to work. And maybe don’t underestimate the ankle weights. Jennifer, we get it now.

The post We Trained With Jennifer Aniston’s Trainer and Yes, It Was Humbling appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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Something Witchy This Way Comes: Inside Flamingo Estate’s Magical New Box

Someone at Flamingo Estate has clearly been practicing their spells.

In celebration of Practical Magic 2, the Los Angeles estate has created Impractical Magic, a deliciously witchy edition of its Seasonal Harvest Box filled with potions, oracle cards, mugwort, drinking chocolate and enough mystical accoutrements to make the Owens sisters proud. 

Flamingo Estate enlisted a wonderfully eclectic coven of healers, herbalists, perfumers, farmers, artists, astrologers, cooks and makers, including Carla Schwiderski, Annee de Mamiel, Donna Bayliss, Goth Shakira, Spellbound Sky and Blanca Carreño. Together they created ten objects, each with its own ritual, around the very useful pursuits of protection, rest, desire, intuition, courage, clearing and change. You know, everyday household necessities.

First, Light Something

Any respectable witchy evening needs candlelight, and Flamingo Estate wisely starts there. The Mandrake Candle is an ode to the Owens sisters with cedarwood, smoke, warm clove and spiced resin, a combination described as rising “like a spell taking flight.” We imagine it also pairs beautifully with an emotionally questionable decision made after 11 p.m.

For the bedroom, there’s Midnight Woods Pillow Mist, blending Donna Bayliss’s farm-grown lavender with ylang ylang, clove and cedarwood for what the brand calls a nocturnal spell for pillows, sheets and sleep. Then there’s Feelixir, Annee de Mamiel’s blend of rosewood, jasmine, mandarin, grapefruit, pink pepper and neroli, which is infused in singing bowls and powdered crystal. Regular perfume suddenly feels a little underachieving.

For Protection, Clearing + General Energetic Housekeeping

Because apparently setting boundaries can be considerably more glamorous than muting someone, healer Carla Schwiderski created the Field Protection Flower Essence using ten solarized Brazilian flower essences to clear and strengthen the energetic field. Flamingo Estate calls it “a boundary in a bottle,” which frankly feels like something that should be sold by the case.

Schwiderski also created the Luxor Copper Symbol from sacred Egyptian geometry, intended to protect entrances, steady sleep and clear a room. And for moments when things require a little more smoke and ceremony, the Mugwort Ritual Clearing Wands are made with sustainably sourced Oregon mugwort by Mark Phillips and Martin Anguiano of Spellbound Sky. Burn to clear what no longer belongs: bad energy, stale habits, suspiciously recurring exes. Interpret freely.

Even bathing gets a little spell work. Blanca Carreño makes the Fennel, Vanilla, Liquorice & Shiso Soap in the Flamingo Estate apothecary with oils and clay. The instructions are simple: wash slowly, change quickly. Suddenly taking a shower sounds less like hygiene and more like character development.

When in Doubt, Consult the Cards

Of course there are Oracle Cards. Artist and astrologer Goth Shakira created a 22-card deck pairing ancient herbs with sacred asteroids, designed to reveal what you already know. Which is really all we ask of divination: please validate the decision we have already made.

And no séance should be attempted on an empty stomach. The Love Bomb Oaxacan Drinking Chocolates come from Blanca Carreño’s family ancestral preparation, combining cacao with spices, chile and vanilla and milled by Chef Fátima Juárez at Komal. Is it technically a love potion? No. Are we drinking it by candlelight while pulling oracle cards anyway? Absolutely.

Finishing the box are oversized Fire Matches made for candles, altars, baths, dinner tables and, according to Flamingo Estate, bad moods on their way out the door. Every spell needs a spark, after all.

A Little Magic Never Hurt Anyone

What makes the whole thing work is that Flamingo Estate never veers into novelty witch territory. The magic here comes from mugwort, lavender, jasmine, cacao, cedarwood, clove, vanilla, flower essences, smoke and fire, taking ingredients that have been associated with ritual for generations and turning them into objects you might actually use. It’s mystical without becoming costume-y, playful without feeling like a Halloween aisle, and just woo-woo enough to make us wonder whether our energetic field has been the problem all along.

The Flamingo Estate Seasonal Harvest Box is available now, while Practical Magic 2 arrives in theaters September 10. Until then, we’ll be lighting the Mandrake candle, pulling a card and waiting for someone else to make the midnight margaritas.

