Surviving hormone changes: irritations & insights
A conversation with Biologica founder Liz Zwillinger on women’s hormones and a new approach to supplement routines
I’m so excited to share this interview with Liz Zwillinger, founder of Biologica.
If you’re a women in your 30s, 40s or beyond, this conversation is for you! We talk about why women have historically been excluded from clinical research, how hormonal needs shift meaningfully across life stages, and why the form your supplements come in can matter just as much as what’s inside them.
A lot of supplement brands cross my desk, but it’s rare that one truly piques my interest the way Biologica has. I’ve been taking their Primary Essentials since it launched in early December, and I genuinely love it. It covers my bases and tastes great (which means I never forget to take it). I bought the Postmenopause Essentials for my mom, who’s equally obsessed, and one client taking the Midlife Essentials recently shared that she has more energy than she’s had in years since starting it.
If you’d like to try Biologica, they have generously offered a discount on all subscriptions with the code MIARIGDEN15. This is the first and only discount Biologica has ever offered, so take advantage of it while it lasts! (valid until 3/15/26)
I first spoke with Liz and Dr. Maggie Luther (a naturopath and herbalist who helped with Biologica’s formulation) late last year and was immediately impressed by so many aspects of the product: the botanicals thoughtfully formulated for different hormonal life stages, the essential nutrients, inclusion of choline (so important), its effervescent delivery (which not only tastes great but can improve bioavailability) and yes, even the beautiful tin it comes in.
A few weeks later, I got to meet Liz in person, and she was just as lovely as I’d hoped—passionate, grounded, and deeply thoughtful about what she’s building. I later learned she lives in my hometown, which felt like a fun full-circle moment.
All that to say, I’m really excited to share more about Liz’s journey and the product she’s just brought into the world. This conversation was such a good one, and I can’t wait to hear what you think.
Q: Your journey into women’s health seems deeply personal. Can you share the moment you realized the existing supplement landscape wasn’t meeting your needs and how you decided to create Biologica?
I was standing in my pantry, mixing numerous types of powders into a water bottle while trying to open 4 different pill bottles. Some pills alleviated the extreme irritability I felt during PMS others tried to improve the quality of my sleep. And yet, despite all these different pills and powders, I wasn’t getting the recommended doses of basic vitamins and minerals that I need as a 43 year old woman. My 2 senior dogs still needed to be fed, one son couldn’t find his basketball jersey, the other needed help getting his shoes on and I needed to get everyone out the door so we didn’t miss the bus. I thought to myself: health shouldn’t be this hard!
Why can’t all of this be condensed into a single formulation?
Joey (my husband & co-founder) is a doer and comes from a background in consumer innovation from Allbirds, where the work was always about rethinking categories. Together, we realized the issue in the supplements industry is that it is a one-size-fits-all approach in an area where biology is anything but static. Hormonal needs shift meaningfully across life stages, so Biologica was designed to meet women where they are, not force them into a single formula meant to work for everyone.
Q: Women’s hormonal health is finally getting more attention in wellness spaces. What gaps do you still see in the industry, and where do you think brands like Biologica can lead future innovation?
First, women are still excluded from clinical research. At Biologica, we specifically source ingredients backed by female-focused clinical trials that account for our unique hormonal fluctuations and metabolic rates. In other words, the research needs to show that the ingredient works for women. It is still not easy to find medical research on women. For decades, the supplement industry relied on a “male baseline,” assuming women were simply smaller versions of men.
It wasn’t until the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 that women were legally required to be included in clinical research. Before that, most drug and supplement dosages were calculated based on the 70kg male baseline. Female hormonal cycles are still seen as too complex or a confounding variable so women are still excluded from many clinical studies.
Second, despite the fact that 100% of women will go through menopause, most physicians are still not receiving adequate training. The Mayo Clinic published a study in 2019 reporting that 25% of internal medicine residency programs did not include menopause in their core curriculum, with 4 out of 5 graduating residents not feeling competent to discuss or treat menopause. A more recent study in 2023 uncovered that really only 31.3% of OB/GYN program directors reported having a formal menopause curriculum.
