Amanita Muscaria

Just in time for Christmas, brands are bringing functional products featuring the psychoactive mushroom amanita muscaria to market, a recognizable red and white fungus that’s part of the story of Santa Claus and his flying reindeer. Beauty and wellness brand Flora + Bast, known for CBD-infused skincare and ingestibles, offers the THC and amanita muscaria gummy Hypnotic. Its sister brand, Psilouette, has four products, two teas and two gummies, formulated with amanita muscaria as well as other functional ingredients like reishi and magnesium.

Founder Derek Chase asserts that the often-misunderstood and over-regulated mushroom is a great remedy for people struggling with anxiety and sleep disorders given its hypnotic effect. “There’s a stigma around it given the silliness of how it’s positioned in pop culture and the misguided/recreational use at high doses,” he says. “It surely can be a tool for a well-guided macro dose session, but, alas, that is not how it generally plays out in the real world.”

Consumer packaged goods brands are whipping up beverages with amanita muscaria due to benefits for anxiety reduction and relaxation promotion. It’s incorporated as an alternative to alcohol, cannabis or other intoxicating compounds. New brand Santa has launched with Noise-Cancelling Tonic featuring muscimol, the active ingredient in amanita muscaria, paired with sensoril ashwagandha root and leaf extract, beta alanine, caffeine from green coffee beans, kava root extract, l-theanine and inulin. A six-bottle box is priced at $59.

Canadian companies Psyched Wellness and Nasdaq-listed Lucy Scientific Discovery Inc., “ethnobotanicals” brand Amentara and cannabis wellness company Budpop, which sells packets of dried amanita muscaria mushroom caps, are formulating with amanita muscaria, too.

Fulvic Acid

Long shuttered, the clean haircare brand Phylia de M. was an early adopter of fulvic acid in beauty products such as a shampoo and supplement, which the British e-tailer Victoria Health was so loathe to lose that it created Ful.Vic.Health, collection of supplements, haircare, body care and skincare all containing fulvic acid. Now, more wellness and beauty brands are discovering the antioxidant. Chic food delivery and wellness brand Sakara included the $40 daily tincture Cell Reset with fulvic acid in its range of supplements that launched last year.

According to co-founder and nutritionist Danielle Duboise, Sakara’s fulvic acid is sourced from a 75-million-year-old humic shale deposit in Utah and extracted through a synthetic chemical-free cold-water process that preserves its potency. She says Cell Reset boosts the way cells absorb and utilize nutrients while defending against oxidative stress.

Wellness brand Wild Wholistic has three products with fulvic acid in its assortment: $55 anti-inflammatory tonic The Healing Body, the mood- and focus-bolstering supplement $65 Elevated Mind and $55 detoxifying drops Earth Drops. The brand gravitates to fulvic acid’s ability to facilitate the absorption and effectiveness of the botanicals it’s paired with and deliver trace minerals and antioxidants.

Co-founder Tamina Zafirovski says, “Fulvic acid helps the body truly utilize each botanical, and, in Earth Drops, it becomes the mineral foundation itself. Unlike the common practice of pairing turmeric with black pepper, which can irritate the gut for many people, fulvic acid supports absorption in a way that is gentle.”

Beam Minerals, Mud Organics and Oio, a beauty brand selling Fulvic Ionic Mineral Face and Scalp Toner, are among the brands joining Wild Wholistic and Sakara in putting fulvic acid in their products.

Kanna

With a provision in the federal spending bill passed on Nov. 12 threatening CBD beauty and wellness in the United States, some CPG brands are turning to substitutes. Kanna is one of them that’s seeing demand explode.

From the founders of functional mushroom gummy brand Troop, drink brand Psilly Goose has a kanna-only blend, Silly, to provide a buzzy feeling without the faculty impairment of alcohol. It’s $32 for a four-pack. Modern mixology brand Altar Native’s assortment includes $55 kanna- and damiana-infused Ecstatic, an alcohol alternative. Alice Mushrooms’ latest launch, $58 Party Trick, is a kanna-infused chocolate it describes as a “social lubricant for a sober-curious generation.” Along with plowing into the fulvic acid frontier, Sakara is embracing kanna with the gummy supplement Serene State.

The brands KA! Empathogenics and Good Psyche were first riders of the kanna wave. The latter launched in 2024 with the $78 kanna-infused mouth spray Sidekick. Mock has observed interest in the ingredient growing since the pandemic. “Everyone started looking for ways to improve their mental health,” she says. “People love kanna because it’s safe, and it delivers sensations we all need more of: connection, joy and serenity.”

Mock warns that not all kanna is created equal, though. To ensure quality, she advises consumers to look for clear dosage instructions on the label, a standardized extract with a standardized amount of mesembrine alkaloids, ethically sourced plant material and testing transparency. “Be cautious with products that throw kanna into a long ‘proprietary blend’ with caffeine or a dozen other stimulants,” recommends Mock. “You want to know how much kanna you’re actually getting and how it’s meant to make you feel.”

Shilajit

Shilajit is touted as a cure for everything from anemia to Alzheimer’s, but, in its raw form, it’s a thick black resin that’s not palatable for many. Still, several enterprising companies have braved formulation hurdles to broaden shilajit’s reach. The supplement brand Cymbiotika initially sold a jar of pure resin, but has transitioned to Shilajit Liquid Complex, which mixes the resin with ingredients like hazelnut butter, cacao, honey and sea salt.

“This formula delivers everything people love about shilajit, bioavailable minerals, fulvic acid, trace elements, while giving them steady energy, mental clarity and full-body nourishment,” says Cymbiotika co-founder chief scientific officer Chervin Jafarieh. He elaborates that shilajit is “a mineral-rich resin formed over centuries in the highest mountain ranges, and it’s been used in Ayurvedic tradition to support strength, energy and longevity. At its core, shilajit feeds the mitochondria, helps restore mineral balance, supports hormones and strengthens the body’s response to stress. It’s always been one of those rare ingredients that truly elevates people when they use it consistently.”

It’s getting less and less rare in supplements, however. Youtheory, Menerals, PrimaVie, Lotus Blooming Herbs, Organifi and Elm & Rye are just a few of the companies besides Cymbiotika that market products with the ingredient.

Vitex

Vitex, also known as chaste tree berry, is a popular women’s health ingredient for various life stages, from menarche to menopause. For example, vitex is believed to help regulate menstrual cycles and control premenstrual syndrome. It comes from a shrub native to the Mediterranean region and western Asia. Gaia Herbs, Nature’s Way, NOW Foods, Swanson and WishGarden Herbs have supplements with the ingredient.

WishGarden Herbs, which began over 45 years ago with handcrafted herbal remedies for midwifes to support their patients, formulates with the ingredient in eight products. Erin Stokes, medical director at the beauty and wellness brand, says, “Vitex has been a revered herb and women’s plant ally for centuries…dating back to ancient Greece and Rome. Vitex supports estrogen and progesterone balance, which is vital throughout the entire time that a woman is having her menstrual cycle.”

Women’s wellness brand Two Moons includes vitex in its Zen capsules featured in the brand’s $89.99 Seed Cycling bundle and formulated to promote hormonal balance throughout the menstrual cycle and alleviate symptoms of PMS and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD). Vitex is in topical products, too. Glow by Hormone University’s Period SOS topical supplement features the active as does K-Beauty brand Anua’s Heartleaf77 Soothing Toner for skin radiance and anti-aging effects.