The post Something Witchy This Way Comes: Inside Flamingo Estate’s Magical New Box appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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7 Habits to Protect Your Brain in Your 30s, 40s, and Beyond, According to a Neurologist

Most people don't think about brain health until much later in life, but according to board certified neurologist and six time New York Times bestselling author Dr. David Perlmutter, the choices we make in our 30s, 40s, and 50s can have a profound impact on how our brains age. It's a central message in his new book, Brain Defenders, which explores how everyday habits influence the brain's immune system and its ability to protect and repair itself.

We asked Dr. Perlmutter to share the everyday habits he believes have the biggest impact on long term brain health. Below, he breaks down the seven habits he recommends for building a healthier, more resilient brain for decades to come, in his own words.

One of the most important messages I hope readers take away from Brain Defenders is that the choices we make in our 30s, 40s, and 50s are quietly shaping the health of our brains decades later. Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia don't suddenly appear in our 70s.

The biological changes that lead to cognitive decline often begin 20 to 30 years before the first symptom appears.

The encouraging news is that this means we have tremendous opportunity. Every day, through our lifestyle choices, we can influence the cells that ultimately determine whether our brains remain resilient or become vulnerable.

At the center of this story are the brain's immune cells, called microglia. When microglia are healthy, they serve as vigilant brain defenders, clearing away damaged cells, supporting new neural connections, protecting against infection, and nurturing healthy brain function. But when they are chronically exposed to inflammation, poor metabolic health, toxins, sleep deprivation, or chronic stress, they can transform into an overactive, destructive state, releasing inflammatory chemicals that damage neurons and accelerate brain aging.

Here are seven habits that help keep your microglia working for you, not against you.

Eat to Stabilize Blood Sugar and Reduce Inflammation

If I had to identify one nutritional goal, it would be this: maintain optimal blood sugar while minimizing chronic inflammation. Ultimately, whatever diet can accomplish these two fundamental goals is going to be brain supportive.

Our modern diet, rich in refined carbohydrates, sugary beverages, and ultra processed foods, keeps insulin levels elevated and promotes metabolic dysfunction. This doesn't just affect the waistline. It profoundly influences the brain.

Elevated blood sugar and insulin resistance activate inflammatory pathways that push microglia away from their protective role. Instead of supporting neurons, they begin producing inflammatory molecules that damage vital synapses and interfere with the brain's ability to repair itself.

A brain supportive diet emphasizes:

+ Colorful vegetables
+ Healthy fats like extra virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds
+ Fish rich in omega 3 fats
+ High quality protein
+ Fiber rich foods that nourish the gut microbiome
+ Minimal refined sugar and ultra processed foods

These choices reduce inflammation, improve insulin sensitivity, nourish beneficial gut bacteria, and help maintain microglia in their protective, brain supporting state.

Exercise Every Day

Exercise is perhaps the closest thing we have to a universal brain medicine. Regular physical activity improves insulin sensitivity, lowers inflammation, enhances circulation, stimulates the production of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and promotes the birth of new neurons.

Equally important, exercise directly influences microglial behavior. Research demonstrates that regular movement encourages microglia to remain in their protective phenotype, where they efficiently remove cellular debris, support learning and memory, and help maintain healthy neural networks.

You don't need to become a marathon runner.

Aim for:

+ Regular aerobic activity
+ Resistance training several times each week
+ Daily walking
+ Balance and flexibility exercises as we age

Importantly, consistency matters far more than perfection.

Protect Your Sleep

Sleep isn't simply rest.

It's one of the brain's most active periods of repair. During deep sleep, the brain's glymphatic system removes metabolic waste products that accumulate throughout the day, including proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Sleep deprivation does something even more concerning. It activates microglia, shifting them toward a chronic inflammatory state. Over time this creates an environment that promotes neurodegeneration rather than repair.

Quality sleep also supports:

+ Memory consolidation
+ Emotional regulation
+ Hormonal balance
+ Blood sugar control
+ Immune function

Protecting seven to eight hours of restorative sleep may be one of the most powerful investments you can make in your future brain.

Maintain Strong Social Connections

Humans are biologically wired for connection. Loneliness isn't simply emotionally painful, it creates measurable biological consequences. Social isolation increases inflammation, elevates stress hormones, and has repeatedly been associated with increased dementia risk.

