From practitioner roots to global reach, Designs for Health places science-first thinking at its core
Recognized as the number-one practitioner-supported supplement brand, Designs for Health is a trusted provider of science-backed wellness solutions rooted in clinical research. Founded in 1989, the business started as a nutritional services company, operating as practitioners and offering nutritional counseling directly to clients. That changed in 1996 when the company recognized how popular its dietary supplement line had become. Although the line was initially created to support its services, Designs for Health then decided to pivot, focusing exclusively on the products themselves and educating other healthcare practitioners (HCPs) about the therapeutic use of dietary supplements. Today, Designs for Health boasts over 550 employees, more than 370 distinct dietary supplement formulations, and sells products across the globe, with healthcare professionals and their patients remaining the primary customer base.
Science-backed solutions
To learn more about the company’s product portfolio and its evolution, we speak with Founder and Chairman Jonathan Lizotte. “One of our most exciting recent launches is the Anaerostipes Probiotic, a truly next-generation probiotic that has never been commercially available before,” Jonathan opens. “Launched just three months ago, it works by enhancing butyrate production in the gut, which plays a critical role in addressing leaky gut syndrome and food allergies. This product is exactly the kind of innovation we strive to achieve – going beyond what’s already on the market to offer healthcare practitioners something genuinely differentiated and clinically meaningful.
“We started as healthcare practitioners ourselves, so we’ve always designed products through that lens,” he continues. “We’ve been in the shoes of the HCPs we serve, and that experience continues to guide us. It means we hold ourselves to a higher standard, formulating with greater potency, using the highest-quality ingredients, and creating unique synergies that give practitioners something they can confidently offer their patients, knowing it stands apart from what’s available in retail or general commerce. That founding ethos isn’t just history; it’s the filter through which every product decision is still made today.”
With the supplements industry moving fast to adapt to market demand and emerging trends, Designs for Health must manage its rigorous scientific standards with commercial demand. “We never compromise our standards; we maintain a robust Scientific Advisory Board, which we consult extensively throughout the product development process, alongside an internal product development team with decades of combined experience,” Jonathan explains.
“However, what really sets us apart is our willingness to fund our own research,” he states. “Most players in this industry rely on what I’d call ‘borrowed research’, taking existing science and applying it to their formulations, whereas we invest millions into product-specific studies to initiate and publish original re-search. In some cases, we deliberately delay a product launch until that research has been completed and verified. That takes discipline, but it’s non-negotiable for us. The HCPs we serve need to be able to trust the science behind the recommendations they make to patients, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
Growing market presence
Designs for Health’s approach to continued investment has been bolstered by recent investment from BDT and MSD Partners in October 2025. “This investment represents a landmark moment for Designs for Health, and to us, it’s the clearest possible external validation of what we’ve built as the independently verified, number-one-recommended professional supplement brand in our category,” Jonathan shares.
“What’s particularly meaningful is the nature of the investors themselves. BDT and MSD Partners are family offices, not private equity, and that distinction matters enormously. Private equity operates on defined fund cycles with exit timelines that can create pressure to prioritize short-term returns over long-term brand integrity, whereas family offices think generationally. They invest in businesses they believe in for the long haul, which aligns perfectly with how we’ve always operated.
“When you consider that one of the founding names behind BDT and MSD is Michael Dell, you also get a sense of the capabilities this partnership brings, including access to advanced AI tools that we’re already beginning to integrate into our operations. Beyond technology, the partnership opens doors to new markets and creates the potential for strategic acquisitions down the road. Culturally, the impact has been overwhelmingly positive, and our team sees this investment as a vote of confidence in everything we’ve worked so hard to build.”
Such investment has also seen global growth, but Jonathan is quick to highlight that Designs for Health re-mains committed to the company’s roots. “Although our international footprint has grown significantly, we’re deliberate about how we expand it,” Jonathan says. “Today, we have offices and field sales representatives with direct distribution operations in Canada and Australia. Beyond those, we have established distributor relationships across the UK, the EU, Korea, China, and much of South America, with new relationships actively being developed in the Middle East and other regions. Every market has its own regulatory framework and navigating those correctly takes time and expertise, but our approach is to get it right rather than get it fast. As we work through each regulatory environment methodically, we fully expect to expand our direct presence in more markets over the coming years.”
Commitment to practitioner communities
2026 is already shaping up to be a landmark year for Designs for Health on multiple fronts. “On the product side, we have new launches planned, headlined by what we expect to be a truly revolutionary multi-strain keystone commensal probiotic launching in May, which we believe will redefine the probiotic category,” Jonathan reveals. “We’re also continuing to scale our manufacturing operations to keep pace with the double-digit growth rates we’ve consistently achieved. And perhaps most significantly, we’re welcoming a new CEO, Chris Tedesco, who brings a wealth of experience from some of the most recognized consumer health brands in the world. With experience in building health brands, combined with his deep under-standing of what it takes to grow manufacturing capacity and drive innovation, Chris is an ideal leader to take Designs for Health into its next chapter.
“Within the next five years, our goal is to be a billion-dollar company; that’s not an aspiration, but a trajectory we’re already on,” Jonathan concludes. “We expect that growth to be driven by significantly great-er international reach as we expand our direct presence into markets we’re currently working to enter. At the same time, we will never lose sight of the North American and Australian healthcare practitioner communities whose trust and loyalty fueled our early growth. They remain the heart of what we do, and our commitment to serving them will only deepen as we grow.”
