It all started when two Los Angeles-based women, Alex Taylor and Victoria Thain Gioia, both found themselves pregnant and frustrated with their prenatal vitamins.
In early 2019, Victoria’s daughter was born with a cleft lip without having any common risk factors or genetic link. As someone who had gone to great lengths to take all of the right vitamins, read all of the right research, and was lucky enough to have an incredible OB/GYN, Dr. Banafsheh Bayati, Victoria was shocked to learn how much was left unsaid and underserved for women during pregnancy.
The pair learned that this type of cleft was associated with a folic acid deficiency, which was particularly surprising given that
Victoria had sought a prenatal she trusted with folic acid. It turns out about 40 to 60 percent of women have a common genetic mutation called the MTHFR variant, which prevents them from converting folic acid into folate, the usable form of the nutrient. Folate intake during the first four to seven weeks of pregnancy is crucial, which makes the timing of nutrients key during pregnancy. It was all too clear that the industry’s one-size-fits-all approach to prenatal vitamins was not the right one.
After navigating her own autoimmune diagnosis, Alex—an editorial expert and self-proclaimed wellness buff—spent hours poring over resources to learn how to adjust her supplement routine as she moved through her conception and pregnancy journey. She followed all the rules: supplementing her prenatal vitamin with CoQ10 when she was trying to conceive, adding extra calcium during her later trimesters and adding in an Omega that offered both high-quality DHA and EPA.
She was sourcing vitamins from all over and sorting pills and bottles
each morning. It was a haphazard, time-consuming and expensive approach that went against her personal principles of sustainability.
As they got together and compared notes, Victoria and Alex realized women’s vitamins were long overdue for an overhaul. The industry was underregulated, there was little information on what ingredients to actually take, and the products felt oversimplified for women’s ever-changing bodies. They simply couldn’t trust what was on the market, because they didn’t know who was actually behind the formulas.
They imagined what it would be like to have a vitamin routine targeted to their needs, designed by a holistic team of experts who knew their bodies best.
They knew that women deserved better.
The pair teamed up with Victoria’s OB/GYN, Dr. Banafsheh Bayati, MD, FACOG. In serving women from adolescence to menopause from her practice in Santa Monica, California, Dr. Bayati sees firsthand just how much our hormones fluctuate throughout our lives—and that means our nutrient needs are constantly shifting, too.
So together, they set out to create vitamins that would adapt to support women through each unique stage of their hormonal
journey—delivering targeted nutrition to mirror their needs and symptoms. They would use bioavailable, research-backed ingredients, in doctor-recommended, clinically-tested doses to ensure nutrients make an impact. And they’d make it simple—delivering a comprehensive routine in an easy-to-remember daily pack.
Now, our story and our mission are bigger than us—and they belong to our incredible community. We created Perelel because we wanted every woman to feel seen, heard and supported through each stage of her health journey. No matter what that looks like for you, we’re honored to be always by your side.
Let’s write the next chapter for women’s health, together.
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