The emergence of intravenous drip clinics may have the support of Instagram stars, but the investment potential in this area is still up for debate.
Words by Kieran McLoone, deputy editor for Global Franchise
The affluent and controversial world of IV therapy has been disrupting the health and wellness industry for nigh on a decade now, with celebrities like Rihanna sharing social media posts as far back as 2012 showcasing her personal use of IV drips.
In the past few years, the number of influencers and social media stars touting the efficacy of this emerging wellness technology has dramatically increased, with the likes of Chrissy Teigen, Cara Delevigne, and Lady Gaga publishing images of them hooked up to IV bags.
Consequently, the demand for franchise brands offering these kinds of services has also skyrocketed. Names like REVIV and The Hydration Room have steadily increased in the States, but this is far from a U.S.-only phenomenon. While America remains the most prevalent market for the trend, it’s shortly followed by Canada, Australia, and even the U.K.; with all markets seeing a sharp increase in popularity following this year’s newfound focus on personal wellbeing, as a result of the pandemic.
“I think vitamin nutrient therapy has become more popular as our general health interest and knowledge has expanded,” says Bianca Estelle, an IVNT specialist and the clinical director of U.K.-based franchise Vitamin Injections London. “Consumers nowadays take a lot more control over their own health and we’ve seen the rise of groups such as ‘biohackers’, alongside those who educate themselves on nutrition and supplementation.”
For the uninitiated, hooking yourself up to an IV bag to receive a painstakingly measured dose of vitamins may seem a tad extreme – what happened to ‘an apple a day’? But the figures show that many consumers are already supplementing their diet with vitamins and minerals; the U.S. National Institutes of Health states that one-third of Americans take some form of supplement, and in the U.K., 34 per cent of the population take daily vitamins.
With this established consumer base and a growing awareness of the practice, the IV vitamin therapy market is predicted to be worth around £447m in the U.K. by 2023. Globally, that figure could be as high as $54.5bn, with a compound annual growth rate of six per cent.
A Maryland miracle
You’d be forgiven for thinking that IV drip therapy is a relatively modern concept, considering it’s only in the past five or so years that most brands operating within the space have been established.
In fact, the practice of mixing various nutrients and delivering them through an IV drip can be traced back to a Baltimore physician by the name of Dr. John Myers, who in the 1960s, began experimenting with the methodology.
“Vitamin nutrient therapy has become more popular as our general health interest and knowledge has expanded”
Myers’ studies were based on the fact that vitamins and supplements taken orally can be broken down by the stomach, resulting in a limited amount being absorbed by the body. Conversely, vitamins delivered through an IV are allegedly absorbed in much higher percentages; often cited to be as much as 90 to 95 per cent.
This groundwork is the reason why almost all IV drip franchises offer a ‘Myers’ Cocktail’ as part of their menu, and a supposed grounding in scientific research is why brands like the aforementioned Hydration Room has served upward of 45,000 patients since its founding in December 2014.
The Hydration Room, in particular, requires all franchise owners to be medical professionals – though this isn’t a requirement across all organizations within the industry, which could contribute to the dubious view some consumers and investors have of IV drip businesses.
Disrupting the disruptors
IV drip franchises may seem like disruptors in and of themselves, but certain organizations are going one step further to upset the industry even more. Vitamin Injections London, for example, doesn’t offer IV drips but instead IV injections which cut down on time spent in a clinic.
“From an ethical standpoint, some IV drip franchises have also come under fire for touting unsubstantiated effects”
“In comparison to other clinics that tend to offer hydration therapy through ‘drips’ we at Vitamin Injections London focus on IV and IM injections,” says Estelle. “This is where a potent vitamin solution is administered intravenously or intramuscularly and then the client is encouraged to drink plenty of water afterward to maximize the effect. This also ensures that appointments are speedy as the client does not need to be hooked up to a drip, which can be time-consuming.”
Whether a clinic offers drips or injections, however, quite a few of the brands operating in the market have had a range of allegations leveled against them. It’s an undeniable money-maker for some, but the efficacy of IV- centric businesses is disputed by some experts. It doesn’t help that some of the celebrities that push the model, such as Kendall Jenner, have reportedly been hospitalized after suffering bad reactions to the vitamin drips. Certainly not a common theme, but it’s enough to make investors wary of this burgeoning movement.
From an ethical standpoint, some IV drip franchises have also come under fire for touting unsubstantiated effects. One prominent U.S.-based brand, for example, was charged by the Federal Trade Commission in September 2018 for making “deceptive and unsupported health claims about their ability to treat serious diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and congestive heart failure.”
For Estelle, though, the future could see a positive shift in favor of these kinds of franchises; meaning anybody getting in at the ground floor today could be a frontrunner tomorrow.
“A lot of the guidelines within mainstream medicine are very outdated and/or do not account for personal circumstances such as lifestyles. These guidelines are widely challenged across the globe. I would encourage those that criticize vitamin nutrient therapy without truly understanding it, to thoroughly investigate this area.”
