Kombucha is out: adaptogen-rich tonics like Kin Euphorics, now backed by Bella Hadid, are on a mission to replace alcohol with brain-boosting ready-to-drink botanicals.
Bella Hadid and adaptogens have a lot in common. They’re both on a meteoric ascent into superstar status: supermodel Hadid is a beloved icon in the fashion world, walking shows from Milan to New York. She is always busy but also seeks quiet space. Adaptogens—botanicals and fungi that can help bring balance to the body, especially the brain—are the herbal supplement du jour, and supermodels in their own right.
As stress levels soar amid the never-ending pandemic, climate change, and, let’s be real, the end of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, a growing number of people are turning to adaptogens. Like Hadid, they’re globetrotters, too—some, like rhodiola, grow high up in the Arctic, others, like reishi mushrooms, prefer the quiet wooded base of Pacific Northwest tree stumps.
Kindred spirits
In a recent Vogue interview, Hadid, 24, says that stress was taking its toll on her.
“I would just go to the next job and the next job and the next job—constantly pushing and pushing,” she says. “I had to be at work at 7 a.m. and somehow go out the night before. It wasn’t sustainable.”
Hadid was diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2016. “Put that all on top of my social anxiety, then being thrown into a business where everything is about being social—it was a struggle for me that not a lot of people saw,” she said.
After cans of Kin mysteriously found their way into her fridge, Hadid said it was like the universe was sending her a sign. And after seeing Hadid and Kin’s founder and CEO Jen Batchelor together (just watch the video on the website’s homepage), it’s clear that Hadid and herbal tonic brand Kin Euphorics would find each other someday.
Botanicals
Kin is part of a growing category birthed by the this-isn’t-soda kombucha movement that picked up steam a decade ago. That escalated alternative drinks like kefir water and apple cider vinegar to mainstream supermarkets.
Kin’s taking that a step further, positioning itself in a growing category of alternative to alcohol with semi-mind altering ingredients that include botanicals like hibiscus petals, the adaptogens Rhodiola and reishi, and GABA, a naturally occurring chemical in a family called nootropics, known for their “brain hacking” potential that can boost and calm all at once. Think clarity and relaxed focus rather than drowsiness.
The product worked for Hadid and she found herself enamored with the brand. Now, she’s officially a co-founder, alongside Batchelor.
Hadid isn’t just signing on as a face, although there’s plenty of that expected; she’s fully committed, helping to promote as well as formulate—her family’s Pennsylvania farm will provide fresh lavender for new drinks. “Creation is my love language,” she says.
Batchelor concurs, she tells Vogue Hadid’s a “kindred spirit.”
Kin Euphorics
The company has seen significant growth since Batchelor launched Kin in 2018. The company has raised more than $10 million (pre-Hadid) and holds space in the crowded, coveted refrigerator sets of upscale stores like LA’s Erewhon, Jean-George’s ABCV, and Soho House.
There’s another reason Batchelor was so open to bringing Hadid on as a co-founder. “Being a female solo founder in this industry? It’s super lonely,” she says. “The opportunity that we could do this 50-50 percent together, that’s what excited me,” she says.
Now, the two co-founders are hard at work making their alcohol-free “brain care” tonics the next kombucha. “It’s not just for sober people,” Hadid says. “It’s also for the Wall Street businessmen. It’s for mothers who have to go to work all day and then take care of their kids all night. It’s for people who don’t want to drink but still want to have something that makes them feel good without regret.”
For Hadid, social drinking is mostly out these days, she’s got other priorities. “You can either take one shot of whiskey to feel better for 20 minutes or you can drink Kin every day to feel better for a lifetime.”
Want to try Kin for yourself? Check it out here.
