Jigsaw Health

Choosing to fund human clinical trials on finished products is not a common decision in the supplement space. The cost is significant, the timelines are long, and the outcome is never guaranteed. Yet that choice reflects a deeper operating philosophy, one shaped by accountability to results rather than confidence in claims. At Jigsaw Health, clinical validation is treated as an operating discipline and not a marketing asset, guiding product development through evidence that can withstand scrutiny.

Founded nearly two decades ago, the family-owned nutritional supplements company prioritizes customer experience, scientific validation, and transparency.

“Integrity is not what we say when it’s convenient; it’s what we choose when the outcome is uncertain,” says Natalie Ochoa, president. “When truth comes before results, trust becomes inevitable.”

A Market That Rewards Claims

Why has transparency become a competitive necessity in supplements?

Dietary supplements occupy a gray zone between food and pharmaceuticals. They move quickly, face limited pre-market oversight, and rely heavily on consumer trust. Over the past decade, that trust has been strained by high-profile enforcement actions, misleading claims and inconsistent quality standards. Against that backdrop, transparency is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a competitive necessity.

Jigsaw Health’s leadership recognized this early. Rather than competing on novelty or trend cycles, the company focused on long-term credibility, building formulations slowly, investing in testing, and cultivating direct relationships with customers and healthcare practitioners. That decision sacrificed marketing velocity but aligned the brand with durability.

Betting on Science at the Product Level

How does Jigsaw Health validate products beyond ingredient studies?

Most supplement brands rely on studies conducted on individual ingredients, which can suggest potential benefits but fail to account for formulation, dosage, delivery systems, or real-world absorption.

Jigsaw Health chose to go further, funding human clinical trials on finished products, an uncommon move in the supplement space. The Scottsdale Magnesium Study, conducted on MagSRT^®, was completed in 2018 and published in a peer-reviewed journal, measuring serum and RBC magnesium levels alongside deficiency-related symptoms. The study was a placebo-controlled human clinical trial involving 91 adults with 75% of them having suboptimal serum and red blood cell magnesium levels. After supplementation with MagSRT^®, RBC magnesium increased over 90 days, serum magnesium improved, and magnesium deficiency symptoms reduced by more than 60%.

A separate sleep study on MagSoothe^®, a magnesium powder, has been completed and demonstrated statistically significant results; however, the study has not yet been published. The decision to conduct these sets Jigsaw Health apart in an industry where few brands are willing to risk unfavorable data or public scrutiny.

Clinical trials are only one pillar of the company’s trust strategy. Jigsaw Health also sends every production batch to third-party laboratories to verify potency, purity, and the absence of contaminants like heavy metals and microbes. Those results are published publicly. Consumers and practitioners can verify claims independently, reducing reliance on marketing language and increasing confidence in repeat purchasing.

That discipline is reinforced through repetition. Published outcomes replace assurances, and testing protocols replace narrative. Over time, decisions are supported by evidence rather than explanation.

Product Design as Applied Engineering

How does product formulation reflect applied engineering principles?

Behind the scenes, Jigsaw Health approaches formulation less like folklore and more like applied engineering. Magnesium, one of the company’s core categories, illustrates the point.

Magnesium is hydrophilic and can cause gastrointestinal side effects at higher doses, making effective supplementation difficult for many consumers. Jigsaw Health addressed this not by lowering doses, but by redesigning delivery. Its sustained-release technology slows absorption over several hours, improving tolerability and allowing higher intake without adverse effects.

Similar considerations guide decisions around form factor, cofactors, and ingredient sourcing. Powders are chosen over capsules when absorption or compliance improves, supporting ingredients are added to enhance bioavailability, and flavor development undergoes extensive iteration to balance palatability with formulation integrity.

Listening as a Competitive Advantage

How does customer feedback shape product development?

Jigsaw Health’s product strategy begins not with trend forecasting, but with conversation. A dedicated customer team engages daily with consumers, surfacing recurring frustrations, unmet needs, and real-world usage challenges that inform future formulations.

Beyond direct customer contact, the company is deeply engaged in the Root Cause Protocol, an online community of roughly 300,000 members focused on foundational health principles. Several Jigsaw Health products are incorporated into the protocol, providing ongoing visibility into people’s response, questions, and gaps that still exist.

Customer reviews add another layer of insight, supported by internal systems that track patterns over time rather than isolated anecdotes. Together, these feedback loops reinforce a customer-led development model grounded in lived experience rather than assumption.

Credibility as a Distribution Strategy

Why is practitioner adoption a secondary validation layer?

Approximately a quarter of Jigsaw Health’s revenue comes from practitioner channels, including physicians, naturopaths, chiropractors, and registered dietitians.

Healthcare professionals are conservative partners. They are less influenced by trends and more sensitive to reputational risk. Products that fail to meet expectations are quickly dropped, making practitioner adoption a secondary validation layer for the company’s emphasis on testing and transparency. That trust is reflected in the company’s 83 Net Promoter Score—an unusually high mark in a category often defined by skepticism and churn.

Culture without the Clichés

How does internal culture reinforce customer trust?

Internally, the company has invested heavily in culture, drawing inspiration from customer-centric organizations outside the wellness space. Employee tenure averages roughly seven years, an outlier in a sector known for turnover.

Jigsaw Health’s approach blends science with accessibility, using internal teams to produce educational content designed to inform without intimidating. The strategy, which the company refers to as ‘edutainment,’ aims to demystify nutrition while reinforcing brand trust.

That philosophy shows up in practice through playful music videos, recurring ‘Funny Friday’ content and short-form education led by employees themselves. Employees become the educators, the faces, and often the familiar voices customers recognize when they call, creating continuity between content, culture, and customer experience.

Growth without Dilution

Expansion has been incremental. Core categories like magnesium, sports nutrition, and immune health remain the foundation, while adjacent products are introduced only when they align with the company’s testing-first philosophy.

A recent example is Firefly Coffee, an organic, mold-free coffee. Coffee contamination is a known but under-discussed issue, and the company invested heavily in third-party testing to validate its claims before launch. Taste and purity were treated as equally non-negotiable.

Upcoming products, including magnesium gummy for adults and children, follow the same logic: measured extensions, not category leaps.

The Risks of Rigor

What are the long-term economics of rigor in supplements?

In a market crowded with low-cost alternatives, rigor may not guarantee instant dominance, but it creates trust that compounds over time.

That compounding effect continues to shape Jigsaw Health’s trajectory as consumers and practitioners respond to proof-driven products. As consumers become more discerning and regulators more engaged, proof-driven products are becoming a competitive edge. The economics of trust are shifting, rewarding companies willing to invest early in openness, accountability, and scientific validation.

The consistency has earned Jigsaw Health Nutritional Supplement Company of the Year for its sustained investment in testing, transparency and practitioner trust rather than short-term performance. Jigsaw Health continues to test a simple, enduring idea: when brands lead with care, listen closely, and are willing to show their work, confidence grows and that becomes the most scalable asset of all.