Frequently Asked Questions

We met as friends, fellow-nutrition nerds, and “someday-to-be” moms while studying at Stanford’s business school.

Through navigating our own fertility and nutrition journeys, we realized most prenatal nutrition information and products fall far short of empowering real nourishment for mamas-to-be. We started Needed to meet our needs and that of the thousands of women and health practitioners we’ve met along this journey. We’re on a mission to create broader nourishment through better products, information, and community. More about us here. 

Needed HQ is located in sunny West Los Angeles.

If you have any further questions, or just want to chat, you can email us at hello@thisisneeded.com or message us through Instagram at @needed. We love hearing from you.

You can follow us on Instagram @needed or subscribe to our newsletter via the field at the bottom of our homepage. And, be sure to visit our journal for existing and regularly updated educational content

The Needed community is constantly growing, and we are so happy that you want to join us. There are several ways that you can get involved. Get started by following us on Instagram @needed and signing up for our newsletter. If you are a health practitioner who would like to learn more about our Practitioner Referral Program, visit the Practitioners page. If you are a wellness professional, scientific researcher, or a curious consumer with great ideas, visit the Collaboration page. Needed Labs presents a Prenatal Nutritional Status Survey opportunity and is scaling a Nutritional Care program.

We are always on the lookout for fellow nutrition nerds, operational whizzes, and education gurus to join our team. If you think you could be a good fit, please email hello@thisisneeded.com with your resume and why you'd like to join Needed. 

We deeply care about minimizing our environmental impact - why we are a 1% for the planet and climate-neutral certified company.

We recently upgraded our product packaging to be more sustainable while continuing to protect our potent ingredients. The new packaging is made of 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic in both the bottles and caps and includes an easy-off adhesive that washes off in the recycling stream. Our bottles and shipping boxes are recyclable.

During this transition, we are committed to avoiding unnecessary waste and to ensuring you never run out of what’s Needed, so you may still see older packaging being shipped until they are fully sold. Unfortunately, the gusset bags of our old packaging are not recyclable.

We are always looking at ways to increase our sustainability and decrease our environmental impact, from our ingredient sourcing, to our packaging, fulfillment, and more, but have not found other options yet that properly protect the powders. Please find more information about our commitment to nourish mamas, including Mama Earth here. 

Naturopathic doctors (ND) attend an accredited four-year, graduate-level medical school like an MD, but their program is focused on physiology, nutritional biochemistry, and complementary therapies such as herbal medicine and homeopathy. This training is incredibly important in designing supplements. Very few MDs have nutritional training as only 25% of accredited US MD Medical Schools require a single nutrition course. Functional medicine doctors may be NDs or MDs who have gone through additional training in preventive medicine. 

We also collaborate with a number of other practitioners and researchers in developing and vetting products including OB-GYNS, midwives, nutritionists, biochemists, and microbiologists. 

Our products are manufactured in accordance to the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), which help ensure quality and safety. Needed also tests all products for quality and safety at third-party laboratories including tests for nutritional content, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, microbes and other contaminants. That said, by law, the FDA does not approve dietary supplements.

These are our free Scented Bottle Inserts. They are cleanly sourced from organic essential oils and come in three scent options: Citrusy Lime, Citrus Grove, and Spearmint. All three enhance the scent and taste of our capsule products! Just drop your favorite scent into the capsule bottle and you should notice a difference within 1-2 days. Please note that each insert is reusable and keeps its scent through 3-4 bottles. Contact us whenever you need more.

Needed’s supplements are intended to support optimal health and are not designed to prevent, treat, or cure disease. 

Nature is nuanced. We pay close attention to nutrient content, and only formulate with ingredients - naturally-derived or lab-produced - that work synergistically with the body. We use lab-synthesized ingredients over naturally-sourced when the quality and purity of natural sources don’t meet our strict standards. All ingredients are selected and dosed in partnership with leading practitioners and researchers.

Using the highest quality natural ingredients is important to us, which is why we only source from vendors who meet our quality standards and whose focus is on organic, non-GMO ingredients.

Our products are all proudly manufactured in the USA in the highest quality GMP facilities. See notes per product on each product page for more details.

Our Practitioner Referral Partners are champions of our community. They serve as product educators and help drive our mission to empower everyone to find true nourishment through nutrition, education, valued experiences, and so much more. We are so lucky to work with an amazing community of doctors, midwives, nutritionists, acupuncturist, doulas, health coaches, chiropractors and so many more. Join us in our mission to empower real nourishment in women on their motherhood journey. 

Visit our Practitioners page, and submit an application. We will review your information and get back to you with next steps. 

Through these partnerships, we build a deep understanding of the nutrition needs practitioners are seeing with their patients and communities. Together, we create thoughtful nutrition products and education to meet these needs.

Additionally, our referral program rewards Practitioner Partners and their communities for prioritizing better nutrition. To learn more about the specific rewards program email us at practitioners@thisisneeded.com.