But because of companies like Biologica, women are showing up to their doctor’s appointments armed with much more information than even five years ago which is motivating doctors to learn more about what women are actually experiencing.
Q: Most supplements come in pill form, but Biologica is a drink. I’ve been genuinely impressed by its effervescence and would love to hear what led to that delivery method and why you think it matters for both consistency and absorption?
Consistency is so important in supplementation. We worked incredibly hard to create a form factor that was genuinely enjoyable to take, because if it feels like a chore, you won’t do it long-term. The alternative to pills is gummies, which are often just candy in disguise (added sugar, fillers, and terrible for your teeth!)
I don’t love drinking flat water unless I am working out, but I am obsessed with sparkling water. And flavored sparking water is having a moment, most parties I attend always have a cooler filled with Spindrift. I wanted to capture that refreshing feeling and turn the chore of taking supplements into something genuinely enjoyable.
Beyond the experience, the effervescent format is a strategic choice for your biology. When you drink your vitamins, you bypass the time it takes for a hard tablet to break down in your stomach. Specifically, the reaction of potassium and sodium carbonate in our formula “activates” the minerals, making them more bioavailable so your body can absorb them efficiently.
Q: The formulations combine vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, and probiotics alongside botanicals. Can you highlight one or two ingredients you’re especially proud of, and why they matter at specific life stages?
Two ingredients I am incredibly proud of that highlight why stage-specificity matters are Saffron and Hobamine:
1. Saffron (for Primary & Midlife): We include a clinically backed 28mg of Saffron in our Primary and Midlife formulas because it is a powerhouse for emotional health. In your reproductive years, it helps mitigate the irritability that often comes with PMS. But as you transition into perimenopause, that same ingredient tackles the emotional volatility—like anxiety or sudden mood shifts—that can happen when hormones start to sputter.
For me, saffron has been an absolute gamechanger and I’m not saying that lightly! I now coast through PMS feeling much more like myself without the irritability I felt before Biologica.
2. Hobamine (for Postmenopause): This is an incredible, but not widely known, ingredient. Hobamine, derived from buckwheat, represents a huge leap forward in how we think about aging. Back in the 90s, the trend was to blast the body with antioxidants to eliminate all free radicals. But we’ve since learned that we actually need some of those free radicals to signal our cells to repair and adapt. The best example of this phenomenon of intentional harm for our cells so they can repair stronger is how we create small muscle tears through strength training. Those muscles repair stronger. Our cells are the same.
Hobamine is brilliant because it is selective. It captures the “sticky,” toxic byproducts that damage cell membranes and DNA, neutralizing them before they cause harm—but it doesn’t stop the necessary signaling that tells your body to heal itself. It’s a smarter, more sophisticated way to support cellular regeneration during the postmenopausal years.
Q: I find that so many people quit their supplement routines because people don’t enjoy taking them. How did you think about taste, ritual, and design as tools for consistency?
Supplements don’t work if you don’t take them! We knew Biologica had to be tasty and convenient. Getting the flavor right was a massive undertaking. I have this vivid memory of sitting in front of 20+ tiny shot glasses of different flavor combinations, with a sleeve of Saltine crackers as my “palate cleanser.” It was high-pressure, but it meant we could eliminate sugar and unnecessary junk while still making it taste amazing. The result is a daily ritual that offers hydration and superior absorption, replacing that messy handful of pills with one elegant, effective drink.
When it comes to ritual, we didn’t want to hand women another rigid set of rules. We know you are busy, and your schedule changes daily, so we designed the formula to be incredibly flexible. Some women love taking it first thing in the morning, right after their coffee. Because we use high-quality, bioavailable ingredients, it is gentle enough to be taken on an empty stomach.
