Key Takeaways:
For Balázs Farkas-Jenser, founder and CEO of Vivorum, ingestible beauty was never the starting point; it was always the outcome.
With over a decade in pharmaceutical-grade nutritional science, Farkas-Jenser built his career in MHRA-licensed (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) environments where formulation precision and manufacturing standards are held to the highest level. His role consistently sat at the intersection of science and commercialization, translating clinically robust formulations into viable consumer products. That dual perspective now defines Vivorum: a brand engineered with pharmaceutical discipline but positioned within the aesthetics ecosystem.
From Personal Formulation to Clinical Insight
Vivorum originated not from a market gap analysis, but from a personal health challenge. Following a severe spinal injury exacerbated by chronic inflammation, poor sleep, and elevated stress, Farkas-Jenser developed a formulation to address systemic recovery. “I was dealing with a negative feedback loop—pain driving inflammation, inflammation disrupting sleep, and sleep affecting everything else,” he told BeautyMatter.
The formula targeted three key areas: inflammation regulation, sleep quality, and stress resilience. While the intention was functional recovery, the visible benefits became apparent quickly. Within weeks, improvements in skin clarity, redness, and overall appearance were noticeable, not only to Farkas-Jenser but to those around him. The connection between internal biological optimization and external skin outcomes became the foundation of the brand.
This insight was sharpened through conversations with aesthetic practitioner Dr. Victoria Manning who identified immediate relevance within clinical settings. What began as a personal invention evolved into a broader proposition: ingestible formulations that could support, enhance, and extend the outcomes of in-clinic treatments.
A Maximalist Approach to Product Development
Following angel investment, Vivorum entered the saturated supplement market with a deliberate point of difference: a refusal to compromise on formulation or manufacturing.
At the product level, the brand operates under a “maximalist” philosophy, as Farkas-Jenser describes it. Rather than building around a single trending ingredient, Vivorum formulations are structured across multiple biological pathways, each ingredient selected to target a specific mechanism, from cellular energy to inflammation modulation, while working synergistically.
At the core of its flagship formula, Cellular Renewal, is nicotinamide riboside (NR), a precursor to NAD+, the co-enzyme central to cellular energy production and repair. Farkas-Jenser explained that by increasing NAD+ levels, NR supports mitochondrial function, cellular recovery, and overall metabolic resilience, making it a cornerstone of the brand's inside-out approach to skin.
Crucially, Vivorum does not use NR in isolation. It is paired with a blueberry-derived antioxidant that has been shown to significantly enhance its bioavailability, amplifying its ability to elevate NAD+ levels. This combination is then layered with additional ingredients that target complementary pathways, including those that regulate inflammation, balance mood, and improve sleep quality.
Equally important is dosage.
“There’s a widespread issue in supplements where ingredients are present but underdosed,” Farkas-Jenser said. “We start from clinically proven, efficacious doses and build from there, regardless of cost.”
This approach results in high production costs, driven by both ingredient quality and concentration. However, rather than viewing this as a constraint, the brand treats it as a driver of positioning. “The luxury positioning is not something we engineered separately—it’s the natural outcome of pursuing efficacy without compromise.” Cellular Renewal retails at £129 ($175).
Manufacturing reinforces that positioning. Vivorum is produced in Switzerland by a pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing partner that operates under strict Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. The facility uses advanced controls, including negative pressure environments, to prevent cross-contamination, a level of rigor commonly associated with pharmaceutical production rather than supplements.
For Farkas-Jenser, this level of control is non-negotiable. “If you’re claiming clinical-grade outcomes, the entire production process has to support that claim.”
Clinics as a Strategic Core
While many ingestible brands prioritize retail or DTC channels, Vivorum has taken a clinic-first approach. The brand is currently commercially active across both DTC and international wholesale channels. Still, its strategic focus lies in aesthetic clinics where it sees both the greatest opportunity for credibility and the most meaningful use case for its products. The brand is stocked in respected clinics on London’s Harley Street. “Clinics are not just a distribution channel for us; they’re a partnership model,” said Farkas-Jenser.
Vivorum products are designed to integrate into treatment protocols, supporting outcomes such as recovery, inflammation management, and skin quality enhancement. This shifts the value proposition significantly.
For clinicians, the product becomes a low-cost, high-impact optimism tool—one that can improve treatment outcomes without requiring changes to existing procedures. For patients, it represents a relatively small incremental investment with the potential for amplified outcomes.
Crucially, these relationships are collaborative rather than transactional. Clinics are involved in the product development process, providing feedback on both formulation and application. If a product fails to meet clinical expectations, it does not proceed to market.
“It’s a two-way dialogue,” Farkas-Jenser explained. “We’re learning from practitioners on the front line, and that directly informs how we develop.”
Education as a Scaling Mechanism
Operating within clinical environments requires a different kind of brand infrastructure, one that prioritizes education over marketing.
Vivorum supports clinic partners through in-depth onboarding, including masterclasses led by Farkas-Jenser himself. These sessions focus on the scientific mechanisms behind each formulation, equipping treatment protocols.
Beyond initial training, the brand maintains ongoing engagement through follow-ups, updated materials, and tailored support formats, ranging from printed guidelines to digital tools.
“It’s not about giving clinicians a script,” he said. “It’s about enabling them to understand the product at a technical level, so they can communicate it in a way that’s authentic to their practice.”
This high-touch approach ensures consistency across locations while preserving the brand's clinical integrity, an essential factor as Vivorum scales its presence.
The Evolving Consumer
A broader shift in consumer behavior supports the clinic-first model.
Farkas-Jenser points to a post-pandemic increase in health literacy, with consumers becoming more discerning about the relationship between claims and outcomes. The traditional supplement model, often driven by trends and marketing narratives, is facing growing scrutiny.
“There’s much less tolerance now for products that don’t deliver,” he said. “Consumers are asking more informed questions.”
Vivorum’s core audience reflects this change: affluent, predominantly female consumers aged 30 to 65 who are already engaged in premium skincare and aesthetic treatments. For this group, ingestibles are not a replacement for topical or in-clinic solutions, but an extension of them.
“They’re looking for continuity between what happens in the clinic and what they do at home,” he said. “That’s where we sit.”
Growth and Global Ambition
Looking ahead, Vivorum’s ambition is to establish itself as the reference ingestible beauty brand in clinics.
In the near term, the focus is on deepening its presence in the UK’s aesthetic clinic market, one of the most developed globally. Building a robust clinic network is seen as both a commercial priority and a foundation for long-term credibility.
At the same time, the brand is expanding its product platform, with plans to develop a portfolio of five formulations. Each will follow the same methodology: defining the desired outcome first, mapping the biological mechanisms, and then selecting ingredients and dosages accordingly.
Alongside clinic expansion, Vivorum is investing in DTC consumer growth, particularly through subscription models that support long-term use and retention.
Internationally, the brand is already active across select markets in Asia and Europe, including early-stage partnerships in Singapore, China, and Eastern Europe. However, expansion is being approached cautiously, with emphasis on maintaining the clinic-first philosophy.
Redefining the Role of Ingestibles
Vivorum sits at the convergence of beauty, wellness, and clinical medicine, but rather than blending categories, it seeks to redefine the role of ingestibles within these domains.
By embedding products directly into clinical workflows and grounding them in pharmaceutical-grade standards, the brand is positioning ingestibles not as optional add-ons but as functional components of treatment.
If successful, Vivorum could help shift ingestible beauty from a consumer-led trend into a clinically integrated category, one where efficacy, not marketing, defines value.