Olly
A Target-launched, design-forward gummy vitamin brand founded in 2013-2014 by the co-founder of Method, now owned by Unilever.
Founded
2013 (products launched 2015)
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Ownership
Unilever, which acquired Olly in 2019
Verification
No brand-wide USP or NSF certification found; markets on ingredient transparency and clean-label claims rather than independent verification
History
Olly was founded by Eric Ryan, who had previously co-founded the cleaning-products brand Method, along with Brad Harrington. Ryan has said he wanted to redesign the "dated" supplement aisle. The company launched its first products in Target stores in 2015 and was exclusive to Target in its first year before expanding to other retailers including CVS, GNC, and Albertsons.
Unilever acquired Olly in 2019 for an undisclosed sum, describing it as a complement to its beauty and personal care and foods businesses. Olly remained based in San Francisco and continued operating largely as a standalone brand within Unilever's portfolio.
Olly built its identity around gummy and chewable formats targeted at specific outcomes, sleep, stress, energy, skin, rather than the traditional single-nutrient tablet model, and markets itself as one of the top-selling gummy supplement brands by unit volume.
Why it is trusted
- +Backed by Unilever, a large multinational with the resources and regulatory exposure to maintain manufacturing standards, though Unilever's scale does not itself constitute independent verification.
- +Markets fairly plainly about ingredient lists compared to some competitors, avoiding proprietary blends on many of its core products.
- +Does not carry USP Verified or NSF certification on its gummy lines, and does not publish batch-level certificates of analysis for consumers to review.
- +As a gummy-format specialist, its products fall into a category (gummies) that independent testing bodies like ConsumerLab have repeatedly found more prone to potency variance than tablets, Olly's specific track record in such testing rounds should be checked before buying.
Where we would be careful
- −No public USP or NSF verification was found for its core gummy lines as of the September 2026 review. Check the specific package rather than assuming certification from the brand name.
- −Gummy formats generally carry higher risk of potency drift from label claims industry-wide; check independent testing databases for specific Olly SKUs.
- −Marketing language emphasizes mood and outcome branding ("Sleep," "Stress," "Restful Sleep") rather than clinical dosing detail on front-of-pack; read the supplement facts panel rather than the product name.
Where Olly ranks
Sources
- Unilever press release, "Unilever to acquire OLLY Nutrition," April 2019: https://www.unileverusa.com/news/press-releases/2019/unilever-to-acquire-olly-nutrition/
- Wikipedia, "Olly (company)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olly_(company)
- NutraIngredients, "Unilever gives supplements another chance with Olly acquisition," April 2019: https://www.nutraingredients.com/Article/2019/04/19/Unilever-gives-supplements-another-chance-with-Olly-acquisition/