Meaningful relationships appear to calm inflammatory signaling throughout the body and brain, helping maintain healthy microglial function.

Whether it's spending time with family, nurturing friendships, volunteering, mentoring, or participating in community activities, social engagement provides continual stimulation while reinforcing one of the strongest predictors of healthy cognitive aging.

Your brain thrives in the company of other people.

Challenge Your Brain Throughout Life

The brain is designed to adapt. Learning stimulates the formation of new neural connections while strengthening existing networks.

Whether you're learning a language, mastering a musical instrument, developing a new professional skill, reading challenging books, or engaging in meaningful problem solving, your brain responds by building greater cognitive reserve.

Healthy microglia play an essential role in this process. They help remodel synapses, remove unnecessary connections, and support the formation of stronger neural circuits. When microglia become chronically inflamed, this remarkable remodeling process becomes impaired.

Curiosity is not simply intellectually rewarding. It's biologically protective.

Practice Time Restricted Eating

One of the simplest metabolic strategies available is giving your body periods without food. Time restricted eating, typically limiting food intake to an 8 to 10 hour daytime window, allows insulin levels to fall, improves metabolic flexibility, supports mitochondrial function, and reduces chronic inflammation.

Periods between meals activate important cellular repair mechanisms, including autophagy, allowing cells to recycle damaged components and function more efficiently. These improvements in metabolism have direct consequences for microglia.

When blood sugar is well regulated and inflammation declines, microglia are far more likely to remain in their protective, brain defender role rather than becoming chronically activated and therefore threatening.

This isn't necessarily about eating less. It's about restoring metabolic rhythms that humans evolved with.

Spend Time in Nature

Nature is one of the most under-appreciated therapies for brain health. Studies consistently demonstrate that spending time outdoors lowers stress hormones, improves mood, reduces blood pressure, enhances sleep quality, and even decreases markers of systemic inflammation.

Nature also encourages movement, social interaction, sunlight exposure, and mindfulness, all of which contribute to healthier brain function.

Reducing chronic stress is particularly important because prolonged elevations in stress hormones can activate inflammatory pathways that shift microglia toward a destructive state.

Whether it's walking through a forest, sitting near the ocean, hiking, gardening, or simply spending time in a neighborhood park, regular exposure to natural environments helps create the internal biological conditions that allow the brain to thrive.

The Bigger Picture

The common thread connecting all seven of these habits is that they influence the same underlying biology.

Each improves metabolism.
Each reduces inflammation.
Each supports healthy mitochondrial function.
And each helps determine whether microglia continue serving as the brain's protectors or become contributors to neurodegeneration.

For decades, we've focused primarily on the plaques and tangles that characterize Alzheimer's disease. But those are only a small part of the story.

The more fundamental question is: What determines whether the brain's immune system protects the brain or begins damaging it?

Increasingly, the evidence points to the everyday choices we make. The remarkable news is that these choices remain available to all of us.

The habits you build today, whether you're in your 30s, 40s, or 50s, are helping determine whether your brain will remain resilient in your 60s, 70s, and beyond.

Your future brain is not being shaped by a single decision. It's being built, one day at a time, by the choices you make. 

Want to dive deeper? Dr. David Perlmutter explores the science behind these habits and the brain's immune system in his new book, Brain Defenders. Learn more about the book here.

The post 7 Habits to Protect Your Brain in Your 30s, 40s, and Beyond, According to a Neurologist appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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Living Well with Tata Harper: On Clean Beauty, Ingredient Integrity and Healthy Aging

Long before clean beauty became a category, Tata Harper was asking a more difficult question: why should choosing natural ingredients mean compromising on performance? When she launched Tata Harper Skincare in 2010, the idea of creating sophisticated, high-performance luxury skincare from natural-origin ingredients was still fairly radical. More than 15 years later, much of the beauty industry has moved in her direction.

What has remained distinctly Tata is just how far she is willing to take it. The brand develops its own proprietary formulas, keeps its laboratory and production facilities at its organic farm in Vermont, and is known for creating highly complex formulas with generous concentrations of ingredients. Her beloved Elixir Vitae contains 78 ingredients alone. Harper also remains closely involved in product development, describing herself as the “architect” behind the formulas that bear her name.