Instead of asking to order wholesale inventory, we provide our Practitioner Referral Partners with codes that are then shared with patients and clients. Then they may visit our site and shop directly from us, entering the code at checkout and attributing the sale to the appropriate Practitioner Referral Partner. If you are a practitioner who only sells wholesale supplements, please reach out to us at hello@thisisneeded.com to discuss how we can best serve your practice's needs. 

If you have forgotten your password, there is an option on the login page that will redirect you to enter the email address associated with your account. We will then send you an email with a link to reset your password. If you are still stuck, send us an email at hello@thisisneeded.com and we'll help you out.

Email us at hello@thisisneeded.com with a recent order number or your shipping address, and we will help you out.

You can review your upcoming subscriptions and order history by clicking "manage subscriptions," once you have logged in.

No, we offer products as one-time orders. However, we suggest a subscription to support your commitment to optimal nutrition. You can skip a renewal or cancel the subscription at any time.

When you place your order, we will charge your payment method immediately, and bill and ship future orders on the next renewal date according to the subscription frequency selected.

We know that it can be a challenge to keep on top of your daily supplements. If you feel that you need to skip an order or cancel your subscription, you can do so through your online account at any time. Please note, however, that if your order has already processed your subscription adjustments will be reflected in your following order.

Please reach out to us at hello@thisisneeded.com and we’ll help you track your order.

Simply log into your account to manage your billing and shipping preferences at any time. Once logged in choose Manage Subscriptions then Address & Payment Details. From there you can edit or remove card and billing information. If you have trouble doing so, email us at hello@thisisneeded.com.

Yes. However, we value customer safety, security, and privacy, so you can be certain that our payment system is very secure. 

See our privacy policy.

Once your order ships, you will receive an order confirmation and tracking email, which includes your tracking number. You can also select "track and manage my orders" via our chat box to find your tracking number and link. Please reach out to us at hello@thisisneeded.com if you need additional assistance.

Outbound shipping within the US is always free with a subscription, though costs may apply on one-time orders. For international orders, shipping fees apply. If you choose to return unopened products, we will send you a prepaid shipping label and deduct $10 from your return. We cannot accept returns on international orders.

Log into your account and select Address & Payment Details after Manage Subscriptions to update your shipping address. You can also update the address on a specific subscription by selecting View Your Next Order then Edit Address on the upcoming order. If your order has already processed, please reach out to hello@thisisneeded.com.

We do ship to most countries! Most of our customers outside of the United States are in Canada and Australia! Reach out to us via chat or hello@thisisneeded.com to confirm we can ship Needed product to you. We have partnered with Passport to ship orders internationally. Please note that shipping fees, duties, and taxes may apply and we cannot accept returns on international orders.

Domestic orders with in-stock products are estimated to arrive within 3 to 5 business days after leaving our warehouse. Shipments to US territories, Alaska, and Hawaii can take 4 to 10 business days after fulfillment. International shipping speeds vary by location but typically arrive within 8 to 16 business days after leaving our warehouse. Please note that fulfillment generally takes 1 to 2 business days. A shipping notification with a tracking link is emailed to you when your order ships. 

While high heat exposure can shorten the 2-year shelf life of our products, there is no issue with near-term consumption of an unopened product. To maintain the full shelf life overall, we do recommend storing at room temp or cooler as a best practice, but there's no need to ship with ice packs even with high heat. To help minimize any product impacts in high heat, we recommend that you be available to receive your shipment when it arrives so the product doesn’t remain exposed to an extreme outdoor temperature.

We want you to love your Needed product experience. However, given the nature of our products, we are unable to accept returns or refunds on certain orders.

We sell sample packs of our powder products, and we recommend trying before you buy a full size powder product if you are hesitant about your experience. We do not offer refunds on sample packs or full size products due to taste preferences.

Unopened, sealed products may be returned for a refund within 30 days of purchase, less a $10 return shipping charge that will be deducted from your refund. For products purchased in a bundle (plans or multi-month subscriptions), a refund will be applied to the unopened and returned products only. 

If you’d like to exchange your item(s) or are unsatisfied with the order for any other reason please email us at hello@thisisneeded.com or chat with us. There, you'll be provided with instructions on how to initiate your return. If your order qualifies for a return, you can select a refund as store credit via a gift card or to your original form of payment. 

Please note that we are unable to accept international returns. 

If your order does not arrive safely, please email us at hello@thisisneeded.com and we'll do our best to make it right.

Please read the full return and refund policy carefully HERE.

Unfortunately, due to our fast shipping speeds, we cannot cancel orders once they are placed. You are welcome to return unopened products to us. Reach out to hello@thisisneeded.com for instructions. Our return policy can be found here.

Together with naturopathic and functional medicine doctors, and other leading practitioners and researchers, we developed plans that provide the complete nutrition a mother needs before, during, and after pregnancy. These plans are designed to optimally nourish you and baby to help you feel your best and help support baby’s development. And, with a single monthly shipment, you simplify your nourishment routine. All products can be easily blended into your favorite smoothie at once or separately. And, the plans allow you to save significant dollars. 

Many mothers enjoy the savings of the Plans but if you would like to customize your own nourishment, any item is available to purchase one-time or as a subscription.