The key to any successful brand is forging trust with its customers, and this is especially true with brands who aspire to provide people with products for the mind and body. From sportswear and books to food and beauty, these companies are building and maintaining strong consumer relationships to find success.
Here are the brands we trust with mind and body:
ACTIVELY BLACK
The athleisure brand was founded to uplift the Black community. Read more about how Actively Black’s impressive growth has been fueled by its focus on celebrating Black identity.
AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS
The teen-focused family of apparel brands that includes Aerie and American Eagle has made strides in its commitment, unveiled in its first Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report in 2022, to “Building a Better World” by advancing work it has done around sustainability and youth empowerment. Alongside donations to various organizations focused on issues such as mental health, disordered eating, and food insecurity, the company’s brands have also built out ways to find customers where they are, like BeReal, Roblox, and Snapchat. It’s working: American Eagle’s virtual brand experience in Roblox is second in popularity only to Gucci.
BOBBIE
As a maker of baby formula, Bobbie takes infant nutrition and the experience of moms who use its product seriously on several levels. The subscription-based service was one of the few brands that managed to keep parents supplied amid 2022’s shortage, and in the aftermath, cofounders Laura Modi and Sarah Hardy have taken more than 80 meetings with lawmakers and administration officials. Bobbie is also committed to telling the stories of its customers—whether that’s Ashley Graham on a billboard sharing her half-formula, half-breast-milk approach to feeding her baby, or regular parents sharing their stories on Bobbie’s new Milk Drunk podcast.
More than merely the anti-Amazon, the online book retailer has built its own community of devoted readers. Read more about how the brand is keeping an independent spirit in online bookselling.
DEXCOM
One of the most recognizable names in diabetes care, Dexcom has been a pioneer in mainstreaming the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) for patients who want real-time access to their blood-sugar levels. In the past year, it brought its Dexcom G7 to seven new countries, from Austria to Hong Kong and South Africa, making it available to roughly 1.25 million more people with diabetes. Back stateside, it grew its Warrior community—a support and activist network of patients with diabetes—to 20,000 members and supported the G7 with clever marketing. The brand enlisted Nick Jonas, Patti LaBelle, NFL player Mark Andrews, and model Bambi Northwood-Blyth to create designs for covering their CGM, driving 71,000 orders of over-patches and more than half a million media impressions. It kept the marketing going with a Super Bowl spot starring Jonas, highlighting how Dexcom users think of their CGM as a “magic” device.
ELTAMD SKINCARE
As a leading maker of zinc-based sunscreen, EltaMD has become a top pick for dermatologists, but thanks to the work it has done on social media, it has also become one of the hottest sunscreen brands on TikTok. Through its own account and via its network of influencers, EltaMD delivered sunscreen education on TikTok, earning 65,000 new followers at a retention rate of 99%. It also took its expertise directly to consumers, sponsoring 1,400-plus free skin exams through the Skin Cancer Foundation’s Destination Healthy Skin program—helping identify more than 500 suspected cancers and precancers—and via the Colorado Melanoma Foundation’s Sun Bus, which hit eight states over 42 screening days.
FARMBOXRX
As the concept of food-as-medicine has gained ground, FarmboxRx has been working to make it an accessible reality, partnering with healthcare organizations across the country to bring more than 2 million medically tailored meals to people. With pandemic-era SNAP benefits over and food inflation up, FarmboxRx is working with four of the largest health insurers in the U.S. to deliver more than 14 million pounds of fresh produce. The demand is there—the company grew 260% year-over-year in the last quarter of 2022, and it has continued to carry out its mission even after founder Ashley Tyrner was impacted by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.
FRIDA
With its focus on prenatal and postpartum care, Frida has catered to consumers who often aren’t prioritized by pregnancy and baby-care brands. In the past 12 months, it expanded its products to include C-section recovery and a recovery kit for incomplete pregnancies, which broaches a difficult subject by being a resource for people who need it. Though started online, Frida is growing its presence in retail stores through its willingness to sell products that retailers may not have previously stocked—like postpartum underwear, breast-care items, and more—but are now in-store at Target, Walmart, and drug chains, bringing Frida’s products to within 5 miles of about 95% of Americans.
HUMANSCALE
This furniture brand is taking sustainability to the next level. With 26 certified climate-positive products, the company is an industry leader in the fight against greenwashing. Committed both to fighting climate change and ensuring transparency for its customers, Humanscale uses recycled materials and publishes “Declare labels,” which inform consumers about the ingredients in its products. Additionally, the brand holds True Zero certifications at all of its facilities, which requires companies to improve their waste diversion by at least one percentage point every year.
LES MILLS
Les Mills wants people to know that the best kind of exercise is the kind you actually do. The fitness company is bringing workouts to people’s doorsteps and breaking down barriers to entry, offering more than 23 virtual and live workouts to 21,000 gyms across the globe. The workout company’s next foray is exploring how to get people to work up a sweat through virtual-reality offerings like its BodyCombat VR app. It has also partnered with nonprofits including UNICEF and Trees for the Future, raising funds to build solar-powered water systems in Ethiopia and plant trees in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NISOLO
Nisolo understands the disproportionate effect the fashion industry has on the health of the planet, and it is setting an example for other brands through its commitment to sustainability. As a Certified B Corp and a climate-neutral company, the shoe and bag maker uses responsibly sourced leather and launched its Sustainability Facts Label to ensure that information about the production of its goods is easily digestible for consumers—a particularly distinctive offering in an industry where greenwashing is rampant.
RARE BEAUTY
Selena Gomez’s Gen Z–beloved beauty brand donates to mental health organizations—including $5 million last year alone—and is on track to triple its 2022 sales this year. Read our cover story on how Gomez is navigating Rare Beauty’s growth and relationship to its fans.
SAYSH
After launching in 2021, Saysh became an industry leader among athletic brands, inspiring other companies to begin making women-specific footwear. Olympian Allyson Felix and her brother Wes founded the brand on the belief that women should not have to choose between performance and comfort, whether or not they’ve earned a gold medal for their athletic feats. Demonstrating its commitment to accessibility, Saysh became the first brand to offer a Maternity Return Policy, which recognizes the changes that a pregnant person’s body goes through by offering a free pair of shoes to previous customers whose shoe sizes adjust during their pregnancy.
TOM’S OF MAINE
The personal care brand fosters a love of nature in kids and funds next-gen climate projects—naturally. Read more about the brand’s commitment to the environment and fostering young climate activists.
VITAMIX
The blender company is demonstrating its commitment to healthy living by offering consumers new recipes, donating equipment to marginalized communities and individuals with conditions that cause severe dietary restrictions. Vitamix is also educating through efforts like its Culinary Medicine Program.
This story is part of Fast Company’s 2023 Brands That Matter. Explore the full list of companies that have demonstrated a commitment to their purpose as a brand and cultural relevance to their audience. Read more about the methodology behind the selection process.