For our latest Living Well, we spoke with Tata about the state of clean beauty today, the ingredients she believes matter most for skin longevity, the products she personally uses every day, and what living well looks like for her now.

Living Well with Tata Harper

You were one of the early pioneers of what we now call clean beauty, long before it became an industry-wide movement. When you look at the category today, what has surprised you most about how it has evolved?

What has surprised me most is the sheer number of people who want to create beauty brands. The category has grown tremendously, and the level of interest and competition is remarkable.

When I started Tata Harper Skincare, “clean beauty” was not the established category it is today. We were not trying to capitalize on a trend; we were trying to create cutting-edge, high-performance skincare without asking consumers to compromise on their standards. It has been fascinating to watch that philosophy become part of a much larger industry-wide conversation.

The clean beauty conversation has also become much more complicated and, at times, controversial. Do you think the term “clean” is still useful today? What do you think the industry gets right and wrong about it?

The term “clean” has become complicated because it remains undefined and largely unregulated. Science is constantly evolving, and every consumer has a different standard for what they feel comfortable putting in and on their body.

At Tata Harper Skincare, clean has never been a trend or simply a claim. We take a rigorous approach, from sourcing high-quality ingredients of 100% natural origin to developing proprietary formulas and maintaining third-party COSMOS certification through ECOCERT.

While the industry often focuses on what is left out of a product, we take a maximalist approach to what goes into each formula, combining generous concentrations of ingredients to deliver multiple benefits. Ultimately, consumers must look beyond the label, research each brand’s standards, and decide what is right for them.

Your journey into skincare began with a very personal experience around your stepfather’s health. How did that experience change the way you think about the products we bring into our homes and use every day?

That experience made me much more conscious of the cumulative exposure we have to the products we use every day. Even when someone is deeply motivated to make thoughtful choices, it is nearly impossible to eliminate every questionable or unknown ingredient from their life.

I learned to prioritize the products with which I have the greatest and most frequent contact. The things I apply to my skin or use in my home every day are non-negotiable for me. Products I encounter only once a month or once a year may not carry the same level of importance. It is about understanding your exposure and making informed, intentional choices wherever they can have the greatest impact.

Your organic farm in Vermont is also home to Tata Harper’s headquarters, laboratory, and production facilities, which is a level of vertical integration most beauty brands do not pursue. Why was it so important to you to keep so much of the process in one place, and how has that hands-on oversight shaped the way you think about quality, sourcing, and formulation?

Vertical integration gives us complete control over every stage of the process, from ingredient sourcing and product development to manufacturing. With my engineering background, I have always approached formulation as both a creative and technical challenge.

Every Tata Harper formula is proprietary and developed entirely for the brand using complex technologies and high-quality ingredients, not a stock base created by a third party. Keeping everything in one place allows us to maintain the highest standards of science, quality, and craftsmanship while creating products that are truly unique.

You’ve spent more than 15 years deeply immersed in formulation. What are the ingredients you personally believe everyone interested in skin longevity should know about right now, and what makes each one so valuable?

To me, skin longevity is about extending the health of your skin. We formulate beyond immediate, surface-level results to support the skin’s innate strength and help maintain its health over time.

Our formulas are engineered to address several concerns at once by targeting multiple pathways for more comprehensive results. We select powerful ingredients of 100% natural origin and use them in generous concentrations because we believe that more high-quality ingredients lead to greater results.

As longevity kind of takes on a buzz word of its own, it’s something we have always formulated our products for - healthy aging and long term results for a complex and critical organ like our skin. And sometimes a misconception, but we rigorously source our natural origin ingredients from around the world. For example, our new Crème Suprême uses a Camilia Flavonoid, which has been shown to reduce signs of photoaging, protect collagen, and enhance the skin’s resilience. Another “longevity” ingredient we use is an extract from the Pistacia Lentiscus tree native to Greece: this extract supports the extracellular matrix markers like collagen and also has antioxidant properties.

Of everything you’ve formulated, which Tata Harper product do you think best represents what makes your approach to skincare different? Can you break down the formulation and the ingredients that make it so special?

Elixir Vitae best represents what makes our approach different. From the beginning, my goal was to create one of the most advanced anti-aging formulas possible—a product that could compete with any luxury skincare formula in the world.