Personally, I use it as my afternoon pick-me-up. We burn through so many B vitamins throughout our day, so replenishing them midday makes a huge difference for me. Plus, the electrolytes give me a sustained energy lift that has made my 3 PM iced coffee completely superfluous.
Finally, design isn’t just about aesthetics; it helps with behavior change. If a bottle is ugly, you hide it in the back of your pantry, and then you forget to take it. We created a gorgeous, countertop-worthy tin specifically so you would want to leave it out on your desk or kitchen counter. If you see it, you will take it. It is that simple.
Q: What’s something most people misunderstand about hormonal health or supplements that you’d want to demystify for them?
I hear three big misconceptions constantly:
1. “Supplements are completely unregulated.” There is this idea that the supplement industry is a total free-for-all with zero oversight. While it’s true that not every brand plays by the rules, the reality is that the FDA does monitor ingredient safety. Yes, it’s not at the same level as pharmaceuticals, but the industry is regulated. We take it a step further at Biologica because “good enough” isn’t our standard. Every single formula we produce is third-party tested and fully traceable. We want you to trust that what is on the label is exactly what is happening in your body.
2. “I eat healthy, so I get all my nutrients from food.” I used to say this! I eat really well and notice a dramatic shift in how I feel based on what I eat. But there is a massive difference between eating well and eating to support complex hormonal shifts. Trying to get a therapeutic dosage of specific botanicals—like the 28mg of Saffron we use for mood support —solely from your dinner plate is nearly impossible (also, have you tried to buy saffron for a paella?! It’s so expensive and you can mistakenly buy counterfeit saffron!). We view supplementation as the co-pilot to your diet, bridging the gap between “eating healthy” and actually hitting the clinical levels your hormones need to function optimally.
3. “I’m not absorbing it anyway; it’s just expensive urine.” This is the classic skeptic’s line! And honestly? If you are taking cheap, synthetic pills that your body can’t break down, it’s absolutely true. That is why we obsess over bioavailability. We chose an effervescent format because vitamins are more readily absorbed in liquid form than in a compacted pill. Additionally, we use particular forms of ingredients (folate instead of folic acid) due to increased bioavailability.
Q: Finally, what’s one question you wish people would ask about women’s hormonal health, and how would you answer it?
The question I wish women would ask is: “What else do my hormones control besides my mood?”
We have been conditioned to use the word “hormonal” as a synonym for “emotional” or “moody.” But the reality is, your hormones are the single largest driver of your physical health. They are conducting a beautiful, invisible symphony every second of the day—dictating the health of your bones, your heart, your digestion, and even your physical stability.
Take the connection between your hormones and your gut. Your liver works hard to process used estrogen from your blood and sends it to your gut to be eliminated. But if your microbiome isn’t balanced, your gut can actually “recycle” that waste estrogen and send it right back into your bloodstream. This creates estrogen dominance which, among other symptoms, creates that intense irritability we can often feel.
Or consider your physical structure. Estrogen is a lubricant for our joints. It sounds wild, but during the luteal phase of your cycle—when progesterone peaks and estrogen declines—our ligaments actually experience less laxity. Because of this shift in your internal chemistry, we are statistically more susceptible to injuries like ACL tears during this specific window of the month. And, of course, this phenomenon is exacerbated post-menopause when we have no estrogen at all!
When we stop reducing hormones to just “feelings,” we can finally start treating them with the full-body respect they deserve.
Thank you, as always, for being here! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Biologica. A product that I love taking and a company whose values I share.
If you have questions about Biologica, please feel free to drop them in the comments. I know Liz is a Btwn Meals subscriber, so you may find her in the comment section as well.
And don’t forget to use my discount code, MIARIGDEN15, if you want to give it a try (please note, this is valid for subscriptions only and will be available for a limited time only).
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I have been loving having a glass of Biologica with lunch (the cranberry lemonade perimenopause formula), it tastes like a Spindrift! Looking forward to trying some of the other flavors next.
Sold! Curious to know your thoughts on whether to still take a probiotic (Seed) while taking Biologica?