In four years or fewer, the five brands being honored in Brands That Matter 2022’s On the Rise category have already made a sizable impact across health, lifestyle, and more.
For instance, Evvy––a company offering a vaginal microbiome test––already has a community of tens of thousands of people who rely on the service for medical information about their vaginal health. This meant creatively reaching audiences through impactful content—in Evvy’s case, producing TikToks about yeast infections.
But these brands aren’t just growing fast––they are growing with thoughtful sustainability, diversity, and inclusion practices at the core of their efforts. Honoree Creatively provides a platform for creative professionals, but continuously drives efforts to highlight BIPOC and female artists. The following companies have built loyal audiences by undertaking these efforts while also providing with in-demand products and services.
Alula
There are more cancer survivors living in the U.S. than ever before, but the symptoms and medical needs that come after treatment can be just as life-threatening––and yet they remain under-acknowledged in the oncology system. Alula bridges the divide. As a retail and telehealth platform, Alula launched in 2021 and helps patients and their loved ones manage both treatment and recovery. It continues to expand its marketplace: In December 2021, Alula added products for sexual health and menopause symptoms, and new products for peripheral neuropathy launched in spring 2022. The company puts an emphasis on honesty and empathy in its branding; it launched a campaign about “the hidden realities of life with cancer,” and it doesn’t describe cancer in metaphorical terms as a “battle.” Alula seeks to provide solutions and a place for honest conversations.
Cadence
In 2020, Cadence launched its travel-ready, “life-proof” containers, reducing the need for single-use plastics while also simplifying day-to-day organization. Serums, toothpaste, small jewelry, and more can fit in these modular and magnetic containers that connect together in a honeycomb formation. In April 2022, Cadence launched The Tile, an individual, magnetic label that can be customized to further organization. One capsule removes one travel-sized bottle from the world’s beaches, creating instead a product that lives on and can be reused throughout a person’s life. The shipping labels, boxes, and seed paper in its packaging is all recyclable and compostable.
Creatively
Designed by creatives for creatives, Creatively provides a platform for professional creatives––often left behind in traditional professional networks––to find full-time or freelance work, showcase their portfolios, and collaborate. Creatively touts its ethos through its programming and branding; for instance, the brand created interactive art pop-ups highlighting emerging BIPOC and female artists at New York Fashion Week and Art Basel. In fact, more than 65% of the creatives on Creatively identify as BIPOC. From mid-2021 to summer 2022, Creatively tripled in size, expanding its outreach and lifting up creatives with its free Creatively Classes, CreativelyPay payment feature, and IMPACT program for Black and Brown creatives, among other efforts this year.
Evvy
Vaginal health plays a crucial role in physical, sexual, and mental wellness, and yet accessing crucial information about the vaginal microbiome remained challenging and undervalued, until Evvy. Evvy launched its metagenomic vaginal microbiome test in July 2021 in the form of an at-home swab. Tens of thousands of women have already joined the community seeking destigmatized vaginal health education backed by science. Also in 2021, Evvy launched its advisory board of researchers, clinicians, and experts, working to elucidate the vaginal microbiome’s role in essential health. From its education platforms #AskEvvy to viral TikToks about yeast infections, which have received hundreds of thousands of views, the brand seeks to offer a new understanding of health and disease for a diverse group of people with vaginas.
Moxie Scrubs
Nurses working 12- to 16-hour shifts deserve clothing that is comfortable, functional, and fashionable. That’s what Moxie Scrubs founder Alicia Tulsee sought to provide with a direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand for nurses, which went live in 2021. The scrubs’ design features a patent-pending comfort waist, made for long wear. Moxie’s Scrubs undertook several campaigns with the American Nurses Association to reach a wide array of nurses, and the brand even outfitted nurse Samantha Roecker, who broke a Guinness World Record for the fastest marathoner in scrubs in April 2022. Forty percent of Moxie Scrubs’ revenue comes from repeat purchasers.
This article is part of Fast Company’s 2022 Brands That Matter awards. Explore the full list of brands whose success has come from embodying their purpose in a way that resonates with their customers.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