I developed it without focusing on a target price point. Instead, I concentrated on creating the best formula I could imagine, bringing together 78 ingredients (yes, 78!) and technologies I had always wanted to use in one product. It embodies our maximalist approach to formulation and our belief that skincare should deliver both immediate results and long-term benefits.

Elixir Vitae targets severe signs of aging - wrinkles, loss of elasticity, dryness - to restore the look of youthful plumpness and volume. It uses ingredients like Kelp Polymers, Date Seed Extract, Narcissus Bulb, and Micro-Algae Carotenoids that together help smooth deep lines and restore a visibly firmer, lifted appearance. This formula also contains volumizing botanicals like Pistachio Crystals, Jugo Bean, and Dabberlocks Seaweed that helps bring back density and bounce to skin that has lost elasticity.

If you could recommend only three Tata Harper products for someone completely new to the brand, which would you choose and why?

Elixir Vitae is my absolute go-to product and something I use every day. I think of it as the Bentley of serums because it brings together multiple advanced ingredients and technologies in one exceptionally high-performance formula.

Crème Suprême is our newest launch and most advanced rich moisturizer. It is clinically proven to make skin look visibly five years younger in eight weeks, and the before-and-after images from the clinical testing are astounding.

Regenerating Cleanser is a gentle daily exfoliating cleanser with a cult following. It is a product I use every day because it cleanses and refines the skin without leaving it feeling stripped.

Is there a product in the Tata Harper line that you feel deserves more attention than it gets?

Hydrating Floral Essence is an essential skincare product whose benefits people may overlook or misunderstand. Misting it generously onto clean skin helps hydrate and plump the complexion while enhancing the absorption of the serums and moisturizers that follow.

It is refreshing, smells beautiful, and helps you get the most out of the rest of your routine while leaving your skin looking hydrated, fresh, and plump. I also love to use it post-sun for a refreshing mist.

What does your current skincare routine look like from morning to night?

In the morning, I apply Hydrating Floral Essence, Elixir Vitae, and Crème Suprême. I keep my makeup minimal with Brightening Eye Gel and a neutral cream blush, sometimes adding a touch to my lips.

At night, I double cleanse, beginning with Nourishing Oil Cleanser massaged into dry skin using our Silicone Cleansing Mitts, followed by Regenerating Cleanser. Before bed, I use our gua sha spoon for a gentle lymphatic facial massage.

As the brand has grown, how have you continued to carry your original vision forward while also allowing the company to evolve? Are there certain areas or decisions you still especially love being personally involved in?

As the company has grown, I have remained deeply involved in product development and the creation of new formulas. That is one of my greatest strengths and the part of the business I find most exciting.

I am not a cosmetic chemist, but I have always considered myself the architect of our formulas. I help shape the vision for each product, including what it should accomplish, the technologies it should incorporate, and the experience it should deliver. I also believe that this is what our customers expect from me: to remain personally involved in creating the products that carry my name.

I also love meeting our customers. It is something I have done since launching the brand, and it remains incredibly special to hear directly from the people who use our products. Those conversations help us stay connected to our original purpose while continuing to evolve - and I also always know when someone uses our products, because their skin comes alive.

What are the non-negotiable practices in your own life that you believe have had the biggest impact on how you look and feel over time, besides skincare?

Many of my non-negotiables are the foundational practices we all know are important, but consistency makes the difference. I drink a great deal of water, aim to get at least eight hours of sleep each night, and try to go to bed early.

Any supplements you’re currently taking or that you think are actually worth adding to a routine for skin health, healthy aging, or overall well-being?

I rarely drink alcohol, exercise as often as possible, and prioritize a balanced diet with plenty of vegetables, protein, and nourishing whole foods. I have a terrible sweet tooth, but I try to limit sugar—especially the hidden sugar found in so many processed foods.

At this stage in your life, what does living well mean to you now?

Just as importantly, I stay connected to my friends and family and nurture a community of people who care for me and whom I care for in return. Spending time playing with my children and my dogs also brings me so much joy. Those relationships and moments of connection are an essential part of living well.

For more from our Living Well series, step inside the worlds of Giada De Laurentiis, from the pantry staples she keeps close to the wellness habits that shape her days, and Lauryn Bosstick, on refinement, routines, and the practices she’s carrying into this chapter.

The post Living Well with Tata Harper: On Clean Beauty, Ingredient Integrity and Healthy Aging appeared first on The Chalkboard Mag.

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