Ancient + Brave: the British collagen food-supplements brand turning growth into a luxury movement

In a market crowded with generic tablets and commodity powders, Ancient + Brave has carved out a distinctly British, quietly luxurious corner of the food supplements world. Founded in 2018 by former media lawyer Kate Prince, the East-Sussex-based brand sells collagen and dietary supplements that sit somewhere between apothecary, skincare shelf and performance nutrition.:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} Prince began taking collagen and MCT oil herself to support joints, energy and skin, then built a range around those rituals. Piper, the consumer-brands investor, describes Ancient + Brave as a “mission-driven wellness brand” using natural ingredients, science-led innovation and “ancestral wisdom” to create whole-body health supplements – and backed that conviction with a £7 million investment in 2023.:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} ## Fast-growth status in the UK food-supplements league That bet appears well placed. In 2024, The Independent reported that Ancient + Brave had been ranked fifth on the Sunday Times 100 fastest-growing firms list, with sales surging from £1.3 million in 2022 to “over £10 million in 2023”.:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2} The separate published league table lists the company as a health-supplements brand based in East Sussex, with three-year annual sales growth of 222.51 per cent and latest sales of £10.2 million.:contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3} Since then, coverage has highlighted the brand’s expansion into more than 200 global retailers – including listings at Harrods, Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market’s Kensington flagship – and its certification as a B Corp.:contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4} It is a textbook example of how a focused, design-led food-supplements brand can break out of the niche and into mainstream premium retail. ## Collagen, MCT and the aesthetics of wellness Ancient + Brave’s core products are bovine and marine collagen powders such as True Collagen and Wild Collagen, alongside MCT oil and functional blends that frame collagen as part of an everyday beauty-and-energy ritual. The brand’s own site emphasises 100 per cent hydrolysed collagen peptides and positions the range squarely as food supplements – not medicines – designed to support skin, hair, nails, joints and overall vitality.:contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5} What elevates the story into celebrity-wellness territory is the following it has built. According to reporting by The Independent, Ancient + Brave “has amassed a raft of celebrity followers”, including double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes and singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding.:contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6} This is not a white-label influencer collab; it is a branded food-supplements house whose aesthetic and science narrative attract celebrities as consumers rather than co-founders. ## Regulation, claims and the UK lens on food supplements Operating in the UK means walking a careful line on claims. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is explicit that food and food-supplement marketing cannot claim to prevent, treat or cure human disease – even via implication – and that only authorised health claims on the GB Nutrition and Health Claims Register may be used.:contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7} For a collagen-led brand leaning into “beauty from within” positioning, this requires disciplined wording around hydration, elasticity and fatigue, and robust substantiation where specific benefits are referenced. Ancient + Brave illustrates how UK food-supplements brands can inhabit a luxury space without straying into medicinal territory. The differentiators are not just stylish jars, but credible sourcing, controlled language and evidence-backed hero ingredients. For manufacturers and formulators, the lesson is clear: pair premium sensorial design with dossiers that would withstand a regulator’s gaze. As ASA’s recent rulings show, active monitoring of supplement claims is intensifying; brands that harmonise glamour with compliance will be the ones invited onto the beauty counter – and allowed to stay there.:contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8} Strategic takeaway. In the UK, the next wave of growth in food supplements is likely to sit exactly where Ancient + Brave has placed itself: at the intersection of collagen science, ritualistic daily use, celebrity-level aspiration and strict regulatory discipline. For manufacturers with the right quality systems, this is less a passing trend and more a durable new tier of the market.

Contract-manufacturing partners such as Supplement Factory are increasingly central to bringing these formats to retail.